Carseat Question

Talk to your pediatrician. But there are car seats that are reversible (backward facing and forward facing). I don't think they will help much with long legs, but the reason they have to stay backward facing until 1 year old is because of neck strength. You can try the state government website and should be able to search it for car seat laws.

Hi there, Here in Australia things must be different, our carseats that face backwards are for up to 9kg - 19.8lb, but you can turn them to face forward at 8kg - 17.6lb - My daughter is now about 18lb & 9 months old but is facing forward - i made sure she was able to hold her head properly before facing her forward & her feet now also hang over the edge. I didn't think they'd put an AGE on there since all children grow at different rates. When it was facing the rear she was too tall to get the straps over her shoulders so she couldn't stay that way coz facing the rear there had to be a padded insert put in to the seat & so you could only use the lowest strap slot so once she was too big to be squished in there i didn't have much choice but to face her forward. Maybe, if you cant find the info you need, try your son facing forward & see how he copes with his head (not driving), if he manages, then maybe he would be ok to face him forward. Sorry if i'm not overly helpful but different places have different laws but 1 yr does seem to be fairly late to be able to spin the seat around - or that could just be me!

If I were you, I would look at getting a convertible carseat. This is what my daughter is in, and she is 5 months old. Also, I would check out your state laws with whatever your department is called in your state, but from what I understand it is both. My sister was the one who said that they have to be both 1 years old and over 20 pounds to be put in a front facing carseat. Another thing is if you have to question it, then I would just find one of these convertible carseats and face it towards the rear - not the front. Just to be on the safe side. I'd totally rather be safe than sorry. Hope this helps you out some.

My son is 13 months old and is a tall baby. He's almost 32 inches tall now, and weighs about 23.5 lbs. And we still have his car seat rear facing. Research now is showing that it is really a good idea to leave them rear facing for just as long as their car seat will allow them. My son's carseat is one that can be faced forward or back. Rear facing it will hold a child up to 35 lbs and 34 inches. We will probably turn it around when he gets to 33 inches. I just wrote an article about this earlier in the week. If it was already published, I would give you a link. But since it's not, I will just outline a few things for you. Babies need to be rear facing for their own protection.In the event of a car crash, for a rear facing child, the main impact will occur along the back of the carseat and be more evenly distributed. If the baby is forward facing, that means that they will be receiving the brunt of the crash along their head, neck, and midsection. Obviously it's better to have a broken leg from being rear facing than the damage a forward facing baby can receive. Rear facing babies are also less distracting than forward facing babies. Rear facing babies who drop their toys can usually pick them back up. A forward facing baby can't, which means the driver will be more likely to reach to the backseat to try to get it for them. Here's an article for you that lists some of the benefits to leaving your child rear facing. http://babyproducts.about.com/od/carseats/qt/rear_facing.htm

No, he's NOT ready for front-facing yet. There are convertible car seats that allow you to convert from infant (back facing) to toddler (front facing). You only need to buy one car seat and your little one will be able to use it now with back facing till he is at least one and you can turn it around. The best brand is Britax. It's expensive but it's worth it. If you do a search on convertible car seats, you will see many different brands and they can hold different weight. Make sure it's one that goes up to the weight required for your state. That way, you don't have to keep buying and replacing car seats.

I would think he i probably ok but i would check anyway. What brand of car seat is it, try typing the brand name in to the comp. You could also try asking at a baby goods shops as they should be able to give you the info you need to get hold of the main govt dept that deals with safety, good luck.

he needs to be a year for developmental reasons

i had the same problem with my son they make car seats that are rearfacing and foward facing i think they are called conversion they are made to stay in the car they look like toddler seats but they are for babies from5lbs-40 lbs.they need to be facing toward the back until they are a year.

I would talk to your pediatrician. If his legs are bending a lot and he can really push on the seat I believe it is dangerous to have him facing the back or I think that's what my doctor said. I think he should be a little older though b/c their necks are just not strong enough. Talk to your doctor though and they will be able to tell you more. Feet hanging over the edge isn't a big deal. It's the legs bending a lot that is dangerous I believe. It doesn't have a lot to do with weight except you should probably switch his carseat if he's in an infant only seat but still have him facing the rear.

I don't know of any websites, or if age is a factor along with weight; however, call your local state police office and ask them. All you have to do is call the non-emergency number for your state police/state trooper and ask them your questions. They will be able to tell you if you can use a front facing seat for your son. You can also call your local fire department as they may know. Also, did you know you can go to your local fire department and get a blood pressure check? I didn't know that, but you can and they are more than happy to do it for you. Hope this helps.

It's far more than just the weight, you should not switch to forward facing until they are at least 1 year old. There are many other developmental criteria, I would imagine to do with the strength of bones and muscles and such. Forward facing puts a lot more stress on the body in a collision (hence military transport aircraft all have rear facing seats). Mine outgrew her carrier very fast too, just get a bigger carseat. There are many which can be used as both rear and forward facing, and can then turn into a booster seat. These will easily be large enough to accomodate your little one with ease. Dunno about the US, but I know that in both Canada and the UK it is illegal to have them forward facing before 1 year old.

I'm not sure of thelaw but we bought our son a seat that can be rear or front facing that can also be a booster seat later on when he gets older. It also reclines for the younger children who's neck and back are not strong enough. He was in it only one month rear facing (he turned one at that time. It was the best investment. We have not had to buy him another carseat at all. We will be buying another one shortly for the younger boy. (He's 3 months old and already 16 pounds!

Actually the officer you spoke to is most likely wrong.. In many states it might not say the have to be AT LEAST 1 year AND 20 lbs.. But in almost every state it says somewhere in the law that the child safety seat must be used according to manuf. directions.. And there is NO company in the US or Canada that says you can use there seat forward facing before 1 year AND 20 lbs.. (some seats are actually 22 lbs) Also, head control doesn't mean anything.. The only way for a Dr to know if it would be ok for them to be forward facing is by doing a bone scan.. A child under 12 months old is very likely to have there neck broken when forward facing in a accident.. Also feet touching the back of the seat is NOT a safety issue.. There has never been a reported case of a broken bone by a rear facing child.. And even if there was you have to think about it this way.. What would you prefer a broken leg or a broken neck? Also most Dr's are not up to date on carseat safety.. And many give very bad unsafe info out.. Also before speaking to a police officer or fire fighter about carseats please ask them if they are a certified carseat tech.. If they are not one, don't even bother asking because most likely you won't get correct info.. PLEASE leave your little one rear facing till at least 1 year and 20 lbs.. Longer is so much safer though..