car seats: when to change?

When do you change your car seats from the reclined to the forward facing? Our infant seats go up to 30 pounds but, I just feel sometimes that they are getting big for them length ways. Also, which ones would you recommend?

 

I think that they need to be rear-facing till they are 1 year AND a certain weight, not sure the exact number.

As for infant seats to regular car seats - out girls are not even 18 pounds and about 27 inches. Not near the limits for their seats but they are always straining to sit upright so I am going to switch them. It is going to make my life harder - but I can't really carry them in their infant seats anymore anyway (at least not at the same time).

We got the Britax Marathons for them

 

I think it is rear until one year AND at least 20 lbs.

 

There is a weight and length limit for infant carriers, but even if/when you switch to convertable carseats they need to stay rear-facing until atleast 1yr/old.

Kristi

 

I knew the one year mark....I just was not sure about the weight. Mine go up to 30 pounds.

 

If you look in your manual (or sometimes on the car seat) it says a height and a weight at which point they can be turned around. It varies by car seat. If you don't know it for your car seat, I would call the manufacturer or go to their website. Also, I spoke with a fireman who helps instal carseats in cars (they do that in Canada I'm not sure if they do that in the States or not). He said he would wait for the child to reach the weight because if you are backwards and too tall, in a crash the child would possibly break his legs. If the child is forward facing and too light, he would possibly break his neck. Which would you rather - broken neck or broken legs. That definitely helped me make my desicion.

 

I used the infant carriers until my guys were 10 months. Then we switched them to convertible seats. They are really easy to put rear facing, there is a little bar like thing underneath that swings back and fourth to make it in a reclined position.

We have a Cosco Juvenile.

 

At least in our state, they need to be rear facing until they are one year old AND at least 20 pounds. But rear-facing is safer so we're keeping them rear facing until 18 months at the earliest, longer if they are tolerating it just fine and still within the size restrictions for rear facing (which they should be).

 

Our state is one year & 20 lbs, too. If you want to double check, you can just call your local fire dept & they'll know. We switched from the infant carriers to convertible seats around 10 mos, but they're still facing backwards. When I took them to the fire dept to get inspected, they said rear facing is safer & to keep them that way as long as you can.

 

Most common regulation is 1 year and 20 lbs. If you are using an infant seat, check the length, again most common limit on the seat is 26 in. All of my kids outgrew the length before the weight and had to switch to the rear facing convertible. My first DD didn't hit 20 lbs until 14 mos.

 

Face rear as long as possible is safest. But absolute earliest, no matter what your Pedi says, is a minimum of one year AND 20 lbs.