20 lbs rear facing help

[i&j's mom]

My daughter is 1 years old and not 20lbs yet. Is it weight or age that determines if she can go forward facing? I am sure it is weght, but would like an opinion.
Thanks

[christineka]

It is both weight and age. The 1 year and 20 pounds rule is actually outdated. The American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends age 2 and 30 pounds or to the limit of the seat.

My son is 14 months old and 20 pounds. He will be rear-facing for at least one more year. My daughter rear-faced to age two.

Christine

[i&j's mom]

Wow, I did not realize it had changed to two years or 30lbs. My daughter will be rear facing until she is 4 with those guidelines. :)

WE have a britax, so she will not out grow the rearfacing for a little while. I think the height is 30 inches rearfacing. Two more inches to go!!!

Thanks

[TechnoGranola]

Are you in Canada?

It did not change to 2 years/30 pounds. In Canada, the recommendations are at the provincial level and are the MINIMUM point when you can turn your child FF. The AAP recomendation she gave you is obviously in the U.S., but it shows that major organizations are now recommending RF until longer since it is safer.

Take a look at the 1st "safety tip" on Transport Canada's Rear Facing child restraint http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/childsafety/1234/stage1/menu.htm

Don’t be in a hurry to start using a forward-facing child seat. The longer you use a rear-facing infant-only seat, infant /child seat, or infant/child/booster seat that fits correctly, even past your baby’s first birthday, the safer your baby will be in a crash. Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for use and check the label for the weight and height that are allowed.

and then on their Forward Facing child restraint page http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/childsafety/1234/stage2/menu.htm

Does your child still fit within the weight and height given on the label for your rear-facing infant/child seat? You may be able to continue using the rear-facing infant seat until your child outgrows it.

AND

If you use a forward-facing child seat too soon, your child could be hurt during a sudden stop or a crash.

[TechnoGranola]

WE have a britax, so she will not out grow the rearfacing for a little while. I think the height is 30 inches rearfacing. Two more inches to go!!!

ThanksIs it the Roundabout you have? The height limit is a Canadian thing only and it can pretty much be ignored for RF as long as your child has at least 1" of shell behind their head. So, use the weight limit as a guideline, and NOT the height. The weight limit should be 30 pounds.

I am going to find a thread I started on RF height limits in Canada so you can read why they can be ignored.

[TechnoGranola]

Okay, here is one of my threads on the RF heigh limit in Canada http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=38389 I tend to complain about it every chance I get because I can't stand that it's there when it doesn't need to be.

As an aside, the new Evenflo Triumph Advance does NOT have a RF height limit. They use the head withing 1" of shell guideline.

[skaterbabscpst]

The reason the "limit" was increased is because rear facing is actually significantly safer than forward facing. Children under two are significantly more likely to be seriously injured when forward facing, regardless of weight.

It might help to understand the origin of the "old" limit.

My eldest is almost 12 years old. When he was a baby, the highest weight limit available for rear facing was 20 lbs. Back then, "they" recommended 12 months or 20 lbs, because there was no way to continue rear facing past that weight. Later, as higher weight limits emerged (first 25 lbs, then 30 lbs as the 90's came to a close), the recommendation was changed to 12 month AND 20 lbs, because the seats available allowed rear facing past 20 lbs.

After the turn of the century, we started seeing seats with RF limit above 30 lbs, and now the most common (US) limit is 35 lbs, although there are still a limited number of seats with the old 30 lb limit. (Except in Canada, where all current seats go to 30 lbs RF.) Despite this, the "word" that it's actually not safe to be forward facing at a year old and 20 lbs hasn't exactly become widely known, even though the AAP has said since the late 90's that children should be rear facing as long as possible. They've also said since that time that child seat manufacturers should develop seats with 40 lb rear facing limits. Theres no 40 lbs dummy, so the next step up from the current upper limit of 35 lbs may well be over 50 lbs.

The longer your baby is rear facing, the better. The bones in the spinal column are simply not able to take the extreme forces of a crash until they begin to fuse, and that doesn't happen until around 3-6 years old.

[i&j's mom]

Thanks,

All the info has been really helpful.

RF it is for quite a while longer. Now all I need is the frontier in Canada and I will be good to go!!:)

[TechnoGranola]

Thanks,

All the info has been really helpful.

RF it is for quite a while longer. Now all I need is the frontier in Canada and I will be good to go!!:)Are you looking at the Frontier for an older child? or for after your DD turns FF? Because it is a FF only seat in case you did not know. If it's for your 1 year old, you have lots of time for it to arrive here. :)

[snowbird25ca]

It did not change to 2 years/30 pounds, in Canada it is 1 year and 22 pounds (both criteria MUST be met), but that is the MINIMUM. The AAP recomendation she gave you is obviously in the U.S., but it shows that major organizations are now recommending RF until longer since it is safer.

Actually, the law varies from province to province. In AB the law is 20lbs and then we have a proper use law - so for many seats that means 22lbs and 1yr old. In AB though, if a seat doesn't have a minimum age requirement on it for ff'ing use, and the minimum ff'ing weight & height limits are met, it's *legal,* NOT SAFE, but legal, to turn the child ff'ing even if that means they're 7mos old.

We have very crummy laws in AB that are inadequate at protecting children in vehicles. Most manufacturers do state that a child must be at least 1yr old to ff in their seat, but there are a few that have it worded just as a "recommendation."

The sad thing is, that parents don't realize how dangerous or even deadly it is for their 22lb 11mo old to be ff'ing. Most get off lucky, but a few find out after it's too late. It's unfortunate that Transport Canada's recommendation to rf to limits of the seat isn't more readily available and communicated to parents.

[TechnoGranola]

Actually, the law varies from province to province. In AB the law is 20lbs and then we have a proper use law - so for many seats that means 22lbs and 1yr old. In AB though, if a seat doesn't have a minimum age requirement on it for ff'ing use, and the minimum ff'ing weight & height limits are met, it's *legal* NOT SAFE, but legal, to turn the child ff'ing even if that means they're 7mos old.Thanks for the clarification. I originally had 20 pounds there, and then went and searched and thought it was 22....and then I couldn't find any specific statement from TC or Health Canada, so it makes sense that it is at the provincial level. I'll edit my post so I don't give anyone the wrong info. Thanks.

[QuassEE]

I think most, if not all, seats with a 20lb RF max should be expired, or are about to expire...so 22lbs isn't exactly off.. In British Columbia, a child only need be restrained by the seatbelt after 20lbs, regardless of age, when transported by a non-parent/guardian. Fortunately this is changing in a few months. It's probably the best example of how the laws do NOT protect children--that's our job as parents.

-Nicole.

[i&j's mom]

Thanks for the info, I was pretty sure they had to be 1 year old and at least 20 lbs. Her older sister amuses her RFing so it is not a big deal.

The frontier is for my older daughter. She is 4 and does not weigh 40lbs yet, but is outgrowing her Marathon. Hopefully they will hit Canada sonner than later.