Should I switch to front facing auto chair?

[vickiegram]

@southernyankee the absence of chest clip is because the law mandate that the seat must be opened with a single hand in a single push

 

[southernyankee]

@vickiegram Yes I know, I lived in France and had a car seat like that. I just meant most US comment usually freak out when they don’t see one

 

[jluponeage]

@brenda It kind of looks like a car seat clicked into a stroller to me, but I also know that car seat standards vary widely and some countries don’t have any legal standards, so I wouldn’t rule it out either way.

 

[denish0157]

@david3r1 Rear facing is always safest. It doesn't matter if the legs are hanging out or scrunched up.

"When forward facing, in a frontal collision, the weight of the head combined with the immature skeleton, can cause the spinal cord to stretch up to 2 inches, while serious injury can occur at just 1/4 of an inch stretch. This often results in internal decapitation and causes paralysis or death."

https://www.howtosafety.com/safety-topics/rear-facing/rear-facing-car-seats-basics-science-crash-dynamics/#:~:text=When%20forward%20facing%2C%20in%20a,and%20causes%20paralysis%20or%20death.

 

[ruths]

@david3r1 Of greater concern than baby's long legs and possible comfort is how close his head is to the top of the seat.

As people have said, rear facing protects against leg injuries as well against internal decapitation and the more intense physics of forward facing. It's also more comfortable for kiddo to be rear facing, reclined for sleeping in the car, without their legs dangling. Mine is 2.5yrs and has figured out to dangle legs over the side, sit cross legged, or bend knees; they'll make themselves comfy.

However, you should read the manual for your seat and see what the guidelines are about how close to the top of the seat baby's head can be. In the US, the standard is 1-1.5" below the top of the seat, because there needs to be space for baby to be pushed upwards in a crash and remain inside the seat. It looks, from your photo, like that is an infant bucket seat, the next step would be a convertible seat that is taller and can do rear-facing and forward-facing (and optionally high back booster and/or backless booster). I don't know what country you're in but I would recommend Googling "Car Seat Safety [your country]" and look for resources from experts, you will likely be able to find recommendations on safe seats at different ages and explanations on how to make car seat decisions.

 

[avid]

@david3r1 My son is 2 years old and he's still rear facing and I plan to keep him that way for a bit still. But, do you know when it is considered safe to switch (when can his skeleton withstand the impact of a collision?)?

 

[kitty88]

@avid Best practice is to maintain rear facing until the child maxes out rear facing limits.