How old was your baby...

ccw479

when you made his/her car seat forward facing? 

Josie22

11 mos, 3 weeks,

la79al

We're still rearfacing here and hope to be until she reaches the limits.

7/04Bride

Please wait until your baby is at least 2.  That's the new recommendation.  At a carseat inspection, we were told to wait until DS reaches the weight limit for rear-facing, which is 35 lbs (Britax Marathon).  Who knows how old he'll be then!  Watch videos of crash tests of forward facing and rear facing carseats on youtube to convince yourself.

SarahBukisi

still RFing. and ds is 23lbs now. im hoping we can hold out till 2 years.

Mominator

DD was 16 mths but only because I couldn't fit 2 rear facing seats in my car. If I had my way she would have stayed rear facing until at least 2 years old, preferably not until she exceeds either the weight or height limits. DS will also stay rear facing until at least 2 years old. It's just safer.

lanie26

She's 15 months and I don't plan on turning her until we get to the weight limit on the Canadian standard for the marathon. Probably between 18 months and 2.?

squishysgal

we will RF until she is 35 pounds (per recomendation of the pedi AND having the crap scared out of me here on the nest )

Jaimers375

He's 13 months and we're still RF.  We don't plan to switch him any time soon, we'll wait until he reaches the limit of 35 lbs.

aimeelv

We will rear-face until Zachary reaches the limits on his car seat.  Ditto pp - the AAP now recommends waiting to turn children forward facing until at least 2 years old.

charliejoy18

18 months for DD #1, 14 for DD #2.........when they reached twenty pounds.  However, I will keep them in 5point as high as the car seats allow (the Nautilus for DD #1, and an Evenflo Triumph DLX for DD #2, though I want a Nautilus for her).

iowagirl73

DS will stay RF until he reaches the limit on his car seat.

ccw479

Thanks for the replies!  I have watched those videos on YouTube before; I don't like watching them - they're scary!

fIowerchild

iowagirl73:

DS will stay RF until he reaches the limit on his car seat.

ditto.

ougrad1

Last Thursday.....I'm still nervous but, with every new thing I do, I will be.

Josie22

I was never told RF was so much better. I waited till my Dr. said it was o.k.

Mominator

Josie22:

I was never told RF was so much better. I waited till my Dr. said it was o.k.

Unfortunately, dr's aren't usually the best go to source for information about car seat safety. I trust my pedi for medical advice and that's it. ?

ETA: And in most states it's the law that babies stay RFing until 1 y/o AND 20 lbs.?

trizzie

One year.

wendyj

Not until he reaches the weight limit for his seat (35 lbs). Hopefully he'll make it to age 2.

jodyplustwinsx2

Haven't yet, and won't until they exceed the height/weight limits for their seat. Since they may never actually weigh 35 lbs at this rate, it will more likely be when they hit 40 inches and outgrow the entire seat... which might be around age 4 lol.

Dobie_Mama

17 months and haven't yet.  We will keep DD RFing until the limit.

7/04Bride

Mominator:

Josie22:

I was never told RF was so much better. I waited till my Dr. said it was o.k.

Unfortunately, dr's aren't usually the best go to source for information about car seat safety. I trust my pedi for medical advice and that's it.  

ETA: And in most states it's the law that babies stay RFing until 1 y/o AND 20 lbs. 

I'm not trying to start an argument or anything here - just want to add this because sometimes pedis are the right ones to turn to, especially since the AAP has now changed their recommendation.....

I know it's not medical advice directly that they're giving you, but pedis DO know how fragile a one year old's body is and I'm sure they understand better than any of the rest of us how possible internal decapitation is if a child is turned forward too early and gets into an accident.  Our pediatrician's office recently sponsored a carseat inspection with SafeKids, so I think it's safe to say they at least recognize the importance of following guidelines.  Also - it's the law to keep your child rear-facing until at least one year and 20 lbs, but just because the law says that doesn't mean that it means that it's safe to turn them around at that point.

618mom22boys

One year.  Our carseat is the Graco  Nautilus and it only FF.

bim38106

Josie22:

I was never told RF was so much better. I waited till my Dr. said it was o.k.

DD's pedi wasn't even aware of the new AAP recommendations! I was pretty disappointed by that... 

Anyway, we will keep DD RF until 20 months. I can't fit 2 RF seats in my car and that's when #2 will be born, so that's when I'll have to switch DD.

GeoffreytheGiraffe

DS is still 3ish pounds away from the FF limit.  God knows when he'll even be big enough to turn.  Add the laziness factor of getting a FF careat installed in our new locale, and chance our homeboy will be RF until he's like 17.

Mominator

7/04Bride:

Mominator:

Josie22:

I was never told RF was so much better. I waited till my Dr. said it was o.k.

Unfortunately, dr's aren't usually the best go to source for information about car seat safety. I trust my pedi for medical advice and that's it. ?

ETA: And in most states it's the law that babies stay RFing until 1 y/o AND 20 lbs.?

I'm not trying to start an argument or anything here - just want to add this because sometimes pedis are the right ones to turn to, especially since the AAP has now changed their recommendation.....

I know it's not medical advice directly that they're giving you, but pedis DO know how fragile a one year old's body is and I'm sure they understand better than any of the rest of us how possible internal decapitation is if a child is turned forward too early and gets into an accident.? Our pediatrician's office recently sponsored a carseat inspection with SafeKids, so I think it's safe to say they at least recognize the importance of following guidelines.? Also - it's the law to keep your child rear-facing until at least one year and 20 lbs, but just because the law says that doesn't mean that it means that it's safe to turn them around at that point.

Point taken and very valid. But she turned her child before 1 y/o based on what her pedi told her so she wasn't even following the law.

In general, I will listen to what my pedi says regarding things like carseats and nutrition, but I always take it with a grain of salt and research on my own and make an informed decision.?

LoriFalce

He was legal.

nft

Temp174496125006552

I will not turn him until he reaches the limits on the seat.  He's just safer that way. 

Mrs Manners

We're still rear facing (16 months). I'm thinking we'll probably turn him at 18 months.

LoriFalce

7/04Bride:

Also - it's the law to keep your child rear-facing until at least one year and 20 lbs, but just because the law says that doesn't mean that it means that it's safe to turn them around at that point.

Not in all states. Not even in half. Only 14 have specified limits, and of those, only 12 require both 1y and 20 lbs.

 

Jays-n-Shane

15 months and still RF.  I don't plan to change her until she reaches the limits of the seat.

SunshineBrideNJ

We're still rear facing at 13 months and 25 lbs.  We will keep him rear facing until he reaches the weight limit (he's short, so he will reach the weight limit way before he reaches the height himit, unless he suddently starts growing).  His weight has slowed down greatly, so we're hoping to make it until he's 2. 

valkaz

We haven't done it yet, and we have no intention of doing it anytime soon.

TXSweetheart

Still RFing, and we are at 12 and 1/2 months (22lbs).  Will keep it RFing for a lot longer too, until 33 lbs is the goal.  Pedi gave us a whole speech at the 1 year about safety of keeping child Rfing for as long as possible and how studies have shown that a well secured child is 5 times more likely to incur injury in the FFing position than the RFing position if there is a colision.  My ? was about his legs, they seem like they will get scrunched soon, but pedi said despite the crowding of the legs, the incident of leg injury in RFing position was almost non-existant.   

Ali212

She's 19 months and is still RF.