# Front Facing Car Seat



## mkmoro311 (Oct 23, 2006)

My Ped Dr's Asst said @ 20 lbs my 6 mo old could sit in her car sear facing froward. She is now 18 lbs and I thought that they had to be at least a year old!

Here is what Britax company states!

1 year & 20 lbs. - 65 lbs.

Am I reading it wrong or is it whichever comes first?


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## elmh23 (Jul 1, 2004)

no it's 20lbs AND 1 year as a minimum. It's best to stay rfing to the limits of the seat, even after a year!


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## nataliachick7 (Apr 3, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mkmoro311* 
My Ped Dr's Asst said @ 20 lbs my 6 mo old could sit in her car sear facing froward. She is now 18 lbs and I thought that they had to be at least a year old!

Here is what Britax company states!

1 year & 20 lbs. - 65 lbs.

Am I reading it wrong or is it whichever comes first?


absolutely NOT! a child must be at leat one year and 20 lbs to FF, however most seats ALSO say at least 34". My two year old JUST got to 34". I will keep him rear facing at least until he is 3 years old.
That peds assistant is putting babies in danger and should be fired.


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## tanyalynn (Jun 5, 2005)

Tell the doctor so that he can make sure his assistant gives our correct information, and maybe remind him that remaining rear-facing as long as the kid doesn't get bigger than the seat's RF limits is safest.

FWIW, my 2yo is still rear-facing because he just barely squeaks in under the max size limits for RF for my seat--will be switching him soon though because he's almost too big.


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## stacyann21 (Oct 21, 2006)

Quote:

My Ped Dr's Asst said @ 20 lbs my 6 mo old could sit in her car sear facing froward.










The minimum requirement by law is 20 lbs and 1 year old. However, it's much more safe to continue rear-facing for as long as possible. My son is still rear-facing at almost 19 months.


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## Amila (Apr 4, 2006)

My daughter is 2 and 22 pounds...still rearfacing. she will be so until she hits the limits on her Britax Boulevard, which is 35 pounds I believe. So she may not face forward until shes 4 at this rate lol. SO much safer! Please check out this website- very informative. And make sure to watch the crash test videos at the bottom- if they don't convince you nothing will!

http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/stayrearfacing.aspx

And here are some photos of older kids RFing:

http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFalbum.aspx


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## barnfield (Feb 19, 2008)

Your ped is most definitely wrong.

I specifically purchased a Britax Marathon because it has one of the highest rear-facing weight limits of any carseat - 35 lbs.

Yes, he'll probably have to either hang his legs off to the side of the seat or cross them as he gets taller, but it is still WAY safer than forward facing him.

Checkout the forums at car-seat.org for more data.


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## catters (Nov 20, 2007)

Also, as an alternative to the Britex, the Maxi Cosi Priori has a rear facing limit to 35 pounds. Also, costs about one hundred dollars less than the Britex Boulevard and beat Britex in safety tests. Go European standards!! Anyway, the colors are nice too. DS is very comfy in his and will remain rear facing in it for quite some time.


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## want2bmoms (Feb 8, 2008)

The cosco scenera is RF to 35 punds, FF to 40, AND only costs $45-50 at walmart... It's not as pretty, or as squishy, but it is cheep, good for exptended RF, and has a five-point harness. It has been approved/tested.
Your doc needs to be told... that guy's an idiot







if you got into a crash with your LO FF at six months, the results are likely to be devestating!!!! Good job not listening to him!


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## BlueEyedLady (Jun 13, 2006)

No, 20 pounds AND 1 year, minimum.

We have DS in an Eddie Bauer seat (made by Cosco, I believe...not sure). The limit for RF on that is 35 pounds, and DS will be RF until 35 pounds, which - at the rate he's growing, will probably be college. He's a teeny guy.


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## treehuggermama (Jan 3, 2007)

Speaking as an ER nurse the other concern with facing children forward too soon is that their heads are still so heavy and their musculature is still developing so if you get in a car accident you can have devastating results. Please leave your child rear facing for as long as you can....


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## swd12422 (Nov 9, 2007)

We just took our son for his 6 month checkup (he's 16 lbs) and was admonished by the doctor to keep him rear-facing til he's a year. She didn't even ask any questions about the seat. Just told us that was how it was going to be! (Geez, I hope she's not like that with EVERYTHING!) ;-)

(Please don't think we have a dictator for a ped. The practice is just very conscious about safety. They have posters from NHTSA about car seats and ages and weights throughout the office to make sure everyone is clear.)


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## california_mom (Sep 30, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *treehuggermama* 
Speaking as an ER nurse the other concern with facing children forward too soon is that their heads are still so heavy and their musculature is still developing so if you get in a car accident you can have devastating results.

THANK YOU for explaining WHY.


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## PatchChild (Sep 1, 2006)

Yeek, I'm shocked that your Dr. said that. I really thought pedi's were up to date on this info, if not on so many other issues. At least one year!! Sadly, I had to turn my son at 1 year. We had only a baby bucket for me car and he'd hit the weight limit at the same time as his birthday, so forward facing he is. He loves it, but it makes me nervous.


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## User101 (Mar 3, 2002)

Moving to family safety, home of the car seat threads.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *PatchChild* 
Yeek, I'm shocked that your Dr. said that. I really thought pedi's were up to date on this info, if not on so many other issues. At least one year!! Sadly, I had to turn my son at 1 year. We had only a baby bucket for me car and he'd hit the weight limit at the same time as his birthday, so forward facing he is. He loves it, but it makes me nervous.

This is why they make convertible car seats. Most babies outgrow their bucket seats well before a year, an convertibles have rear-facing limits of 33 or 35 pounds. Forward facing after the infant seat is not the only option


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## aja-belly (Oct 7, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *catters* 
Also, as an alternative to the Britex, the Maxi Cosi Priori has a rear facing limit to 35 pounds. Also, costs about one hundred dollars less than the Britex Boulevard *and beat Britex in safety tests.* Go European standards!! Anyway, the colors are nice too. DS is very comfy in his and will remain rear facing in it for quite some time.









was this in europe? what tests?


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *aja-belly* 
was this in europe? what tests?

I think she's talking about Consumer Reports. Britax is European too....In the US Maxi-Cosi is owned by Dorel, and the US Priori is a very different beast than the European version. It is made with cheaper materials, and the harness slots are much lower.

Britax is often recommended because they have high top slots in addition to high weight limits, which is important since the vast majority of children outgrow their seats by height before weight. I wouldn't recommend any 40 pound limit seat, or one with low top harness slots, based on the fact that the seat will be outgrown early, and you'll have to buy another seat in a couple of years.


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## Ironica (Sep 11, 2005)

The American Academy of Pediatrics says (along with many other sources) that kids MUST remain rear-facing until they are both at least 20 pounds and at least 1 year of age... but that since rear-facing is so much safer, they should stay that way until they reach the height and weight limits of their seat.

Here, print this out:

http://www.aap.org/family/Carseatguide.htm

And take it with you next time you're in their office. Alternatively, if your doctor does email, send him/her a note mentioning that the assistant is giving out atrocious, unsafe, and possibly illegal advice, and that this is a good site to share with the staff to avoid any problems in the future.


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## anewmama (Feb 25, 2007)

Wanting to add: It's not just weight and height but how far your child's head is from the top of the back of the car seat. If you have a tall child and no matter the weight, there must be enough head support for your child. I believe one thing I read is at least 2 inches from the top of the seat... so most 3 or 4 years olds are going to outgrow most infant carriers.

I think that older kids can stay in rear facing car seats as long as they are high enough and those are more the convertible types rather than the sole purpose infant carriers like the SnugRide.


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## sunnymw (Feb 28, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *anewmama* 
Wanting to add: It's not just weight and height but how far your child's head is from the top of the back of the car seat. If you have a tall child and no matter the weight, there must be enough head support for your child. I believe one thing I read is at least 2 inches from the top of the seat... so most 3 or 4 years olds are going to outgrow most infant carriers.

I think that older kids can stay in rear facing car seats as long as they are high enough and those are more the convertible types rather than the sole purpose infant carriers like the SnugRide.

It is when there is less than 1" of shell left at top of baby's head, and it's measured like this:
http://car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=30201

Yes, most infant carriers (esp the snugride) will be outgrown between 9-18 months... that's when you move onto a good convertible that is RF up to 35lbs and FF to 50 or 65lbs depending on the brand/model


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## anewmama (Feb 25, 2007)

One consumer site I read said 2"....


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## Smalls181 (May 12, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *anewmama* 
One consumer site I read said 2"....

You have to go by what your car seat manual says. All that I have read have said 1 inch. But, I havent read them all.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Smalls181* 
You have to go by what your car seat manual says. All that I have read have said 1 inch. But, I havent read them all.

They are all currently one inch. Some used to be even with the shell, but I have never heard of a seat with a 2" rule.


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