When to change Car Seat?

[shaanmom]

Hi, hope someone can help...
I have a Graco Mosaic carseat/stroller system. The Car seat is detachable from a base and can be clicked onto the stroller. At the moment, the carseat is back facing as I've been using it since baby's birth. Now he's 1, over 30in (77cm) & 20lb (9kg). When should I switch to forward facing car seat? Does anyone know if I can simply turn his current carseat around? Have been trying to get info on Graco website, but no luck....
Another question (sorry, long post..) If I need to change the carseat, any recommendations?

 

[capital]

I don't know that particular seat, but as far as I know one of the ones that snap into strollers are rear facing ONLY. The law where I live in canada is that your child must be BOTH 1 year old and 20 lbs before they can sit forward, and you must use the correct seat for their weight /heitght.

What often happens is infants outgrow either the weight or height limits on the seat (it should be in the manual and on a sticker somewhere on the seat), but still need to be rear facign, therefore people buy a combination seat whcih will go rear and forward facing, then you switch them forward when they are one, or older up to the limit for rear facing on that seat (I swtiched my children aroun 18-20 months of age).

It is safer to stay rear facing for as long as possible, but the minimum by law (in my province) is 1 year. My children are small, so I could probably leave them rear facing until they are five, but it does become imparctical as they get older. These bigger combination seats are large, heavy and are not meant to go in strollers. You can also buy three in one seats which are rear, forward, and booster seats, but they are very long and don't fit in all cars. You c an also buy combination seats which are forward/booster, so really watch to make sure you are buying the right thing.

 

[Jeanmom]

I have a Graco Snugride and the limits are 29 inches or up to 22lbs, whichever the baby outgrows first, then it's time to move on to a convertible car seat. This seat CANNOT be front-facing. A convertible car seat means it can be either rear-facing or front-facing. I just bought a Britax Boulevard convertible seat for my daughter. The Boulevard can be used rear-facing from 5-33 lbs., and forward-facing from 20-65 lbs. The forward-facing height limit is 49 inches or until the tops of your child's ears are level with the top of the carseat base.

Like capital said, it is safer to have your child rear-facing as long as possible.