# Is ERF common where you live?



## njbeachgirl (Oct 8, 2006)

I swear, every toddler I see around here is forward facing- even ones who I'm sure are smaller than my DD (21 months and 25 lb. soaking wet).

Why don't more people know about ERF? Even our pediatrician said we should turn her around if she is kicking the seat







I just don't understand why it's so uncommon to rearface toddlers. Makes me want to get the word out!


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## Peony (Nov 27, 2003)

My DD2 i just a couple months older then your DD and she is the only toddler I know still RFing. What is ironic to me though is that Britax seats are everywhere here, most moms I know own one or several, even Regents, but no ERF.


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## Smalls181 (May 12, 2006)

I only know one other mom in the area who is still RF their toddler. I just talked a new mom yesterday about it, and she seemed really interested. But her baby is only 3 weeks.

I mostly see kids being turned FF at around 10 months. Seriously.


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## cognito (Nov 30, 2007)

I don't see it around here at all! What's even worse is that most kids go to a regular seatbelt at 4yrs, if that.







My toddler made it to about 20mo since he's all torso & already 30lbs, but he'll be harnessed for quite some time in his new Nautilus


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## _betsy_ (Jun 29, 2004)

I had to fight with the town's car seat inspection officer to keep DD's seat rearfacing (I was having a new one installed after a minor accident). She was 15 months old at the time.









The other tech backed me up and said he was thrilled to see someone working with the maximums of their seat limits, not the minimums. He said often they have to turn parents away who want to forward face their 9 month olds, because, "they're close enough, right?" Uhm, no, law is 1 year AND 20 pounds, not either/or, and NOT 9 months and 16 pounds. Sigh.


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## PassionateWriter (Feb 27, 2008)

nope....too inconvenient


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## skolbut (Feb 18, 2008)

Not here!! My neice was FF the day she turned 1... my ds is only 25 lbs and although he's tall he'll be rear facing until 30 lbs per the carseat manufacturer. It seems like everyone around here turns FF right at a year old. Even my dad who is an engineer recently asked me when he can go forward! He of all people should know the laws of physics.


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## Zach'smom (Nov 5, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cognito* 
I don't see it around here at all! What's even worse is that most kids go to a regular seatbelt at 4yrs, if that.







My toddler made it to about 20mo since he's all torso & already 30lbs, but he'll be harnessed for quite some time in his new Nautilus










Ugh! Ds is 6yo, 60lbs and 54 or 55 inches tall. He is still in his booster and will be there until he hits 57 inches!!!!


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## lemurmommies (Jan 15, 2007)

Nope! I only know one other toddler who is RF, and that's because they were actually interested in the e-mails I sent out to all of my friends who are parents. They had me check their car seat install too.

Mostly, I have friends who are knowingly using their car seats incorrectly and don't care.


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## aaronsmom (Jan 22, 2007)

No, not at all. In fact, I only know one other 2.5-3 yo that is still in a 5 pt harness other than DS! Everyone I know is putting their 2.5, 3 and 4 yo in BACKLESS boosters!!







:
I try to spread the word and tell people that not only is that ILLEGAL it's totally unsafe but everyone already thinks I'm just a crazy hippie.


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## Ruthla (Jun 2, 2004)

I honestly don't know how most of my friends and aquaintances set up their carseats.

Most familes i know with toddlers also have older kids (since we would be socializing with the older kids), most of them have minivans- making it pretty hard to see the carseat setup from outside the vehicle. Unless we happen to be parked right next to them, AND leaving or arriving at the exact same moment they are, I woudln't be able to see inside their cars.


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## cognito (Nov 30, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Zach'smom* 
Ugh! Ds is 6yo, 60lbs and 54 or 55 inches tall. He is still in his booster and will be there until he hits 57 inches!!!!

Unfortunately OH has really bad laws. Technically, my toddler could ride in the AOE as a booster & he's not even 2!!!







:

We're doing the best we can with our budget to follow best practice. Our new baby is much smaller than his brother so I'm sure he'll RF for a long time.

I try to educate people when I can. I carry ERF Handouts to stores with a baby department. Some people seem interested. My neighbor acted like she wanted to turn her 1yo little girl back around, but then never did though.


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## jocelyndale (Aug 28, 2006)

Sadly, no.


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## tayndrewsmama (May 25, 2004)

Heck, half the toddlers here aren't even in carseats. They are either in backless boosters or even bouncing around in the backseat.







: To quote my BIL, "Accidents only happen on the highway."







:


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## dogmom327 (Apr 19, 2007)

I rarely see a toddler rear facing. I know before he saw the statistics, DH was really excited about turning DS around when he turned one so he could "see better". I think that's a common line of thinking.


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## Twinklefae (Dec 13, 2006)

Around here, everyone is ff and half of them are in expired car seats. I'm thinking about printing out something to let them know that carseats expire. (All overhead sheild seats are expired, right?)


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## JamesMama (Jun 1, 2005)

Nope.

In fact the vast majority of people I know/see turn their kids before their 1st bday. Once they outgrow the bucket they go FF...or as soon as they hit 20lbs regardless of age they go FF.

My DS RF longer than anyone around here, and I switched him at around 2 years (he was 29lbs, 34 in).

A lot of kids my DS age (3.5) are already in non-harnessed booster seats!


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## 1littlebit (Jun 1, 2008)

ds is 7 mos and over 20 lbs.. he is still rear facing ... hes getting to big for the darn bucket but I dont want to put him foward facing yet...and we have been looking for a careseat solution for our very tall heavy baby that is not hey just him in the foward facing toddler seat. what is this ERF? it sounds like something i could use.


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## Mommy2Haley (Oct 25, 2007)

Sadly, no. A friend of mine keeps telling me that I "need" to turn DD FF because "it's about strength" and "she'll be so much happier". The latter is probably true but I don't care how strong she is -- she'll be ERF until she reaches the upper limits of rear facing for her seat (which I think is 30lbs ... and she's only 19ish at 17 months).

She's never known forward facing so she doesn't know she's "missing" anything. We have the car seat mirror angled so I can see her and she can see me -- she makes faces at herself, plays peek a boo with me, reads books, and listens to whatever children's music I don't feel will drive me batty at the moment. We have our moments of fussiness but generally it's okay. I don't see any of this any reason to turn her FF when I know she's so much safer the way she is.

End of rant.


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## njbeachgirl (Oct 8, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *1littlebit* 
ds is 7 mos and over 20 lbs.. he is still rear facing ... hes getting to big for the darn bucket but I dont want to put him foward facing yet...and we have been looking for a careseat solution for our very tall heavy baby that is not hey just him in the foward facing toddler seat. what is this ERF? it sounds like something i could use.

ERF just means extended rear facing- having your toddler in a rear facing seat after she reaches 1 year and 20 lbs. It's safer to keep them rear facing until they reach the weight limit of the seat (many seats rear face to 33 or 35 lbs now).

I'm sure people on this forum could give you great recommendations for a rear facing convertible seat for your LO!


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## tabrizia (Oct 24, 2007)

I'll admit I peak inside everyone else's car at Gymboree (DS is in the 16 to 22 month class) only one family has their children still rear-facing other then us (they have twin girls). It is really sad since a number of the kids are smaller then DS and he is only 25 pounds and 33 inches.


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## MamaGlow (May 15, 2008)

I had never even heard about ERF until reading it on MDC-- even then didn't know what it was!
We have RF until one, even though grandparents kept saying the "he'll be happier, he's big/strong enough" etc etc...
now have to go see what the upper limits of our seat is!

thanks for all the great info mamas!


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## hottmama (Dec 27, 2004)

It's not the norm but I do see lots of people FFing beyond 12 mos. Most people I know have turned their toddlers between 18-24 mos. I know several 2 and 3 yr. olds that could still be RFing but aren't. Still, it's better than most places.


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## Katielady (Nov 3, 2006)

My son is the only toddler I know who is still rear facing. Everyone flipped their kid at a year. One friend of mine expressed surprise when she saw we were RF, and when I explained briefly why it's safer she said, "Well I just thought it would be better since you can use the tether when it's facing forward..." I started to explain that that doesn't really make a difference, but she was clearly uninterested and just didn't want to hear it so I dropped it.

It's so weird to me when people just make things up, and don't actually do any research. It must be nice, maybe I'll start doing it. "We need to get a car with a seat-warmer. Because it's safer. It, um, keeps my bum from becoming hypothermic."


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## morganeldi (Nov 9, 2007)

I think it might be a *little* more common around here. I think I've seen kids that look older than 1 RFing. Only one other family I know ERFs though.

Unfortunately I COULDN'T ERF that long because my son hit 33 lbs at 13/14months.







Which sucks cause I totally would have.


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## 1littlebit (Jun 1, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *morganeldi* 
I think it might be a *little* more common around here. I think I've seen kids that look older than 1 RFing. Only one other family I know ERFs though.

Unfortunately I COULDN'T ERF that long because my son hit 33 lbs at 13/14months.







Which sucks cause I totally would have.

i feel like this is so going to be me. 20 lbs 8oz at 7 mos... i think he might hit 33 before 18mos. plus hes tall.. he kicks the back of the seat when hes in the bucket


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## morganeldi (Nov 9, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *1littlebit* 
i feel like this is so going to be me. 20 lbs 8oz at 7 mos... i think he might hit 33 before 18mos. plus hes tall.. he kicks the back of the seat when hes in the bucket









lol...my ds was 22 lbs by 3 months (and out of his bucket seat) so there is hope for you yet. Plus a lot of kids slow down in their growth after a year or so....They grow really fast that first year.. My ped always comments that she is surprised that my ds hasn't slowed down yet at 2 yrs (he's now 40 lbs and 40" tall), she said she's sure I am waiting for that too because of how much clothing I must have to buy lol..


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## _betsy_ (Jun 29, 2004)

Kicking the rear seat means nothing. Kid can still ride rear facing with their legs bent, or folded against the backseat, even.

I'd far rather deal with a broken leg than any of the myriad disasterous outcomes of a collision with a small child FFing.

Here's a page with some images of older/taller/bigger toddlers ERFing: http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/stayrearfacing.aspx


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## ChetMC (Aug 27, 2005)

No, I'm not sure if we know anybody else who did ERF. Each of our kids were turned around just before they turned three. This was in Eastern Canada.

People are so anxious to turn their kids. I honestly think there are friends and family who avoid the whole topic of conversation with me because they're hell bent on turning their kids and don't want to hear from me that what they're doing something that is less than ideal. They know that our kids ERF for a reason, but they are just desperate to get baby FF.

Sadly, there are a lot of people who will do what the government legislates, and not one ounce or one inch more. It's depressing.

Honestly though, after having RF toddlers, a FF two year old looks as wrong to me as a forward facing two week old.


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## ElaynesMom (May 24, 2008)

Some of the people I personally know have turned their kids early, despite knowing best practice. I have recently seen a few strangers with younger rear facing toddlers. Yesterday, the car beside us at the grocery had a RF toddler. She was maybe 15 or 16 months. It was nice to see.


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## Jes'sBeth (Aug 30, 2004)

I see a few kids RF longer but mostly I see LITTLE kids forward facing (like clearly under a year) I got into an arguement with the man selling me boxes to pack into when I was moving this summer (I told him he should max out his seat rear facing because the CAP and the AAP recommended it and he told me there was controversy over whether it was safer or not to rear face vs forward face. I told him it wasn't that he was breaking the law by forward facing his 9 month old and that YES his convertible seat would very definately rear face in his car... GRRR!)

This past week I've seen 2-3 kids not even in seatbelts in the back seat of the car (one car 2 kids were roughly 4 and 6 with a yr old baby. The baby was FF in a carseat but the 2 olders were bopping around the backseat without any restraints.) and just today I saw someone strap her 1 yr old into a forward facing overhead shield carseat! My cousin currently has her 35 lb 3 yr old in a backless booster. She commented that she really hates it when her daughter tucks the shoulder belt behind her back


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## kirstenb (Oct 4, 2007)

Nope, not here. I didn't know about it until MDC. I have one friend who I know will- her DS just turned one. Her 6 and 8 year old are still in high back boosters.


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## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

Nope, but I try my darndest at the seat checks I do and I PRAY it's paying off. Most of the parents we see have children under 1 and I really try to pound erf into their heads then, it's easier than someone who has already turned their toddler. Even among my irl tech friends (not online, lol) I'm the odd one out as my son is almost 46 mos and still rfing. He can, so why wouldn't I? He's going w/ his friend tomorrow to a show and I told him could sit ffing if he wanted, but he chose rfing so he can see his friends in the car.


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## LeslieB (Feb 17, 2006)

I have never, ever seen another kid rear-facing past one. And we've been all over the country. I tell people about it, but they just think I'm a weirdo. You know, because everything else I do is "weird", like extended breastfeeding, EC, no vaxes, etc. I guess I kind of lose my credibility among the mainstream.


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## Mommoo (Jun 26, 2008)

I'm so confused! I need to do some research. I had never heard of extended rear facing until this past week on MDC.

I didn't know you should, or could.

All I knew was the recommendation to wait until your child was 22 lbs or 1 year, whichever was later.

I couldn't wait to turn DS forward facing. He must have experienced motion sickness rear facing. It was miserable. He had a 10 minute car threshold. Now he is fine for over an hour. We even had a three hour trip which included a nap. I'm so hesitant to rear face him again. I'm assuming is the safest positioning though?

Argh!

I would love to know more.

I don't even think I would have to buy a new carseat. Mine's a Cosco convertible.

Where we're living now everything, with the exception of downtown, is at least 1/2 hr away, mostly 1 hour.

Um, I guess this turned into a rant. Sorry!

I'd love to know more about this!


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## angelachristin (Apr 13, 2007)

I've never seen anyone else. I'm the only one I know. My sister actually said to me, "Um, Angela, isn't there a _reason_ they TELL YOU TO turn them around at 20 pounds and 1 year?" I said, "Um, that's actually the MINIMUM standard it would possibly be safe at, so they say you CAN...but it is much, much safer to keep them rearfacing to the weight/height limit of your seat." But I think lots of people think like her maybe, like you're supposed to turn them for a reason? ANd i have heard of peds telling parents at 12-month checkups "You can turn your carset FF now". Good thing I know better than to listen to most things peds say. haha.


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## broodymama (May 3, 2004)

nak. i don't think it's common in general round here, but is common among the people i know. i took dd2 (8 weeks) in for a check-up this week and her ped was reminding my that i have to wait until 20 lbs & 1 year to turn her around. she was very surprised to find out that DD1 (26 months, 29 lbs) is still rear-facing. and at the carseat check when i got the 3rd carseat installed, the tech was thrilled but also said she rarely saw it.


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## morganeldi (Nov 9, 2007)

I actually almost got into an argument with my ped at my ds's one yr appt. She gave me the you can turn him now speech and I said Oh I know but I am going to wait until he hits the limit (which as I stated above wasn't much longer). She gave me the weirdest look and started talking about their legs being squished and that he was so big and tall already he must be so uncomfortable and it is not good for his legs blablabla... "If he were a smaller child I could maybe see the point but not for him" I told her about the legs not being an issue but she had her own ideas set in her head so at that point I knew I wouldn't get anywhere so I just said OK and let it go. I probably should have brought her some stuff to read though so she doesn't give other parents this advice.

she even said "I could see maybe until about 15 months but definitely not after that, especially with his long legs"


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## dinahx (Sep 17, 2005)

I would really love to ERF, but for us it was impossible . . . DS freaked out! It got so bad that I would even remove him from the Carseat once we were in the subdivision we were living in. Wrong, I know! (But legal where I live.







) Anyway, I figured front facing HAD to be better than that . . . DH also wants him to sit next to the window, while I would rather he be in the middle, so we argue about that . . .


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## grumpybear (Oct 5, 2006)

Not common at all. I only know of one other mom who ERF-ed her son. She turned him around after 2, I think. She said his legs were too long. I didn't say anything anymore because I know she's read enough to know what the risks are (she turned him FF at 1 and turned him back RF after reading the benefits of ERF) and I assume that she made an informed decision.

DS is hovering around 30lb and still RF at 30mos. We get a lot of "legs are too long" and "can't see the view" comments. We try to explain the benefits of ERF to these people (who have their own wee ones) but they somehow get temporarily deaf because they just keep repeating those comments.

I just







at that point.


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## Past_VNE (Dec 13, 2003)

Around here in Texas, I'm just happy to see kids restrained at all. Some toddlers are in boosters, some babies in seatbelts, many in long-expired seats, and far too many just playing in the car with no restraints whatsoever.

I was thrilled to death to see a Britax in a car the other day at the gas station. The young toddler was FF, and his two older siblings were in BPBs (too young for them, IMO, but eh.....at least they were all restrained.)

DS turned FF right at 3, for weight. He bounces back and forth right on the edge and could maybe be RF, but I'm never sure, since all the scales are different.

Back in Pennsylvania, I rarely saw kids unrestrained, but still more rarely saw ERF.


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## ~savah~ (Aug 24, 2008)

Like other posters I had never heard of ERF until I came to MDC. I had a friend who waited until her son was 20 lbs and 1 year, but most people I know just wait until the 1st b-day. My SIL didn't even wait until then, she was like "what's the difference between a couple of months?" I mentioned ERF to a woman the other day and she thought I was out of my mind.


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## Jenivere (Aug 4, 2003)

Most kids my son's age ( 6.5) were out of booster seats years ago so no ERF is not common here. I got flack from my MIL for having him still harnessed at 5 and she expected a few months ago to take him out in a seatbelt in the front seat, that's a common attitude here. I only personally know one other family that does and she's and MDC mom. My toddler is almost 27 months and still rear facing.


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## Smalls181 (May 12, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *hottmama* 
It's not the norm but I do see lots of people FFing beyond 12 mos. Most people I know have turned their toddlers between 18-24 mos. I know several 2 and 3 yr. olds that could still be RFing but aren't. Still, it's better than most places.

A2 is a pretty progressive area, though, so Im not too surprised to hear that.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ChetMC* 
Honestly though, after having RF toddlers, a FF two year old looks as wrong to me as a forward facing two week old.

I agree 100%! My friends 18 month old is FF and it just looks sooo weird to me. She is probably around 22lbs, though.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *morganeldi* 
she even said "I could see maybe until about 15 months but definitely not after that, especially with his long legs"

























Did you quote her the AAP's policy on ERF?

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jenivere* 
Most kids my son's age ( 6.5) were out of booster seats years ago so no ERF is not common here. I got flack from my MIL for having him still harnessed at 5 and she expected a few months ago to take him out in a seatbelt in the front seat, that's a common attitude here. I only personally know one other family that does and she's and MDC mom. My toddler is almost 27 months and still rear facing.

Congratulations on the new little one!


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## PassionateWriter (Feb 27, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Mommoo* 
I'm so confused! I need to do some research. I had never heard of extended rear facing until this past week on MDC.

I didn't know you should, or could.

All I knew was the recommendation to wait until your child was 22 lbs or 1 year, whichever was later.

I couldn't wait to turn DS forward facing. He must have experienced motion sickness rear facing. It was miserable. He had a 10 minute car threshold. Now he is fine for over an hour. We even had a three hour trip which included a nap. I'm so hesitant to rear face him again. I'm assuming is the safest positioning though?

Argh!

I would love to know more.

I don't even think I would have to buy a new carseat. Mine's a Cosco convertible.

Where we're living now everything, with the exception of downtown, is at least 1/2 hr away, mostly 1 hour.

Um, I guess this turned into a rant. Sorry!

I'd love to know more about this!

check out this article: http://www.car-safety.org/rearface.html


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## Mommoo (Jun 26, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *PassionateWriter* 
check out this article: http://www.car-safety.org/rearface.html

Thank you so much!!!


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## Michelle Renee (Dec 31, 2005)

My 29 month old, 28 lb daughter is rear facing. Oh my goodness do I get flack. It has been a huge battle with my MIL (who has a new minivan with nice dvd screens) and trying to explain others why she 2 1/2 and rear facing.

Im going to keep her RF until 30 lbs or so but people look at me like Im nuts. Even the local MDC mamma's I have coffee with -don't seem to rear face much past 1.


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## jillmamma (Apr 11, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Michelle Renee* 
My 29 month old, 28 lb daughter is rear facing. Oh my goodness do I get flack. It has been a huge battle with my MIL (who has a new minivan with nice dvd screens) and trying to explain others why she 2 1/2 and rear facing.

Im going to keep her RF until 30 lbs or so but people look at me like Im nuts. Even the local MDC mamma's I have coffee with -don't seem to rear face much past 1.

I hear ya! I know my in-laws think I am nuts because my 3 year old DD is still RF. She is so tiny (34 inches and 24.4 lb), I bet she can RF till age 5! I don't know if I will do it for that long, but I hope at least to get her to closer to 30 lb before turning her seat. Even DH thinks I am crazy, but this is one of those few issues with regards to our kids that I feel really strongly about, so he does not get too worked up about it.

My neighbor actually kept her DD RF till about 18 months when she hit 22 lb. Other than her though, I don't know of anyone else besides me that does this.


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## PassionateWriter (Feb 27, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Mommoo* 
Thank you so much!!!










your welcome. i printed out a few copies of those articles and keep them in my car. any time i am asked why i rear face, i smile and say "i am so glad that you asked that b/c so many people don't realize HOW MUCH SAFER it is to ERF"....here, i printed these out for anyone who was interested.

that way, i dont lecture or get tongue tied about the facts and i have something easy peasy to give them so they can look at it later, alone and perhaps subjectively. It really is difficult to argue w/ a few pieces of paper in the privacy of one's own home (though, im not saying ive never done that...at least they don't end up arguing w/ me in the middle of a parking lot or something).


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## Jenivere (Aug 4, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Smalls181* 
Congratulations on the new little one!

Thank you!


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## azmomtoone (Aug 30, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *PassionateWriter* 
your welcome. i printed out a few copies of those articles and keep them in my car. any time i am asked why i rear face, i smile and say "i am so glad that you asked that b/c so many people don't realize HOW MUCH SAFER it is to ERF"....here, i printed these out for anyone who was interested.

that way, i dont lecture or get tongue tied about the facts and i have something easy peasy to give them so they can look at it later, alone and perhaps subjectively. It really is difficult to argue w/ a few pieces of paper in the privacy of one's own home (though, im not saying ive never done that...at least they don't end up arguing w/ me in the middle of a parking lot or something).

That is a brilliant idea!! I've forwarded erf links to all my family and friends so I haven't heard much about it (just 1 friend told me "he's big enough".....but that was it).

I know 2 ppl IRL whose children RF past one......DS is the only one still rearfacing though. (and I'm the crazy one looking at swedish seats, etc, and trying to figure out how to get one here so he can rear-face longer, lol)
Most often I hear about how a child was too fussy RF but much happier forward...which I can understand. Safer RF, but I think a properly harnessed FF toddler who's content, is probably overall safer than a screaming RF one, because they are a huge distraction to the driver. I remember when DS was little and screamed constantly in the car, I know that wasn't safe, trying to reach back and touch him, give him toys, hold his hand etc. .... So each person just has to do what works for their family, child, etc.
But it's a great idea to share the info, do what works in an informed decision, not just thinking it has to be that way. (same re: ERF, birth methods, vaxes, etc). I never heard of ERF w/out MDC either, I'm sure DS would be FF now, if not in a booster - or looking forward to getting a booster soon. So I'm glad the info is here. (oh, but w/out MDC, he'd've been circ'ed, had all his vaccines right on time, slept in a crib, rode around in a bucket all the time as an infant, etc....)


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## ChickityChinah (Jul 25, 2007)

I kept DD RFing until her 2nd birthday, and would have kept her RFing longer, but she was getting uncomfy and asking to be turned. I also was getting quite a bit of pressure from my DH to turn her, but that really wasn't the reason. At 2, she was 32 lbs naked and our MA only RFs to 33 lbs (it's not one of the newest ones w/ the higher rating).

I do wish more people around here ERF'd, but more importantly, I see SO many people with kids either in no car seats at all or in seats that are improperly installed (loose, rocking, harnesses too big, etc)...I'd just rather see more kids PROPERLY restrained, period.

DS (now age 10) was a chunk and was 24 pounds on his first birthday. I had a seat that RF'd till 30 pounds and so he RF'd till 30 pounds, but it was well before his second bday- I am thinking well before 18m.

Honestly, DD is pretty content either way, she has ridden RFing in friend's cars on occasion and does just fine, I'm sure I could turn her back, but at this point, with her being so close to the weight limit of the seat and a new seat not in our budget anytime soon- it doesn't seem to make much sense.


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## Zach'smom (Nov 5, 2004)

I always thought you should keep them rear facing until they hit the rear facing weight limit. When ds 6 yo was a baby the highest weight limit for rear facing that I could find was 30lbs. Unfortunately at 15 months he was over 30 lbs and 38 inches tall.


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## Pumpkin_Pie (Oct 10, 2006)

Not at all. Even my chiropractor FF'd her daughter at 9 months.







DS is nearly 18 months and the only toddler I know of who is still RF'ing. Most mamas I talk to seem to get a bit defensive, and I start to feel like I am meddling when I talk to them about ERF'ing. It makes me so sad.


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## AndrewsMother (Jul 30, 2007)

I don't think that most people here even know what carseats are. If parents have safety seats they are not used properly.
I see quite few FF buckets here in Houston in addition to seats that are not anchored, seats that are inadequate and children under three who are not restrained. So ERF is not likely to be a common practice. I have yet to encounter another parent who rearfaces past 1 year. My plump son was unable to rearface after 2. A few people attempted to correct me, but I tuned them out after giving them my reasons for ERF.

I use to tell other parents the benefits of ERF, but now I do not. To be honest I do not even care. I would get so worked up and frustrated that I had to step back and realize that some parents believe that what the do is good enough. I know that what I do is the best for my child, so I tune out other parents. Other parents probably feel the same way. I work with a girl whose 19 month old uses a seat belt. I contemplated calling the police, but why?

I have a link in my email so if people are interested they can do the research on their own.


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## ErikaS57 (Jul 15, 2008)

I don't know anyone else who RF past age 1. I do have 1 friend who knows it's safer and was impressed that I was doing it, but I don't think they did. Family kept asking once DD turned one. At first I could just say that she wasn't even 20 pounds yet and it was illegal, but then I had to just say "it's safer" and hope that no one thought I was criticizing them. I know the talk is going to start up again when she turns 2, but figure I've still got a long time RF left (she's 18 months/25 pounds).


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## Melaine (May 17, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Peony* 
What is ironic to me though is that Britax seats are everywhere here, most moms I know own one or several, even Regents, but no ERF.

same here. extended harnessing seems rare and kids go to boosters really young. then they go on to a seatbelt....I only have one friend who is ERF, I've done my best to tell everyone I know.


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## Melaine (May 17, 2008)

piad said:


> I work with a girl whose 19 month old uses a seat belt. QUOTE]
> 
> Wow! That is so sad....but I guess there are still people who don't even bother to do that much and are just holding their infants on their laps...


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## Amylcd (Jun 16, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Twinklefae* 
Around here, everyone is ff and half of them are in expired car seats. I'm thinking about printing out something to let them know that carseats expire. (All overhead sheild seats are expired, right?)

Nope. They are still sold at walmart.


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## cam&kat's_mom (Jan 12, 2006)

ALmost everyone here turns their little ones around at 20lbs and 1 year. they follow the law (well some dont' even do that) and very few follow the reccommendation. I'm guilty of it. We turn around at about 18-24 months. Sometimes sooner. It just doesn't work in our other vehicles to do extended rearfacing because of the seat positions. So they get turnde around at about 20 mos and 24-25 lbs. Ideally i keep them that way until they really protest and the hassle of getting them in the seat backwards is more than i can take on a daily basis. In our area few how extended facing seats. I cannot name one local store (within 35 miles) that carries britax, since most people cannot afford them . However i did see tru-fitsw at out locals consignment/kids store... so we will be getting one of those for this new baby.. and keep ign it backward as long as possible, with may be 18 months maybe be 3 years depends on the seat and baby.


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## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

Quote:

I work with a girl whose 19 month old uses a seat belt.
I picked up AJ from school last year and watched one of the moms from his class plop her 18 mos old in the back seat and just put a seatbelt around her. Of course she had to put the shoulder belt behind her, so what was the point really? Her 5yo didn't have a seat either even though law here is 6.







It's sad really that people live in that much denial that they think it would never happen to them. Have them talk to other parents who thought that before their kids were killed and see how they feel.


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## Phoenix_Rising (Jun 27, 2005)

ERF is quite uncommon here. Most of my friends have been bugging me about turning DS forward facing since he was about 15 months. He is 34 months and 33 pounds now, so we just turned him (hit carseat limits for RF) two weeks ago.


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