![20150812_172510[2]](http://wonderfullyaverage.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/20150812_1725102.jpg)
(Ignore the stain on the car seat. It’s chocolate, I swear!)
1. Your baby is safest in the infant carrier. Keep them in it for as long as you can. They have so much more protection (especially their head and neck) in the event of a crash.
2. Move them when they are either too heavy or too tall. This is either when they reach the upper weight limit (usually 10kg for group 0 and 13kg for group 0+) or until the crown of their head is level with the top of the seat.
3. Ignore the recommended age. Weight and height determine when you should move them. Little T is still in his 0+ infant carrier at 16 months (recommended age range is 0-15 months). He weighs 9kg (he’s pretty diddy!) so will probably be too tall for it before he’s too heavy.
4. It doesn’t matter if their legs are bent. T is very comfortable in his seat even though he’s had to bend his legs when sat in it for months. Think about how you are sat in the car- your legs are probably not straight either.
5. Keep them rear-facing. Consider buying a rear-facing group 1 car seat. Children are 5 times safer in a rear-facing car seat up to 18kg or even 25kg (approximately 4-7 years). I’ll be doing a post about extended rear-facing soon, but if you want more information now take a look at www.rearfacing.co.uk.
Enjoyed reading? Why not follow me: Bloglovin | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Fab post, we had Oliver in his infant carrier til he was 18 months as he’s also small. I want to cry when people put their 9 month olds forward facing. We couldn’t afford an erf one, but did loads of research to get the safest one for our budget.
Natalie / @diaryofuem recently posted…Long walks with toddlers
Thank you! I know what you mean. The forward facing car seats are advertised as being suitable from 9 months and I think a lot of people are so keen for their baby to move onto the next stage, the next milestone that they turn them around as soon as they can, without realising the safety implications. It’s terrifying.
Hopefully as awareness grows of the benefits of rear-facing the prices of the erf seats will come down too as that’s obviously a huge barrier to it at the moment. But even if people just keep their babies in infant carriers a bit longer, that would be a great start!
Great tips! unfortunately, my two kids been moved to a front facing carseat at 12 months old because they both were born big babies so they easily outgrow the rear-facing ones too quick. #TheList
Thank you! It seems like there are some benefits to T being so tiny!