Need info on Front Facing Carseat

[martikadragoon]

TJ will be coming up on that mark where he can legally be placed into a front facing carseat, however I have a couple questions...

#1 are there any decent brands that won't break the bank?

#2... Can a normal carseat be flipped frontways and if so how? (I know the base is only for rear facing)

Any tips?  He's at that point developmentally where he tries to twist around and look at us and wants to look around, and since he'll be of the correct weight within the next couple months we think, then I want to plan now.

[Lance06]

I bought Sarah an Evenflo Car Seat off amazon.com (also sold at walmart) and it cost $65. Great reviews. She is rear facing...but she was getting too long for her infant carrier.

[tiredbuthappy]

it's also important to consider the baby's length in the infant carrier. even if they're under the weight limit, if the feet hang out it's time for a new seat.

[Victoria01]

The requirement were I live is 20lbs AND a year old, so no matter how much the child weighs, they have to be at least a year before they can be forward-facing. I used an infant carrier until my son was nine months, they he was just too big and switched to the Evenflo convertible. It worked well and was made for up to 35lbs, though I did have to purchase a new one a few months ago as he is now 40lbs and 3 years old, and still needs to be, by law, in a car seat for another year.

[cminamyer]

You just need to check your weight restrictions on the carseats.  Some infant carriers can got past 6 months.  We spent the extra money and got the big greaco seat that would work until our baby was a year old.  Up to 30lbs.  My dr. told me to keep the girls in a rear facing as long as we could, it's the best thing for them.  But I also have a Eddie Bauer rear facing/forward facing. We also spent the extra money on it bacause it should last for a couple of years...

[tiredbuthappy]

evenflo triumph advance- great carseat and much cheaper than the britax. easy to clean too- dd gets carsick so we've washed it MANY times. it's front or rear facing, so when the baby needs to graduate out of the infant carrier between 6 and 8 months, she can go into the evenflo facing rear, and we'll just get a booster for my toddler.

as tempting as it is to purchase a carseat second-hand, it is advised that you do not. if a carseat is in ANY kind of accident, even a minor one, you are supposed to replace it. unfortunately, you do not know the history of second-hand carseats.

[martikadragoon]

Thanks for all the advice ladies!!! I'll be looking into a convertible carseat in this next couple weeks. TJ didn't meet the weight requirements at his bday (I think the req/ is 20 lbs here) but he will be hitting that soon.

[BTS1022]

Conner just went up to a front facing carseat. I have an Eddie Baur seat that I got from a consignment shop for $45 bucks. It has the little arm thingy that comes down in front of them. Conner is almost a year old (on the 14th) and is in 2T clothes...so he is quite the chunker. He got to long for his rear facing infant seat, and honestly just to plain heavy to carry it around with him in it, so I got me a stroller and a foward facing seat at the consignment store a total of about $75 bucks

[JoyRenee]

Is he still in an infant carrier?! He definitely should be in a convertible carseat by now. Convertible carseats are the ones that can rear-face and forward-face. The infant carrier is just too small for babies older than 6 months.

Some specialists are starting to say that it's safer for 2-year-olds and younger to stay rear-facing in the event of a collision but we always turned out girls around at their first birthday if they met the weight requirements.

[LosingMyMindInGA]

ANother thing....each individual carseat has it's own height/weight restrictions for rear and forward facing ....be sure to check these before choosing one.  

[LosingMyMindInGA]

It's not just about weight....but like you said developmentally and also there is a height restriction.  Laws can differ slightly from state to state.  YOu should check with your local driver services or fired department.

I bought a cosco brand as well for $45 I think.  I got it when Gabe was still rear facing.  A normal infant carseat, the kind that hooks into the base, can NOT be turned forward facing.  

[smjmekg]

I paid about $35-$40 for a Cosco...it's a cheaper carseat, but it works well. The only thing I don't like is it has no tray in the front.

[chantal21]

I have an evenflo car seat for Jeremiah. It's actually really practical because it can be rear facing or front facing and reclines. Pretty cool. I bought it when he was too long for his rear facing only seat and so he fit into it while it was rear facing because it's bigger and then turned it around once he was a year old. I paid $130 for it, a bit pricey, but I love it and it's easy to clean as well. I bought it at target.
I'm not sure you can flip a carseat that is supposed to be rear facing. I doubt you can, I can't imagine it would be that safe. I know they make them so you can buckle them in with a seat belt if the base won't fit in the car or something, I had to do this once in my brother's small car, but I still had it facing toward the rear.