Are you going to keep LO rear-facing until 2 years?

meyemn28 · March 2010

I just went and got DD's new seat inspected today, and the inspector lady was telling me about how she should stay rear facing until she's 2, or 35lbs. She had lots of really scary statistics and totally convinced me to try our best to keep her rear-facing until she's 2.

All my friends with kids think I'm a total weirdo for listening to that and attempting to comply with it. They all turned their LOs forward at 1--many even sooner. I really don't care what they think, and my DD's safety is my first priority. But I'm just curious what all of you are doing.

jenella17 · March 2010

I actually think they just changed the recommended age to two years old. I plan to. DD is actually getting better in her carseat so as long as I can I'll keep her rear facing.

eta: you sig is ADORABLE!

pharmacygirl · March 2010

I kept DS1 rear facing until he was 21 months. I only turned him around then b/c DS2 was born. I will keep DS2 backward until he is 24 months also.

starlingrose · March 2010

Im going to keep him rear facing as long as possible up to 2. He is a tall baby with long legs and Im not sure how it will work with long legs like that? I have a friend with a daughter who is very tall with extremely long arms and legs, there is no way she could be rear facing but she is only 19mo. Anyways, its something we are definetly going to try to do. I have another friend who turned her baby the month he turned 1yr because he was "going to be 1yr in a few weeks"...I definetly thought that was wierd.

ToledoDeux · March 2010

Yes, absolutely. We switched DD1 just after her second birthday (and I would have left her RF longer, but DH prevailed). We'll do the same with #2.

easyBreezie · March 2010

2 years or as close to that as I can. 2 years is the new recommendation but only 1 year/20 lbs is required. All of my friends did at one year or even less as well and they think I'm crazy for wanting to do this. They also think I'm crazy for pumping this long and making his own baby food. I just do what I think is best.

Adam'sGirl · March 2010

Yes, I plan to keep him rear facing until he hits the seat limit for rear facing.

deltagirl79 · March 2010

Yep, that is the plan. Although I did just see this article that says that they should be rear facing until 4. I don't know about that one, I'm worried about his little legs getting squished at some point.

nolebride · March 2010

I'm going to try. Guess it just depends on whether he'll tolerate it for that long. He just switched to the convertible today and he seemed to like it...for now.

amys715 · March 2010

I am undecided. Your siggy is very cute!

MStason · March 2010

We are going to keep DD rear facing until she is at the weight limit for rear facing on her seat.

saturdaynightdoubletree · March 2010

I'd love to keep her rear facing until 2, but I'll be lucky if we make it to 1 -- the recommendations for the actual seat I have says rear-facing up to 35lbs. My little ham is already 20 Surprise

s/o the stupid certified car seat specialist at our police department asked me if I wanted it forward facing because it's easier to get the baby in and out... is he STUPID!?!?! She's only 6 months old. Eeeek, some people's comments scare me!

StrawberryBlondeMomma · March 2010

i will keep him rear facing until at least 2 years.

i saw a video on a link that emiliemadison (i think that's her bump name) has in her siggy about what happens in a crash if the child is forward facing, and it's terrifying. i think that video even recommended rear facing until 4 years old.

StrawberryBlondeMomma · March 2010

deltagirl79:
Yep, that is the plan. Although I did just see this article that says that they should be rear facing until 4. I don't know about that one, I'm worried about his little legs getting squished at some point.

the video i saw said that it is ok for kids to have their legs bent if they are rear facing and tall. it's better to have broken legs than a broken neck.

StrawberryBlondeMomma · March 2010

saturdaynightdoubletree:
I'd love to keep her rear facing until 2, but I'll be lucky if we make it to 1 -- the recommendations for the actual seat I have says rear-facing up to 35lbs. My little ham is already 20
s/o the stupid certified car seat specialist at our police department asked me if I wanted it forward facing because it's easier to get the baby in and out... is he STUPID!?!?! She's only 6 months old. Eeeek, some people's comments scare me!

wow, that is awful that the car seat specialist asked you that! where i live (and i think in most states), the law is 20 pounds AND one year, not or.

sevans1975 · March 2010

Yep, we will be rear-facing until at least 2 years old.

deeanneharris · March 2010

Adam'sGirl:
Yes, I plan to keep him rear facing until he hits the seat limit for rear facing.

Same here.

katypresson · March 2010

Adam'sGirl:
Yes, I plan to keep him rear facing until he hits the seat limit for rear facing.

This!

ljlkm · March 2010

Until he hits the limit for his convertible seat.

kit443 · March 2010

deeanneharris:
Adam'sGirl:
Yes, I plan to keep him rear facing until he hits the seat limit for rear facing.

Same here.

us too

Jays-n-Shane · March 2010

StrawberryBlondeMomma:
saturdaynightdoubletree:

I'd love to keep her rear facing until 2, but I'll be lucky if we make it to 1 -- the recommendations for the actual seat I have says rear-facing up to 35lbs. My little ham is already 20

s/o the stupid certified car seat specialist at our police department asked me if I wanted it forward facing because it's easier to get the baby in and out... is he STUPID!?!?! She's only 6 months old. Eeeek, some people's comments scare me!

wow, that is awful that the car seat specialist asked you that! where i live (and i think in most states), the law is 20 pounds AND one year, not or.

Sadly, most states don't have a RF law at all. Here's a link to a good chart:

https://www.elitecarseats.com/custserv/custserv.jsp?pageName=car_seat_laws

FWIW, DD is almost 25 months, 30lbs and 35 inches and she is still RF without a problem. In DH's car, she props her legs up on the seat, and in my minivan she hangs them over the side. My goal is to get her to 2.5 RF, but I will do it longer if we can.

saturdaynightdoubletree · March 2010

StrawberryBlondeMomma:
saturdaynightdoubletree:
I'd love to keep her rear facing until 2, but I'll be lucky if we make it to 1 -- the recommendations for the actual seat I have says rear-facing up to 35lbs. My little ham is already 20
s/o the stupid certified car seat specialist at our police department asked me if I wanted it forward facing because it's easier to get the baby in and out... is he STUPID!?!?! She's only 6 months old. Eeeek, some people's comments scare me!
wow, that is awful that the car seat specialist asked you that! where i live (and i think in most states), the law is 20 pounds AND one year, not or.

yea, it's the same here. and it was a POLICE OFFICER ::cringe::

kes3237 · March 2010

I wasn't sure if I was going to go past one until I talked to someone about it... basically they said in a crash typical injuries for a rear-facing seat are broken legs/arms... and in front-facing seat, we're talking more spinal/head injuries. That was enough to convince me.

carlab44 · March 2010

We're planning on keeping him rear facing until at least 2.

jackieobride:
Im going to keep him rear facing as long as possible up to 2. He is a tall baby with long legs and Im not sure how it will work with long legs like that? I have a friend with a daughter who is very tall with extremely long arms and legs, there is no way she could be rear facing but she is only 19mo. Anyways, its something we are definetly going to try to do. I have another friend who turned her baby the month he turned 1yr because he was "going to be 1yr in a few weeks"...I definetly thought that was wierd.

Unless your friend's 19 month old exceeded the height limits of her seat, she could definitely still be rear facing. It only looks uncomfortable for them to have their legs folded against the seat. It is still much, much safer to be rear facing (think broken leg rather than broken neck). Many people still have their 3-4 year olds rear facing,

I'm not chastising your friend for not having her 19 month old rear facing, but just wanted to correct the statement that tall kids can't do extended rear facing.

nemtown · March 2010

Unlikely.

The law recently changed to make booster seats a requirement till kids are 8. EIGHT!!! What if I have a tall, chubby 8 year old who's the same size as most 10 year olds? Oh, well. Still has to be in a booster seat. Before the law changed, the requirement was 4 years old. Ok. I see that. But the article in a pp about keeping them rear-facing till they're 4 now???

Pretty soon they'll make ME be in a booster seat because I'm short.

They keep changing the law to keep my kid safe. I get that they want kids to be protected, but I hate that people have to make LAWS to make ME protect my child. I'll do that myself, thank you very much. Anyway, they moved the recommended age on rear-facing from 1 to 2. Soon it will be 3, then 4, etc. We'll probably go beyond 1 year old, but I doubt we'll make it till he's 2.

Pesky · March 2010

I kept DD rearfacing until about 21-22mos, when I started putting in the carseat for DS (I was having PTL contractions so figured we'd better get ready). Not the most comfortable and she definitely preferred forward-facing but it was safer. In Europe, oftentimes the law is rear-facing until 4! I will keep DS rear-facing until the limit but he's already 22lbs so odds of him hitting 35 lbs before 2YO are pretty good.

MrsTeague · March 2010

My car seat rear faces to 40lbs, so that's how long I'll keep DD rear facing. I see no reason to turn her around before that. If you watch some of the you tube videos on crash simulation you would want to keep your LO rear facing as long as possible, which is why I do my best to inform my friends/family about it.

ladyaylena · March 2010

Adam'sGirl:
Yes, I plan to keep him rear facing until he hits the seat limit for rear facing.

this.

I see no good reason to not keep them rear facing as long as they fit that way.

grayeyes · March 2010

No....my child is huge and very tall. I'll try to keep him backwards as long as possible, but his legs will be very cramped soon.

deeanneharris · March 2010

Jays-n-Shane:
StrawberryBlondeMomma:
saturdaynightdoubletree:

I'd love to keep her rear facing until 2, but I'll be lucky if we make it to 1 -- the recommendations for the actual seat I have says rear-facing up to 35lbs. My little ham is already 20

s/o the stupid certified car seat specialist at our police department asked me if I wanted it forward facing because it's easier to get the baby in and out... is he STUPID!?!?! She's only 6 months old. Eeeek, some people's comments scare me!

wow, that is awful that the car seat specialist asked you that! where i live (and i think in most states), the law is 20 pounds AND one year, not or.

Sadly, most states don't have a RF law at all. Here's a link to a good chart:

https://www.elitecarseats.com/custserv/custserv.jsp?pageName=car_seat_laws

FWIW, DD is almost 25 months, 30lbs and 35 inches and she is still RF without a problem. In DH's car, she props her legs up on the seat, and in my minivan she hangs them over the side. My goal is to get her to 2.5 RF, but I will do it longer if we can.

I think this link may be outdated. I know the Texas one has changed.

ToledoDeux · March 2010

nemtown:
Unlikely.

The law recently changed to make booster seats a requirement till kids are 8. EIGHT!!! What if I have a tall, chubby 8 year old who's the same size as most 10 year olds? Oh, well. Still has to be in a booster seat. Before the law changed, the requirement was 4 years old. Ok. I see that. But the article in a pp about keeping them rear-facing till they're 4 now???

Pretty soon they'll make ME be in a booster seat because I'm short.

They keep changing the law to keep my kid safe. I get that they want kids to be protected, but I hate that people have to make LAWS to make ME protect my child. I'll do that myself, thank you very much. Anyway, they moved the recommended age on rear-facing from 1 to 2. Soon it will be 3, then 4, etc. We'll probably go beyond 1 year old, but I doubt we'll make it till he's 2.

I don't hate that at all - people very often look to the law when making safety decisions. How many times have you read someone on here ask "If it was dangerous, why would it be legal?" in regards to questionable children's products or practices? The law is most times behind expert recommendations on safety, and I applaud Minnesota for changing the booster seat law.

And FYI - the kid has to be under 8 AND under 4'9". If you have a super tall 7 year old, you're not subject to the booster seat requirement. If the kid is under 4'9", there is a reason that a booster seat is needed. Why would anyone object to that?

Cityplanner · March 2010

nemtown:

They keep changing the law to keep my kid safe. I get that they want kids to be protected, but I hate that people have to make LAWS to make ME protect my child. I'll do that myself, thank you very much. Anyway, they moved the recommended age on rear-facing from 1 to 2. Soon it will be 3, then 4, etc. We'll probably go beyond 1 year old, but I doubt we'll make it till he's 2.

This made me laugh. In a snarky kind of way. To paraphrase: " I don't need laws telling me how to keep my kid safe. I know what to do to keep him safe. Aaaaaaaand, now I'm gonna go ignore all evidence of what is the safest way for a kid to ride and do what I darned well please."

LVila · March 2010

StrawberryBlondeMomma:

deltagirl79:
Yep, that is the plan. Although I did just see this article that says that they should be rear facing until 4. I don't know about that one, I'm worried about his little legs getting squished at some point.

the video i saw said that it is ok for kids to have their legs bent if they are rear facing and tall. it's better to have broken legs than a broken neck.

This exactly. Broken legs mend easier than a broken back. I plan to keep DD RF until she hits the 35 lbs mark our Marathon has. I don't see why turning kids around to be more unsafe is a milestone.

LVila · March 2010

Cityplanner:
nemtown:

They keep changing the law to keep my kid safe. I get that they want kids to be protected, but I hate that people have to make LAWS to make ME protect my child. I'll do that myself, thank you very much. Anyway, they moved the recommended age on rear-facing from 1 to 2. Soon it will be 3, then 4, etc. We'll probably go beyond 1 year old, but I doubt we'll make it till he's 2.

This made me laugh. In a snarky kind of way. To paraphrase: " I don't need laws telling me how to keep my kid safe. I know what to do to keep him safe. Aaaaaaaand, now I'm gonna go ignore all evidence of what is the safest way for a kid to ride and do what I darned well please."

HAHAHA. Awesome snark!

A booster seat doesn't mean a 5 point harness. The law means being in a seat... it doesn't even have to have a back. I REALLY don't get why people fight carseat laws.

rianals · March 2010

Maybe I just don't understand because DD isn't close to a year old yet, but why do some people decide to switch so early? I don't think DD will be asking to look forward because she won't know anything other than rearfacing.

bridetobe05 · March 2010

I plan to keep DS rear facing until he's 2. It's the safest and I am looking out for my son the best way possible.

katie_cj · March 2010

I want to keep Jake rearfacing until he reaches the weight limit, which is 40lbs.

FI thinks that's too long.

For now, we've agreed to rf until he's at least two, then we'll reevaluate then.

biggdaddy4605 · March 2010

MStason:

We are going to keep DD rear facing until she is at the weight limit for rear facing on her seat.

This. We got a Graco MyRide 65...so 40 lbs RF.

lolo5000 · March 2010

ladyaylena:
Adam'sGirl:
Yes, I plan to keep him rear facing until he hits the seat limit for rear facing.
this.
I see no good reason to not keep them rear facing as long as they fit that way.

Yep.

*KC*luvs*RJ* · March 2010

Absolutely!

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