OK I am just looking for honest answers. At what age did you turn your child to a forward facing car seat? I am fully aware of the rules, -20 pounds and at least 1 year- however, many people tell me that they do not follow those rules and they don't know anyone (or few people) who do. So I would like to know just how many of you have followed the rule.
thanks!
2007-10-03 04:53:50 · 14 answers · asked by redhot 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
I flipped my son at 11 months...
He's 11 and a half months now...but he's 25.4 pounds and really tall...He looks like a friggin two year old.
Rear facing he was sitting with his legs squished up...so we decided to just do it and flip him even though it's "against the law"
He LOVES it...now he can see and I can see his little face and he looks so much more comfortable.
I would never recommend "breaking the law" and I would advice you to keep your child rear facing as long as possible...
But I'll also say that those laws and those suggestions are based on averages of sizes of children...and my son is WAY above average...he's off the charts in height and weight for his age...
So there's an exception to every rule I guess is what I'm trying to say.
Do what is best for your child keeping in mind the law and the safety suggestions.
Don't listen to anyone here that reams you for thinking about deviating from the "norm".
Good Luck
***As it was...the "infant seat" topped out at 22 pounds ...so he was riding around over they weight limit for over a month as it is...
*********
And for you cows that thumbs down my answer...do you think that neck muscles spontaneously develop overnight on the eve of the baby's first birthday? If so...you're idiots. Every child develops at different rates...regardless of the guidelines set by law enforcement or anyone else.
Every child is different, Laws are written to protect the majority and based on national averages.
If your child is ABOVE AVERAGE, talk to your pediatrician and do what is best for your child...
Law enforcement, state agencies and Internet advice websites can be a great source of information...but it by no means is guaranteed to be correct .
Some people live by the narrow minded belief that what they are told...simply must be true...but that's just not always the case.
Did you know that keeping a large child in a child restraint seat that is too small can actually cause more harm than good?
So am I to believe that if I switch my son back to rear facing for another week and a half and then switch him back to front facing when he turns one ...that he'll be safer in a seat that is too small for him, with his legs crumpled up in front of him, with the straps of the restraints below his shoulders even at the largest setting??...
Idiotic...sorry, but it's just not true.
Maybe it's true for the average little kid...but my guy is just too big.
2007-10-03 05:05:17 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 5⤋
I turned my son around the day he turned 1, he was already 20 lbs but that was 8 years ago, and I went on the best advice available to me at that time. My 19 month old daughter is still rear facing, she just got up to 20 lbs so legally I can turn her around now but I am not going to because I know that it's safer to let her face backwards until she reaches the height or weight maximum then turn her around. No one else has a right to give you any slack, you are the Mommy so you get to make the decisions. Say "Thanks for the input but they are probably going to change the law soon anyway so she needs to stay rear facing at least until she turns 2.
2016-05-19 22:57:42 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Everyone I know followed the rule and some kept the kid turned around a few months past the weight and age requirement because it is safer for the child. Mine were about 14-15 months or so when I turned them.
I just don't understand people who rush this---do they think that somehow the laws of physics will be miraculously suspended if they are in an accident? Do they believe that because little Suzie walked and talked early that her internal development was accelerated to the point where she was as capable of surviving neck injury as a child that is 30 or 40 percent OLDER than she is?
2007-10-03 05:09:50 · answer #3 · answered by bookmom 6 · 5⤊ 2⤋
The recommendation from safety experts and the American Academy of Pediatrics is to rearface (RF) to the limits of the seat which is 30-35lbs on all seats sold in the US. My own daughter is 2 1/2 years - 28lbs - 36in tall and still RF in her Britax Marathons. She will RF until she reaches 33lbs. She is much safer this way.
I have included several links with great pictures and videos of what happens to childrens necks when they are FF in a crash.
Most people are concerned about their child's legs being scrunched or broken in a crash. There is absolutely no evidence that shows a child's legs are in danger and I would much rather deal with a broken leg, than a broken neck.
2007-10-03 14:40:58 · answer #4 · answered by Kak22 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I'm a stickler for car seats. So I did follow the rules.
My little girl is 15 months old, and I just turned her seat around a few weeks ago. She's small and petite, so it took her a while to hit the 20 pound mark.
I have 4 kids, and there is nothing more precious to me. I'm also the "What if.." kind of a person. What if I turned her seat around in an unsafe position when she wasn't ready and we got into an accident?
For those of you who have turned your seats around early, I got no problems with that. If you feel comfortable, I see nothing wrong with that. You know what's best for you and yours.
But like I said, I'm pretty strict when it comes to seat belts.
Good Luck!
2007-10-03 05:15:05 · answer #5 · answered by jt 3 · 2⤊ 2⤋
We have always followed that rule, it's so important to do it. They have those rules for a reason and that's to protect your child, why would anyone want to not give them the best protection. Our second daughter has always been very light, she was 17 months before she reached 20 lbs but we waited. Forward facing carseats are designed for kids who have some weight and can sustain themselves in the event of an accident, in some cases even 20lbs isn't enough. Good luck!
2007-10-03 05:02:42 · answer #6 · answered by justwondering 5 · 4⤊ 2⤋
Squished legs are better than a broken neck! With my first i did not know about extended rear facing, so I turned him around at the 20lb and over 1 year requirements. But now I know the benefits of extended rear-facing, how much safer it is to keep them rear facing, so my current 10 month old will be staying rear facing until the car seat cannot no longer hold him as rear facing, I think it goes up to 35b lbs.
Check out this site for info about rear-facing. Keep your child rear-facing as long as possible, it is so much safer for them!
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/StayRearFacing.aspx
2007-10-03 05:10:46 · answer #7 · answered by iamhis0 6 · 5⤊ 1⤋
We turned our son's car seat on his first birthday. His first forward-facing ride was the drive to his grandparents house for his birthday party :)
He was a big boy and was already 20 lbs at nine months...but his pediatrician told me it was important to wait until 12 months so his neck muscles would be developed enough to sustain the impact of a collision. That's all I needed to hear!
2007-10-03 07:43:42 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Ok, here goes. (The rules were different 21 & 14 years ago anyway, I think.) When they start sitting up & demanding more attention, you will probably find it close to impossible to continue the rear-facing back seat deal and keep your composure while driving, especially if you are alone & have no other adult (or responsible, sweet older sibling) in the car with you. If you have more than one child riding with you, you will also have to figure out which configuration keeps them from trying to kill each other!
Rear-facing in the front seat beside you (if you feel good enough about your airbags & your state laws don't prohibit it) works pretty good on short trips because you can get to them & hand them a toy or pacifier to keep them quiet. Front-facing in the back seat may work for you if you have a car seat with lots of attached toys, or maybe a DVD player in the back, or if they are old enough to be entertained by kids music in the car. (I know the sing along tapes and kids videos are annoying, but they beat screaming and some of them are actually educational!)
Sometimes food helps, too. If your child is old enough to feed him/herself finger foods, try putting a snack within reach (tray table on a car seat). Watch them closely, though to make sure they don't get choked.
I also tried to engage the child in conversation about what we were seeing along the way-pointing out anything interesting I thought might be visible from their vantage point. Talk to them about everything you are doing--you'll be surprised how much they can learn from even the simplest experience (everything from names of objects to changing seasons to colors of vehicles to traffic signs and even environmental print like logos and signs for favorite restaurants and stores! The site below might have some more tips that would be helpful to you!
Your question sure brought back some memories (not all of them fond)! Like I said, it's been a long time since mine were that size, but I actually find myself looking forward to toting grandkids around one of these days! We all lived through it with no injuries (thank you Lord). I can actually remember my own childhood (before mandatory seat belts if you can believe that) when our only safety feature was Mom sticking her hand out in front of me before she came to a quick stop!
As frantic as those car trips can be, cherish your little one(s) while you can, and use your maternal instinct to determine what's best for your kid(s) and (unless you're Brittney Spears) it will probably work out just fine!
2007-10-03 05:18:59 · answer #9 · answered by arklatexrat 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
My son was 22 months. i didn't want to turn him then, because he was only 26 pounds and the seat goes up to 35 rear-facing, but he has such a long torso that the shoulder straps were a couple of inches below his shoulders and kept slipping off :-(
2007-10-03 05:34:37 · answer #10 · answered by Terrible Threes 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋