Four year olds car seat issues?

Question

i have been putting my four year old son in his car seat backwards. you know like they say, rear facing infants in the middle. but now, hes getting so tall his legs are bending and he complains the whole time. what do i do? i dont want my little baby uncomfortable but safety is first. suggedstions?

Answer 1

I can't BELIEVE it! Every single answer you got was not only disrespectful, but ignorant, as well. Rear facing IS the safest way to ride in a car, not just for infants, but for everyone. Kids should stay rear facing as long as possible, and yes, the occasional 4 year old child WILL fit in a rear facing seat and as long as he does fit (is under the weight limit and has at least 1" of car seat above his head) he IS safest that way. And no, a 4 year old should NOT be in a booster seat. Kids need to be kept in a 5 point harness as long as possible, preferably to at least 5 years old. I wish people would research first. Turning kids forward at 1 year old is not a safe practice, and forward facing is less safe.

Turning kids forward at 20lbs/1year is an outdated practice that could cost you your child's life!

1)A forward-facing child under 2 years old is 5 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a crash than a rear-facing child of the same age.

2)A child's vertabrae do not fully fuse until 3-6 years old, before then, she is at great risk for internal decapitation. The spinal column can stretch up to 2 inches in a crash BUT the spinal cord can only stretch up to 1/4 inch before it snaps and baby is gone.

3)Current research suggests that children under the age of two years are 75 percent less likely to die or be seriously injured when they are riding rear facing.

4)In a recent article from Injury Prevention, it was found that the odds of severe injury to forward facing children age 12-23 months old was 5.32 times higher than a rear facing child. (Car Safety Seats For Children: Rear Facing For Best Protection; Injury Prevention 2007; 13:398-402.)

It works this way: when you get in an accident and run into something, the car stop suddently, but everything and everyone in the car keeps moving in the direction the car was moving when it stopped, in most accidents, this is forward. So in an accident with a child in a forward facing seat, his head, the heaviest part of the body on babies and toddlers, flies forward very forcefully and easily snaps. If that same child is in a rear facing seat, his head tries to fly forward but is supported by the back of the rear facing seat, so there is no stress put on the child's neck and spine.

Check out this photo album exclusively of rear facing kids, many of them much older than 12 months: http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum...  There isn't a single documented case of a child breaking their legs b/c they were rear facing in an accident. There are, however, lots of cases where children have been killed and seriously injured where a rear facing seat would have protected them better.

Now - since very few 4 year olds fit in a rear facing seat, even the ones that go to 35lbs, do you mean 4 years old or 4 months old? If the child is 4 years old and complaining, I would make the parental decision to go ahead and turn him forward facing. At 4 years old he is past that crucial first 2 years when rear facing is absolutely necessary. I would feel comfortable with him in a forward facing 5 point harness. If you're talking about a 4 month old - no way. He needs to be rear facing for another year and a half. Check out the photo album link above. Most kids LIKE resting their feet on the seat back in the car, a luxury they don't get when turned forward facing, and then their legs fall asleep from lack of support.

So - 4 years old - forward facing in 5 point harness

       4 months old - rear facing in 5 point harness until 2 years old.

Answer 2

If your child is truly 4 years and under the rearfacing weight limit and under the rearfacing height limit, then good for you for keeping your child safe and rearfacing.

Their legs have absolutely no bearing on a child's safety.  My daughter just sits criss cross or throws her legs up on the seat.

My daughter is 3 years, 4months and still rearfacing.  She prefers it over forward facing, and since she's under the limits, she will remain rearfacing.

If your child is 4 MONTHS, then he must remain rearfacing to 1 year AND 20lbs at least.

Answer 3

You're kidding, right? A 4 YEAR old in a rear facing carseat? Or did you mean a 4 month old?

If he is 4 months old he HAS to be in a rear facing carseat. Check that yours is leveled correctly - his legs should not be hitting the back of the seat if it is.

4 years old - go get the kid the correct forward facing booster seat!

Answer 4

It's infants rear facing not toddlers.(up to 20 lbs or 1+ yrs.old)  He should be facing front but still in the back seat in a car seat.(up to 40 lbs.)  Then in a booster seat in the back seat till he's 80 lbs.

Answer 5

I also hope you're kidding.  Carseats get turned facing forwards at about 1 year.  At four years he may be ready for a booster, but at least turn it facing forward!

Answer 6

Oh, yeah I really believe you.  Why don't you just tie him to the hood?  That makes as much sense

Answer 7

Your four year old?

Read the instructions on the seat. A four year old is not an infant., he is a preschooler. You need to follow the safety instructions for his height and weight, and they are most unlikely to be the same as they were when he was a baby.

Answer 8

are you kidding? Do you want to kill him?? He should have been turned around years ago. I hope this is a joke.

I guess different seats in different countries. In Australia children are turned around at 7kg which is around 6-9 months. This is what it says on the seats

Answer 9

They are not suppose to face backwards at 4 years old that is for an infant. After 1 year old they are to be facing forward! He should probably be in a booster seat not using the seat belt

Answer 10

Your son is way to old to be sitting in his car seat backwards.  I think you may have misunderstood.  At the age of 1 they are to be turned around.  There is nothing wrong or unsafe about him facing forward.  Plus, when they are forward you get to talk more and also keep a better eye on them.

Answer 11

are you CRAZY???????????????????????????????. you are putting a rare faced child in your car.that's illegal.you could go to the "bad' house if a 911 person catches you.

Answer 12

I really hope you had a typo and he is 4 months. Once the legs are sticking over the carseat he needs to be forward facing. If he really is four and you had a wreck, not even a major wreck, it would break his legs.

"Rear-Facing IS safest.  It is best to remain rear-facing to the weight and height limits of the carseat.  Some convertible carseats have 30 or 35 pound rear-facing limits.  In all cases, infants should be rear-facing until they are BOTH one year AND twenty pounds at the very minimum.  The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies be kept in rear-facing seats for as long as possible. "

The key work is infants. If your child is over 1 year(and 20 lbs.) he NEEDS to be in an age appropriate forward facing carseat.

Answer 13

are you crazy? my one year old doesnt even sit rear faced. she is still secure in a car seat and it is perfectly safe. especially if he is getting to tall, shouldnt that be a warning sign to kinda turn him around?