Rear facing car seat?

Question

My son is going to be 1 year old on November 6. He is about 23 pounds. I know that they should be 1 year and 20 lbs for most state laws and seat regulations. Now he has developed a hate for riding in the car since he cannot see us. Will it hurt anything since his b-day is within the next 3 weeks to turn him around? Thanks

Answer 1

I am a certififed car seat techician in the state of WI. It is actually truely encouraged to keep a child rear facing until 2 years of age, if the car seat you are using can be rear facing with the weight. You can also put most convertible car seats rear facing until 30 lbs and would need one anyways, so a great investment. It is proved to be nearly 98% safer than forward facing even at a year. I would try anything in your power to keep him rear facing for as long as possible. There are mirrors and toys that can be attached to seat to keep him busy. I know it is hard when they cry, (I do also have a 12 month old) but think about how much safer it is. If you have any questions on how a seat is installed or if it is being used correctly, contact your local PD or fire department. Most do at least 2 car seat checks a year that are planned and many will do appointments also.

Answer 2

Unlike most people, I would not recomend turning him around unless your state laws say you can. It is a $250 fine (at least in my state) if they are caught in a forward facing carseat before they turn 1 and 20 lbs. A lot of experts will also recomend that they stay in the rear facing position for longer then that. Also, the 3 in 1 car seats are VERY hard to install and switch from one position to the next and the only forward facing carseat that will recline while in forard facing position is the Graco Safe Seat Step 2.


The choice is totally up to you, but I personally wouldn't want to risk the ticket or my child's life.

Answer 3

Well, all of the safety recommendations say they should be 1 year AND over 20 pounds. And when we went to one of those safety seat specialists they said even if they are over one year and 20 pounds, that rear facing seats are still the safest. But if your little one is truly unhappy, I can't see how that 3 weeks will make much of a difference, especially as he is over the weight recommendation (my little girl didn't reach 20 pounds until she was almost 2). Just try to have the seat in the middle of the back seat since that is the safest. And keep in mind that he still might be unhappy in his car seat, my daughter was and would cry and fuss for an entire car trip sometimes!

Answer 4

My twin girls will also be a year old, on November 5th. They weigh 19 lbs right now.

On the instructions of the car seat we have, it states that a baby has to sit in the rear facing position until they reach 20 lbs or one year old.

So, my hubby and I are just waiting until Nov. 5th to make the car seats front facing.

It is only a couple more weeks and I would rather be safe than sorry or get a citation...

Hope this helps...

Answer 5

My son is 20 months, 25#s and rear-facing. Just because they can turn around doesn't mean they should. Legs can be crossed and a mirror hung. The neck really isn't strong enough until they are 2 y.o. Our seat goes to 30#s and he will rf until he is that big!

To the people that turned at six months, do you realize that even a sudden stop can cause neck injury? Think about how big their heads are!

Answer 6

I would say you can turn him around, be sure to keep him in the middle my son was turned before one cause he was very long and exceeded the weight for being backward facing, it should be fine.
Rear-facing infant seat: Infants should ride in rear-facing child safety seats until they have reached 1 year of age and 20 lbs. (Low-birth-weight infants should be supported in rear-facing, infant-only seats. Make sure the angle of the seat doesn't cut off your child's air flow, and if it does, find an approved infant car bed that will allow the baby to lie flat until he's grown enough for a rear-facing infant seat. See the American Academy of Pediatrics for more on protecting low-birth-weight babies. Or, go to Medem and do a search under "special needs.")
Forward facing convertible seat: Children about 20-40 lbs. and 1-4 years of age can ride in forward-facing or forward-facing convertible seats.

Answer 7

My son weighed 23 lbs at 6 months. He was so long he was squished in the back seat, legs could not fit. We turned him around, after talking to his pediatrician. The recommendation is 1 and 20lbs. But the most important thing is the baby fitting properly and sitting correctly in the seat. Britney Spears caught flack because the baby was clearly not ready to face forward (neck muscles not strong enough) but if your baby is big enough that is what is most important. The weight is the key factor there. The age is for the population that reach the weight very early, but are not yet strong enough to sit properly. Use your best judgement, but I would go ahead.

Answer 8

Your son is over the 20 lbs limit. He should be fine to turn around. if your still concerned ask your pediatrician. But their is lots of kids under the age of one that are over the 20lbs and have been turned around in theirs sets. just make sure it's the right weight limit of a car seat. good luck.

Answer 9

I think it will be just fine, since his b-day is so close and he is over the 20 lb limit. I turned my son around a little early, but only when i was driving in town, we don't live in a real busy town. But if we were going out on the highway then i turned him back.

Answer 10

I think it's okay. There's nothing magical about the day they turn 1. When developing the guidelines, I'm sure they just had to pick a cutoff, and 1 year is probably what they chose to safely cover as many kids as possible to be ready for facing forward. Know what I mean?

I think the greatest worry about facing a child forward is the strength of the neck. Your son doesn't seem to be small so I assume he has a strong neck, and I think it's fine to turn him around.