when to move up?

[sok32]

My little boy is 6 months old, but is really uncomfortable in a rear seat now - his legs are pressed against the seat and his shoulders seem wedged in to his seat - he just doesn't fit. I know the advice is to wait til 9m for forward facing seats, but he can't be the only longer baby struggling like this - what have other people done?

Maybe it's just the type of car seat? My DS is 17 months old and 95%ile for height but is still rear facing, in a Britax Boulevard. His legs are bent but relaxed, and not at all uncomfortable. Maybe you should look for a seat that is wider? The Britax we have is good till they are 70 lb, so is designed for use by older kids too. It's not cheap but we have used since he was born and hope to still use for a good while. I think advice now is rear facing as long as possible, but preferably till 2.

Sok. I have a similar problem. My DTs are npt quite 5 months but HUGE (they were 19lb a month ago, not sure what they are now). They have rear facing car seats and hate being in them as they are so squished. Not sure what to do as don't want to buy different first stage car seats when they van go in to stage 2 seats in a few months.
What do you think you are going to do? Traveling by car is bloody awful at the moment!

Our rear facing one lasts until they are 13kgs or until the top of their head reaches the top of the car seat. I think 9months is a rough guideline and they shouldn't actually move onto the next size up until they are support their heads properly and of a certain weight (9kgs at least I think).

You can get rear facing seats which go up to 4 years if any use? I'm sure someone will be along with more info. Or get something like the britax first class which is rf until 13kg (about 1.5/2 years), and then ff.

It's safest to keep them rear facing, even if your 6 month old is 9kg and so legal to face forwards I wouldn't want to be doing it until they're at least a year really, their necks are so fragile still. Maxi cosi do a combo seat as well I think.

Firstly you can ignore his leg position. It doesn't matter that his legs have reached the seat as he'll be perfectly comfortable and completely safe with bent legs.

Secondly, you should not put him in a group 1 seat until he is at least 9kg or the top of his head is level with the top of the seat. It is not safe to move him earlier.

If you do still want to get him a bigger seat there are a few seats that go from birth right through to 18kg (for example, The Besafe Izi). They are all rear facing and you will need to go to a specialist car seat retailer, not Halfords or Mothercare. Try the In Car Safety Centre in Milton Keynes.

What type of seat is it? I thought this about dds seat at 6mo then realised the back extended up. She had a recaro. She is very long, but can bend her knees so that was fine. I have just at 9.5mo bought an Erf Seat.

They should definitely stay rear facing at least until they reach the recommended - this is strictly for safety reasons. Your baby will be fine being a bit squashed for a bit, honestly.

Dd3 is 17 months old - average height and weight & can still fit in to a rear facing infant carrier (graco), so I am sure a 6 month old would be fine.

I am going to move her to forward facing seat soon, but have worried about this after hearing all the safety warnings for young children travelling forward facing.