[SupaModel]

Ok so DS is 8 months old (next Sat ) and he's 22lbs. He can barely fit in his infant car seat anymore. I bought a new one yesterday that is both rear and forward facing. I read that you can face your child forward when they are a year old or 22lbs.

I wanted to get your thoughts on facing him forward now. Again he's only 8 months old BUT he's 22 lbs. Do I still have to wait a year?? A friend said her pedi said it's ok as long as they had really good head control. Another friend said NO WAY wait at least until they are a year old.

Any thought???

[hermommy]

[quote=SupaModel] read that you can face your child forward when they are a year old or 22lbs.

quote]

They can turn frontward facing at 20lbs AND 1 year old. Something to do with until they are 1 year old the muscles in their necks are not strong enough. DD was backward facing until she was 16 months old she is a petite baby so she was comfy facing the seat a little longer. Her ped. said the longer they can stay backward facing the better it is for them. Hope this helps

[babydubs5]

PP is right, it's 20lbs AND 1 year old. I wouldn't forward face an 8 month old. I plan on keeping DS rear facing as long as possible. Most convertible carseats have higher weight max. for rearfacing to encourage extended rearfacing since it's the safest choice for babies and toddlers.

[SupaModel]

Ok I think you guys are right. Also it really isn't worth our comfort if it hurts our son. Thx for the input

[Stormster]

Glad you're going to keep him backwards, it's the right thing!

[aclee]

YouTube - The Importance of Rear-Facing: Version 2

Supa...I would leave him rear facing to whatever the weight limit is for the seat. Our convertible car sear is rear facing to 35 pounds, and Tyler will be rear facing till then...

[powderpiggy]

Our pediatrician was very explicit that DS had to meet the critea of BOTH 22lbs and 1Year. So if a child turns 1 year and is not 22 lbs...they are still rear facing. If a child is 22 lbs and not 1 year, they are also still rear facing. Both critrea have to be achieved. And as a previous poster mentioned it is for neck muscle and connective tissue development. in and infant the connective tissues are very stretchy and sitting forward facing can result in the neck stretching too far in an front end accident and as a result internal decapitation. So please keep DS rear facing until 1 year.

[powderpiggy]

OH by the way our DS was 22 lbs and 8 months and we switched to a convertable carseat at that time too.

[BeckC]

I'm mostly a lurker here cause we're just starting out with adoption, but I'm about to become a carseat tech next week so I hope you don't mind me jumping in.

Rear facing is 5 times safer than forward facing. The absolute minimum by law in all states is 1 year and 20 lbs, but RF is still so much safer beyond those minimums. The reason RF is so much safer is that their heads are so big in relation to their bodies and in a crash there are so many forces on their little necks if they're FF, but if they're RF the back of the seat just cradles them.

I would never recommend that a one year old be turned FF unless he was already beyond the maximum RF limit of any seat on the market (which is currently 35 lbs). Most infant seats today go to 35 lbs, the only one that doesn't is the Graco ComfortSport. If you have that one I would really recommend that you return it because it is outgrown very quickly RF and FF. You could get more seat for less money. (And let me know if you need any help)

A lot of kids actually find RF more comfortable because they can recline more than FF and they have a place to prop up their feet as opposed to letting them dangle, plus if they drop something it probably will stay right in their seat and not roll onto the floor. And don't worry when his feet start to touch the back of the seat, that's not unsafe at all and don't let anybody tell you it is. Also, for an older baby like your son with good head control the convertible seat can be a little bit more upright than an infant seat so he should be able to see better.

Also I highly recommend getting your seat's install checked by a certified check. It's free and it will help you make sure that your little boy is as safe as he can be in the car.

SafeKids CPST Search

[BeckC]

Also, to the PP who mentioned internal decapitation, you're right, that's why RF is so much safer. But it happens beyond 1 yr and 20 lbs too, which is why it's so much better to keep them RF to the limits of the seat.

Here's a story about an 18 mo old boy named Joel who was injured FF in a crash. This story is from his grandfather.

http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv...s/?msg=66986.1

[maviskat]

Our DD will be 2 at the end of this month and believe it or not is still rear facing in her car seat. We have a Britax which allows for a child to remain rear facing until 35lbs. (DD is currently 31 lbs) We were advised by our pediatrician to stay rear facing as long as possible and also by the sheriff dept at a car seat inspection we attended. DD has never complained and honestly appears quite comfortable (often falling asleep). Do some research on it if you are unsure but I definitely would not turn an 8 month old around.

[SupaModel]

We got the Britax and switch it today. We put it rear facing and will keep it like that until he's 35lbs. Thanks for all the advice. It definitely convinced me to keep him rear facing.

Aclee - that video did for me also.

[aclee]

Good!....that video did it for my sister too. She switched her 18 month old back around...

[Fran27]

I try to send that video to everyone I can also... but I still see people switching their babies forward facing at one

[BeckC]

That's great Supa!

Keep in mind that a seat is outgrown RF when they reach the weight limit or their head is 1 inch from the top of the shell, whichever comes first.

Here's a pic for how to measure the 1 inch.

How to tell if your RF seat is outgrown - Car Seat.Org - Carseat, Vehicle & Child Passenger Safety Forums