when does a typical kid weigh 35 lbs?

Question

car seat says to keep rear facing til 35 lbs. I just want to get an idea, how old will the kid be? I would guess 3 or 4, that seems nuts to keep the kid rear facing that long.

Answer 1

Typically between 2-3 yrs, depending on a number of factors.

Many people are saying that you should, or that you have to, turn the child at 1 year and 20 lbs, but this is an absolute minimum for forward facing. It is much, much safer to rear-face to the limits of the seat (in your case, 35 lbs) so long as the child's head is atleast 1 inch from the top of the seat. The legs don't matter at all, at 2, 3, 4 yrs, whatever, the child could just sit cross legged, which is more comfortable than just having legs dangling (try it yourself. I'm sitting on the couch cross legged, rather than have my legs dangling!)

A frontal crash is the most common type of crash. In a crash like this, the passengers snap forward and then back (we continue moving with the speed of the crash, until impact, and then we fly back). The amount of force is equal to the velocity x weight. So a 22-lb child in a 40mph crash becomes an 880-lb force.

Anyway, the risk here is the baby's legs. In a crash, her whole seat would slide towards the front of the car, taking her legs with it, and then slide back. Theoretically, when she slid back (w/ lots of force, this isn't a gentle slide) they could slam in to the seat back, and cause them to break. I say theoretically, because there have actually been no reported cases of this actually happening.

The alternative would be if the baby was forward facing. If she was, her head/neck/spine would snap forward and then slam in to back of the carseat. In a severe enough crash, this might cause a breakage or internal decapitation. The spinal column is much more sensitive than the legs.

So, how many people have you ever met with a broken neck? And how many with broken legs? Broken legs are more easily repaired than spinal columns.

Answer 2

I think they say that weight because some 0-12 months old babies can weigh upwards. They triple in weight in the first year so if your born between 9 and 10 pounds you could be 12 months old and weigh 30 pounds. But typically at 20 pounds and 1 year old you can place a child in a front facing car seat in the back of the car. At to be about 35 lbs yes it is 3 closer to 4 and even possibly for some as old as 4.5 year old.

Answer 3

Most kids reach 35lbs between ages 3 and 4.

Your child should remain rearfacing until the limits of the seat (either height or weight).

Please see this link http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/StayRearFacing.aspx
for WHY it is safer to rearface. Scroll down about halfway and there are still pictures taken from the crash test videos showing the difference of rearfacing vs forward facing in a crash.

Length of legs has ABSOLUTELY no bearing on safety. There have been no documented cases of broken legs in a rearfacing carseat. Even if there were, I would much rather deal with a broken leg, than a broken neck.

1 year and 20lbs is the BARE MINIMUM to forward face according to the law. Everyone would be safer if they rode rear facing in the car.

My own daughter is 25mos, 28lbs, 35 inches tall and rides rear facing in both of our cars and will remain so until she is 33lbs.

Answer 4

Yes, it's absolutely safest to keep a kid rearfacing till the top listed weight on the convertible seat (35 pounds) or till their head is about even with the top of the seatback, whichever comes first. The longer you can rearface a kiddo, the safer they are, and yes, that can mean up to age 3 or 4, but at LEAST age 2 or 30 pounds is a good minimum if you want to protect their head and spine in a crash, particularly a deadly side impact crash. Car crashes are the number one source of spinal injury in this country, and rearfacing is the best way to prevent that. My kids happily rearfaced till they reached 33 pounds, the maximum in their Britax seats, till they were 3 and 4.5, and my youngest is only 13 months and 20 pounds, now, she's got a couple years rearfacing to go :)

Answer 5

we will she (my daughter) is 25lbs and is two so i'm guessing she would be everywhere from 3 a million/2 year to 4 years previous. i became 4 a million/2 while i became that weight. i'm wanting to purchase the Graco 35 for my twins - this is an toddler automobile seat that is going as much as 35lbs yet, of path might in basic terms use it for 12-14 months. she would be a small newborn by using 35lbs. Her healthful ingredients and daily workout retains her at a healthful weight - not asserting that a 2 year previous at 35lbs isn't healthful. often boys weigh 5lbs heavier then boys for some reason.

Answer 6

You should keep your child rear-facing to the limit of the seat. Many parents turn their babies forward-facing much too early and don't realize that they just dramatically increased the likelihood of their child being seriously injured and/or killed in the event of a crash... :( The American Academy of Pediatricians recommend rear-facing as long as possible. The crash force puts a tremendous strain on our heads/necks, and much more so on a small baby. Their little bones/cartilage/spinal cords can be damaged in such a way that they're injured for life.

Check out this site for crashtest videos and photos of a child rear-facing vs forward-facing:

http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/stayrearfacing.aspx

Hope this helps!

Answer 7

That is just how much they can weigh before turning them around....they suggest rear facing for as long as possible but the law is once the reach 20 pounds AND are a year old they can be forward facing.

Answer 8

Its safest to keep the carseat rear facing for as long as possible... so either 35 lbs or when their legs get too long...

Answer 9

The car seat can stay rear facing until 35 pounds, but it's not recommending that you keep it rear facing until then. You should turn it around when the baby is 20 pounds AND 1 year.

It may be used for special needs children that cannot support their heads when they are over a year and under 35 pounds....or for big babies=)

Answer 10

Technically, when they are around 3 years old, they will weight this much but check your local laws or ask your pediatrician. My daughter is only 5 and weighs 80 lbs....technically, I shouldnt have to use a booster seat but I have to for awhile yet....