My son is seven months old.. weighs 20 pounds.. and i was wondering when i could turn the convertible car seat to face forward.. i called the doctor and the nurse said it should say on the car seat. .but i couldn't find it anywhere.. and i have heard that you should wait til' they are a year old? any info?
2006-12-06 14:39:07 · 27 answers · asked by ashjmy5 1 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
Infants should be in a rear facing infant only seat or convertible seat until they are one year old AND twenty pounds. Children who reach twenty pounds before their first birthday still need to face backward and can be moved into a rear facing convertible seat.
After one year of age, toddlers should use a forward facing car seat until they are about 40 pounds or their ears have reached the top of the car seat.
Children who are over 40 pounds should be placed into a belt positioning booster seat.
When your child is about 80 pounds and 4feet 9 inches tall, he should be ready to use regular seat belts.
2006-12-06 14:54:30 · answer #1 · answered by Mom of Three 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It is best for a baby to sit rear facing until 12 months, regardless of weight, for maturity of muscle control and development. Rear facing car-seats are designed to flip forward into the soft padding of a seat in the case of an accident. It supports the head and neck since it lays back and if in an accident would hit forward but not jerk heads forward than backward. A 12 month old has better sitting control and muscle development in the back and neck - have you ever heard of a baby over one dying from being shaken? A 7 month old would be safer facing rear. You should check the weight on the car-seat itself. If it says only to 20 pounds it is time to get a convertible car-seat - one that is larger than the carrier types and can face rear or front. Here is an example for a baby 20-40 pounds with 30 pounds the max for rear facing.
http://www.infant-car-seats.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.exe/online-store/scstore/p-1321002BB.html?E+scstore
2006-12-06 15:17:46 · answer #2 · answered by pebble 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
When she is 1 and 1/2
2016-05-23 02:36:22 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You should wait until your baby is at least 20 lbs AND is one year old. Before one year, their neck and back muscles aren't strong enough to withstand the force of a crash when facing foward and if you did get into an accident, your baby would very likely have a serious injury. It's illegal to turn a car seat forward when the child is under one year in most states, and you could get a big fine for doing it.
I plan on keeping my child rear-facing until he reaches the maximum weight limit for the seat (35 lbs). When I had the car seat inspected, the officer who did it recommended this as it will give my child the best protection against neck and spinal injuries.
2006-12-06 19:41:16 · answer #4 · answered by Becca 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's One Year AND 20 pounds. Absolutely do not turn your child around before they meet both those requirements, and the longer you leave your child rearfacing, the safer he or she is. Your child's spine still isn't fused, which increases the risk for spinal cord injuries, their little bodies cannot handle the impact of the type of accident that makes up the vast majority of accidents (rear facing seats take the majority of the impact for them). Always make sure the seat is installed and USED properly (after all, what good is a car seat if you aren't using the harness right?).
Our convertible seat will keep my baby rearfacing to 30 pounds, and we're not turning him around until then. The second link in my sources lists the state by state requirements. The first link is to a site with video of front and rear facing accidents, and why you should keep baby rearfacing longer... as well as a picture gallery of older children rearfacing (in the site index)
2006-12-06 16:58:03 · answer #5 · answered by Jen 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
The law is: 20lbs and 1 year. This means your child needs to be a year old in order to be in the front facing position. My son has been 20lbs since he was seven months also. Never did I question moving the car seat even if he's a little smashed. I'd much rather keep him safe for as long as I can then have it more conveniently placed forward facing.
2006-12-06 14:42:32 · answer #6 · answered by .vato. 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
1 yr and 20 lbs, go to the fire station and get them to install it for you. Better safe than sorry. Some fire stations will show it to you and then you put it in, or they just do it, like mines do. I never take my car seats out of my car. You should do the same. If the car seat moves more than a inch it's wrong. The straps have to be tight, and there should be nothing on the seats in the back, because if your car flips or you have an accident those toys of his become dangerous and could hurt him seriously.
2006-12-06 15:08:21 · answer #7 · answered by fourcheeks4 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Your baby must be BOTH 1 year old and at least 20 pounds. A seven month old should not be forward facing, no matter how heavy he is. In fact, a baby should be rear facing for as long as possible.
2006-12-06 14:42:54 · answer #8 · answered by Yarro Pilz 6 · 4⤊ 0⤋
AS of now , it is 20lbs AND 1 year. What i did with my older girls who were too long for the rear facing seat was to get a convertible seat and then turned it around when they were a year old.
2006-12-06 15:46:28 · answer #9 · answered by Lily18 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Your supposed to wait until 1 year or 22 pounds. Thats standard, but most states now require a rear facing car seat for longer.
You can call the non emergency number of your local state troopers for that info.
2006-12-06 14:40:58 · answer #10 · answered by amosunknown 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋