My son is only 8 months and 25lbs. and 29in. tall. Does anyone know if I can turn his car seat facing forward?

Question

I guess this is more of a response, but to everyone who asked... my son is already in a convertible car seat with one of the highest weight requirements available. (3-40) I've gotten responses from people who say they've left their children rear facing until they were 3. I guess no one believes me when I say that my child is too big to keep sitting that way for too much longer. One person even said that they'd rather have a baby who's legs (since my son's legs are too long for the seat) would be injured in an accident rather than killed. Are those my options? I want my son to be as safe as any other baby would be. That doesn't seem to be fair for babies that are larger than average.

Answer 1

face your child forward only if you can turn the passenger side airbag off. otherwise, the back seat forward facing will suffice. try www.txdot.com

for more information.

Answer 2

i waited till mine was a year old. it gave hin that much longer for his little neck muscles to strengthen. the whole reason you have them facing back to begin with is because they can get whiplash so much easier.

Answer 3

Jesus Christ lady, maybe you should be more worried abour your driving abilities,and after that your parenting skills.  You're asking about the best way to avoid killing your child while driving.  Maybe you should not drive if you're that insecure and save everyone and yourself. Also, maybe you should not experiment with a kid but try a pet first...  have you heard of adoption and abortion?  Think about it before you're on the news and hurting yourself and your baby that you can't even drive in the car without worrying about an accident.  How the h**l do you get food and diapers?

Answer 4

My son was big too and they didn't make car seats that went beyond 45 lbs. or were tall enough in height. You need to get a larger car seat. He's going to need it for a longtime and he's going to continue to grow taller and weigh more. There are many on the market now that accommodate infants and children up to 80 lbs. some even a 100! I tried them out myself, meaning I sat in them to test how comfy they were and if all the belts snapped and locked easy.

Answer 5

yeah you can i face my son forward at 7mnts he wgt that too they say wait till  childs atleast 11mnts but hey

Answer 6

CHILD CAR SEAT RULES

1. BEFORE YOUR FIRST BIRTHDAY LESS THAN 20 POUNDS REAR-FACING INFANT-ONLY CAR SEAT OR CONVERTIBLE SEAT USED IN REAR-FACING POSITION, SECURED IN THE BACK SEAT OF THE CAR.

2. 20–35 POUNDS CONVERTIBLE SEAT USED IN REAR-FACING POSITION, SECURED IN THE BACK SEAT OF THE CAR. LOOK FOR A CHILD SAFETY SEAT THAT IS RECOMMENDED FOR HEAVIER INFANTS.

3. WHEN YOU ARE 1, 2, 3, AND 4 20–40 POUNDS FACE FORWARD IN A CONVERTIBLE SEAT OR A FORWARD-FACING-ONLY SEAT OR HIGH-BACK BOOSTER/HARNESS IN THE BACK SEAT OF THE CAR.

4. WHEN YOU ARE 4, 5, 6, 7, OR 8 LESS THAN 4’9” (57 INCHES) TALL BELT-POSITIONING BOOSTER SEAT (NO BACK) OR HIGH-BACK BELT-POSITIONING BOOSTER SEAT IN THE BACK SEAT OF THE CAR.

5. WHEN YOU ARE 8, 9, 10, 11, OR 12 MORE THAN 4’9” (57 INCHES) TALL MAY USE AN ADULT SEATBELT, BUT MUST KEEP YOUR BACK AGAINST THE SEAT BACK, YOUR KNEES BENT OVER THE EDGE OF THE SEAT, AND YOUR FEET FLAT ON THE FLOOR IN THE BACK SEAT OF THE CAR.

6. WHEN YOU ARE MORE THAN 12 YEARS OLD MORE THAN 4’9” (57 INCHES) TALL MAY SIT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OF THE CAR WITH AN ADULT SEATBELT.

Answer 7

I wouldn't do it until he is a year old. When you face them forward it isn't to make life hard, it's to protect the baby better, and the whole reason for rear facing is so if your hit from behind the babies neck doesn't snap due to being slammed from the rear, same with side impact. So if your sure that your baby has enough neck control to prevent his neck from being snapped then go for it, but I wouldn't take the risk. I mean, can we as adults control our necks when were slammed from behind in a car accident, I know that when someone did it to me, my neck was hurt and in a brace for about a month afterwards, think about if that were to happen to your baby, for your babies comfort, or conveinence. At this point is up to you though since your baby is over 20lbs.

MAKE SURE TO LOOK AT ALL THE ATTACHMENTS FROM KAK22, VERY HELPFUL!!!!!!!!!

Answer 8

He absolutely needs to stay rearfacing.  His neck muscles and spine canNOT withstand an accident if forward facing.  His legs being bent have nothing to do with safety.

BTW: there are seats that harness to 65 and even 80lbs, so your seat is not a seat that has one of the highest weight requirements available.

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 rode RF until she was almost three and she reached 33 lbs which is the weight limit on her Britax Marathons. I wish she could still be RF, she was so much safer.

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.