When to turn the car seat around
Unbelievably, the Bug is going to be a year old in just a few weeks (three weeks from tomorrow).
I’ve been looking forward to being able to turn her car seat around on her first birthday; the minimum for front-facing is one year and twenty pounds - and she’s definitely more than twenty pounds.
So I started looking around this morning, and it hit me that the one year mark is as I said - the minimum. Although having her face forward would be great in many ways - she’d be able to see me and I’d be able to see her - it also puts her at more risk.
The Bug does have a rather large head - most babies do. I don’t want to think about what would happen to her neck in a wreck. And then there’s the fact that she was born four weeks early, so should the one year car seat mark really be set at thirteen months?
Katie checked the car seat manual, and it will hold her backwards until thirty-five pounds, but I sure don’t want to wait that long.
Decisions, decisions.
July 9th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
You are right that one year AND 20 pounds is minimum. Baby has to be both, not one and not the other. Safer not to rush into turning her forwards.
July 9th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Oh, she’s definitely both (or will be in a few weeks). But the question is whether it wouldn’t be better to wait until she’s even older and her neck is even stronger.
July 9th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
I would think once she turns 1 she’ll be fine Jon! I wouldn’t worry.
How many weeks early was she?
July 10th, 2008 at 9:02 am
She was four weeks early.
August 2nd, 2008 at 7:19 pm
I have found this link and I think you might find it helpful.
http://www.thecarseatlady.com/car_seats/rear-facing_seats_6.html