Monday, March 25, 2024

When Do You Switch To Forward Facing Car Seat

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How Do You Install A Graco 4ever Dlx Forward

Car Seat 101: How to Convert Your Car Seat From Rear- to Forward-Facing

To install a Graco 4ever DLX forward-facing, make sure your little one is at least 25 pounds and in the upper weight range for forward-facing.

Then turn it over to access the top tether path.

Thread each side of the vehicles lap/shoulder belt through this path, then buckle according to manufacturer instructions.

Pull both sides until they are tight with less than one-inch movement when pulled with 30 lbs of force in any direction away from locked mode. You should not be able to fit two fingers between the babys back and harness strap while installed correctly.

If using latch connectors, route them around headrest posts before attaching hooks on both ends to lower anchor attachments located under padding behind the plastic cover plate for rear-facing installation only.

I Thought My Child Could Turn Forward

This is NOT correct. Many years ago, in the days before the iPhone was invented, the minimum to turn forward facing was 1 year and 20 pounds.

In 2011 both the AAP and NHTSA updated their recommendations to reflect the latest research in child passenger safety. The AAP now recommends that kids sit rear-facing until at least age 2 and for longer if possible. NHTSA now recommends: Your child should remain in a rear-facing car seat until he or she reaches the top height or weight limit allowed by your car seats manufacturer.

Best For Sleeping And High Back Booster: Maxi

  • Removable Pad is Machine Washable/Dryer Safe

  • No Armrests

This booster seat has a lot to love. Its narrow on the outside but still incredibly roomy in the seat, so its a good choice for either bigger kids or a crowded back seat. The lack of armrests saves room and also makes it safer since it eliminates the common risk of routing the lap belt over the armrests.

Parents appreciate that the seat can be secured in the back of the seat via rigid LATCH, keeping it stationary even when theres no kiddo sitting in it. With an exceptionally well-designed headrest, its great for dozing off during a ride.

Product Weight: 17.25 pounds | Dimensions: 28.5 x 17.75 x 15.2 inches | Age Recommendation: Not Listed | Weight Limit: 40 to 120 pounds

  • No Armrests

  • Only for Big Kids

The final step in car seat use is a backless booster which is used to help introduce your kiddo to using only a seatbelt in the backseat of your car. This seat is designed to accommodate a child weighing between 50 and 100 pounds and between 43 and 60 inches in height. Weighing just 1.8 pounds, this seat is easy to move from car to car, so its perfect for playdates or travel.

Narrow on the outside, roomy on the inside, the seat works for bigger kids or crowded back seats. The open-loop belt guides help kids know where to thread the seat belt, and these guides fold flat onto the seat when not in use.

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Disconnecting Or Switching Off Airbags

Disconnecting or switching off an airbag should be a last resort. It means that the protection offered by the airbag is lost. If there is no other option, contact the vehicle manufacturer, and consult your insurance company beforehand.

Some cars have a cut-off switch which allows an airbag to be switched on or off. The disadvantage is that you may forget to switch it back on when a different passenger is in the seat.

Some manufacturers may be prepared to disconnect an airbag or install a cut-off switch if they believe the airbag is causing an appreciable risk to the driver or passenger. They would probably require the vehicle owner to accept responsibility for the disconnection and for any effect it may have on other drivers or passengers. They may need to replace the steering wheel and/or seat belt, if they have been specifically designed and approved for use with the airbag.

The airbag should be reconnected before the car is sold.

When Do I Switch My Child To A Forward

New Recommendations from the AAP on Rear

You may feel ready to replace your infant or rear-facing car seat with a forward-facing option. While the guidelines may differ from state to state, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics , purchasing a forward-facing seat should be considered when your child has reached the height and weight limits for their rear-facing seat.

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When Should You Face Your Babys Car Seat Forward

In 2018, the American Academy of Pediatrics released new recommendations for car seat safety. As part of these recommendations, they removed their previous age-based recommendation that children remain rear facing in car seats until the age of 2.

The AAP now suggests that children remain rear facing until they reach their rear-facing car seats weight/height limits which, for most children, will leave them rear-facing beyond the previous age recommendation. This is based on research that rear-facing offers safer support for the head, neck, and back.

What does this mean for you? Well, until your child has met the weight/height limits of their rear-facing car seat AND met the requirements of any state laws, it is preferable to keep them rear facing. Once your child has reached the weight or height limits for their rear-facing seat likely sometime after age 3 theyre ready for forward facing.

What Are The Height And Weight Requirements For A Booster Seat In California

The height requirement is 24 inches. The weight limit for the booster seat is 40 pounds. Lastly, there are no exceptions to this rule aside from children under four feet tall or those with special needs. These limits must be met in order for a child to use one safely and legally on California roads.

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Is My Car Seat Or Booster Seat Safe To Use

  • Check that your seat is approved for use in Canada. Look for the National Safety Mark on your car seat or booster seat:
  • Read the labels and instructions to make sure that your child is within the age, weight, and height limits for the seat.
  • Most manufacturers recommend that you replace a car seat that has been in a car crash, even a minor one. Contact your manufacturer if you are unsure.
  • If you do not know the history of the seat, it may no longer be safe to use. Make sure you have all the parts, including the instruction manual.
  • All car seats expire. Plastic and metal parts wear out over time. Contact the manufacturer if you are unsure when your seat expires.
  • Check Transport Canadas website to see if your seat has been recalled.
  • Register your childs seat with the manufacturer. They will contact you if there is a recall.

When To Move Your Child From A Forward

Evenflo Symphony Car Seat: Changing to Forward Facing Demo

Even if your provincial or territorial regulations allow the use of a booster seat, children should keep using a forward-facing seat until they outgrow its weight or height limits. Many forward-facing seats have weight limits up to 30 kg .

The harness of a forward-facing seat is designed to fit the narrow shoulders of children. This helps protect children in front, side and rear impact crashes. The harness holds your child back and spreads the forces of a crash over the strongest parts of your child’s body.

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To Secure Your Child In A 5

  • For your rear-facing child, make sure the harness straps are in the slot level with or just below your childs shoulders.
  • For your forward-facing child, make sure the harness straps are in the slot level with or just above your childs shoulders.
  • Tighten the harness straps. You should not be able to pinch the harness at the shoulder. The harness should be flat with no twists.
  • Place the chest clip at armpit level.
  • Bulky clothing or snowsuits should not be worn in the car seat. They can interfere with proper harness tightening and placement.

How Long Should My Child Remain In A Forward

Once your child has graduated to a forward-facing car seat, its recommended they remain in it until they reach the height and weight limit of their seat. This can be quite some time as forward-facing car seats can hold anywhere from 60 to 100 pounds depending on the model!

Its important to also keep in mind that even after your child has outgrown their forward-facing car seat, they should still use a booster seat to ensure your cars seat belt system fits them properly.

Children arent ready to use the seatbelt alone until theyre around

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When To Turn Around Baby’s Car Seat

Find out when to switch to a front-facing car seat according to the experts.

Forget about age when it comes to determining when to turn your child’s car seat to face the front of the car. As of 2018, the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommends children remain in a rear-facing car safety seat as long as possible, until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their seat .

This new recommendation removes the specific age milestone which used to be the norm, the previous guideline being to keep your toddler’s convertible car seat facing backward until she’s at least 2-years-old or has reached the seat’s height and weight limits for the rear position.

Stay up-to-date on all car seat safety guidelines at healthychildren.org, a site powered by the AAP to help keep families safe.

Best Splurge: Nuna Exec All

When should I turn my baby forward facing?
  • Expensive

  • Heavy

While this seat is on the pricier side, its an all-in-one feature that easily converts from a rear-facing to a forward-facing seat and then to a booster seat makes the price tag worth it. Constructed of steel, the seat weighs almost 27 pounds, so its best for installing in a car and leaving it.

Parent reviewers praise the well thought out design and high-quality materials. Recommended for kids from 6 months through 4 years old, your investment can be justified with how long this one seat is useful for.

Product Weight: 26.6 pounds | Dimensions: 22.5 x 18.5 x 26-33 inches | Age Recommendation: 6 months to 4+ years | Weight Limit: 25 to 65 pounds and 40 to 120 pounds

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When Is It Time For A Forward

You put a lot of thought into your newborns rear-facing car seat. It was a key item on your baby registry and how you got your little one safely home from the hospital.

Now that your baby isnt such a baby anymore though, youre starting to wonder if its time for a forward-facing car seat. Perhaps your little one has already reached the weight and height limit for their rear-facing seat and youre wondering whats next.

Or maybe theyre not at the size limits just yet, but you think enough time has passed and youd like to know if you can flip them around to face forward.

Whatever your situation, weve got you covered with info on when its recommended to use a forward-facing car seat as well as some tips to make sure that youre getting it installed properly.

Choosing A Child Safety Seat

It is the law in Alberta that a driver must ensure children under the age of 16 are properly restrained. In addition, research has found that child safety seats can reduce the risk of serious and fatal injury by around 60 to 70%. Your child needs to use the most appropriate child safety seat to get the most safety benefit. Learn how to choose what kind of child safety seat your child should be using.

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What To Do With Your Old Car Seat

  • Pass it on. When your child gets too big for her car seat, give it to someone you know. Make sure the seat has all the original parts, labels and instructions. If the seat was in a crash or is missing parts, throw it away.
  • Expired or unsafe seats. If your car seat has expired or is unsafe, take it apart and put the pieces in separate dark trash bags to prevent someone else from using it.
  • So What Is Actually Best Practice

    Convertible car seat installation: Forward-facing

    When it comes to rear versus forward-facing car seats, the law states babies they must remain rear-facing until they are a minimum of six months old.

    But Kidsafe Queensland CEO Susan Teerds said that did not mean they needed to be turned around immediately from that time.

    “The law is very clear. Babies must be rear-facing from birth. They can move forward-facing when they reach the height marker on the seat, so all of the new standard seats from 2013-14 have had minimum height markers meaning the baby must be rear-facing if the shoulders are below this line,” she said.

    She said most of the time, babies could not be turned around until they were two years old and sometimes well after that.

    Two-and-a-half-year-old Rafferty Verge is the perfect example.

    Her shoulders still don’t reach the height marker needed for her to be forward-facing.

    Paediatrican and director of the Royal Children’s Hospital National Child Health Poll, Dr Anthea Rhodes, said it was important for children to stay rear-facing for as long as possible.

    “That relates to the anatomy and the bone strength of that young child’s body,” she said.

    “Children under two years of age have a large head compared to their body, and their neck is not as strong.

    “You could imagine, the heavy head is thrown forward and very prone to severe injury to the neck and spine.

    Crash test footage from Transurban’s Road Safety Centre at Neuroscience Research Australia shows dummies in an impact at 50 kilometres per hour.

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    How Do I Install A Forward

    When it comes to the installation of a forward-facing car seat or booster seat, you want to follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer. Just like infant seats or rear-facing car seats, every brand is different and has specific guidelines on how to install your car seat correctly for optimal safety of your precious cargo.

    How Many Pounds Do You Have To Be To Sit In The Front Seat In California

    You must be under the age of 18 and weigh less than 62 pounds to sit in the front seat. If you are between 62-80 pounds, then only one person over 12 years old is allowed to occupy this space.

    One child aged six or older can sit on each lap if there are no car seats available for them. For children weighing more than 80 lbs., may legally ride in both front and back seats as long as all safety restraints are properly used by everyone riding inside the vehicle at that time.

    This law applies to every passenger regardless of their age or weight, including infants who need a rear-facing baby seat installed within their vehicle. Anyone not following these guidelines will receive a ticket with associated fines up to $20 per seat.

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    When Can A Child Face Forward In A Car Seat

    You should keep your child in the rear-facing position for as long as possible. But instead of using age as a guideline, keep the following in mind:

    • When they reach either the weight or height limit. Your child should stay rear-facing until she has hit the maximum height or weight for that position, says the AAP and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration . Most rear-facing infant seats can accommodate children until they reach 28 to 35 pounds or 30 to 35 inches, but keep in mind that many children will reach the maximum height before they do the maximum weight. Once a child outgrows a rear-facing infant seat, she can switch to a convertible seat in a rear-facing position, which can often be used until a child is between 40 and 50 pounds. You can find your seats height and weight limits on the tag or in the manufacturer instructions.
    • Not before age 2. Years ago, age 2 was considered the standard time to switch to the forward-facing position. Now, its considered the absolute minimum, because most 2-year-olds wont be adequately protected from a crash in a forward-facing seat. Rather than basing your switch on the calendar, do so only when your child reaches the maximum height or weight limit for the rear-facing position of her convertible seat. For many, this doesnt happen until age 3 or 4.

    How Should Your Child Be Secured In The Car

    Forward Facing Car Seat: Top 8 Best Brands in the Market ...

    In 2013, 640 children under the age of 13 died in automobile accidents? Of those 640 fatalities, 225 children were seated in unrestrained seats. These, like many motor vehicle related injuries and deaths, are largely preventable.

    Age Group
    Courtesy of the IIHS Highway Loss Data Institute

    There are two types of safety seats for children: restraint seats for babies and toddlers and booster seats for younger children. A restrain seat can be rear-facing in which the child is facing the back window or forward-facing in which they face in the same direction as the driver. Because all children grow differently, the transition between seats will vary for each child.

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    Are There Any Other Safety Tips

    • Many seat manufacturers have online video tutorials that can help.
    • Some local community resources offer car seat clinics. There may be someone who has been trained to help with installation or check that you have installed the car seat correctly.
    • If you use an infant carrier outside of a vehicle:
    • Always keep your child buckled.
    • Do not put the seat on a raised surface because it may fall.
    • Always take your baby out of the car seat when you arrive. A car seat is not a safe place to sleep.
  • It is not safe to use any add-on accessories that are not approved by the manufacturer, such as a bunting bag or head-restraint.
  • Never leave your child alone in the car.
  • Use memory aids to make sure a child is never unintentionally forgotten in the car. For example, place your phone or bag in the back seat to avoid a memory lapse.
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