Front Facing Car Seat

Choosing what type of car seat to purchase has a lot to do with the age and weight of your child that will ride in it.  For babies, it has been determined that the safest way for them to ride in a vehicle is in a car seat that faces the rear of the car.  There are many laws and requirements written by the United States government that are meant to keep your child safe in the car.  There are certain requirements that need to be met before you start putting your kid in a front facing car seat.

Seat belts are standard in all cars made today.  They are placed in a position to keep the average male safe during an accident.  Because of this, they are not in the right position to keep a child safe without some assistance.  One of these ways is to use the correct safety seat for each child and not use a front facing car seat until the child meets the height and weight requirements to ensure that he or she will be kept safe during an accident.  Each state may have slight adjustments to the laws or additional requirements but we will go over the basics below.

Here are the MINIMUM requirements for front facing car seats:

• Any child under 1 year old should ride in a rear facing car seat.
• A tether strap should be present and properly installed to make sure the seat is in optimum working condition.
• Your baby can remain in the rear facing seat after 1 year as long as the seat still fits him or her.
• In order to sit in a front facing car seat, your child needs to weigh over 20 pounds.  They should also be able to pull themselves up so they don’t end up all slouched over in the seat.
• If you opt for a front facing convertible seat, make sure that your child’s ears are below the back of the seat.  If they line up with or are over the back of the seat, switch to a booster seat with a high back.
• Seats known as shield booster seats are not recommended for children that weigh over 40 pounds.  These children have an increased chance of ejection with these seats.
• Booster seats are mandatory for children until they reach the age of 8 and weighs over 80 pounds or is 5′ 9″ tall or taller.
• Convertible car seats can solve the problem of a growing child as these can be used as rear-facing seats until the child is older, and then convert to front facing car seats. You can also find combination seats which are a car seat that also fits in a baby stroller so that the baby can remain in the seat when moving in and out of the car.

Until your child reaches the age of 12 they should ride in the back seat.  This is the safest place for them to be.  Study the front facing car seat requirements above and don’t forget to use a seat belt with the car seats.