Marina Sanchez

Many parents ask how long their child should stay in a rear-facing car seat. Actually, there's not an exact timeline. The rule of thumb is that children should be in rear-facing car seats for as long as possible, to the height or weight limits of the car seat (once one limit is reached, the child is too big for the seat; it is dangerous to exceed one limit even if the child is still within the other limit).1

Riding rear-facing until the limit allowed by your child's convertible seat has big safety advantages that parents should strongly consider. Turning a car seat around isn't a milestone to rush. It's actually a step down in safety, so don't be in a hurry to make the big switch.