Car Seat Quip: Outgrowing the Rear-Facing Car Seat

photo credit: eyeliam

Many people have been surprised to learn that both of my boys are still using rear-facing car seats - even my near-two-year-old.  I had one mother tell me that a POLICE OFFICER told her it was ILLEGAL to rear face after a year.

That police officer was dreadfully wrong.  It is perfectly legal for a child to remain rear-facing past twelve months as long as they fit their seat properly.  Rear facing is now recommended for children up until 2.  Again, this doesn't mean that children cannot rear face longer. In some countries, it is standard for children to rear face until age 4 and then move right to a booster seat.

But, how do you know if your child has outgrown the seat?

1. Don't rely solely on seat manufacturer specs.  The seat my youngest uses says it goes to 30 inches and 32 pounds.  Technically, my oldest might still fit in it. However, even though, at 26 pounds, he is well below the weight limit, he is quite too large height-wise.  BOTH conditions must be met.
2. Know your child's torso height.  The torso height matters much more than the overall height. My boys both have long torsos and short legs so they outgrow onesies and sleepers by torso length much sooner than by weight. Same with car seats. Measure your child's torso.  Have him sit up against a wall. Mark the top of his head. Measure from the seat to the top of his head. 
3. Check your child's head.  In rear facing seats, the seat is outgrown when there is less than one inch of shell above the child's head.
4. Check the shoulder straps.  When rear facing, shoulder straps need to come from slots BELOW the shoulders.  Forward facing straps must come from at or above the shoulders.
5. Know the specs for your vehicle for LATCH.  If you are using LATCH to install your seat, check your owners manual.  Many older vehicles only allow for LATCH installations up to 40 pounds.  Once the limit on your vehicle is reached, be sure to switch to a seatbelt installation (just as safe when done properly - can be a little trickier than LATCH).  This point is valid for both rear and forward facing seats.

If your child is too big for their seat or getting close, it's good to know that there are many seats that will accommodate a much larger child rear facing.  Most parents begin with an infant bucket seat or infant carrier. Once the carrier is outgrown, you may consider purchasing a forward facing seat. Be aware that by law, your child MUST be BOTH one year old AND 20 pounds.  Convertible seats are a great option. These seats can face both directions and can hold much larger children.  The seat we are currently using for Buggy is a Sunshine Kids Radian 65SL.  It can rear face up to 35 pounds (and Buggy is nowhere close to that at 2 years old) and forward face to 65 pounds.  Many new seats rear face to even higher limits - 40 - 45 pounds!

Don't beat yourself up if this information is new to you.  Once you know better, do better! I honestly had NO idea about any of this until we got pregnant with Scrunch and knew we'd need the infant bucket for him.

What seat are you using?  What questions do you have about car safety seats?