Carseat - when to be forward facing?
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Topic: Carseat - when to be forward facing?
Posted By: Jay_R
Subject: Carseat - when to be forward facing?
Date Posted: 22 January 2007 at 9:49am
| Just wondering when is the best time to turn the carseat to face forward? Joshie is 8 3/4 months, and weighs approx 11kg (give or take). I turned his seat to face forward last week, but now wonder if I should turn it back til he's a bit older? What have you ladies done? |
Replies:
Posted By: AnnC
Date Posted: 22 January 2007 at 10:16am
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with both my other two i faced them forward at 5 months - Josh and 6 months - Brooke and they were fine. I know they recommend a year but i feel as long as he has strong control of his head you shld be fine. ------------- Ann 
Also Mum to Josh (15) and Brooke (10) |
Posted By: mum2emj
Date Posted: 22 January 2007 at 10:33am
yeah they do say a year and i cant remember exactly when i changed my oldest's fowards facing but i know it was a bit before then, i cant even remember when i did for my second girl  think it was more around 12 months though.
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Posted By: jax
Date Posted: 22 January 2007 at 10:34am
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Apparently *cough* the Plunket thing is 12 mos / 12 kgs... but even if Erin hits 12 kgs before then, I intend to have her rear facing until she is 12 mos. ------------- Jacquie - Mama to Erin, 13.07.06 - Chief Cat Chaser & Marmite Sammie Eater 
Love many, trust few, harm none. ~Anon~ |
Posted By: Jay_R
Date Posted: 22 January 2007 at 10:48am
| think i might turn him back round - although he LOVES being able to see us in the car.... argh, what to do? what to do?! |
Posted By: caraMel
Date Posted: 22 January 2007 at 11:24am
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Get him a mirror?
My friend got a little felt framed mirror from Baby Factory that she can velcro to the actual car seat in front of her baby. He loves chatting away to himself and can see Mum in the front too. ------------- Mel, Mummy to E: 6, B: 4 and: 
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Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 22 January 2007 at 12:14pm
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We turned Maya rear facing at 5 months coz she drove me mental every time we got in the car - from the day I brought her home from hospital she screamed in the car. Turned her around and it stopped instantly. In saying that tho, it was a bit naughty, especially as she was so small and didn't hit the 8kg mark till she was 12 months. -------------  Maya Grace (28/02/03)
 (02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: My3Sons
Date Posted: 22 January 2007 at 12:57pm
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I turned Leo forward facing a few weekends ago, he is much happier this way, and his little legs were gettting squashed the other way. I can still recline him back if he falls asleep which is good! Plunket nurse also told me 12 months! ------------- Mum to Mr 10, Mr 6 and Mr 4
 
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Posted By: nikkitheknitter
Date Posted: 22 January 2007 at 1:25pm
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Apparently there are vids with crash test dummies showing rear and forward facing somewhere and the rear facing is MUCH safer for baby.
I don't have the link but will try to find it. Even the thought of it freaks me out. Han was rear facing until 13 months despite being a large kid. Oops... didn't mean to sound like a worked up idiot. I just had a car crash when I was about 17 and wrote off my mum's car so am still recovering from the fear of crashing again!
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Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 22 January 2007 at 2:29pm
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The guide used to be 6mos (which I did) but they have changed it to 12 months, unless your child is taller than the carseat (their head, that is). Not sure what I'll do with Krystiana, the other girls LOVED facing forwards. ------------- |
Posted By: meow
Date Posted: 22 January 2007 at 2:50pm
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This isn't the exact same video, but it has the crash tests in it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRP7ynNI8mI - Link ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: EllenMumof2
Date Posted: 22 January 2007 at 4:07pm
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forward facing here a2 weeks ago as i was scared madison was going to put her neck out cause she was always trying to look at us amd would scream cause she coukldn't see anyone http://lilypie.com">
 http://lilypie.com">
  http://lilypie.com">
  |
. Kalem was 8 months to when i put him forwardPosted By: BaAsKa
Date Posted: 22 January 2007 at 8:30pm
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I turned Bays seat around when he was 6 months but had it reclined right back because even though it was a new seat and he was only 6 months - he still had the longest legs ever and would scream because his legs would get sore! he would also sleep in the car as soon as his head hit the seat until hours after we had stopped! and i was told that if bubs is asleep in an accident then that would help because theres no resistance (not sure if its true but that was my train of thought).
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Posted By: Two Blondinis
Date Posted: 22 January 2007 at 9:43pm
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Thanks for the video Katrina - Caitlin's staying rear facing for as long as possible! ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
 
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Posted By: Jennz
Date Posted: 22 January 2007 at 11:56pm
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Omg- Kat, that video!
We kept Charlotte rear facing until 17 months and only turned her because her head was over the top of the carseat. I had seen this interveiw with an ER nurse saying that the first thing they ask after a child has been in an accident is whether they were forward or rear facing and that forward facing is always significantly worse and has a far higher fatality rate. ------------- Jen, Charlotte 7 & Kate 3 
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Posted By: caraMel
Date Posted: 23 January 2007 at 7:49am
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Those tests were so scary. I'm wondering now if we should turn Ella back around, she's only 11 kg/22.4lb... ------------- Mel, Mummy to E: 6, B: 4 and:
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Posted By: Kazzle
Date Posted: 23 January 2007 at 9:07am
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hey CaraMel....plunket say either 12mths or 12kgs...and she is only 1kg off that but 2 yrs old...i would leave her (if it was me) ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: caraMel
Date Posted: 23 January 2007 at 9:14am
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Yeah I think she would strongly object to being turned back after so long but it looked so horrible the way the forward facing dummies necks moved... I don't know. ------------- Mel, Mummy to E: 6, B: 4 and:
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Posted By: meow
Date Posted: 23 January 2007 at 9:28am
I'm not turning my Ella back around either Mel.. if that helps 
She is 11kg too. ------------- http://lilypie.com">
http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: nikkitheknitter
Date Posted: 23 January 2007 at 11:05am
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sh*te. I wrote a big post about what we talked about last night Kat.
Anyway, the car seat on the forward facing seat is strapped differently to the NZ regulations. I know mine is strapped tightly with a tether, the belt, and then a locking clip to hold it in place... so I seriously doubt it would move as much as that seat did. Anyway, just to clarify that the tests probably weren't indicative of NZ safety standards. |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 23 January 2007 at 12:32pm
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They law is that they HAVE to be rear facing till they are 6 months. Plunket RECOMMEND rear facing till 12 months but at the end of the day ur the mum and u will make the best decision for your child. Im turning Ella round when we get back to Wellington coz she twists so much that she wedges herself so shes almost sitting sideways and thats not very good at all.
Its a another hard decision in the line of duty as a mum i reckons  What ever decision you make will be the right one for your bub
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Posted By: SMoody
Date Posted: 23 January 2007 at 2:36pm
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We have an infant carseat facing backwards up and until 15 months or 13kg which ever one comes first. Bought another one just after her first birthday as she kept on escaping from it. (yip she is a smart cookie)
She is a lot happier facing forward. I think it has more to do with your childs weight and I feel it is better to face backwards as long as possible but if it gets dangerous (like them twisting around or escaping) then it is safer forward. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: james
Date Posted: 23 January 2007 at 3:05pm
i put james face forward because he was to long for his car seat and like emma,s maya screamed because he couldnt se us ------------- <a href="http://lilypie.com"><img src="http://b4.lilypie.com/nLJ5p13.png" alt="Lilypie 4th Birthday Ticker" border="0" /></a> |
Posted By: ellabellame
Date Posted: 23 January 2007 at 7:19pm
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i put mikey forward facing when he was 10 months because he got too long and his legs were getting scrunched up against the seat. i would have liked to keep him rear facing until 12 months though because it is the safest way. ------------- |
Posted By: Katherine
Date Posted: 25 January 2007 at 5:20pm
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Wow, that video is really powerful. We're keeping Emma Rose's carseat rear-facing as long as she can stand it (she's 11 months) and that video just reinforces why it's so important. There's also a lot of research indicating that the rear middle seat is the safest place for the carseat -- we've got Em's carseat strapped in there. |
Posted By: Rachael21
Date Posted: 28 January 2007 at 11:59am
| We just turned Jack around and he hates it I thinks its cos he can see me but I'm not looking and playing at him. I would leave him rear facing til 1 at least. |