Rear Facing or Front Facing ?

pwm88 · Jun 1, 2003

I apologized if these questions have already been answered earlier :

1.) When is the appropriate age or weight of baby when we start changing the position from rear facing to front facing ? Some articles suggested that we should put them in RR as long as we can as it is safer in that position.

2.) Are there any sedan/wagon in the market that has quad seating in the rear passenger seats ? It would really be helpful for people to fit in two car seats/converters.

Thanks.

joolsplus3 · Jun 1, 2003

It's safest to keep a toddler rearfacing to "the limits of the seat". So depending on the seat you have, that would be 30,33, or 35 pounds, OR till the top of the head is within about an inch of the top of the seat. My 3.5 yo dd is almost 40 inches, still under 33 pounds (the britax convertibles limit) and rearfaces comfortably in her britax marathon, which has a very tall back.

As for a sedan or wagon with quad seating...I think the closest thing *I've* run across was the Chrysler Pacifica, and I didn't get the impression that it would really be easier to deal with with carseats than a regular sedan. The Buick Rendezvous has a middle row captain's chair option, but it's rollover and side impact crash ratings aren't stellar (I traded it on an Odyssey, lol)

murphydog77 · Jun 1, 2003

I'd just like to add to Julie's post that many parents try to use an infant seat until the baby is age 1. Sometimes that's not possible because the baby outgrows it before the first birthday, so a rear-facing convertible is the way to go for rear-facing as long as possible.

WNYmom · Jun 4, 2003

Julie,
Babies should be BOTH 20 lbs and 1 year old before you change them from rear facing to forward facing.

joolsplus3 · Jun 4, 2003

Is that the blushing icon? I think I just assumed that the original poster already had her child in a convertible seat, which would hold a child rearfacing well beyond the *minimum* of one year and 20 pounds, so I didn't even think to mention that, and only mentioned "the limits of the seat" as the *ideal* length for rearfacing. And, yes, the usually recommended minimum is 20 pounds AND 1 year.
Here's my dd in her Marathon http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/joolstag...g/vwp?.dir=/Car+Seats&.dnm=Airway.jpg&.src=ph

MyLittleTyke · Jun 4, 2003

Hi,

My son is rear facing at 2 years old. Here is a pic of him rear facing at 21 months I believe (1 pic at top of site, and 1 at the btm).

http://geocities.com/salevia/carseatsafety.html

This site has some great information on why it is best to keep a child rear facing as long as possible:

http://www.car-safety.org/rearface.html

Also, here is a great link on the benefits of rear facing:

http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/stayrearfacing.aspx

HTH,
Sara

Rear Facing or Front Facing ?

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