2006-08-08 09:59:26 · 13 answers · asked by boobieuluv 1 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
Your child must be ***BOTH*** 12 months old ***AND*** weigh at least 20 pounds.
The longer you can leave them rear facing, the safer they will be.
2006-08-08 10:18:12 · answer #1 · answered by momma2mingbu 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A child must be 1 year old AND weigh at least 20 pounds before they can ride in a front facing car seat. They must meet both criteria not one or the other. It is safest for the child to stay rear facing as long as possible. Frontal crashes are the most common, which is why babies have to be backward and should remain that way for as long as possible. In a frontal crash, a rear facing child is protected because their head and neck are within the confines of the shell of the carrier which is moving toward the front of the car, then they rebound toward the back of the car. This movement allows a child to "ride down" the crash with minimal impact to their body. When you turn them forward facing, their head and neck will take all of the crash forces and a child under 1 does not have strong enough bones to withstand these forces. You can actually seperate the spinal cord in an infant. So, rear facing is best for as long as possible!
2006-08-11 00:14:38 · answer #2 · answered by carseat xpert 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can legally do it at one year and 20 lbs. But, many of the convertable seats will allow your child to be in the safer rear facing position up to 35 lbs. and it is recommended to leave them in that position as long as possible. Just imagine god forbid getting rear ended and the force throwing you poor your childs undeveloped neck forward. Rear facing is much safer in this situation. There is more information about different safety requirement here... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_safety_seat
2006-08-08 17:20:54 · answer #3 · answered by KimG 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
One year old, at the earliest. Even if your baby meets the height weight requirements (if you have a large baby, for example, who weighs 20 lb. at 10 months old), you should still wait a while. This requirement is based mainly on head/neck control. At 10 months old, even though your baby might meet the weight requirements, it's still unsafe to put him forward-facing because his neck muscles aren't developed enough to take the brunt of an impact if he's facing forward.
2006-08-09 09:43:15 · answer #4 · answered by brevejunkie 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When the baby is 1 yr old AND 20 lbs.
2006-08-08 20:02:32 · answer #5 · answered by cristons_mommy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
20 lbs
2006-08-08 17:04:23 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most states say the must be ONE YEAR and weigh 20LBS. My daughter is 12 months old and still only weighs 18lbs.....so it'll be awhile before I can switch her around.
2006-08-08 21:48:30 · answer #7 · answered by AuroraBorealis 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Contact your local fire department or police station to see what the law is in your state.
2006-08-08 17:25:51 · answer #8 · answered by Coast2CoastChat.com 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
every state has different laws! My word of advice,dont use Britney Spears as an example!!!!lol
2006-08-08 17:03:55 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
laws are different in different states
ca laws is one year and 20 lbs
2006-08-08 17:03:41 · answer #10 · answered by Jess 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋