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viivincent · Aug 9, 2008, 12:27 PM

I'm not sure if this is the right section for this. My daughter is about 14 and 1/2 months old. She's only 18 lbs. 3 oz. and about 30 inches tall. I still have her in the rear facing infant carseat cause she's supposed to be a year old AND at least 20 lbs. to go into a forward facing booster seat. But since she's older and taller, she is obviously uncomfortable and wants to be sitting up right. Would it be bad to move her up to the front facing booster since she meets all of the requirements beside the weight?

0rphan · Aug 9, 2008, 12:33 PM

As long as you get the recommended car seat and it holds all the safety requirements it needs these days I can see no reason why not.

Go to a reputable retailer who specializes in child car seats they will show you the correct fitting proccedures and safety rules when sitting your child in the seat,they'll let you practice putting your child in and saftely securing her for your journey.

N0help4u · Aug 9, 2008, 01:21 PM

Yeah 1 lb 13 oz I doubt a cop would be trying to weigh her to give you a ticket. She could gain 2 lbs in no time anyway.

DoulaLC · Aug 9, 2008, 01:39 PM

Going to be the voice of dessent... :) Whenever possible, best to keep a toddler facing the rear. While the law states they need to be a year old, and at least 20 pounds, this does not mean it is the safest position however.
Given their head is the heaviest part of a toddler's body, when you have forward motion in the event of a collision, their head in particular will keep moving forward if they are facing that direction... potentially causing great injury or death simply due to that extreme forward motion... their body may be secure, but their head and neck are not.
If they are facing the rear, the back of their head will be pressed into the back of their carseat. This is why it is important for parents to shop for carseats that will allow their child to stay facing the rear for as long as possible... some will go up to 35-40 pounds (higher in some other countries) There are carseats available, just not always easy to find... which is a shame.

NowWhat · Aug 9, 2008, 03:13 PM

My daughter outgrew the rear facing seat fast. I think it was 9 months old.
I asked her dr. about it and since she was able to push herself up using the back seat, the dr. said we could turn her around because she had outgrown the seat and at that point it would do more harm than good.

We didn't go to a booster right away though. We had a normal carseat with the harness.

DoulaLC · Aug 9, 2008, 03:27 PM

We had a petition going around for the UK that was being sent to numerous MPs and such in regards to this. A company actually made such seats in the UK, but they were shipped to Sweden where the laws are stricter... oddly enough very few of these could be purchased in the UK. Not sure how much headway it has made since then however. We can, and should, do better in the US as well. Several well known companies, such as Graco, produce such seats, but they aren't readily available in the US or the UK because the laws don't demand it. Here is more info for those who may be interested... there is additional information on the topic available online as well:

Car-safety for kids: New European research - children should sit rear facing in the car up till four years of age

N0help4u · Aug 9, 2008, 03:33 PM

I agree with Nowwhat keeping them in a rear facing seat when they have outgrown it can do more harm but you have to go to the front facing seat. Booster seats are for much older age kids from 40 to 80 lbs. I can't believe that at 80 lbs some states require you to sit in a booster seat. I was 80 lbs at age 13.

viivincent · Aug 9, 2008, 05:09 PM

Thanks for your help. My main concern is what would be safe for her. Sounds like it might be better to play it safe and keep her in her infant seat. Thanks again!

kellylynn · Aug 14, 2008, 12:26 PM

I think you should put her in a bigger front facing car seat but definitely not in a booster seat yet. My son was very big & I had to put him in a front facing seat at 7 months. He is now almost 3 & is in a front facing car seat. They say he is ready for a booster seat but he knows how to unbuckle it while I am driving so I have to keep him in his car seat still. I think booster seats are intended for children 4+

cjonline · Aug 14, 2008, 01:04 PM

I was right on this. My sons had to be over 20 pounds before I put them forward, then it was a carseat until they started 1st grade. My youngest is 10 and still in a booster seat, he doesn't weigh enough to go without it. And in no way is either one in the front seat until they are 13, maybe not then. Ask your Dr. if you think that its unsafe the way you are doing it. Also some firehouses, At least in my area, have safety checks for free. They will make sure the seat is standard and is in save, they have to attend classes about it. They even weighed the boys to check and ran a code on the seat in the computer.

I'm the kind of parent that goes by the "age group" toys too. If it says 8+ they were 8 before they could get it. Movies in my house are PG and I have my TV blocked so they can't watch anything that has a high rating.

Funny my parents weren't like this... In fact they often complain they can't get something for the boys 'cause they aren't old enough yet.

Each parent has their own way of doing thing though, as long as its safe it should be OK.

DoulaLC · Aug 14, 2008, 03:05 PM

Remember, 20 pounds is the minimum before turning them... it is not the safest. Check out these links... the first is from a family's very personal experience with what they thought was a safe seat... their YouTube video is quite sad.
It will only be a matter of time before laws change as even the AAP now recommends keeping kids in rear facing seats as long as possible... currently that is around 30-35 lbs. When shopping for a first car seat, or a new one if your child has outgrown the current one, go for one that will allow them to face the rear as long as possible. Some are designed for higher weights and taller children, where they are positioned to allow more leg room in the rear facing position. When more parents start asking for the ones that are currently hard to find (that allow for rear facing up to 40-50 lbs.) they will start selling them here too and the price will come down.

Car Seat Safety: Rear-facing is safest

Rear-Facing Carseats and Safety