# when to turn car seat forward?



## sierra's momma (Jul 4, 2004)

When did you turn your child’s car seat from rear facing to forward facing? My dd is just shy of 20 lbs and 1 year old. A person from the fire department who installed our convertible car seat said it was best to keep the child rear facing as long as possible. But she hates the car and I’ve heard facing forward often helps. Can your child still sleep in a forward facing position without his/her head flopping around too much? Thanks!


----------



## Trishy (Oct 15, 2002)

The longer your child is rear facing the safer she is. Before you consider her forward facing please, please, please watch the videos at the botton of this page:

http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/stayrearfacing.aspx


----------



## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

IMO from the research I've read (great link trishshack!) I will keep my dd rear facing up to the rear facing limits on our carseat (Wizard- 33lbs I believe...)

-Angela


----------



## TiredX2 (Jan 7, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sierra's momma*
When did you turn your child's car seat from rear facing to forward facing? My dd is just shy of 20 lbs and 1 year old. A person from the fire department who installed our convertible car seat said it was best to keep the child rear facing as long as possible. But she hates the car and I've heard facing forward often helps. Can your child still sleep in a forward facing position without his/her head flopping around too much? Thanks!

As the others have stated--- longer is DEFINATELY better.

Can you have the seat not recline as much? Rear-facing seats are often reclined for babies, but once your child has good head control (which I am assuming) you can sit them up much straighter which many kids like better.

Also, while the *minimum* is 20 lbs & 1 year some carseats are not actually rated to be turned *at* 20 lbs but 22lbs. I would wait for at least a few months. With DD we turned her around 20 months (this was before Marathons & the like--- she was too tall to rearface in her Roundabout any longer) and DS was over 2.


----------



## Black Orchid (Mar 28, 2005)

We switched pretty early... about 14 months, I think. She was far over 20 lbs and too long to be facing backward. I do believe that the longer you can do it, the safer you are! We plan to get the Wizard for this baby so we can rearface as long as possible. But definately rearface! Give her toys, play music, get someone to ride inthe back with her to help with the fussiness.


----------



## Henry's_Mamma (Jan 23, 2004)

As long as possible. That said, my ds HATED the car seat except for a two month stretch from about 11 months to 13 months. He screamed, kicked, hyperventilated, etc. everytime he was in the car. I tried toys, books, snacks







:, sippy cups, someone in the back with him -- you name it, I tried it. He hated the car (we have a Britax Roundabout, btw). His screaming was getting progressively worse (and reaching high notes even the best sopranos can't hit) and was distracting me from driving on many occasions causing many near misses. I decided that it was probably less likely that he'd be in an accident AT ALL if he at least wasn't screaming as much and I could better concentrate on driving. So I reluctantly turned him forward facing around 17 months. The change is remarkable. He rarely fusses about going in his seat, and my driving has dramatically improved. I know he would be safer rear facing in an accident, and it does bother me. But I also know that if I can concentrate on driving, I can better avoid at least some accidents, which presumably, not getting in an accident at all would be safest for him.









But, again, if you can tolerate it, keep your dc rear facing as long as possible, and know also that turning him/her is no guarantee of a happier kid. I just got lucky.


----------



## artgoddess (Jun 29, 2004)

My DS loves facing forward. but he was also 27 lbs and 31" tall when we switched. More important to note he was happy to ride in the car when he facing rear. I totally agree with the pp's to wait as long as possible. Yes now that DS is facing forward, when he falls asleep half the time his head flops forward and he wakes up with an imprint of the strap on the side of his cheak.


----------



## ratlover (Mar 8, 2003)

We just turned dd forward and she's 25 months. She used to hate the car and fuss and cry a lot, but as she got older she complained less and less. At the point when I turned her around she wasn't complaining at all about the carseat, so going forward didn't change her behavior. The main thing that would get her to calm down in the old days was me reciting her books that I'd memorized.
Janine


----------



## treemom2 (Oct 1, 2003)

My DD was about 20 months and way over 20lbs when we switched her to forward facing--she was just too long to have rear facing any longer. We will probably do the same with DS--just wait until he is too long to be rear facing any longer.

About the head flopping forward--DD's head flops forward when she is sleeping and so does DS's head and he is rear facing--we try to stop and fix their heads when we notice they are like this but it usually doesn't help.


----------



## A&A (Apr 5, 2004)

We kept my son rear-facing until he was almost 2.


----------



## hottmama (Dec 27, 2004)

Wow, I had no idea people left kids rear-facing for so long! I waited until my son was 1 and 20 lbs. (which was around 14 mos, I think- he used to be skinny haha). His legs were so scrunched by that point, it didn't seem at all comfortable. He was much happier in the car after he turned.


----------



## Flor (Nov 19, 2003)

Keep them rear facing as long as possible!! In the event of an accident, the body will be stopped by the carseat but the head becomes a projectile, flying forward. The head can come detached from the spine and this is often fatal so I don't care about crying, it is dangerous to be facing forward. Read about how many kids in (oh,is it sweden?) survive crashes and they face backwards till they are 3 or 4. I planned on keeping ds rearfacing until he had reached the upperlimit of the carseat (35 lbs rearfacing/40lbs forward). They are not supposed to be too long until their head passes the top of the carseat. It is ok for their legs to be bent. Even now that he is forward facing, he still sits with his legs bend and open not hanging down in front of him.

Sadly, as some of you know, I posted a few days ago, I had to turn ds around recently (he's almost 2) because he started getting carsick and throwing up even on small trips (20 min). I don't want him chocking on vomit or anything, or feeling terrible, so he is turned around now. I worry about him soooo much now. He liked the car a lttle better for about a week, now he hates it again. He just doesn't like to be strapped in.


----------



## StephandOwen (Jun 22, 2004)

I agree with the others that the longer you can keep him rearfacing the better.

But, my ds is forward facing







I didn't want to, I had planned to keep him rearfacing as long as possible (in the Marathon) but I couldn't. On his first birthday his dad turned the carseat he used forward







Wouldn't listen to me at all suggesting he keep it rearfacing a little longer. (then again, he's also told me when I questioned how tight the straps were..... "the law says he has to be buckled up, it doesn't say anything about how tight the straps are or how the carseat is installed"














). Shortly after that I ended up turning the one in my dad's truck forward (after lots of debating- in the truck with it rearfacing had we been in an accident the caccoon (sp?) effect would have happened, with the seat flipping toward the back. Normally a good thing, but in the truck there is no padding on the back of the seat (not his carseat, but the actual seat). It's a glass window back there so he would have hit his face either directly on the glass or on the plastic underneath it. I decided the risks were greater at that point to be rearfacing and turned him around). When he was about 15 months, I think, he was absolutely refusing to get into my car (the only one with the carseat still rearfacing). One day after I finally got him in the car and tried to get him in the carseat. He stood up and started pointing madly to the front of the car. Absolutely refused to sit down until I turned the seat around. I was so upset, but car rides have been so much easier on him now. He almost never gives me any trouble.


----------



## Yooper (Jun 6, 2003)

I am all for rear facing but we must be doing something wrong. We have a Roundabout and had to turn it around because dd's legs were all scrunched up. She would cry every time we put her in the seat and kick her poor pinned feet. Does anyone else have this problem? She is almost 2 but is only 25 pounds. I would like her to be rear facing but she is also 35 inches and her legs just do not go. According to the weight limit, she could be rear facing until she was 4 (if she keeps this skinny gig up).


----------



## Ruthla (Jun 2, 2004)

I kept Jack RF until he was 2.5. Weight-wise he can still be RF, even now, but he was getting too tall for the carseat in the RF position last year. I probably could have held off a few more months than I did, but it was almost Passover, I thoroughly cleaned the car, and I figured that was the ideal time to switch the carseat around (since I was taking it out of the car, removing the straps to fully wash the padding, etc.)

With my dds, I turned their carseats around much sooner because carseats were only designed to be RF to 20 or 22 lbs then. I actually turned Leah around at 14m and 18 lbs because the convertible carseats at the time required the vehicle seatbelt to go OVER the baby's seat in the RF position, not under, and it was too hard to get her in and out of the carseat once she started wearing shoes. If I could have put her in the type of carseat I have for Jack, I think I would have left her RF until about 4!!! She was tiny!! Now she's turning into a little woman







:


----------



## LindyLou (May 4, 2004)

We have a Britax Galaxy and Lily's head does not flop forward while sleeping. This seat seems so comfy for her. We kept her rear facing until she got long and seemed really scrunched and unhappy. She has always loved the car but really likes facing forward because she can look out the front and side windows.


----------



## dallaschildren (Jun 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *yoopervegan*
I am all for rear facing but we must be doing something wrong. We have a Roundabout and had to turn it around because dd's legs were all scrunched up. She would cry every time we put her in the seat and kick her poor pinned feet. Does anyone else have this problem? She is almost 2 but is only 25 pounds. I would like her to be rear facing but she is also 35 inches and her legs just do not go. According to the weight limit, she could be rear facing until she was 4 (if she keeps this skinny gig up).

Yooper and other mamas...take a look at these pictures:

http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbumAll.aspx

They are of children past the age of one year that are still rearfacing.
DS # 2 is 21 months old and I still have him rear facing. He either tends to straighten his legs and prop his feet high up on the seat back, or sits cross legged. Generally speaking, having their legs crossed, or appearing "scrunched", does not bother our little ones. They are still very flexible...remember how bent and contorted they were in our bellies? Recommended practice is to keep our kiddos rear facing until the upper level weight limit is reached on the seat...BUT there can be situations where a parent must determine whether turning them around is better. That is up to each parent to decide.
I do however strongly recommend that no matter what...the minimum 1 year and 20 pound rule be adhered to with ALL kids.
Forgot to add that NO...you are not doing anything "wrong" if your child seems scrunched rear facing. It is perfectly normal for our older kids to have to cross their legs when rearfacing at an older age.

Dallaschildren
CPS tech and mom to 2 sons both in 5 point harnessed seats


----------



## Got_Cloth (May 14, 2005)

My emma is 16 months and STILL rear facing. she is just now 21 lbs, and is about 30-31 inches tall. ( iguess I would know better if Itook her in to the doc everynow and then LOL)I am getting ready to turn her. She was running at 8 months, and is very strong. so I dont think that just becaseu she is little she needs to be rear facing longer, she has excellent control, and IMO she is more likely to get hurt when standing on the table, or on the counter or jumping on the bed ( which she does all the time GRRRR LOL)
I thought she would be rear facing util 18 months at therate she was growing but she finally had a growth spurt...

YAYYYY

LOL


----------



## GuavaLava (Nov 15, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sierra's momma*
When did you turn your child's car seat from rear facing to forward facing?

Can your child still sleep in a forward facing position without his/her head flopping around too much? Thanks!

We turned dd around when she was 2 1/2 and was pushing the weight limit.









She has a much harder time sleeping in the car now.


----------



## brijenn (Feb 12, 2005)

My dd is 16 months and rear facing. She is only 18-19 lbs so a ways to go before we switch her.

I always thought rear facing was better but someone on another board I belong to actually posted recently about a consumer's report article that said some seats (they were even Britax ones) failed tests at higher weights in the rear facing positon as opposed to the front facing positons, but only when secured with the LATCH system. I will have to go dig out the article...


----------



## brijenn (Feb 12, 2005)

Here is the article that was posted...

http://www.consumerreports.org/main/...=1116366199800


----------



## dallaschildren (Jun 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *boongirl*
Good article brijenn. Thanks!

A CPS tech's response to the Consumer Reports tests:

The issue Consumer Reports discovered two years ago, was only for the Marathon, installed rear facing, using LATCH with a 33 pound crash test dummy on a crash test slide. They claimed it rotated downward more than the government allows. Depite that caveat, it was a top rated model in the previous review. Why did they make an issue out of it this time around? Is this a legitimate concern with a REAL child in a REAL vehicle? Perhaps it is in some cases, especially if combined with loose harness straps, bad installation, and a child who is too tall to be rear facing. Instead of giving practical advice, they use scare tactics and imply that if you don't have a "perfect" install, you are at a huge risk. What we hope does not happen, is that parents see this article and jump the gun by turning their kiddos forward facing too soon.
So it comes to this: If your child is rear facing in a Marathon and nearing the upper limits of weight and height, use the seat belt only for installation. This is one reasonable solution. For older toddlers closer to 33 pounds, install the seat more upright, at 15-30 degrees versusu 45 degrees. That is recommended practice anyway. If the seat is installed CORRECTLY, and the harness straps are tightened properly, there should not be a concern. Consumer Reports assertion that an installation has to be "perfect" is irresponsible, and their comments and suggestions are IMO dumbed down for the masses. INSTALLATION is KEY!
Another interesting tidbit that should be noted...In 1999, CR gave the Britax roundabout a middle of the pack rating. There were negative comments regarding it's install using the rear facing tether anchored at the front of a vehicle (if memory serves me...swedish tethering method?). Now in it's latest crash testing, it suddenly has is now top rated and they tout rear facing tethering as a major benefit.








So all in all, test results are rather subjective and interpretations vary widely.
As for the Avatar and the Portabout....now those findings are a bit scary. Remember that the horrible results for the Avatar was an install with LATCH. Use your vehicle belt only IMO. I am in the process of trying to get official responses from the manufacturers regarding the CR test results. Will post when I hear something.

Dallaschildren
CPS tech and mom to 2 sons in seats, both in 5 point harnesses


----------



## Flor (Nov 19, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *boongirl*

Also, does anyone have a rear facing toddler in a car with a tether? We put our dd forward facing as soon as we could because of the way our car is built. We had the police department install all our car seats and even they had no way of installing the tether rear facing other than to the mechanism that makes the passenger seat go back and forth. So, the front passenger could no longer put the front seat back at all making it useless for anyone who was not very short. As soon as she was big enough, we put her forward facing in the center and had the tether clamp installed on the back dash. Now, we can use our front passenger seat again without the rider being cramped. And, dd is safer in the middle. We have a toyota camry and could not figure out a way to install the tether any other way. Anyone have experience with this?

In the directions for my car seat, it shows a hook or something on the floor of the car or under the back seat to attach the tether to in a rear facing postion. I have a 2004 Civic and it does not have this hook so we did not use a tether rear facing (we do now forward facing). I still felt better having the seat turned around. I was in a tiny fender bender a few weeks ago -- so small there was only a scratch on my car and I got whiplash and a sprained forearm from the jolt. I am so thankful my toddler wasn't in the car, the impact was incredible even though the car that hit me was slowing to a stoplight and probably going under 10 miles per hour!


----------



## Napis (Apr 23, 2004)

Here in Finland the recommendation is that children should travel rear-facing at least for the first three years of life. I have heard that in Sweden the recommended age for turning the seat is four years. Our DS (19 months) still has his seat rear-facing and we will keep it that way for at least a year more. The weigth limit for our Britax Two Way Elite seat is 25 kg (55 lbs).


----------



## Mrs Dimples (Apr 17, 2004)

Wow, I had not seen that Consumer reports thing. My 20-month-old almost-30-pounder is still rear-facing in his Marathon. I don't know how tall he is, but we don't have LATCH in our car. I am very glad to have that information, and I will be keeping his seat more upright and checking it very carefully as he gets bigger until I have to turn him, which I plan to put off as long as possible.


----------



## TortelliniMama (Mar 11, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *boongirl*
I looked at the footage and pictures on the cp website. I suppose it would be ok to have your feet scrunched up if you are older and still rear facing but wouldn't they fall asleep on a long car ride? How to kids do on a long car ride when they are older and rear facing? I know safety is the number one concern but if they have feet falling asleep and they are complaining the whole trip it would really be unbearable.

Actually, a lot of parents find that their kids are uncomfortable when they turn them around (assuming that the kids are old enough to explain the problem), because their legs dangle. For a lot of people (including kids), it can be a lot more comfortable to have your legs propped up than to have your feet just hanging there with no support.


----------



## TortelliniMama (Mar 11, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *NothingButtCloth*
My emma is 16 months and STILL rear facing. she is just now 21 lbs, and is about 30-31 inches tall. ( iguess I would know better if Itook her in to the doc everynow and then LOL)I am getting ready to turn her. She was running at 8 months, and is very strong. so I dont think that just becaseu she is little she needs to be rear facing longer, she has excellent control, and IMO she is more likely to get hurt when standing on the table, or on the counter or jumping on the bed ( which she does all the time GRRRR LOL)

Your dd does certainly meet the minimum criteria for turning her around. I just wanted to say, though, that muscular strength, which she obviously has, isn't the issue. The problem is skeletal strength, and the strength of the ligaments holding the skeleton together. When a child is ff'ing and in a crash, their head snaps forward, which puts a lot of strain on the cervical spine. If the spine isn't yet strong enough, it will stretch/break. The spinal cord cannot stretch, and it can be seriously injured or even shear off. No matter how strong a child seems, if their skeletal strength isn't there, their muscular strength isn't going to be able to hold their head in place under crash forces.

This is *not* to say that this will necessarily happen in your daughter's case, but if she hasn't yet reached the height and weight rf'ing limits of her seat, I would urge you to keep her rf'ing.

Gotta go. Ds is announcing, "Food! Eat!"


----------



## liam's mom (Jun 18, 2003)

we turned ds at 18 months. he can still nap fine; his head doesn't flop around or anything, really.


----------



## Flor (Nov 19, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *TortelliniMama*
Actually, a lot of parents find that their kids are uncomfortable when they turn them around (assuming that the kids are old enough to explain the problem), because their legs dangle. For a lot of people (including kids), it can be a lot more comfortable to have your legs propped up than to have your feet just hanging there with no support.

I agree. Now that he is forward facing, he still has his knees up, legs open.


----------



## Carolinamidwife (Dec 18, 2001)

Quote:

My emma is 16 months and STILL rear facing. she is just now 21 lbs, and is about 30-31 inches tall. ( iguess I would know better if Itook her in to the doc everynow and then LOL)I am getting ready to turn her. She was running at 8 months, and is very strong. so I dont think that just becaseu she is little she needs to be rear facing longer, she has excellent control, and IMO she is more likely to get hurt when standing on the table, or on the counter or jumping on the bed ( which she does all the time GRRRR LOL)
I thought she would be rear facing util 18 months at therate she was growing but she finally had a growth spurt...

Quote:


Originally Posted by *TortelliniMama*
Your dd does certainly meet the minimum criteria for turning her around. I just wanted to say, though, that muscular strength, which she obviously has, isn't the issue. The problem is skeletal strength, and the strength of the ligaments holding the skeleton together. When a child is ff'ing and in a crash, their head snaps forward, which puts a lot of strain on the cervical spine. If the spine isn't yet strong enough, it will stretch/break. The spinal cord cannot stretch, and it can be seriously injured or even shear off. No matter how strong a child seems, if their skeletal strength isn't there, their muscular strength isn't going to be able to hold their head in place under crash forces.

This is *not* to say that this will necessarily happen in your daughter's case, but if she hasn't yet reached the height and weight rf'ing limits of her seat, I would urge you to keep her rf'ing.


What she said.

Stella is 17 months and just now 20 pounds, she will stay rearfacing until she is at least 3. She doesn't know there is a different way to be so I don't really see how she could have a preference or be clammoring for a change any time soon.

Seeing small babies faced forward is one of my absolute number one pet peeves. I realize the average person doesn't know that they should stay rear-facing longer than a year but how hard is the "12 month or 20 pounds whichever comes later" directive to understand??? I have talked to soooo many people who turned their 20 pound 8 month olds.


----------



## KKmama (Dec 6, 2001)

Another vote for "wait as long as possible." There are height limits for rf'ing, too, not just weight limits (keep this in mine if you have a tall child).

As far as scrunched legs go... Please don't be offended by this kind of graphic comment--the worst thing that could happen rf'ing with scrunched legs is broken legs, but the reason you're keeping them rf'ing is to avoid really, really serious head and neck injuries.


----------



## Goldenlover (May 19, 2005)

jayden was turned front facing at I think about 12 months.......he was than 21 lbs (very big boy for his age)


----------



## Carolinamidwife (Dec 18, 2001)

Quote:

As far as scrunched legs go... Please don't be offended by this kind of graphic comment--the worst thing that could happen rf'ing with scrunched legs is broken legs, but the reason you're keeping them rf'ing is to avoid really, really serious head and neck injuries.
Exactly.

For the record, size has NOTHING to do with whether they should be forward facing. As was mentioned earlier just because your baby is a big baby does not mean their musculature is ready.


----------



## janellesmommy (Jun 6, 2004)

My DD is 23 months and still rear facing. We will keep her that way until she reaches the weight limit. Ever since she turned one, her doctor during the well baby checkups would say she should be forward facing. At her 18 month checkup, he wanted to make sure she was forward facing now. I really don't feel up to educating him, and I certainly don't want him to think we are doing anything dangerous, so I just say that she is forward facing.


----------



## TortelliniMama (Mar 11, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *janellesmommy*
Ever since she turned one, her doctor during the well baby checkups would say she should be forward facing. At her 18 month checkup, he wanted to make sure she was forward facing now. I really don't feel up to educating him, and I certainly don't want him to think we are doing anything dangerous, so I just say that she is forward facing.









This is so frustrating!







: So many people get their carseat info from their kids' doctors, and so few doctors understand carseats! A great deal of the time, I think people have a lot of trouble distinguishing between "minimum" recommendations and "maximum" or "ideal" recommendations. It's just like bf'ing. Somehow, "at least a year" turns into "stop at a year." Of course, there are plenty of people who ignore the minimum recommendation for rf'ing, too, so I do give everyone who keeps their kids rf'ing for the first year credit. It can be tough, since most people seem to view turning ff'ing as an exciting milestone, rather than a reduction in safety.


----------



## TortelliniMama (Mar 11, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *boongirl*
My dh brought up an interesting point about physics and car crashes. The most common car crashes are fender benders, from the rear, being rear ended. When that happens, the head bounces back. That is why there was a push in the 1970's for cars to have head rests, to protect them in accidents. So, if your child is rear facing, would that not mean that the head would whip towards the rear? If they are forward facing, their head would hit the back of their seat.

Yes, but the crash forces in a fender bender are much less. The biggest force on the child (assuming that the other car doesn't intrude physically into the seating position of the child) in a crash is the sudden deceleration of the car the child is in. In a fender bender, the car being rear ended is going to be stationary, moving at low speed, or moving at a higher speed that is not drastically different from that of the hitting car. (Being hit from behind by a car going significantly faster than you isn't going to result in an accident that would be classified as a fender-bender.)

Basically, in a stationary fender bender, the rfing child's head will (because of inertia) be inclined to stay in one place, while the child's body will move forward with the car, as the other car pushes your car forward somewhat. (I've tried several times to write a clear sentence about moving fender benders, but I can't make it come out coherently. Too tired. But I'm sure you can extrapolate anyway.







) The distance the body will be moved (and therefore the speed it's moving at) isn't likely to be very great. So, the child's head will effectively move toward the rear of the car, and he/she may even be injured to some degree. And, yes, that injury could have been prevented by ffing. But we have to look at what we're risking in order to prevent this injury.

In a frontal crash, a ffing child's head will try to continue moving at 30, 40, 60 mph, while the child's body will stop. The injury from this will be much greater.

It is certainly true that you can find accidents in which a child would be safer ffing. (As my dh just pointed out, you can also find accidents in which the passengers would be better off not wearing seat belts.) But accidents which would produce devastating injuries only in rfing children are significantly less common than those in which rfing saves children.

Quote:

(Grouphug to all of us for being conscientious parents - many people don't even install their car seats correctly much less think about where to put it!)
Hear, hear!


----------



## chickabiddy (Jan 30, 2004)

Quote:

We put our dd forward facing as soon as we could because of the way our car is built. We had the police department install all our car seats and even they had no way of installing the tether rear facing other than to the mechanism that makes the passenger seat go back and forth.
Perhaps a carseat tech could clarify, but I believe that you should NOT attach a tether to anything in the car that's moveable.

Britax (and Britax seats are the only ones that should be tethered rear-facing) makes a D-ring connector strap that can be used to help tether vehicles rear-facing.


----------



## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

Quote:

Perhaps a carseat tech could clarify, but I believe that you should NOT attach a tether to anything in the car that's moveable.

Britax (and Britax seats are the only ones that should be tethered rear-facing) makes a D-ring connector strap that can be used to help tether vehicles rear-facing.










I think that the Combi Avatar *might* be designed to tether rf, but I'm not sure.

My dd is 27mos old and still rf. She will continue to rf to the upper limit of her seat, a Britax Wizard, which is 35lbs. Her neck and spine are better protected rf, so it's not even something I hesitate about.


----------



## chickabiddy (Jan 30, 2004)

And by the way, that should be "tether SEATS rear-facing". I can't imagine how we could tether an entire vehicle. Sorry.


----------



## Anguschick1 (Jul 25, 2003)

Just wanted to chime in that ds just turned 2, is 34 inches tall, 26 pounds and still rear-facing. We have the Britax Marathon and will keep him rear-facing until 33 pounds (rear-facing limit) or until he is too tall for the seat.

We go on an 8 hour car-rides every 3 months or so to visit family and he either sits cross legged, stretches them out and rests them on the seat back, throws both feet over one side or sort of straddles the seat back w/one foot thrown out of the car seat on either side. He doesn't seem to mind , but yes, he does look "scrunched up" at times. Since he can move, stretch, scrunch his feet/legs at will, I figure he's much less likely to have his legs fall asleep or hurt than I am as the driver where my legs are pretty much stationary for the same amount of time. He's still little enough to listen to his body cues on when he needs to move his legs for comfort.

And honestly, being a little scrunched doesn't seem like a good reason *to me* that I should put him at risk for greater injury in an accident. We drive a mini-van and he looks out of his window, the rear window and the other side window and looks to shout "Look, Look. Big Truck!" as we drive along.


----------



## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

Quote:

And honestly, being a little scrunched doesn't seem like a good reason *to me* that I should put him at risk for greater injury in an accident.
When I had our seats checked by a CPST in December, she told me that it was far better to have a child with his/her legs scrunched or folded up and still sitting rf- that in an accident, the child might sustain a broken ankle from leg position rf, but a spinal fracture if sitting ff.


----------



## TiredX2 (Jan 7, 2002)

:

The last I read there had been ZERO (thats right 0) reported cases of a child breaking a leg or ankle from being compacted in a rear-facing seat. Lots and lots of neck injuries from forward facing seats though.


----------



## dallaschildren (Jun 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *chickabiddy*
Perhaps a carseat tech could clarify, but I believe that you should NOT attach a tether to anything in the car that's moveable.

Britax (and Britax seats are the only ones that should be tethered rear-facing) makes a D-ring connector strap that can be used to help tether vehicles rear-facing.

*Tethering:*

To install a top-tether, you need both a carseat with a tether, and a vehicle with an anchor. Most convertible and forward-facing carseats now come with tethers, though some may require assembly. Many carseat manufacturers sell tethers that can be installed on older models. Most vehicles made since 1989 have factory locations for the installation of a tether anchor. Some older vehicles can also have an anchor installed by the dealer. Installation can vary in difficulty. Sometimes it is a specific parts kit that you can buy from the dealer, and some newer carseats also come with a generic anchor kit. Be advised that a generic anchor may not be compatible with all vehicles and should only be used if no specific part is available. The owner can easily install these in many cases. Other vehicles may require some drilling or other customization, and this should follow industry recommendations. Ford, GM, Chrysler and other makers have programs for free tether anchor installation at participating dealers.

*REAR FACING TOP TETHERING:*

Top-tethers MUST NOT be used with rear-facing infant or convertible seats, unless it is SPECIFICALLY mentioned in the owner's manual. At this time, there are only a few seats available in the USA that can be tethered in rear-facing operation. These include the Britax Handle with Care™ (Infant), Safeline Sit 'n' Stroll™ (Convertible with stroller wheels), Britax Roundabout™ (Convertible), Britax Advantage™ (Convertible) and the new Britax convertible models with LATCH.
The *COMBI AVATAR CANNOT be tethered rear facing. (Good advice TiredX2)*

Dallaschildren
CPS tech and mom to 2 sons in seats both in 5 point harnesses


----------



## MommyDOK (Jan 9, 2003)

http://www.car-seat.org/

I didn't see this link posted, but maybe someone has.

I love the Britax marathon---- no neck aches when falling to sleep.


----------



## loomweaver (Aug 17, 2004)

We have an Evenflo Triumph and Leigh is 13 months, 23lbs, 28 1/2 inches and she still face backward. I'm gonna keep her there until she gets uncomfortable after seeing those videos.....I almost don't want her to be in the van at all now!!


----------



## bristow (Sep 5, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Henry's_Mamma* 
As long as possible. That said, my ds HATED the car seat except for a two month stretch from about 11 months to 13 months. He screamed, kicked, hyperventilated, etc. everytime he was in the car. I tried toys, books, snacks







:, sippy cups, someone in the back with him -- you name it, I tried it. He hated the car (we have a Britax Roundabout, btw). His screaming was getting progressively worse (and reaching high notes even the best sopranos can't hit) and was distracting me from driving on many occasions causing many near misses. I decided that it was probably less likely that he'd be in an accident AT ALL if he at least wasn't screaming as much and I could better concentrate on driving. So I reluctantly turned him forward facing around 17 months. The change is remarkable. He rarely fusses about going in his seat, and my driving has dramatically improved. I know he would be safer rear facing in an accident, and it does bother me. But I also know that if I can concentrate on driving, I can better avoid at least some accidents, which presumably, not getting in an accident at all would be safest for him.









But, again, if you can tolerate it, keep your dc rear facing as long as possible, and know also that turning him/her is no guarantee of a happier kid. I just got lucky.


I think that was a good decision. sometimes there is no perfect answer- you have to weigh the risks and choose the safest of the two dangers and i think in your case you did that. thanks for sharing- it was an encouragement to me.


----------



## sbgrace (Sep 22, 2004)

I haven't read the replies but I still have one of my nearly 3 year olds rear facing. I plan to keep him that way until he outgrows the weight limit on the seat. His brother is forward facing because he gets car sick. I kept him rear facing, though, until this summer.


----------



## Cinder (Feb 4, 2003)

My DD was rear facing for 3 years and my DS for 18 months...at 18 months he was to tall for his roundabout rearfacing (head just barely over the back of the seat), so we turned them both around at that point... DD could fo stayed rearfacing another 3 or 4 months at least.


----------



## dallaschildren (Jun 14, 2003)

*What a thread revival!







I wanted to note that this thread is over 1 year old and there may have been changes since then with respect to particular seats who tether rear facing referenced in my post dated 5/22/2005.

DC*


----------



## Patchfire (Dec 11, 2001)

Ds is 37" long and rear-facing. Yes, he's rather tall. But lately I have had to cross his legs for him when I put him in the seat. He's already over thirty pounds, too, so he probably will be forward-facing at or around his birthday in three months, but for now, he still fits.


----------



## LEAW (Aug 5, 2004)

Lauren is 25 lbs, 35" tall, and RF in a Britax Wizard. She will be 2 next week.

Yes, her legs are all scrunched up. Sometimes she sticks them out over the sides of the seat, sometimes up on the headrest of the seat, sometimes she sits indian style in the car seat... she is content that way, and will stay that way until 33 lbs when I HAVE to turn her... I don't want to turn her! But 33 lbs is FAAAAR away at this rate.

It's much much easier to fix a broken leg/hip/ankle (which rarely happens) when they are RF than a broken neck when they are FF.


----------



## hottmama (Dec 27, 2004)

Whoa, this is hilarious!!! This thread is almost 2 years old, and I posted that I didn't know about RFing past 1 yr/20 lbs... since then, I've become so much more informed, an extended rearfacing advocate, and my 21 lb. 13 mo. old will be RFing until 35 lbs!







at me worrying that their legs would get squished.


----------



## Past_VNE (Dec 13, 2003)

Just wanted to throw in another voice.

DS is 2 yrs, 1 month and is still RF in his Britax Boulevards and Marathon, at 27 lbs and about 35" tall.


----------



## TurboClaudia (Nov 18, 2003)

our older boy is also still rearfacing in his britax marathon at age 2.5 and about 27 lbs and 36 inches tall. we plan on keping him that way until he passes the weight limit. what a funny old thread...


----------

