MY SON IS ALMOST 7 MONTHS OLD AND HE CAN TOUCH THE SEAT WITH HIS TOES…SHOULD I TURN THE SEAT?
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MY SON IS ALMOST 7 MONTHS OLD AND HE CAN TOUCH THE SEAT WITH HIS TOES…SHOULD I TURN THE SEAT?
Depends on the type of seat. Not if its not designed to be used both ways. You would have to buy a forward facing one.
Try this site……
http://www.childseatcenter.com/article10.html
According to the following requirement he is not reasonably ancient enough to be sitting in a front facing seat.
FORWARD-FACING TODDLER SEATS in the back seat from age 1 and 20 pounds to about age 4 and 40 pounds.
they told us 1 year and 20 pounds,,
the 1 year part because they have to develop the neck muscles and 20 lbs ans the min weight to keep from slipping out of the car seat
you have to have both by law… I know cause our daughter was 1 year ancient but not 20 lbs so we had to wait an extra month… if your wondering why we even bothered to wait… here its a $1,000 ticket if they catch you..
The ancient one year and 20 pounds rule is now law in most places… but it is also behind the times in current protection recommendations. It is better to keep a child rearfacing *as long as possible* for most protection. For most convertable seats a child can rearface till they weigh 33-35 pounds.
My own children rearfaced till 33 pounds… one of them was 3 yrs, another was 4 yrs! I personally feel that is why they both walked away without a scratch or bruise in an accident that totaled our car.
Toes touching the seat is not unsafe… internal decapitation in an accident… *that* is unsafe.
You can read about the ‘leg come forth’ and the danger of forward facing too soon here: http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/stayrearfacing.aspx
Hope that helps!
Most simply place: Not until you absolutely have to b/c the child has outgrown a convertible car seat rear facing.
Rear facing convertible seats are outgrown when either of these happens:
1)the rear facing weight limit is reached 30-35lbs on all current seats
OR
2)there is less than 1″ of seat above the child’s head.
The ancient 20lbs/1 year rule is just that. OLD. It came about in the 1980′s when our seats were only capable of rear facing to 20lbs and we didn’t know any better. Now we certainly know better and all current convertible seats rear face to at least 30lbs, but its hard getting people to realize this.
Turning kids forward at 20lbs/1year is an outdated practice that could cost you your child’s life!
1)A forward-facing child below 2 years ancient is 5 times more likely to be killed or sincerely injured in a crash than a rear-facing child of the same age.
2)A child’s vertabrae do not fully fuse until 3-6 years ancient, before then, she is at fantastic risk for internal decapitation. The spinal column can stretch up to 2 inches in a crash BUT the spinal cord can only stretch up to 1/4 inch before it snaps and baby is gone.
3)Current research suggests that children below the age of two years are 75 percent less likely to die or be sincerely injured when they are riding rear facing.
4)In a recent article from Injury Prevention, it was found that the odds of severe injury to forward facing children age 12-23 months ancient was 5.32 times higher than a rear facing child. (Car Protection Seats For Children: Rear Facing For Best Protection; Injury Prevention 2007; 13:398-402.)
It works this way: when you get in an accident and run into something, the car stop suddently, but all and all in the car keeps moving in the direction the car was moving when it stopped, in most accidents, this is forward. So in an accident with a child in a forward facing seat, his head, the heaviest part of the body on babies and toddlers, flies forward very forcefully and easily snaps. If that same child is in a rear facing seat, his head tries to glide forward but is supported by the back of the rear facing seat, so there is no stress place on the child’s neck and spine.
Check out this photo album exclusively of rear facing kids, many of them much older than 12 months: http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum.aspx There isn’t a single documented case of a child breaking their legs b/c they were rear facing in an accident. There are, but, lots of cases where children have been killed and sincerely injured where a rear facing seat would have protected them better. And most kids really prefer to be rear facing b/c they can rest their feet on the vehicle seat back. When they are forward facing, their legs don’t receive enough support and will regularly fall asleep.
WHY REAR FACING:
http://www.carseat.org/Resources/633.pdf
In the foreground is a forward facing seat, in the background a rear facing seat. You can see how much trauma the forward facing dummy has to endure. The rear facing child simply rides it out.
http://www.oeamtc.at/netautor/html_seiten/kisitest_2002/videos/test2002/frontcrash/maxicosipriori.mpg
Here’s another video. You can see how there is NO trauma to the baby, it simply sits there waiting for it to end.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v163/jen_nah/carseats/?action=view¤t=video06A_MGA_213_RearFace-Convertib.flv
The report of a child who suffered severe injuries from being forward facing when he could’ve been rear facing:
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=59783
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/stayrearfacing.aspx
http://www.car-protection.org/rearface.html
feet touching the seat is not a reason to turn your child. By law, children have to be 1 yr AND 20 pounds before they can be turned. If your state does not have this law, every state has what’s called a genteel usage clause. This states that the car seat must be used properly. There are no car seats on the market that can be faced forward before 1yr and 20 pounds. It says this right in the car seat manual. The AAP now recommends keeping your child rear facing to the limits of their convertible car seat. I’m assuming your baby is subdue in an infant carrier. Invest in a convertible car seat and your baby will be a lot more comfortable. The convertibles have a deeper seat than the infant carrier and your child’s feet won’t be so close to the back of the seat. Your child is too huge for rear facing when there is less than 1 inch of hard shell behind their head OR they have passed the weight limit. Look up some crash test videos on youtube of forward facing vs. rear facing. It’s 75 % safer. Children are at risk for internal decapitation if they are turned to early.