Car Seat ? - Atco,NJ

i actually called the state police and got their advice when my son was 11 months old b/c he was 31" long and his feet were "climbing" the back seat. the officer told me that it would be ok because the way he was sitting (rear facing) was harmful to him if we would ever be in an accident (because of him being so long). i would suggest you calling the state police and getting the ok from them b/c they are the ones to repremand you if (God forbid) you get pulled over b4 your son is a year old. lots of luck!!

LOL when my son was 11 months old, we got yelled at by our pediatrician because he was still in a rear facing carseat and was over 20lbs. LOL. They are more concerned about the childs weight being at the right level than anything else because of "head controll" reasons. I would say its ok to turn him around if he is over 20 lbs already. It is what our pediatrician told us :D.

Hope that helps!

D. L.
Earn an extra income from home! www.wellnessworksforus.go.cc

I would definitely wait until your son is AT LEAST a year old before you turn him around. Really, one year and 20 lbs is the MINIMUM for forward facing, not the "time to turn". The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that your keep your child rear-facing until the limits of your seat (most convertible car seats rear-face to 30-35 lbs and have higher backs to accommodate taller children). The reason the AAP and pediatricians recommend rear-facing to the limits of your seat is that,rather than a specific height or weight, it's really all about the development of an infant/child's spine, and the weight of his or her head in relation to the rest of their body. When you get into a collision, your head and body tend to move forward (which is what causes whiplash). A small child's spine isn't formed enough to take those forces, and something called "internal decapitation" occurs. Basically it means that the spine is severed from the head. When that child is rear-facing, the back "shell" of the car seat is taking those forces instead of the child's neck, and he or she has less of a chance of being harmed.

Is your son still in the infant ('bucket') seat? It may help to move him into a rear-facing convertible seat. Convertible seats are great because they can be both rear and forward facing (so it's not like you're buying another seat just to last you a month). Also, once an infant reaches about 6 months of age and can hold their head up well, you can also install the car seat more upright (this is easier to do in a convertible than in an infant carrier-type seat). That way older kiddos can see out the windows and not feel that they're laying down.

A great video about rear-facing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2DVfqFhseo
This is a picture of my daughter from May. It's not an awesome car seat picture, but you can see how her legs are froggied up a little. She's 27 lbs and about 36 inches tall (mostly leg). She's been forward facing once and HATED it. She didn't have anywhere for her feet to go and kept trying to fold them up indian-style. Obviously, I'm not at all worried about her feet or legs in the event of a crash. Honestly, I'd be more worried about her neck and spine. She is extremely vocal and communicative, and has never once said she was uncomfortable rear-facing. Didn't want to be in the car? Sure, she's complained. I'm not sure if this picture thing works, but here we go: [IMG]http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g131/tarynsmum/Radian28...

If you'd like more info about car seat safety in general, check out www.car-seat.org. There are lots of certified CPS techs (myself included) and technician-instructors that are extremely knowledgeable and helpful.

J. I would suggest calling your Pediatrician and asking them. My son is 10 1/2 months, 25 pounds, walking and they still recommend that I not turn him until 12months. I agree that it does look a little silly, but they have their reasons. Just remember, in the end you are the Mumma and the ultimate decision maker. Do what feels right to you.

In general rear-facing is safest so it's best to keep kids that way as the guidelines recommend. If your child still fits the weight limits and is over 1, it is still ideal to hold out as long as possible to turn them. Fitting seats in cars and having kids that are not miserable for every car ride do influence things though. Being rear-facing never bothered my kids so we didn't rush into it. Of course my little ones were super tiny too - my oldest barely broke 20 pounds at 18 months. I think it was on a full tummy! I also know plenty of friends that had larger kids that opted to turn forward sooner than a year too because of unhappy babies or more space in front seats. I'm not sure how much more developed their necks are at 12 vesus 11 months - that is where the concern is for younger babies. Being rear-facing and reclined reduces the strain on little necks in an accident. You have to be comfortable with the decision.

My only suggestion in this is to be careful in your decision. It is part of the child safety laws that children under the age of 1 and under 20 lbs are required to be in a rear-facing car seat. Although your son meets the weight requirement, he does not meet the age requirement. If are stopped by a police officer, for whatever reason, you could stand to face a pretty hefty fine for not following the child safety laws.

If you haven't done so already, you should purchase a car seat appropriate for your son's age that can be rear-facing for the next month and then be turned around once he turns one.

Some may think this is bad advice, but that is about the time i turned them forward facing. They were over the 20lbs and off the charts in height (my husband is 6'2") so they were extremely uncomfortable. In my opinion he will be fine and it will be a happier car ride for all :-)