When To Switch Car Seat To Face Forward
Most forward-facing seats allow you to do so until at least 65 pounds and thats the equivalent of a 9-year-old 50th percentile child keeping in mind that most children will outgrow most seats by height before by weight. Many parents want to know the right age for a forward-facing car seat but this is not as straightforward as it may seem.
However the labels on the car seat confuse many families leading them to think a child must be forward-facing starting at 22 lbs.
When to switch car seat to face forward. While 1 year and 20 pounds used to be the standard for when to flip car seats around most experts now recommend using rear-facing child seats until children are 2 years old and reach the top weight and height recommendations of the car seat manufacturer which is typically around 30 pounds and. Legally your child can travel in an ECE R44 04 approved car seat facing forward once they are 9 kg which is approximately age nine months. 2912020 Most convertible car seats can be used in the rear-facing position until a child reaches the weight limit typically 40 to 50 pounds.
Its about weight and height not age. Legally your child can travel in an ECE R4404 approved car seat facing forward once they are 9 kg which is approximately age nine months. Your car seat manual will tell you when the seat is outgrown forward-facing by height and weight.
1852019 Once your child outgrows the rear-facing limits on their car seat they are ready to face forward. Legally your gorgeous wonderful baby must be kept in an approved rear-facing seat until he or she is six months old and from that point you can put them in a forward-facing seat but you dont have to and they can stay facing backwards if you prefer. Look at the height and weight limits on your infant car seat.
Children aged between four years and under seven years must wear an approved properly fastened and adjusted forward facing child restraint with an in-built harness OR an approved booster seat which is properly positioned and fastened. 31122019 For many years it was recommended that babies remain rear-facing until they reach 12 months old. 842021 Understanding the Guidelines for Front-Facing Seats.
As your child grows you might have to switch from using a smaller rear-facing-only car seat to using a bigger rear-facing convertible car seat that can hold a larger child first rear-facing then forward-facing. The same can be said when your baby is around 20 pounds in weight. There are lots of good reasons why many parents choose to increase the age before facing their baby forward in a car seat.
But dont be tempted to rush into making the switch. Up until recently it was believed that babies can start facing forward in the car when they are around one year of age. 1822021 When to switch to a forward-facing car seat.
A big milestone included in a childs first birthday was turning them around to be forward-facing in the car. When should a car seat be forward facing. But dont be tempted to rush into making the switch.
2362014 However you know your child best and its all right to keep forward-facing until the seat is outgrown. Your baby is safest in a rearward-facing car seat for as long as she fits in one. Then in 2011 guidelines began to recommend that toddlers remain rear-facing until age two.
However the truth is it is beneficial and safer for a child to remain in a rear-facing car seat for as long as possible. After outgrowing the rear- facing car seat use a forward-facing car seat until at least age 5. As of 2018 the American Academy of Pediatrics AAP recommends children remain in a rear-facing car safety seat as long as possible until they reach the.
Additionally youll want to keep an eye on the position of the harness and headrest to see if your child is close to outgrowing the seat. Children weighing more than 22-35 pounds in a rear-facing only seat may have outgrown that seat. When children outgrow their rear- facing car seats they should be buckled in a forward-facing car seat in the back seat until they reach the upper weight or height limit of their car seat.
Regardless of the type of rear-facing restraint you have or whether theres an age or weight limit applied to it the most important thing to look for is whether your child still fits comfortably into the inbuilt harness. 4102019 This is generally met after they are 2 years old.
