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I have a question about the car seat situation! My baby is now 9 months and at his appointment he was 19.15lbs so just about 20! I know the rule, or law I guess, for the sit up seat is 1 year and 20 lbs (right?) Well is it really that bad if they are over 20 lbs but slightly under 1? I guess the reasoning behind the age is developmental...maybe? Does anyone know?
Anyway a lot of people I know put their babies in them before they are one, either they are too big or just hate the car seat and they are happier sitting up so they just put them in early! My baby is fine in the car seat so I don't mind waiting till he is one, but then I realized we are driving to Utah in October and I was thinking for a long drive like that it would be SOOO much better to have him sitting up and facing forward! I'm tempted to just get one and just use it on the trip!
I guess my question is just, is it really that bad to transition to the bigger seat a little early? Is it going to make a huge difference to wait a month or 2 longer!? Does anyone know the reason I'm supposed to wait till 20lbs AND 1 year?
Also, does anyone have any good suggestions for a good, not to expensive, sit up seat? Oh and one more, sorry they just keep coming! A lot of them are convertible, which I don't really see the point of because I already have the baby one, and I will probably have a kid in the sit up one and a booster one at the same time anyways. So is there a benefit to a convertible one or is it better to just have one infant seat, one sit up seat, and one booster??
14 comments:
my doctor said (off the record) that I could put my son in a forward facing seat at six months (he was already 22lbs). The main thing he said is they need to have good head and neck control.
as far as the convertable thing. skip it. they tend to be much bulkier than traditional forward facer's. One great feature I do recommend (especially for younger kids, and longer trips) is the ability to change the recline.
My dad's a firefighter and says the law is one year AND 20 pounds. They can be in a sit-up seat. but only rear-facing. Even if they weigh enough, their head/body control isn't good enough to protect them in an accident until they are older. I mean, my 4 month old is 19 pounds, but that doesn't mean he's ready to control his body the way he needs to yet.
Ditto, Dani.
the reason its 1 and 20 is for the head and neck muscle development. The nice thing about convertible is for the babies that weigh a bit but need to be rear facing still, I used a convertible with my baby's and it isn't that much bulkier than the non convertible seat I have. I guess it depends on the brand you use. But I wouldn't put him front facing until he's one, I wouldn't want to risk it.
You can put your child in a "big" carseat and just face him backwards until he turns 1.. that is if your worried about it. I put my kids in a front facing at 10 months when they were 19lbs but they are also made to face rear for kids who are bigger but can't face front!
I agree with Dani.
Your baby needs to be 1 & 20lbs before you put them forward facing. They make awesome carseats that are rear facing & when it's time can be turned around. Just because it seems easier to turn them around before they are 1....don't do it. It's for their safety...not our convenience. They also suggest that you keep them rear facing for longer than 1 year if your carseat has the weight capacity to do it. So...I agree with Dani too :)
http://www.car-safety.org/rearface.html
I've been in an accident with my kids in the car and I am SOOO glad that there are laws to protect our kids! My oldest really wants to be in a booster and use the car's seat belt but I KNOW that she is safer in the carseat with the 5 point harness system. I like what Shan B. said: "It;s for their safety... not convenience". Keep 'em safe as long as possible!
I had a 20 pounder by 9 months too. We switched to the big car seat, but kept it rear facing until a year. He still enjoyed sitting up a whole lot better, even though he wasn't turned around yet.
Try getting one of those mirrors they can look at and you can see them. Maybe that would help?
It is best to keep your child facing the rear AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. So check your car seat, if it says good to 25lbs, keep your child facing backwards until 25 lbs. Also, check the height requirement. But if nothing else, Follow the Law. 20 lbs & 1 year. No sooner
Babies need as much time as you can give them for their skeletal development. Whiplash can cause brain damage or death in babies and is not worth the risk of facing them forward too soon.
I use the convertible because they can also be rear facing. I prefer to keep them that way longer just because it's easier for them to sleep that way. I think the main reason as has already been mentioned is because most babies don't have really strong neck muscles and could injure their neck in a forward facing carseat in a crash. Ultimately it is up to you. I have a lot of friends who switch them early.
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