Graco 4ever car seat forward facing at 22lbs?

Question

Does that son right? My son just turned one and this car seat says keep them rear facing till 22 lbs and forward is safe from 22lbs+ one seems a little young to face forward but idk. Is this safe? First baby and idk this stuff.

Answer

I have that seat and they can stay rear facing until 40LBS. In the photos at the bottom of this post my daughter is seated in a Graco 4Ever and she is currently 30lbs. 
The best practice (from a safety standpoint) is to keep them rear facing until they max out the upper rear facing height or weight limit of their seat. Chances are they will max out one before the other, but once one limit is maxed out the seat is no longer safe rear facing. 
Until a child’s vertebrae have fully matured they are at risk of internal decapitation; this is when the spinal cord is severed inside the body, resulting in either paralysis or death. The maturation and ossification of the vertebrae is something that happens with AGE, not with SIZE, which is why extended rear facing (rear facing for as long as possible rather than just until age 2) is so important. Quoting from csftl.org:
“Toddlers are not just small adults; their bodies are still developing and those developmental changes make them more vulnerable than an adult. A toddler’s vertebrae are connected via cartilage rather than ossified bone. Those connections are called synchondroses, which are slowly closing over time. There are three major points of ossification, each with two synchondroses. According to a study published in the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine, the first station to close is the C3, second is the axis, and third is the atlas. The results of the study show:
🔴 50% probability that the primary closure of the C3 is complete at age 2 and the secondary at age 3.
🟠 50% probability that the primary closure of the axis is complete at age 5 and the secondary at age 6.
🟡 50% probability that the primary closure of the atlas is complete at age 7 and the secondary at age 8 (Yoganandan, Pintar, Lew, Rao & Rangarajan, 2011).

This image to the right shows the cervical (top), thoracic (middle), and lumbar (bottom) vertebrae of a one year old (left, each photo) and six year old (right, each photo). Note the easily visible synchondroses in each.
These findings show that before age two, none of the cartilaginous spaces have completed ossification. Those pieces of cartilage have the ability to stretch up to two inches. Yet only 1/4″ stretch is enough to rupture the spinal column, resulting in paralysis or death  (McCall, Fassett & Brockmeyer 2004).”
What this means is that a child’s vertebrae do not finish fully ossifying until ages 8-9 years old, no matter how “big for their age” they are. In fact, a child that is large for their age is actually at a higher risk forward facing than a smaller child of the same age because their head is a larger percentage of their overall weight and will exert more force on their neck in a forward facing collision. Statistics show that riders of ANY age (even adults) are safer riding rear facing. 
Many parents cite concerns of their child being “too cramped” in a rear facing car seat once their feet touch the seat back in front of them and their legs are required to bend when seated. Statistically, there are more leg and hip injuries reported in children who are FORWARD FACING because their legs swing up and hit the back of the front seats in a frontal collision. In contrast, in a rear facing frontal impact all of the momentum is absorbed into the back of the car seat rather than between their legs and the seat back in front of them. 
My oldest is 5 and is still rear facing comfortably in a Graco Extend2Fit (50lb rear facing limit.) Photos taken 5/27/21. Hours

Answer

I have that car seat and no it doesn’t say keep rear facing until 22lbs. Forward facing has a low weight limit BUT that does NOT mean it is safe. The manual, nhtsa, and AAP all day not to switch to forward facing until the height and or weight limit has maxed out of rear facing. For this seat it is 40lbs for weight limit. 
A 1yr old is no where near ready to face forward at all. Research internal decapitation. 
Just cause it says a minimum weight limit does not mean it is safe.

Answer

No, you should rear face till the maximum weight on the carseat, not the minimum. Rear facing is 5x safer than forward facing. The longer the better. AT LEAST till age two, but preferably much longer. I recommend doing a little research on the subject, there is lots to lear on car seat safety. Best wishes!

Answer

imo it should go by age not weight. children’s skeletons are not developed enough to withstand being forward facing during an accident. which is why you see a lot of internal decapitations in forward facing children as old as 6yrs. even for adults, it’s safer to be facing the rear. i say keep baby rear facing for as long as possible, my oldest was rear facing until his 7th birthday.

Answer

That’s the minimum weight requirement for forward facing. It’s safest to keep your child rear facing until they reach the limits of the car seat, which is 43in and 40lbs. Also you definitely don’t want to turn him before 2. It’s actually illegal in some states to turn them before 2. Check out @safeintheseat on Instagram, she has a ton of helpful information about the benefits of extended rear facing. My almost 4 year old is still rear facing in her britax car seat at 32lbs and 38in.

Answer

That’s the absolute minimum weight to face them forward, but you really should max out the weight limit rear facing, probably 40-50 pounds depending on the seat. Some states require them to be at least 2 before flipping them, but in terms of safety, the longer they stay rear facing, the better. Internal decapitation is a horrific way to go.

Answer

I have a Graco 4Ever and 2 Graco 4Ever DLXs. The MAXIMUM weight for rearfacing is 40 lbs. I have a 34 lb 4 y/o, a 30 lb almost 3 y/o, and a 25 lb 1 y/o all rearfacing in those seats.

Graco 4ever car seat forward facing at 22lbs?

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