Another Car Seat Query

[Grubincubator]

How do you know when it's safe to turn a car seat around to face forwards? DS is quite big for his age (8kg at 3 months) and is getting quite strong. He's starting to get less patient with car rides.
I've angled his seat up further but still facing backwards so he can see out a little but I'm just not game to let him face forward yet.
Anyone have any clues for me?

[Foxy]

Hi Grubincubator,

Try this site:

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Child_safety_in_the_car?OpenDocument

It says seat needs to be rear facing for babies up to six months of age (9 to 12kg* or 700 to 850mm long).

Cheers,
Michelle

[Rainbowbrite]

i was told 6months or when they can sit on their own. I think 3 months is too young personally. Weight isn't a great indicator cause as you say, your bub is 8kg at 3 months, whereas MJ is almost 6.5 months and only just 7 kg :rolleyes:

RB

[cobysmummy]

Coby absolutely hated the capsule facing backwards so i bought a car seat that was reversable... and had it backward but he still hated it so i ended up facing it fowards but still tilted and he still hated it so i sat it up and faced the front and he is perfect...
i would say he was bout 3 or so months at the time and only 5 kgs but he is fine...
i honestly dont think it matters... it is still connected by bolts to that car whether it is front or back facing so i dont see the harm in it...
do what you feel is right for you and bub..
Coby still isnt 8kgs and if he was still facing backwards i would have stopped driving.. it was soo horrible..

[Grubincubator]

Yeah I was afraid of that. Poor little man will just have to put up with it for a while longer.

I can see that it's got mostly to do with neck strength. Once you're facing forwards the little one's neck is vulnerable to any sudden stops.

[Blue&Pink]

DS was about almost 6 months when I turned his car seat.

He was 7.8kg's and 70cm's long.. he was too long to be backward facing, his poor legs were all squished up and I was worried about damage to his legs. Also, he was sitting up in the seat and practically choking himself around the shoulders with the belts, so yeah. Plus whenever he tried to sit up he'd twist himself sideways so he could see me. Believe me, first time I stopped at traffic lights and turned to see him backwards facing but staring at me I practically ran the red light in shock! :eek:

Of course he had really good neck control and could sit up unsupported for short periods of time.. if it wasn't for those two factors alone I would've left it.

[Lallas' Mum]

I had the same debate myself - to turn or not to turn. My bub was heavy enough to turn quite early on (he was over 5kgs born). I asked my GP and my CHN and they both said that when he had good head and neack control and when he had upperbody strength ie sit up unsupported for short spells. He was only four months old when we turned him. He was just too big to keep backward facing also. His feet touched the actual car seat ie they hung off the end of his baby seat.

[reAllytee]

Im like the others mums here in that my bubs was too big to keep rear facing. He is over 10kg now wearing size 1 & is only coming up to 9mths. It drove him nuts to be facing backwards as he was being squished etc plus it was doing my back in trying to get him in & out ! I managed to struggle on until he was just off 6mths but then one day i cracked it & it got changed !
They say to keep them rear facing till around the 6mth age but even then to keep them that way as long as possible as its safest for them in an accident but thats easier said than done when you have either a big baby or one who hates it.

[Caitlin's Mum]

I've just turned my bub around. He is 8.5 kgs at 4.5 months and has good head control. My seat reclines back though so he is not sitting up straight. He loves it!! I've also got a soft toy dangling down next to him which keeps him amused as well.

[Shazbutt]

At 4 1/2 months my DD all of a sudden started screaming and hated driving anywhere...She had good head control, but was still a bit on the lighter side though...I turned her around to see if thats what the problem was and alas, she was fine! I think she just hated not being able to see out the front! I have one of those ones that leans back a bit too, so that helped.

[stormanet]

heya :) the ambulance says to keep them rear facing as long as possible. I don't know if you have ever been involved in a car accident, but the neck issues I experienced when I was rear ended lasted for a couple of weeks... and I'm an adult with totally formed muscles etc... the thought of a little babies head in an accident doing that whiplash thing....eek! I have just turned my son earlier than I wanted to at 7 and a half months. He is a strong bub... crawling at 6 months.. pulling up to standing at 6 and a half months.... but I felt I had to as when he was lying in his car seat he would spend the whole trip straining to sit up, leaning forward on his elbows and twisting around to see us in the front. I finally decided it was probably safer to have him forward facing.... very tough call, but keep bub lying down as long as you can.