Q. My 6-month-old is almost 20 pounds and outgrowing his rear-facing car seat. Can I put him in a front-facing one?

A. Not yet. "All babies under a year should ride rear-facing, regardless of their weight  -- it's the safest position for them," says Liz Neblett, former spokesperson for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (Before age 1, infants don't have the neck strength or head control to withstand the bouncing around that comes with a forward-facing ride.) But since most infant car seats aren't designed for babies over 20 pounds, what if your child outgrows it?

Buy a convertible seat; many accommodate heavier infants. When he's 1, you can turn it to face forward (it can be used until he's 80 to 100 pounds).

In the market for an infant seat now? Consider the new Infant SafeSeat for babies from Graco  -- it's fine for infants who weigh up to 30 pounds.

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