when to turn carseat around?

[shersche]

Hi, I have been trying to find some info on when to turn a convertable carseat from rear facing to forward facing. Does anyone know where I could find age/weight recommendations?

thanks

[embryonichappyperson]

It should say on your baby's car seat at what age the car seat can be turned around. My car seat says to turn around when the baby reaches 12kgs. The only reason I feel to turn a car seat before the weight limit for RF is if the baby's legs are touching the car seat.

Keep your baby RF as long as possible as it is safer. DS2 is still RF and his 8kg and 7mths old. My friend said because his head is steady now he can be turned around. I declined to do that lol. I think it's a rather stupid reason actually.

[MamaBeatts]

With the new carseat laws, I think its 6 months before they can be turned. Not 100% sure though, but its supposed to be on age now, not so much weight. I turned both my kids early (by a couple of weeks or so, not heaps) because they didn't like travelling RF. Check on our local transport site, they would know more. Hope that helped!!

[shersche]

thanks mamabeatts, I just checked the rta website and it says they must be rearfacing until 6 months and to keep them that way until they no longer fit.

I really appreciate the quick responses.

thank you

[MamaBeatts]

no worries shersche! I've had another friend IRL ask me the same question in the last few weeks, so had looked it up already!! Glad to have helped :)

[updaduff]

had my car seat fitted by a paramedic the other day. she said, 6mths or greater than 8kg and as long as they can support their own head.

[MummaBear03]

Most seats now are rear facing to 12kgs. DD's capsule was only to 8kgs so she was sitting up sooner than I was comfortable with, but that was 6 years ago now and there are far more seats to choose from that keep them rear facing to 12kgs, which is around a year old and that's more what I'd feel comfortable with for my child. Car safety is something I put as a top priority though. Maybe I go overboard, but I think of cars as dangerous objects, and like to make her as safe as possible when travelling in one.

[SorenLorensen]

depending on your seat most now are rear facing until 12 kg though some are 9kg, it should be on the side of your seat somewhere.

keep bub rear facing for as long as possible, the strength of bub and head control has nothing to do with it, in a low impact accident even and adult can suffer neck injuries.

[Lillynix]

Research supports keeping them rear facing as long as possible. In much of Europe they are rear facing well into toddlerhood and even into preschool years because it is the safest possible way for a child to travel in case of an accident. However, Australia is still pretty slack and our current seats simply don't hold the weight limit required to do this.

The vast majority of seats here in Australia will hold rear facing until 12kgs though some cheaper seats are only 9kg. But always double check the instruction book, my Safe N Sound convertible seat says 9kg on the sticker on the side of the seat, however it states 12kg in the book. Stick with this. It doesn't matter if your childs legs seem to be getting too long and touch the seat, broken legs are better than a broken neck.

My DD was rear facing until she hit 12kgs which was around 12-13 months old and my DS was rear facing until he was 17 months old.

The longer they rear face, the safer they are.

[LizzardLover]

Research supports keeping them rear facing as long as possible. In much of Europe they are rear facing well into toddlerhood and even into preschool years because it is the safest possible way for a child to travel in case of an accident. However, Australia is still pretty slack and our current seats simply don't hold the weight limit required to do this.

The vast majority of seats here in Australia will hold rear facing until 12kgs though some cheaper seats are only 9kg. But always double check the instruction book, my Safe N Sound convertible seat says 9kg on the sticker on the side of the seat, however it states 12kg in the book. Stick with this. It doesn't matter if your childs legs seem to be getting too long and touch the seat, broken legs are better than a broken neck.

My DD was rear facing until she hit 12kgs which was around 12-13 months old and my DS was rear facing until he was 17 months old.

The longer they rear face, the safer they are.
:iagree::thumbsup::yelclap::iagree: I have nothing more to say other than "well said!".

[Sheer Bliss]

depending on your seat most now are rear facing until 12 kg though some are 9kg, it should be on the side of your seat somewhere.

keep bub rear facing for as long as possible, the strength of bub and head control has nothing to do with it, in a low impact accident even and adult can suffer neck injuries.


Research supports keeping them rear facing as long as possible. In much of Europe they are rear facing well into toddlerhood and even into preschool years because it is the safest possible way for a child to travel in case of an accident. However, Australia is still pretty slack and our current seats simply don't hold the weight limit required to do this.

The vast majority of seats here in Australia will hold rear facing until 12kgs though some cheaper seats are only 9kg. But always double check the instruction book, my Safe N Sound convertible seat says 9kg on the sticker on the side of the seat, however it states 12kg in the book. Stick with this. It doesn't matter if your childs legs seem to be getting too long and touch the seat, broken legs are better than a broken neck.

My DD was rear facing until she hit 12kgs which was around 12-13 months old and my DS was rear facing until he was 17 months old.

The longer they rear face, the safer they are.

:iagree: Saved me some typing!!

Have a look on youtube for video's of crash tests of fwd facing babies, I guarentee it is not what you would want for your baby.

[kotakai]

I turned DD & DS1 when they were around 5 or 6 months as I wasn't very well informed 7 years ago.

DS2 got turned just after 13 months & I plan to keep DS3 rear facing till a similar age.

As others have said, if you go to you tube & look at some of the vids, you'll understand why it's so much safer to keep them rear facing for as long as possible.

[shersche]

Thanks everyone for all the info. Just what I was looking for. I will leave DD rearfacing until she hits the 12kg mark. cheers

[nothanksbye]

my DD is 9 kgs and 8 months. She is rear facing and will stay that way till at least 12 months.

[amnic]

The vast majority of seats here in Australia will hold rear facing until 12kgs though some cheaper seats are only 9kg. But always double check the instruction book, my Safe N Sound convertible seat says 9kg on the sticker on the side of the seat, however it states 12kg in the book. Stick with this. It doesn't matter if your childs legs seem to be getting too long and touch the seat, broken legs are better than a broken neck.

My DD was rear facing until she hit 12kgs which was around 12-13 months old and my DS was rear facing until he was 17 months old.

Dragonfly: I agree with most of this, unfortunatley some babies grow alot faster than others, my DS1 was over 9 kilos by about 7 months! and he wasn't fat, he's really tall!
I'm going to be facing a similar problem soon with the new law that kids have to stay in boosters until they are 7, he simply won't fit in one by then... I had him weight & measured in September, 2 months before he turned 4, and he was 115cm tall & almost 23 kilos, can you imagine how big he's going to be at 7...
so I think that theno earlier than 6 months rule is fine & not under 9kgs but I think parents can also see how well their kids will sit in the car etc... Hope that makes sense! Suffering from bad pregnant brain & not fully functioning

[IndigoJ]

Research supports keeping them rear facing as long as possible. In much of Europe they are rear facing well into toddlerhood and even into preschool years because it is the safest possible way for a child to travel in case of an accident. However, Australia is still pretty slack and our current seats simply don't hold the weight limit required to do this.

The vast majority of seats here in Australia will hold rear facing until 12kgs though some cheaper seats are only 9kg. But always double check the instruction book, my Safe N Sound convertible seat says 9kg on the sticker on the side of the seat, however it states 12kg in the book. Stick with this. It doesn't matter if your childs legs seem to be getting too long and touch the seat, broken legs are better than a broken neck.

My DD was rear facing until she hit 12kgs which was around 12-13 months old and my DS was rear facing until he was 17 months old.

The longer they rear face, the safer they are.

:iagree::iagree: I turned my DS at 6mths, then i read info on internal decapitation from babies being forward facing too early, scared me half to death, My next bub wont be turned until about 15mths.


Dragonfly: I agree with most of this, unfortunatley some babies grow alot faster than others, my DS1 was over 9 kilos by about 7 months! and he wasn't fat, he's really tall!
I'm going to be facing a similar problem soon with the new law that kids have to stay in boosters until they are 7, he simply won't fit in one by then... I had him weight & measured in September, 2 months before he turned 4, and he was 115cm tall & almost 23 kilos, can you imagine how big he's going to be at 7...
so I think that theno earlier than 6 months rule is fine & not under 9kgs but I think parents can also see how well their kids will sit in the car etc... Hope that makes sense! Suffering from bad pregnant brain & not fully functioning

IMO i still wouldnt turn my kid forward facing just because they were tall. My DS is 88cm tall and 14kg at 20mths and i am considering turning him back. If the worst was to happen i would rather my baby had broken legs than internal decap. Its scary stuff.

[MummaBear03]

Dragonfly: I agree with most of this, unfortunatley some babies grow alot faster than others, my DS1 was over 9 kilos by about 7 months! and he wasn't fat, he's really tall!
I'm going to be facing a similar problem soon with the new law that kids have to stay in boosters until they are 7, he simply won't fit in one by then... I had him weight & measured in September, 2 months before he turned 4, and he was 115cm tall & almost 23 kilos, can you imagine how big he's going to be at 7...
so I think that theno earlier than 6 months rule is fine & not under 9kgs but I think parents can also see how well their kids will sit in the car etc... Hope that makes sense! Suffering from bad pregnant brain & not fully functioning

The law does specify age, however the police have already said that size will have to factor into it. If the child won't fit in a seat, the child won't fit in a seat, and that's all there is to it. The maximum weight limits on any seats sold in Australia are 26kgs, although they are weight tested higher and I will probably use them to what they are weight tested to rather than what they have on them. I think if they really wanted it to go on age alone, then new seats would have to be brought out for the bigger kids.

7 years ago I don't think there were any rear-facing seats or capsules up to 12kgs, they came out when DD was about a year old or so. Well, up here they did anyway, not sure about the bigger places.

[amnic]

IMO i still wouldnt turn my kid forward facing just because they were tall. My DS is 88cm tall and 14kg at 20mths and i am considering turning him back. If the worst was to happen i would rather my baby had broken legs than internal decap. Its scary stuff.


Then your chair must be bigger than mine because it wasn't just height wise that he wouldn't fit it was general size wise, fine he might of lasted a bit longer, but no way could he of been rf at almost 14kg.... then again my seat is 4 years old, maybe they've changed more since then...

[IndigoJ]

Then your chair must be bigger than mine because it wasn't just height wise that he wouldn't fit it was general size wise, fine he might of lasted a bit longer, but no way could he of been rf at almost 14kg.... then again my seat is 4 years old, maybe they've changed more since then...

What sort of seat do you have?? If your 14kg baby doesnt fit in y our carseat then you need a new one. Most carseats are up to 18kg weight now.