# Rear Facing Under 4 Years Old



## D&S Mom (Jun 17, 2006)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090612/hl_nm/us_car_seats

I get the whole rear facing as long as possible thing but how on earth would one be rear facing until almost 4 years old? Just thought the link was interesting.







:

Comments?


----------



## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

There's several threads on this already. Evan rf till 2 wks before his 4th birthday. He could still rf now at 4.5yo. AJ could've made it to 4 in the new Graco My Ride, well maybe 47 mos, lol.


----------



## Shelsi (Apr 4, 2005)

My 23 month old is so small I always joke she won't be ready to go ffing until she's getting her learner's permit. My ds only made it to 2.5 yrs old in a 33 lbs seat...he would have made it to a little over 3 yrs old if it'd gone to 35 lbs.

He's 5 yrs old now and still asks to sit rfing like dd. He says it was more comfy.


----------



## Cinder (Feb 4, 2003)

Janelle was rearfacing till 3 1/2, if I'd bought her boulevard then she probably could of stayed rear facing till 5 1/2, but height wise she had to turn around at 3 1/2 in her roundabout... That said, she is tiny...she was 21lbs at 3 years old and 29lbs at 5, she is 34lbs now at almost 7. Travis is almost a small weight wise 14lbs 14oz at 1, 20lbs now at 22 months, but a lot shorter(he's only 30"), so he'll be rearfacing for a LONG time...River seems like he may end up being our smallest kid(took 3 weeks to get back to his birthweight of 6lbs...he is now 6lbs 9ounces at 6 weeks old), so he will also be rearfacing forerver. But, my one average sized (he is tall with a looooong torso though) kid was only rearfacing for 18 months, I didn't know then (in 2005) what I do now, I had no clue that buying him a different seat (he was in a roundabout) would keep him rearfacing longer, since the roundabout and the marathon both had a 30lb rearfacing weight limit, I just assumed they were the same. I don't remember what he weighed at 18 months, but he was 19lbs at 1 and 26lbs at 2, but he was 37" at 2, and it's all torso height, so that's why he outgrew his roundabout at 18 months rearfacing.


----------



## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Dd was rf until 3.5 in her boulevard. In a honda civic no less









-Angela


----------



## yamilee21 (Nov 1, 2004)

The manufacturers would have to make seats with MUCH higher rear-facing weight limits. My son was 30 pounds with clothes at 20 months, which was the limit on the seats we have. He was also at the height limit for rear-facing on the seats. He's been over 40 pounds since turning three. When you factor in clothes and shoes, to keep him rear-facing until he turns four, the car seat would need a 45-50 pound RF limit.


----------



## sarajane (Oct 20, 2004)

Yeah, I had just learned about this recently. And upon realizing how much better rear-facing is was very surprised to find out that the highest weight limit for RF on a car seat is only 40 pounds and that it is a brand new thing to have one like that. I really am disappointed that they don't make more larger RF seats. Maybe they will start now.


----------



## bandgeek (Sep 12, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *yamilee21* 
The manufacturers would have to make seats with MUCH higher rear-facing weight limits. My son was 30 pounds with clothes at 20 months, which was the limit on the seats we have. He was also at the height limit for rear-facing on the seats. He's been over 40 pounds since turning three. When you factor in clothes and shoes, to keep him rear-facing until he turns four, the car seat would need a 45-50 pound RF limit.

They are working on it.







The graco myride will probably get most kids to age 3 or so. The true fit and radian have very tall shells and 35 lb limits. I don't doubt more manufacturers will start testing to higher weights because now they have to compete with the myride.

With the seats out now, most kids could get to at least 3, even the big ones. That's a huge improvement over just 5 or 6 years ago when most only went to 30 and an even bigger improvement from when seats only went to 20 lbs.

I can't find the pic of my son at age 4, just barely over the weight limit of the radian. He was about 37 lbs and had several inches above his head. He could have easily rear-faced until 3.5 in that seat and he's not a little kid at all. He fit in the EFTA until a little after 3. He outgrew it by height at 33 lbs.

He still asks to sit rear-facing. Even with a my ride he's still too big though.







I let him sit in DD's seat just when we are parked in the driveway. He thinks it's cool.

They fit, maybe not all until 4, but we're getting closer to that every year.







. I think many people still assume the scrunched legs thing is an issue but it's not.


----------



## eclipse (Mar 13, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *D&S Mom* 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090612/hl_nm/us_car_seats

I get the whole rear facing as long as possible thing but how on earth would one be rear facing until almost 4 years old? Just thought the link was interesting.







:

Comments?

My son is 3 years 8 months, and could easily still be rearfacing in a 35 lb seat (his is a 33 lb, and he hovers around that with clothes on, so I have him forward facing). Considering that he's been at this weight forever, I think he could be rearfacing until 5 in a 35lb seat.


----------



## Juvysen (Apr 25, 2007)

I found this :

Quote:

As the child grows, becomes heavier, and can hold his head erect, the angle can be decreased, making the restraint more upright, to provide better crash protection. For a sleeping baby, this angle should be at least 30° from vertical. In addition to improved comfort, keeping the back of the baby's head in contact with the CR provides better protection in a crash.

I have a radian 65 for my kids... Anyone know how to make it sit more upright?


----------



## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

The Radian is notoriously hard to install more upright. You can try pulling the base of the child restraint out from the seat bight a little, and when you tigthen the LATCH or belt, push down where the kiddo's feet go. That will help it get a little more upright, but it's usually pretty hard to get the 30*.

OP, if you click on my DD1's name in my siggy, you will see an almost-4 year old RF'ing quite comfortably


----------



## snoopy5386 (May 6, 2005)

My DD turned 3 in April and is still happily RFing in her 33 lb limit BLVD. She is 30 lbs, 36 in which puts her right in the 30% percentile. We'll probably get to the end of the year at least before I have to turn her.


----------



## Lisa85 (May 22, 2006)

3y 8m, 29lbs, 38" and still rfing with more than enough room to spare. Assuming she stays at the same percentiles she last until 5.5 by weight. Who knows how long she last height wise - hopefully at least until she's 35#!


----------



## sarajane (Oct 20, 2004)

I don't think my DD will make it to 4 years old. She is two years old and already 31#. She is also tall. I forget the inches but tall.


----------



## triscuitsmom (Jan 11, 2007)

My LO is almost 3 and still rearfacing and at the rate he's going will be for quite a while. The weight gain has slowed down so much from when he was younger (totally normal, I know)









For those who say they have tall LOs... while it's true most seats are outgrown by height before weight for most kids, that's not true for rearfacing. Because the straps have to be below the childs shoulders, where they have to be above for forward facing. So a seat by height could be outgrown forward facing before rear facing. As long as they meet the weight limit and have an inch of shell above their head they still fit rear facing IIRC.


----------



## jillmamma (Apr 11, 2005)

Here's how.







In this picture, DD is 3.5 and 27 lb, 35". She is now 3y10m and 36" and 28 lb. I think she will easily make it to age 4, and maybe even to 5. I am so glad articles like this are coming out to show my in-laws who I know think I am nuts to keep her RF this long. Oh well, better to have my child alive and safe and people think I am nuts than otherwise.


----------



## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *triscuitsmom* 
For those who say they have tall LOs... while it's true most seats are outgrown by height before weight for most kids, that's not true for rearfacing. Because the straps have to be below the childs shoulders, where they have to be above for forward facing. So a seat by height could be outgrown forward facing before rear facing. As long as they meet the weight limit and have an inch of shell above their head they still fit rear facing IIRC.

Right, but with the exception of the TrueFit and Radian, it's quite common to outgrow seats by height before weight RF'ing.


----------



## dachshundqueen (Dec 17, 2004)

Annabelle rf'd till 3.5 when she finally hit 32 pounds on the doc's scale.

William is rf'ing at 20 months, and he is 29 #.

Both in marathons, both in the illustrious 2004 Honda Civic sedan... ha ha.

Liz


----------



## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *an_aurora* 
Right, but with the exception of the TrueFit and Radian, it's quite common to outgrow seats by height before weight RF'ing.









Yup, totally. Especially with long torsos and big heads like my boys!


----------



## simplehome (Jul 13, 2004)

Another kiddo who could still be rear-facing over 4-years-old, in a 33-lb Decathlon, no less! He's hovering arond 33-lb now with clothes on, but if we had a 35-lb seat he'd surely make it until 5 RF.


----------



## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

The new rfing foot on the new Radians is supposed to make it easier to make them more upright. You might call and ask if you can order one.


----------



## Amila (Apr 4, 2006)

We have a Boulevard, and DD is 3 years old, 27 pounds. She will probably be 4 before she hits 35 lbs.


----------



## Juvysen (Apr 25, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *thepeach80* 
The new rfing foot on the new Radians is supposed to make it easier to make them more upright. You might call and ask if you can order one.

How long have they been doing that? I just e-mailed the company to see what I can do about the rf situation, hopefully they'll send me one or suggest I buy the new one, I guess...


----------



## Cinder (Feb 4, 2003)

These threads make me tempted to guy buy a higher shell seat (River will need a seat anyway) to see if I could theoretically still put my almost 7 year old rear facing. I just have a hard time imagining a 35lb kid rearfacing, just cause at 35lbs kincaid was 45"...Janelle still isn't 35lbs and is 47"....but we just had boulevards, and didn't get the boulevards till they were older (4 1/2 and 3)...I know at 3 Kincaid couldn't rearface in the boulevard, I tried, but maybe something would of let him. He is all torso though.


----------



## tine1973 (Jan 8, 2008)

At my son's size - he will be rear facing until he's married. 26 lbs at almost 3. Our Marathon may even last that long - he has another couple of inches to go before its too short.


----------



## Cinder (Feb 4, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tine1973* 
At my son's size - he will be rear facing until he's married. 26 lbs at almost 3. Our Marathon may even last that long - he has another couple of inches to go before its too short.

Janelle was smaller than that, 21lbs at 3 years old, 27lbs at 4, 29lbs at 5...but she couldn't fit rear facing in a blvd at 5 anymore due to height.


----------



## triscuitsmom (Jan 11, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *an_aurora* 
Right, but with the exception of the TrueFit and Radian, it's quite common to outgrow seats by height before weight RF'ing.

















I honestly didn't realize that... but I'll totally admit that I usually open threads with topics that are Radian and TrueFit related since those are the seats my kids are in 99% of the time


----------



## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Juvysen* 
How long have they been doing that? I just e-mailed the company to see what I can do about the rf situation, hopefully they'll send me one or suggest I buy the new one, I guess...

I emailed them a while back to see if the new foot was compatible on the older radians. They of course didn't answer that question, but did say the new foot won't be able to order by itself until the end of June or sometime in July. The one on their site to order now is the old one.


----------



## kalamos23 (Apr 11, 2008)

There is no way in hell my kid will make it to 4 - she's just too big and tall. I REALLY hope that they will come out with heigher weight limit seats with tall shells - I know the MyRide is out there, but she's getting close to outgrowing the Marathon by height, so I don't think she will last too much longer in the MR65 by height. She was 30 lbs. when I last checked at 10mo... so yeah.


----------



## BetsyS (Nov 8, 2004)

Kids have to be pretty small to rearface that long.

My 33 month old isn't that big of a kid. But, with clothes on, he's 39 pounds. So, he can't rearface in any seat.


----------



## Mommybree (Jul 27, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kalamos23* 
There is no way in hell my kid will make it to 4 - she's just too big and tall. I REALLY hope that they will come out with heigher weight limit seats with tall shells - I know the MyRide is out there, but she's getting close to outgrowing the Marathon by height, so I don't think she will last too much longer in the MR65 by height. She was 30 lbs. when I last checked at 10mo... so yeah.

Holy cow! She must be a very long torsoed kid!

My 4 year old daughter is not short (she's in the 71st percentile for height) with an average sized torso for her age, and she still would have a little room to grow heightwise rear-facing in the Marathon if she hadn't outgrown it by weight.

Hopefully, the rumors that Sunshine Kids is going to test the Radian to 40 pounds will turn out to be true (although they've been talking about it for years, so who knows). That would be good for kids with long torsoes like your daughter.


----------



## Cinder (Feb 4, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *BetsyS* 
Kids have to be pretty small to rearface that long.

My 33 month old isn't that big of a kid. But, with clothes on, he's 39 pounds. So, he can't rearface in any seat.

actually, that's pretty big, a 33 month old boy that's 37lbs is like 95th percentileish, 39lbs is 97th%. For a girl 39lbs is off the charts.


----------



## kalamos23 (Apr 11, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *BetsyS* 
Kids have to be pretty small to rearface that long.

My 33 month old isn't that big of a kid. But, with clothes on, he's 39 pounds. So, he can't rearface in any seat.

Actually, unless he is too tall, he could RF in the Graco MyRide 65 - it is a new seat and RFs to 40 lbs.


----------



## kalamos23 (Apr 11, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Mommybree* 
Holy cow! She must be a very long torsoed kid!

My 4 year old daughter is not short (she's in the 71st percentile for height) with an average sized torso for her age, and she still would have a little room to grow heightwise rear-facing in the Marathon if she hadn't outgrown it by weight.

Hopefully, the rumors that Sunshine Kids is going to test the Radian to 40 pounds will turn out to be true (although they've been talking about it for years, so who knows). That would be good for kids with long torsoes like your daughter.

Yeah, she's not only tall, it's all in her torso. Ugh. I'm SO hoping she will sprout legs any day now and slow down on the torso growth (and overall weight gain while she's at it!).

DH and I are both tall, so she really had no chance


----------



## BetsyS (Nov 8, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kalamos23* 
Actually, unless he is too tall, he could RF in the Graco MyRide 65 - it is a new seat and RFs to 40 lbs.

In my case, that only buys me one pound. And, I know that around here, folks are always like "well, with a toddler, one pound could be 6 months..." But, that's not my experience. He usually holds steady at a weight for about 6-8 weeks, then jumps 1-2 pounds. So, for us, it's not worth it.


----------



## lindsayncadence (Mar 27, 2006)

Cadence was RF untill her 4th birthday. She is a petite girl and still fits in the same carseat FF but not RF bc of the wieght limit.


----------



## Adventuredad (Apr 23, 2008)

Many kids outgrow seats by hight before weight. Parents who like to rear face longer than otherwise possible usually use the Swedish rear facing car seats. With a rear facing weight of 55 lbs and high seat shells there is no problem rear facing almost any kid to at least 4 years of age which is the norm and recommendation in Sweden.

Using a Britax Two-Way or Britax Multi Tech means rear facing to 4-5 without trying hard.


----------



## aja-belly (Oct 7, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Adventuredad* 
Many kids outgrow seats by hight before weight. Parents who like to rear face longer than otherwise possible usually use the Swedish rear facing car seats. With a rear facing weight of 55 lbs and high seat shells there is no problem rear facing almost any kid to at least 4 years of age which is the norm and recommendation in Sweden.

Using a Britax Two-Way or Britax Multi Tech means rear facing to 4-5 without trying hard.

what are the shell heights like? when we were looking to keep my son rf longer a couple years ago the shell heights were either the same as or close to seats available here (not that it matters now - he is 4 years old and very tall torsoed so i doubt he would fit in one regardless - and my other kids are all rf).


----------



## Adventuredad (Apr 23, 2008)

Shell height depends a bit on the seat. Standard is 57 cm (23 inches) which is from inside seat to top of seat shell. But Multi TEch has an expandable seat shell which is 68 cm (27 inches). Also keep in mind that the "1-inch rule " does not apply to Swedish seats.

Most US seats require 1 inch of space above head to top of seat shell. Swedish seats allow tip of ears to be at top of seat shell before changing seat. that means about a third of the head can be above seat shell. This alone makes a large difference in rear facing time. Seats are of course tested and certified this way.

Multi Tech can handle a 18 inch torso which means most kids can sit Rf to age 5 if they want to. Most other Swedish seats handle a 16 inch torso.

One good thing is that seats can be used in regular or smaller cars despite keeping kids rf to age 4+


----------



## bandgeek (Sep 12, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *aja-belly* 
what are the shell heights like? when we were looking to keep my son rf longer a couple years ago the shell heights were either the same as or close to seats available here (not that it matters now - he is 4 years old and very tall torsoed so i doubt he would fit in one regardless - and my other kids are all rf).

I was reading that one of them had a shell height that extended to 27" which is comparable to the radian and true fit, but the swedish seat allows for the head to go over the top, which buys you another 3 or 4 inches.


----------



## Ironica (Sep 11, 2005)

DS1 could have RF'd to 35 lbs. easily in the TrueFit, and he didn't hit that weight until sometime well into his fourth year at least. DS2 has had a gentler growth curve, so I expect him to RF past age 3 at a minimum, since we have a TrueFit for him when his hand-me-down Marathon expires.


----------



## kalamos23 (Apr 11, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *BetsyS* 
In my case, that only buys me one pound. And, I know that around here, folks are always like "well, with a toddler, one pound could be 6 months..." But, that's not my experience. He usually holds steady at a weight for about 6-8 weeks, then jumps 1-2 pounds. So, for us, it's not worth it.

I agree, for you it's not worth it - I just wanted to put it out there that there IS a seat that RFs to 40 lbs. just in case someone else has a kid like mine that is young and hefty - you had said there were no seats out there.


----------



## OkiMom (Nov 21, 2007)

Wow.. my daughter is already to big to be rear facing at 2 1/2, she weights 36 lbs.


----------



## gwen's mom (Aug 1, 2003)

Admittedly I have not read this entire thread but I have a sincere question. I am not trying to question the safety of RF so please don't flame me for asking but in one of the pictures I saw on this thread of an older toddler RF her legs seemed pushed back in sort of a frog position. My question is, wouldn't this get uncomfortable, particularly during long car rides?


----------



## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *gwen's mom* 
Admittedly I have not read this entire thread but I have a sincere question. I am not trying to question the safety of RF so please don't flame me for asking but in one of the pictures I saw on this thread of an older toddler RF her legs seemed pushed back in sort of a frog position. My question is, wouldn't this get uncomfortable, particularly during long car rides?

Toddlers and little kids are very flexible. It's not uncomfortable at all.

Ever seen them suck on their own toes?









-Angela


----------



## kalamos23 (Apr 11, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *OkiMom* 
Wow.. my daughter is already to big to be rear facing at 2 1/2, she weights 36 lbs.

Actually there is a 40 lb. RF weight limit car seat out that just came out a few weeks ago - the Graco MyRide65 - retails for 150-170ish. So technically, you could RF her for 4 more lbs if you wanted.


----------



## bandgeek (Sep 12, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *gwen's mom* 
Admittedly I have not read this entire thread but I have a sincere question. I am not trying to question the safety of RF so please don't flame me for asking but in one of the pictures I saw on this thread of an older toddler RF her legs seemed pushed back in sort of a frog position. My question is, wouldn't this get uncomfortable, particularly during long car rides?


Some car seats have more leg room rear-facing than others. The britax convertibles have very little room. The myride has tons of room. Even in a britax, the kids just cross them, fling them over the sides, or put them on the seat back.

This is my 4 1/2 year old, 42", and 40 lb DS in the MyRide installed on the babies'r'us test bench. He's a bit too big to ride in it (head is too close to the top and he's at the weight limit) but he has plenty of room for his legs.

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q...ats/myride.jpg

My son is forward facing now and he still crosses his legs because if they hang in front of him too long, they fall asleep. So I think rf'ing is probably more comfortable for their legs.


----------

