when to sit baby in car seat

[nicole mckay]

i just wanted to know at what age do you turn the car seat around from lying to sitting position,chantelle is 4 months old today and holds her head up well.she is getting a bit cranky in the lying position and doesnt look all that comfy,she is not big by any means,actually quite petite for her age,she does sleep quite a bit when we drive so wasnt sure if i should try the sitting position yet?? any advice would be good
nikki

[Kirsty77]

Hi Nikki

I'm pretty sure that they have to be at least 8kg, but it depends on your car seat. Gemma is the same and gets so cranky in the car seat but shes over 7kg now so not long!LOL!I'd try to hold out if I were you just till she was a little bigger.

[Colleen]

We turned Jaykob at 3 months, he was holding his head up well and had hit the 8kg mark... I think all bubs will be different, but just as long as they are past the weight suggested with the seat and have good neck strength, they are ready

[Juliette]

I'm pretty sure the guidelines say either 6mths or 8kg (whichever comes first) and good head control.

Our carseat can be used in the rear facing position until 12kg, so at nearly 9 months (and 9kg), Hannah is still rear facing. I'll keep her that way as long as I can 'cos it's supposed to be safer that way in an accident... It all depends on your carseat too...

[Trillian]

The book for our carseat (Safe n sound) says 6mths or 8kg too. Lindsay was 8kg at 3mths so we turned him around. Erin was 4.5mths, she wasn't 8kg, but she could crawl by then and hated facing the back. Paige was 3mths because she had really good head control and was around 6.5kg.

When you turn the seat, it can recline back to a certain point anyway so they are not sitting bolt upright. I've only just put it totally upright in the last month or so for Paige.

I think it is completely individual what you do. Some babies are happy facing the rear and others hate it.

[Tracey]

N, said once they are pulling trying to sit upright then you can turn it around...
Indah tries to sit up, but is very contented & sleepy when going backwards, so for now I will just leave her, she is not quite 5 months yet..

[Rouge]

I'm funny about this topic. I'd even suggest going further than the recommended time frame. The main reason is that if you have a collision whiplash and more damage can be done if the seat is forward facing as their bones are still quite soft iykwim? Whereas rearward facing there is less impact on the collision and the position actually protects their neck. They have actually done extensive studies on this in the US and most seats they have recommend rearward facing (although I think there is a semi upright position so they aren't lying completely down) and require children to be rearward facing till 12 months!

*hugs*
Cailin

[Deejoy17]

Apparently it`s safer for them to tavel rear facing so Matthew stayed rear facing until his feet touch the back seat so we had to turn him then, he was about 7.5 months and 9.8kg but he was 75cms long hence why his feet started touching the back with bub #2 we`ll be doing the same waiting until his/her feet touch the back seat again he/she will most likely be another long one.

[nicole mckay]

ok i have just weighed chantelle and she is only 6.2 kilos.i had the seat installed by toyota but her legs are hanging over the edge almost hitting the seat,she really does not look right,there is plenty of room above her head but because of the tilt she would slide back down again,maybe i am doing something wrong or the straps are wrong.not sure,i think i will take it out of the car and have a good look at it and see if i can improve it.i think she is a bit too small to be sitting up just yet as she still has nearly 2 kilos to go before she is at the right weight,she is only short in length for her age also so maybe it is wrong and i need to play with it and adjust a few things,
thanks for the advice girls
nikki

[Adnil]

Thats good to know about the safety of leaving it even longer - I didnt know that, but it makes sense.

[mummy2Kaitlyn]

I was just at the hospital yesterday at their install station as I am looking at moving Kaitlyn into a forward facing seat. They told me this:

1. If they are in a capsule they have to be moved out of it when they hit 9Kgs for safety reasons.

2. they like them to weight 8kgs or be 6months

3. but the most important is when you hold them in the sitting position by their hands they dont wobble and can kinda support themselves.

I told the guy Kaitlyn had really good head control and he said this does not mean anything....I thought it did!.

I am keeping Kaitlyn in the capsule until she kits 9Kgs or 6months whichever comes first...she is 5 1/2 Months and 8.3Kgs so it is almost time.