8 month old too long for rear facing car seat

wrote:

I think my son may need to switch to a front facing car seat. He
weighs 20 pounds and is a good 30 inches long. He is so long that his
legs are bending against the back seat of the car.

We got the Britax Marathon and turned the
kids at one year old. Both kids were big -
Rocky was 26 lbs. at 6 months and 95%-ile
height, Pillbug was not as heavy, but equally
tall. The Marathon worked great.

-- Anita --

"Anne Rogers" wrote in message

It may even be against the law wherever you are

Cheers
Anne

Assuming the OP is from Canada as her name suggests, it is against the law
here to forward face before 12 months of age as far as I know. It is also
law that the tether strap must be used on front facing carseats.
Unfortunately, neither law is really enforced, at least not in my province.

Heather

Assuming the OP is from Canada as her name suggests, it is against the law
here to forward face before 12 months of age as far as I know. It is also
law that the tether strap must be used on front facing carseats.
Unfortunately, neither law is really enforced, at least not in my province.

It doesn't appear to be here either. More frustratingly I've heard the
assistant manager of a shop that sells car seats misstating the law to
customers and telling them she is a qualified installer, she may be, but
there is no certificate on display and misstating the law is hardly a
good sign.

Anne

On Oct 16, 4:17 pm, wrote:
I think my son may need to switch to a front facing car seat. He
weighs 20 pounds and is a good 30 inches long. He is so long that his
legs are bending against the back seat of the car. I bought a new
front facing car seat for 20-40 lbs and 40-100 however it is
recommened in the mannual that he is one year old before being front
facing in the car... My son is standing on his own.... if I wait
until he is a year.... anyway you get my concern....

thanks
lori-anne

Just to clarify why it's important to leave them rear-facing as long
as possible, definitely at least to one year old and 20 pounds (as
others said, this is only a minimum). What happens in a bad crash if
the child is forward facing before they're ready is that their big
heavy baby head, which is not strapped in, moves forward with so much
momentum against their strapped-in body that internally the head
(skull and brain) separate from the spine. No one can survive that.
Sorry for the graphic imagery, but it's just to reinforce the
importance of leaving the child rear-facing as long as possible, at
least until the minimum. Bent legs are no big deal, and compromise
the safety in no way. Even if they did, it would be legs vs. head --
which is more important?

Kate, ignorant foot soldier of the medical cartel
and the Bug, 4 years old
and something brewing, 4/08