At what age.....

[Reedy]

Should we move our LO from his rear facing carseat in the front and putting it in the backseat??

He's almost 5 months old now & just wondered when the recommended age is to move them to a forward facing position in the back???
He's fine as he is at the minute but just curious x
Is it when his feet touch the front seat??? or at a certain age??

 

[DaisyBee]

Rear facing seats are supposed to be used in the backseat- its the safest place for them. They recommend front facing seats after 1 year of age and 20 lbs. So if your baby is over 20 lbs but not 1 year - they still need to be rear facing. If they are 1 year but less than 20 lbs - you should be waiting til they reach that weight limit as well.

Some babies get too tall or big for their infant carseat before 1 year - (head should be no more than 1" from top) then you need to get a convertable seat & use it rear facing til they reach age 1.

Edited to add: this is the U.S. guidelines

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

It's by far the safest option to keep LO rear facing and in the back seat as long as you can.

In the UK LO has to be 20lbs AND 9 months old to be forward facing but that definitely does not mean that once they meet these requirements they SHOULD be forward facing.

 

[purpledahlia]

yep. like the others said. Keep Rear Facing in the back as long as possible!

 

[TigerLady]

Agreed. RF in the backseat as long as possible. I bought a convertible for the back that went to the highest weight limit RF that I could find -- 40 lbs -- and intend to keep him RF for as long as I can. I'd be happy to make it to two years or so.

If you want to know more, check here:

https://www.babyandbump.com/natural-parenting/253346-rear-facing-support-questions-answers-2.html

There is a video on page 2 that shows why RF is so important.

 

[Cattia]

You should only put a car seat in the front if you have no front airbag in the passenger seat, otherwise it is considered dangerous. x

 

[Rydia]

I just moved my son to a forward facing seat in the back at 1 year (he is 21 pounds). He has very long legs but keept him rear facing as long as I could.

 

[bjl1981]

I've been convinced by all the research I've read on extended rear facing and am going to buy LO his next carseat this weekend (he's 7 months and 20lbs) from a specialist place. They may be changing the guidelines for the age you can have them forward facing to be 2 years in UK.
We're going to look at a Britax Multitech which you can rear face upto approx 4 years, then become forward facing upto approx 7.

 

[polaris]

You should only put a car seat in the front if you have no front airbag in the passenger seat, otherwise it is considered dangerous. x

Even if there is no airbag in the passenger seat they are still much safer in the back seat if there is a collision they will suffer much less impact in the back seat.

 

[Cattia]

Thanks Polaris that is good to know, LO is always in the back seat and after reading this I think I will get her another rear facing seat when she outgrows this one.

 

[Seraphim]

I didn't know about extended rear facing until this week...

Now I'm all confused (no need to start a debate though). I was reeeeeally looking forward to 9 months / 20lbs so I could get a seat that turns to face out the door while you strap them in... which I could use with a sling to carry her out there. I'm having huge problems taking H out already @ 14.5lb - I have to take the whole seat because I can't strap her into the RF seat *in* the car

Maybe I'll just get a bus

 

[TigerLady]

A bus!

I know how you feel. Otter weighs 27 lbs now. He is a beast to get in and out! However, I have found the convertible LOADS easier than his infant just because the design is more svelt, so I don't have to lower and lift him as much to get him in and out, iykwim. I still have him in the middle, too, which is quite a reach to move him from the edge of the car all the way to the middle to put him in the seat. Sometimes it helps to climb in the seat next to his seat to get him settled in best.

Never easy, though! Check that thread I posted ealier and maybe ask about concerns about a heavier baby and the logistics? M3C (who started it and answers most ?s) knows LOADS about it. She extended RFed and has experience with dealing with older (thus bigger) kids doing it. She's got 3 boys and at least 2 (maybe all??) are still in seats in the back. She just had to FF her youngest and he is 2.5 yo.

 

[lexy604]

In Canada they say a year Carter is already 19 lbs so the whole 20 lbs thing is pretty general. There thinking about making it 2 years for them to be rear facing but i highly doubt any 2 year old is gonna be impressed by staring at the seat at 2 years old. I read an article that said what if my baby has long legs and they hang over which Carters almost do cause hes so bloody tall. They said its better to have broken legs in a crash than a broken neck and back which is very true as horrible as it would be to have a baby with broken legs better than a broken neck. Its not something i would be quick to change rear facing at least a year if not longer

 

[purpledahlia]

seraphim, Ava and Hazel almost weigh the same and Hazel is like 4 weeks older!teehee!

Tigerlady, can i ask, cos i have friend in canada who also does this, and had the seat in the middle of the back? why? I was under the impression side seats are safer? then it cant go through the window at the front in a crash? Is it an American thing?

 

[hivechild]

seraphim, Ava and Hazel almost weigh the same and Hazel is like 4 weeks older!teehee!

Tigerlady, can i ask, cos i have friend in canada who also does this, and had the seat in the middle of the back? why? I was under the impression side seats are safer? then it cant go through the window at the front in a crash? Is it an American thing?

A properly fixed car seat shouldn't be going through windows any more than some one strapped in properly with a seatbelt in the back seat would. Having the seat in the middle gives it optimal protection not just against front and rear impact but also side impact collisions.

 

[Septie]

Tigerlady (or others in the US) - which seats have you found that allow rearfacing for up to 40 lbs? I've been hoping to do rear-facing for as long as possible (his current one is up to 30 lbs, fortunately, so still have a bit of time).

 

[hivechild]

Septie, take a look at www.car-seat.org for information and recommendations on car seats. They're a great and very helpful lot over there.

 

[Cariad_bach]

Agreed. RF in the backseat as long as possible. I bought a convertible for the back that went to the highest weight limit RF that I could find -- 40 lbs -- and intend to keep him RF for as long as I can. I'd be happy to make it to two years or so.

If you want to know more, check here:

https://www.babyandbump.com/natural-parenting/253346-rear-facing-support-questions-answers-2.html

There is a video on page 2 that shows why RF is so important.

OMG that video is scary!

Jamie (9 months and 19lb a couple of weeks ago) was going to have his car seat (its a birth to approximately 4 years seat) turned to face forwards this weekend but after watching that video i will hold of allot lot longer!!!!

Thanks hun xxx


(the video for anyone else intrested ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2DVfqFhseo&feature=player_embedded

 

[Seraphim]

seraphim, Ava and Hazel almost weigh the same and Hazel is like 4 weeks older!teehee!

Yeah it's not like she's huge, so I'm worried that I'm having trouble already. I use a walking stick, and not on any pain relief with BFing... I can see it's only going to be a matter of time before im putting her in the pram indoors and backing the car round closer to the front door. I could carry her on my hip/in a sling - but a carseat+baby in my hand is a deadweight.

 

[TigerLady]

Purple, Hivechild is right. The seat, if installed properly, should never go through the window. And having them in the center offers the most protection from side impacts. The recommendation is to have the most vunerable person (ie youngest) in the rear center. So, when my new one is born, Otter will have to move to the side then as the new baby will get the center seat.

Septie, I have the Radian XTSL. It is super good! It is the only seat out there with a steel alloy frame so is extra safe. It is a bit heavy (because of the frame), but once you install it, you don't really move it all that often. It RF up to 40 lbs, which is huge. It FF up to 80 lbs, which is also a good weight. And it is the only seat that can FF past 40 lbs and STILL use the LATCH system! That is a massive bonus for me as seats install SO much better with LATCH! It's pricey... but I figured my son's safety is worth EVERY penny. Meerkat will be getting one, too.

https://sunshinekidsbaby.com/zm_radian carseat XTSL.asp


I sound like a ad for them!