Rear Facing Vs. Forward

KarynR25 · July 2013

Hey Ladies...I'm sure this has been asked 100,000 times but I'm not able to search on my work computer for some reason?? Weird.

Anyway, my LO is 14 months old on the 30th, and she's just recently outgrown her rear facing infant car seat. We installed her new carseat rear facing at first and stuck her in and it didnt really allow for much room for her legs...its was all squished up against the back of the seat. She was not happy. So we changed it to forward facing and she is as happy as a clam with it!

My question is, I have heard that rear facing is safest for as long as you can (her care seat she's in now is rated up to 40 pounds for rear facing). Is your LO rear facing or forward? If rear facing still how do you get around their little legs being all squished up against the seat?

JayNina · July 2013

Rear facing! Kids will adapt, a broken leg is better than a broken neck! The will sit criss cross, stick their legs over the seat, or just about any which way they feel comfortable!

Netty_3 · July 2013

Rear facing...and he's never complained about the leg situation...he doesn't know any better...plus he's flexible, and just sit cross-legged for the most part. I plan on keeping him rear-facing as long as possible. Our's is 40 or 45 I forget...but it will probably be a while before he hits that seeing as he's 24.5 right now.

bumpuser9353653 · July 2013

Our LO is 13 months and we recently bought a convertible seat as well. She's only in the 10th %, so a little smaller than your LO, but her feet do touch the back seat. She doesn't seem to mind too much - she usually ends up bending her legs and playing with her feet anyway. I think as long as their knees aren't up at their chest, they are fine/safe. They can bend their legs and be just as comfy.

We plan to have DD rear facing until she's 2 for the added head/neck support reasons.

lchitt · July 2013

I'm different in the other post. As soon as my dd reached the weight and age limit we turned her around. I agree w others that it's the safest, however for us she had been crying at the top of her lungs for months. As soon as we flipped her she was happy. My reasoning was I am less distracted w her forward facing, making it safer for us. I think you have to do what feels right. If you LO doesn't mind stay rear facing but if your in my situation you may have to do what you feel good doing.

pinkcallalily · July 2013

My son is 3 and still rear facing. He has a long way to go until he reaches the limits and we see no reason to turn him around. He either bends his knees, hangs his legs over the sides, or sits criss cross. He hated the carseat for a long time, but got better when we switched to the convertible. Once he could talk more and understand us better he stopped crying in the carseat.

We've been rearended twice with my son in the car and once was very bad so the possibility of an accident is very real to us and we want him to be as safe as possible. Since he doesn't know forward facing is an option he doesn't complain about being backwards.

aandg · July 2013

Still rear facing. I'd rather have scrunched legs than a broken neck.

KarynR25 · July 2013

Thanks ladies!! I've done a bit more research too and checked out Transport Canada's website and they also suggest rear facing for as long as you can! I'll be switching her car seat back around tonight!! Poor girl...she got a taste of forward facing for a couple days! Oh well...her safety is more important!

baloneydisc · July 2013

RF, but DD is tiny so flipping her is not an option. She's 18mo and 19lbs 6.5oz, 31" tall. Anyhow, she just bends her knees and plays with her shoes for now.

Aurora_Borealis · July 2013

double post

Aurora_Borealis · July 2013

Rear facing. Until she outgrows the RF limits of the seat (weight-wise is 40 lbs on hers).

What seat do you have? I can't imagine a 14 month old having squished legs RF-ing. DD is a tall-ish 17 months and has plenty of room.

eyenigh · July 2013

Aurora_Borealis:
Rear facing. Until she outgrows the RF limits of the seat (weight-wise is 40 lbs on hers).
What seat do you have? I can't imagine a 14 month old having squished legs RF-ing. DD is a tall-ish 17 months and has plenty of room.

I think it can depend greatly on the type of seat, type of car and build of the child. My son could not sit comfortably in his Britax Marathon at around 10 months (he was almost 31 inches at that age). It was installed correctly and he fit the requirements but it was just a poor fit for him rear facing-- he was more upright than he liked to be and his legs were already squished. I definitely didn't want to flip him so I sold that seat and got him a Clek Foonf. He's very comfy in it and we'll be able to keep him rear facing a lot longer since this kid seems to grow about an inch a month.

michellepeanut · July 2013

Rear facing, we plan on keeping her that way until 2. Good luck transitioning her back : I'm sure she'll adjust.

shannm · July 2013

Rear facing. Her legs are bent. She doesn't care.

lageorgiapaperie · July 2013

Rear Facing here with a DS who is 90% for height at 20 months. He's perfectly content. He can cross his legs like a pretzel if they get smooshed. Kids like sitting like that.

I plan on keeping him RF until at least his birthday.

jess9802 · July 2013

DS is still rear-facing in both of our vehicles and will be until he's at least two. He's a small guy - he was 29" at his one year well child (21st percentile), and his feet aren't yet hitting the back of either seat. He sits in a Britax Marathon in my car and an Evenflo Tribute in DH's vehicle. When his legs do get too long I assume he can just cross them, like he does when sits on our laps or on the couch.

TiffanyBerry · July 2013

My 3 year old is 39" tall. She still rear faces in her Britax Marathon. She bends her legs. Kids do this naturally; it is not uncomfortable. (In fact, it's harder on their backs and less comfortable for many to have their legs suspended in the air unsupported by anything.)

alake · July 2013

My nearly six year old wants to rear face yet again. We have a seat that will fit her, a Foonf. It was going to go to Nephew, but he still fits in his RXT. We are getting a 12 passenger van and when we do, she will go into the Foonf for at least another few months. We will reassess. She is 39 pounds and 40 inches tall (tiny!!) It will leave my 7 and a half year old forward facing out of five in my van!!!

sunnyday016 · July 2013

He will be RF until as close to 4 years old as possible. The spine doesn't start to ossify until age 3 and is complete between age 4-6. DD sat RF until 3 and never said a word about her legs (and believe me, she would have let me know if it was bothering her!). Even now if we are going somewhere without DS, she asks to ride RF in his seat because she likes it. She crosses her legs, drapes them over the sides, puts them straight up the back of the vehicle seat.

bluejetta · July 2013

DD is rear-facing at 22 months in her convertible seat (switched from infant seat at 13/14 months). It is true she has to bend her legs to sit but has not complained and even if she did I'm not turning her around until she outgrows the limits of the seat (and even longer if I can get another seat).

KarynR25 · July 2013

eyenigh:
Aurora_Borealis:
Rear facing. Until she outgrows the RF limits of the seat (weight-wise is 40 lbs on hers).
What seat do you have? I can't imagine a 14 month old having squished legs RF-ing. DD is a tall-ish 17 months and has plenty of room.
I think it can depend greatly on the type of seat, type of car and build of the child. My son could not sit comfortably in his Britax Marathon at around 10 months (he was almost 31 inches at that age). It was installed correctly and he fit the requirements but it was just a poor fit for him rear facing-- he was more upright than he liked to be and his legs were already squished. I definitely didn't want to flip him so I sold that seat and got him a Clek Foonf. He's very comfy in it and we'll be able to keep him rear facing a lot longer since this kid seems to grow about an inch a month.

Thats exactly the seat we have...hmmm. I'm going to turn it back around and play around with it a bit - makes sure its exactly as it should be. She'll adjust back to rear facing. Its only been a couple days anyway.

sunnyday016 · July 2013

KarynR25:
eyenigh:
Aurora_Borealis:
Rear facing. Until she outgrows the RF limits of the seat (weight-wise is 40 lbs on hers).
What seat do you have? I can't imagine a 14 month old having squished legs RF-ing. DD is a tall-ish 17 months and has plenty of room.
I think it can depend greatly on the type of seat, type of car and build of the child. My son could not sit comfortably in his Britax Marathon at around 10 months (he was almost 31 inches at that age). It was installed correctly and he fit the requirements but it was just a poor fit for him rear facing-- he was more upright than he liked to be and his legs were already squished. I definitely didn't want to flip him so I sold that seat and got him a Clek Foonf. He's very comfy in it and we'll be able to keep him rear facing a lot longer since this kid seems to grow about an inch a month.
Thats exactly the seat we have...hmmm. I'm going to turn it back around and play around with it a bit - makes sure its exactly as it should be. She'll adjust back to rear facing. Its only been a couple days anyway.

Glad to hear you're changing her back

shortstuff15 · July 2013

Nicb13:
Is this post for real? How could you possibly not know what this board would tell about RF for as long as possible?
ETA: sorry, that was really b*tchy but these posts drive me crazy. Guess you really didn't know.

She said she is in Canada. Being in Canada I will say that it is not commonly conveyed that the recommendations are to RF until 2. I honestly would not have known if I hadn't been on here. I live in a rural area so that may have something to do with it, but neither my doctor nor the health nurses mentioned anything to me about it and all the literature given to me gave the 1 year and 20 pounds law.

KarynR25 · July 2013

Nicb13:
Is this post for real? How could you possibly not know what this board would tell about RF for as long as possible?
ETA: sorry, that was really b*tchy but these posts drive me crazy. Guess you really didn't know.

Thanks...I guess. Does it make you feel good to make a Mom (someone you share a common thread with) feel like crap?

On that note I do appreciate all the tips/advice from everyone else. The common advice we are given at health clinics in canada are to keep your child rear facing until their 22 pounds, walking, and 1 year old. Beyond that you sort of have to do your own research so I wanted to put it out there to see what other moms have done.

KarynR25 · July 2013

dhviel:
Nicb13:
Is this post for real? How could you possibly not know what this board would tell about RF for as long as possible?
ETA: sorry, that was really b*tchy but these posts drive me crazy. Guess you really didn't know.
She said she is in Canada. Being in Canada I will say that it is not commonly conveyed that the recommendations are to RF until 2. I honestly would not have known if I hadn't been on here. I live in a rural area so that may have something to do with it, but neither my doctor nor the health nurses mentioned anything to me about it and all the literature given to me gave the 1 year and 20 pounds law.

^^ This.

myluckypig · July 2013

Nicb13:
Is this post for real? How could you possibly not know what this board would tell about RF for as long as possible?
ETA: sorry, that was really b*tchy but these posts drive me crazy. Guess you really didn't know.

Lol!! For real...

LadyXaverian · July 2013

Going on 28 months old and in the 95th %ile for height. Still RF.

Meery82 · July 2013

Damnit, I want a Foonf! My husband is too flippin cheap though.

I do think that it is not common knowledge to keep the RF for as long as possible. Most people I know flip them as soon as possible. Stupid, IMO, but I just don't think people are fully educated on the topic.

Meery82 · July 2013

Nicb13:
Kimbus22:
Meery82:
Damnit, I want a Foonf! My husband is too flippin cheap though.
I do think that it is not common knowledge to keep the RF for as long as possible. Most people I know flip them as soon as possible. Stupid, IMO, but I just don't think people are fully educated on the topic.
I think that her point was that, even if it's not common knowledge IRL, it's absolutely common knowledge on TB. There are posts like this every day or two on multiple boards and they always go the same way. It gets really repetitive. That's why people are encouraged to lurk around before posting questions that have already been answered multiple times.
Ah! You get me! That was my point and yes, I could have just bit my tongue and not posted at all but unless it's your first time on TB, then you've seen 1,000 posts just like this one and the consensus is always the same. I have my bad days and I lash out. Sorry!

Ah, I see. Yes, on TB, I would definitely call it common knowledge.

KarynR25 · July 2013

Nicb13:
Meery82:
Nicb13:
Kimbus22:
Meery82:
Damnit, I want a Foonf! My husband is too flippin cheap though.
I do think that it is not common knowledge to keep the RF for as long as possible. Most people I know flip them as soon as possible. Stupid, IMO, but I just don't think people are fully educated on the topic.
I think that her point was that, even if it's not common knowledge IRL, it's absolutely common knowledge on TB. There are posts like this every day or two on multiple boards and they always go the same way. It gets really repetitive. That's why people are encouraged to lurk around before posting questions that have already been answered multiple times.
Ah! You get me! That was my point and yes, I could have just bit my tongue and not posted at all but unless it's your first time on TB, then you've seen 1,000 posts just like this one and the consensus is always the same. I have my bad days and I lash out. Sorry!
Ah, I see. Yes, on TB, I would definitely call it common knowledge.

And if you don't know it then learn it quick!!!

LO is back rear facing and I feel better about it. I am new to TB and should have done a bit more lurking before this post! Lesson learned!I do appreciate all the tips/advice though and thats why I turned her back around. Kind of PO'd that the public health nurse here hands out documents that detail when you can turn your kid around, when all of the other research shows its better to keep them RF longer. Silly.

KarynR25 · July 2013

Nicb13:
KarynR25:
Nicb13:
Meery82:
Nicb13:
Kimbus22:
Meery82:
Damnit, I want a Foonf! My husband is too flippin cheap though.
I do think that it is not common knowledge to keep the RF for as long as possible. Most people I know flip them as soon as possible. Stupid, IMO, but I just don't think people are fully educated on the topic.
I think that her point was that, even if it's not common knowledge IRL, it's absolutely common knowledge on TB. There are posts like this every day or two on multiple boards and they always go the same way. It gets really repetitive. That's why people are encouraged to lurk around before posting questions that have already been answered multiple times.
Ah! You get me! That was my point and yes, I could have just bit my tongue and not posted at all but unless it's your first time on TB, then you've seen 1,000 posts just like this one and the consensus is always the same. I have my bad days and I lash out. Sorry!
Ah, I see. Yes, on TB, I would definitely call it common knowledge.

And if you don't know it then learn it quick!!!
LO is back rear facing and I feel better about it. I am new to TB and should have done a bit more lurking before this post! Lesson learned!I do appreciate all the tips/advice though and thats why I turned her back around. Kind of PO'd that the public health nurse here hands out documents that detail when you can turn your kid around, when all of the other research shows its better to keep them RF longer. Silly.
I wish that everyone in healthcare would be on the same page about this whether you are in Canada or the US because it is a serious topic and it's awful when parents are just confused about it. I'm glad you're doing what you feel best about with your child because that's what matters.
Now you are familiar with car seat threads! Next up, rice cereal! haha

Haha...I think I'll stay out of the Rice Cereal threads...I'm sure there are LOTS of passionate opinions about it!! Stick out tongue

wychets · August 2013

DD is 31lbs, 21m old, and RF. I planned on changing her to FF but I have to admit I am very nervous about it...And honestly what's the rush?

strawberrytree · August 2013

dhviel said:

Nicb13:
Is this post for real? How could you possibly not know what this board would tell about RF for as long as possible?
ETA: sorry, that was really b*tchy but these posts drive me crazy. Guess you really didn't know.
She said she is in Canada. Being in Canada I will say that it is not commonly conveyed that the recommendations are to RF until 2. I honestly would not have known if I hadn't been on here. I live in a rural area so that may have something to do with it, but neither my doctor nor the health nurses mentioned anything to me about it and all the literature given to me gave the 1 year and 20 pounds law.

Really? I am also in Canada and I have seen it conveyed several places that you should RF until 2 at least. I did do my own research as well, but when we were leaving the hospital my nurse told me no snowsuits, no car seat covers that go behind the baby, and RF until they outgrow the limits of their carseat. We took our carseat to an installation clinic and the tech doing the installation reiterated keeping them RF as long as possible and taught me the saying "broken leg, cast it; broken neck, casket." I do live in a more urban area though. Maybe it's more of a rural vs. urban thing.

skibunny59 · August 2013

Nicb13 said:

Is this post for real? How could you possibly not know what this board would tell about RF for as long as possible?
ETA: sorry, that was really b*tchy but these posts drive me crazy. Guess you really didn't know.

Honestly, a lot of people don't know. I didn't know. My sister in law forward faced her kids once they turned a year old and weighed 20lbs. (Her youngest is 3.) DH and I actually forward faced DD when she turned one. She was like that for a month and then we turned her back to rear facing after I was here on the bump and there was a similar post like this. My cousin has her 13 month old front facing but I think it's because she really doesn't know about the new recommendation. I mean, honestly, I don't know what parent would forward face after you've done your research and know.

alake · August 2013

Out of five kids, my 7 and a half year old is forward facing, but is still harnessed.
My DD2 turned 6 four days ago and is rear facing upon her request in a Foonf.
If they want they can forward face at four, but that is my minimum.

ebp913 · August 2013

christel811 said:

I agree, some people just don't know. I have a friend whose 18 month old is forward facing and has been since she was about 10 months old. She also has the chest clip on her stomach. She posts pictures on facebook all the time about her daughters carseat adventures. I dont' say anything, it's her kid and she can do whatever she wants.

I see this all the time too. My DD and my good friend's son are the only 2 rear facing kids I know who are over 1 year old.

Eleventy11 · August 2013

I'm not sure that pediatricians aren't required to tell people they can flip at a year. Our pedi made a point of saying that he "had to tell us that legally" we could ff. However, he strongly discouraged it. I have no plans to change until we simply have to.

I also cringe every time I see friends on FB and Instagram with their little ones ff. My DD seems to be the only one still rear facing.

shortstuff15 · August 2013

strawberrytree said:

dhviel said:

Nicb13:
Is this post for real? How could you possibly not know what this board would tell about RF for as long as possible?
ETA: sorry, that was really b*tchy but these posts drive me crazy. Guess you really didn't know.
She said she is in Canada. Being in Canada I will say that it is not commonly conveyed that the recommendations are to RF until 2. I honestly would not have known if I hadn't been on here. I live in a rural area so that may have something to do with it, but neither my doctor nor the health nurses mentioned anything to me about it and all the literature given to me gave the 1 year and 20 pounds law.

Really? I am also in Canada and I have seen it conveyed several places that you should RF until 2 at least. I did do my own research as well, but when we were leaving the hospital my nurse told me no snowsuits, no car seat covers that go behind the baby, and RF until they outgrow the limits of their carseat. We took our carseat to an installation clinic and the tech doing the installation reiterated keeping them RF as long as possible and taught me the saying "broken leg, cast it; broken neck, casket." I do live in a more urban area though. Maybe it's more of a rural vs. urban thing.

Leaving the hospital the nurse checked the carseat to make sure baby was buckled in right. I know I had it too loose (for both kids) and I did that on purpose to see how tight the nurse would make it. Neither time the nurse even tightened it at all so I had to do that in the car. Nothing was said about snowsuits, seat covers or rearfacing. Here there is only an installation clinic once a month or maybe it's ever two months. It's probably more of a rural thing then a Canada wide thing though.

MTipler22 · August 2013

We just switched our twins' convertible car seats forward facing this past weekend. They just turned 2 (though that is their adjusted age). We kept them RF as long as we could but their legs are now very cramped and it's been really hard to get them into their seats RF. I am happy that we made it until their 2nd birthday though. I'm surprised by the amount of people (family & friends) that cannot believe that we kept them rear facing that long.... I've been given a lot of crap about it. I just wanna yell... DO YOUR RESEARCH, PEOPLE!!!! We took a 5 hr trip up north a few months back and I posted a pic of my twins in their carseats rear-facing watching their DVD players on Facebook and I got so many.... WHY ARE THEY STILL FACED TO THE BACK?! You're crazy!" comments... that my DH and I just laughed. Insane.

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