A baby can face forward in a car seat when they meet certain age, weight, or height requirements, depending on the type of car seat and safety regulations:
- According to safety experts and many local laws, babies should remain rear-facing until at least 2 years old. Many recommend keeping a child rear-facing as long as possible, ideally until they reach the maximum height or weight limit allowed by their specific car seat manufacturer (often up to about 40-50 pounds or close to 4 years old).
- In the European Union, under the i-Size (ECE R129) regulation based on height, children must travel rear-facing until they are 15 months old , after which they can face forward. For weight-based seats (ECE R44-04), children can face forward after reaching about 13 kg (approximately 28.7 pounds).
- The UK law aligns with this—children using height-based (i-Size) seats must remain rear-facing until 15 months, but once they pass this age and fit the seat's height requirements, they can face forward.
- Leg comfort is not a concern for rear-facing babies as they can sit cross-legged or with bent legs, and legroom issues alone are not a reason to switch to forward-facing.
In summary, the safest recommendation is to keep your baby rear-facing for as long as possible, at least until 2 years old or until they reach the car seat's rear-facing maximum size limits. Legislation often sets minimums at 15 months or weights around 13 kg, but safety advocates recommend waiting longer when feasible.
