Car seat laws?

[momofmikey]

Hi - hopefully this is not a silly question. Do infants under 1 year of age have to be rear facing by law, or is it just recommended? If it is the law, is it a state law or federal? Just curious for our trip in December with our 8 month old - people are telling me I may be able to put him forward-facing vs. rear, but I'm curious as to the laws. He is a big boy (16 lbs at 5 months), so some of my friends have said he can go forward facing even if he's not a year.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Bird-Mom]

The law (at least in the US) is one year AND 20 pounds minimum before the baby is turned forward. The reason why is that there are muscles in the neck that are not mature enough to support the head should there be a crash. His size will not help in that instance. It is recommended to keep them rearfacing as long as possible; it is safer.

He will outgrow the infant bucket seat (if you are using one) and require a convertible seat, but he must be rear facing.

HTH

 

[Kermit]

I know that people say that you can turn them around as soon as they hit 20 pounds, but it's not a good idea. All babies are much safer in the rear-facing position, and they should be left there as long as possible. That's about 30 or 35 pounds, depending on your carseat (convertible, not infant carrier). I think that in SC you are <i>allowed</i> to turn the baby around once s/he gets to 20 pounds, but it's not a good idea.

 

[JennsBabySky]

Definitely wait until he is at LEAST one year AND 20 pounds. The law is definitely one year AND 20 pounds. Plus, his bones in his vertebrae have not finished developing yet. If you were in a major accident and he was forward facing, they would be able to stretch out too far, but they would be unable to return to the original position. This would cause major, major damage. It is definitely not worth the risk.

There is a ton of misinformation about this! I turned my daughter (now 3) around sometime before she turned one and all my friends/family did the same with their children. No one thought it was unusual to have an 8 month forward facing. I'm now expecting number two and have apparently turned into a carseat nut. I now will have number two rearfacing until at least one year and probably much longer!

Good luck,
Jennifer

 

[alexedan]

As a pediatrician I second the views of all of the others. I know it's tempting to turn them around but PLEASE PLEASE don't! Accidents happen when you least expect it. I was out of town and my husband turned my 11 month old around and when I got home I almost killed him. Plus it's not really fair to the child to forward face him for a trip and then rear face him when you get back because of the law. What he doesn't know he won't miss. Have a great time and thank's for being conscientious enough to seek advice.

 

[crisi]

Here is a good site on car seat laws. They do vary by state - in some cases fairly dramatically:

http://www.inventiveparent.com/state-laws.htm

There is (to the best of my ability to Google) no federal car seat law - however, I'd be welcome to see a cite to the contrary.

Florida does not require any child at any age to be rear facing, but does require children through age three to be in a car seat and children to be restrained (via at least a seat belt) through age five.

HOWEVER, Safety experts overwhelmingly agree that 20 pounds AND one year before moving your child forward facing. So it may not be illegal, but it is a bad idea.

 

[ElaineMc]

It's best to keep him rear facing. My daughter who is 7 1/2 is still in a booster because even though she is tall enough and weighs enough to be without a booster, the belt still comes up too high for it to fit properly. I'ts better to be safe than sorry

 

[PattnFmly]

I have a dumb question... what do you do with the babies legs once they are too long to be rear facing? If the carseat is up against the seat itself, don't the babies legs bend backwards? My oldest had legs up to his armpits practically and we had to turn him around or he'd scream.

 

[crzy4dsny]

The law, in New York State anyway, just states that a child age 3 or under, has got to be in a child safety seat. It does not specify which way it has to face or what type of seat it has to be.

With my three children I waited until they were twenty pounds and one year old.

 

[JennsBabySky]

Hopefully someone who is a car seat technician will see the post and be able to respond better, but I'll give it a shot with my limited knowledge.

When rearfacing with a convertible seat, the seat is usually installed at an angle which will allow more room at the foot of the car seat. Often times one will need to see some tightly rolled towels or pool noodles to get the correct recline. So, many times the seat is not reclined enough, so there is not as much leg room. Note, that the recline is only crucial when the baby has trouble with keeping neck upright. Once their neck muscles are more developed, the recline may make the fit more comfortable by allowing more room at the feet. However, as the child develops and can keep their neck more upright, the recline is a parental decision and not a necessity.

My 3 year old is average height (and didn't rearface nearly long enough), so I never had a problem with not enough room. I've heard that many babies do not seem to mind the limited leg room (even though it often bothers the parents). I'm not sure what I would do if it distressed my little one. I'd probably take the seat to be checked by a car seat technician or try out other convertible seats to see if I could find one that gave him more room. As cold hearted as it sounds, the lack of leg room is only a comfort issue and I'd now be reluctant to turn him around before 1 year AND 20 pounds. Even if his neck were strong, his bones are NOT developed enough to withstand a strong crash! This could cause major, major damage and leave you with broken hearted. However, as a mother it is really difficult to purposely place your child in a position where they are comfortable, so I'd hope to find another seat that fit better.

Again, I'm hoping a tech or someone more familiar than me will read this post, because I'm sure they have much better reasons/ideas.

Hope this helps,
Jennifer

 

[califred]

I can't find my link but it is actually safer to have them squinch up their legs than to break their necks.

In fact they are now saying you should leave your child rear facing until they reach the maximum seat weight, regardless of age.

Broken legs are easy to fix, a broke neck is not.

 

[ctag]

In NJ a child must be in a booster until they are 8 YO or 80lbs. I have a peanut for an 8 YO he is just 50lbs & my 6 YO is about 45lbs. We are renting a van while in Disney. What are the car seat law in FL?

Thanks.
CTag

 

[califred]

I found this on a website about carseat laws

if the child is 5 years of age or younger, provide for protection of the child by properly using a crash-tested, federally approved child restraint device. For children aged through 3 years, such restraint device must be a separate carrier or a vehicle manufacturer's integrated child seat. For children aged 4 through 5 years, a separate carrier, an integrated child seat, or a seat belt may be used.

 

[Bird-Mom]

My dd is in the 90% for height; I still kept her rearfacing past the minimum requirements. Yes, her legs were very scrunched up, but since she didn't know anything else, I don't think it was a problem. Better to have a couple of broken legs than a broken neck or decapitated baby.

 

[MOCHI]

This is another great site to check out:

http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv-ppcarseats

You can post any concerns about rear facing vs. forward facing here. There are several techs on that board who can answer almost any question you have regarding this! They can also give you information as to why it is safer to keep your baby rearfacing beyond the 1 year/20 lb. mark.

Hope this helps you out.

 

[DisneyPhD]

Instead of having a big kid, I had a tenny tiny one. At one year old she was 16lbs. Shortly after turing one (in the spring) she was rear facing and since she didn't have her coat one the straps were not tight enough. (A mistake we only made once, but once is enough.) We were stopped at a red light and heard her talking and going on, but couldn't see her. All of a sudden she had wiggled out and was standing up to see us yelling Hi, Hi, Hi. She was so please she could see us. Boy was she mad when I hopped out of the car and sat beside her, strapping her in again.

We had a talk with our Ped after this who asurred us that it was more her develpment then weight that was important in rear and frount facing. While really tiny, she still was on track (really advance physcially) for her age and we turned the seat around. Good thing I think since she was 21 lbs on her second brithday.


Her and I have been the same weight at the same ages and I was 49 lbs in 5th grade. Heck I weighed 93 pounds when I got married at 22 so I don't think I will keep her in a boster until 80 pounds, but I plane on being age approprate.

Remeber when we were kids, there wasn't car seat, many cars didn't have seat belts in the back seat?

 

[NotUrsula]

There is no federal law regarding the use of carseats in automobiles. Each state sets it own law for this. The most widely accepted practices are based on the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics:
http://www.aap.org/family/carseatguide.htm

The AAP has also issued a policy statement regarding the use of carseats on aircraft: http://www.aap.org/policy/re0101.html
There *is* a federal law governing the use of carseats on US-based commercial aircraft.

Note that the use of carseats on aircraft is NOT mandatory, but if you choose to use one, use must use it in accordance with federal law. The link for the actual FAA regulation is
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/...ocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2003/14cfr91.107.htm

 

[camrynmami]

Just thought I'd note in PA now, it is law for children 8 and under to be strapped into a booster seat. I got this from the Pennsylvania website:

§ Children under 4 years of age are required to use a child restraint device. Nonuse is a primary offense. Children 4 to under 8 years of age are required to use a booster seat. It is a secondary offense. The fine is a sliding fine up to $100.00. The money will continue to go into a fund to purchase child safety seats for loaner programs that distribute child safety seats across Pennsylvania. Charges may be dismissed by the District Justice if proof of purchase or loan of a child passenger safety seat/booster seat is introduced into evidence.


Carissa