When can you switch your babies rear facing car seat to facing forward?

Jul 17, 2011

By Yahoo! Answers



Car seat laws vary slightly from state to state. In most states, you can legally turn them around at 1 year AND 20lbs (they have to meet both criteria... it's not an either/or kind of thing). All that means is that if you were to get pulled over and your child was forward facing, you wouldn't be in violation of car seat safety laws. It doesn't mean that it magically becomes safer for them to face forward at that point. The recommendation is to leave them rear facing until at least the age of 2. When you get into an accident, your car typically comes to an abrupt stop. If your child is facing forward, their head and neck snap forward. If they are rear facing, then their back absorbs the shock and distributes the force more evenly. Studies have shown that babies and toddlers who are rear facing are about 5x less likely to suffer death or severe injury when involved in a serious accident. Sorry to rant, but there are few things more heartbreaking than a child killed in a car accident. There is no reason to rush turning the car seat around!
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