car seats

[craftymum]

Do car seats have to be rear facing for a newborn or can you get forward facing ones too? I'm so confused as there are so many out there!

 

[Arcanegirl]

Newborns must go in a rear facing seat, i dont think a forward facing one even exists for newborns (unless its one of those that grows with your child but they till have to be rear facing at first)

 

[soup]

they have to be rear facing, although as arcanegril said you can get ones which convert to forward facing ones for when they are bigger. the only other way they can travel is in the lay flat ones which go accross the seats but don't think they are quite as safe (and also v expensive)

 

[MummyToAmberx]

Always rear!
Usually near 12months when go forward facing

 

[craftymum]

thanks girls, that makes it bit easier I was just a bit confused as there are so many different types and we'd planned to have seat permanently fixed in back seats but if it has to be rear facing then I may put it in front as don't like idea of driving and baby in back not being able to see each other. Might get one of the ones that you can turn round when ready as don't think I'll use carrier on travel system type too much, don't want to damage baby's back. Thanks again x

 

[Arcanegirl]

If you want to use the seat in the front you must be able to disable the airbag, if you cant then it will have to go in the back of the car.

 

[tasha41]

The convertible car seats are great for saving money if you don't plan to use a travel system, or if you don't need to have the car seat to carry baby around in from the car to the house for example

Arcanegirl is right though if you want to have the car seat in the front seat you must have the airbag disabled, it is suggested that babies are in the back seat only

 

[craftymum]

I know about disabling the airbag, just think if I was leaving hubby to work and baby was upset it would be very difficult if it was in back and couldn't see me, would be ok if hubby was in car too though as one of us could sit in back, what do other people do, do you have baby in back or front?

 

[MaryJ]

We have baby in back in my car and baby in front in the pickup. It's just not really possible to get the baby in the back of the pickup. Here you have to keep baby's in the back seat and rear facing until 1 years old and 20 lbs. Then they have to go in a forward facing seat until 4'9" and 8 years old I think it is.

 

[soup]

i know what you mean and think we will prob have baby on the front of my car but that is mainly cos the seatbelt plug bits are too long in the back, but will def go in the back of hubbys car. you can get mirrors that you fix to the headrests in the back so you can see baby in your mirror too

 

[tasha41]

We have the baby in the back seat and I sit with her if I'm with someone else who can drive; my sister sits back with her if I need to drive; and if I'm on my own.. I try to go out when I know she won't be eating for awhile, plan short trips, and pull over if she cries.

 

[marley2580]

We can't disable the airbags on our cars, but tbh the baby is a lot safer in the back than the front anyway. If you put them on the rear passenger side and get one of those mirrors, you can see them anyway. I rode in the back whenever I wasn't driving and Kaya tended to just sleep all the time.

 

[Lazy Leo]

I've had two friends with newborn babies recently and they both put them in the front seat. One of them only passed her test when pregnant and she said that having the baby in the front would have been too distracting for her and ultimately I believe she was right. If you know the baby is fed and not needing changed etc then they will stop crying. If not, you can pull over at the first available place.

Despite that I think my baby will be in the front seat though!