Rear Facing Car Seat?

Question

When can I switch from rear facing to forward? My son is 15 months and 25 lbs. We live in Virginia.

Answer 1

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 rode RF until she was 2 years, 9 months and she got very close to the 33 lb weight limit on her Britax Marathons.  I turned her back RF at 3 years because she lost some weight.  She complained the whole time she was FF about having nowhere to put her feet.  She loves RF.  

I have included several links with great pictures and videos of what happens to children’s 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.

Answer 2

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 3

I turned my daughter front facing at 1 year 11 months.  She is quite tall for her age (always has been) and her legs were scrunched up and she had looked uncomfortable for a month or so, so I gave in and moved her to forward facing (with a lot of nervous glances back at her to make sure she was ok!).  When she was that age, the general rule of thumb was to wait until the child is two to make forward facing.  That was in 2004-2005.

I would certainly wait until he is two if I were you or at least very close to two and looking uncomfortable in his rear facing seat.

Hope this helps!

Answer 4

My daughter has been in a foward facing seat since she was 10 months old. shes 15 months now and 22 pounds now. and she loves it. she watches everything go by.