How long should a child stay in a rear facing seat?
3 years old
According to the AAP and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), children up to 3 years old should stay in a rear-facing car seat until they reach the top height or weight limit suggested by the car seat’s manufacturer.
What’s the height limit for rear facing?
Height Limits All convertible car seats have a rear facing height limitation: most require the child’s head to be within 1 inch” of the top of the shell of the car seat, some have a standing height limit of 49 inches tall.
What’s the weight limit for rear facing?
Infant rear facing car seats usually have a weight limit of 22 pounds or more. This should be clearly stated on the label on the side of the seat itself and in the owner’s manual. Convertible seats usually have higher weight limits than infant seats. Most have rear-facing limits of 35 – 40 pounds.
When can a baby sit facing forward in a car seat?
age 2
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends babies be in rear-facing seats until age 2, or until they reach the car seat’s height or weight limit. That’s usually 30 to 60 pounds (13.6 to 27.2 kg), depending on the seat.
Can a 3 year old sit rear-facing?
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 seat’s manufacturer.”
Should I forward face my 3 year old?
The best practice recommendation is to keep children rear facing for as long as possible until the child outgrows the rear-facing limits of the child restraint. Sometimes this may not happen until a child is 3 or 4 — sometimes even older.
Can a 2 year old be forward facing?
Children 2 years or older, or those younger than 2 who have outgrown their rear-facing safety seat must be restrained in a forward-facing safety seat. Learn how to properly install a forward-facing car seat and restrain your child.
Is it safe to forward face a 3 year old?
What is the safest rear facing car seat?
Make sure your harness straps are snug on the child every trip.
What are the guidelines for a rear facing car seat?
Rear-facing (stage 1): under 1 year of age or less than 20 pounds. Forward-facing (stage 2): between age 1 to 3, or more than 20 pounds. Booster (stage 3): between 4-8 years old, under 4 feet 9 inches. Seat belt (stage 4): 9-12 years old, or over the age of 12 and less than 4 feet 9 inches. Plus, children between 13 and 15 years old should be secured with a seat belt as well.
Why rear facing is safer?
Rear-facing is safest for both adults and children, but especially for babies, who would face a greater risk of spinal cord injury in a front-facing carseat during a frontal crash. Rear-facing car seats spread frontal crash forces over the whole area of a child’s back, head and neck; they also prevent the head from snapping relative to the body in a frontal crash.
Why rear facing until 2?
When someone is rear facing, crashes two and three occur in concert and the forces of the crash are more equally diffused along the shell of the seat, holding the neck and spine in line. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends rear facing until a minimum of age two, based in part on findings published by BMJ Injury Prevention.