Forward facing Car Seat when turns 2

MrsThirdBird · May 2014

My DS is going to turn 2 soon. He is still in rear facing car seat. It's getting tight (he's close to 90th percent in height/weight but we have decided to keep him facing backwards till 2. He's so close. His convertible car seat is currently in the middle of the back seat. When people turn the carseat forward, do you leave in middle or what is the safest/best location? Everyone I know has had a 2nd child by then and so they are moved to the sides because there are two car seats. Thanks for input!

flummadiddle85 · May 2014

What do you mean it's getting tight? Leg room? If he's within the limits of the seat,I wouldn't worry. https://csftl.org/rear-facing-car-seat-myths-busted/ and I think most seats need the top tether for FF, right?

hilsy85 · May 2014

If we turn LO before we have another baby, he will stay in the middle. Otherwise, he'll go behind the passenger seat.

=Lee=B · May 2014

The best and safety spot in the car is the spot you get the best install and the best harness adjustment EVERYTIME the child is in the car. So, if for what ever reason your child is better strapped in while in an outboard seat then it is best to use that seat. The middle I considered a teeny bit safer WHEN the seat and child are properly strapped in BUT the sides are very safe as well.

I prefer the middle as I sit in the back with the car door closed to strap my daughter in...this means no snow or rain or wind or what ever and I can sitting so can better wrangle her into the seat :-) She is rear facing though, not sure if it becomes easier to strap them in once forward facing.

smileybabyboy · May 2014

You can keep him rear facing until he reaches the heigh or weigh limit of the seat, whichever comes first. It is recommended to keep them rear facing til 2 but it is safest to keep them rear facing for as long as possible. DS's seat has a 40 pound weight limit and isn't even close to that or the height limit yet. I won't turn him around until he reaches that which might be around 4 years old. If LO's legs are bent, he is fine and can just cross them. Keeping LO in the middle is generally safest, but it's best to put the carseat where ever you get the best fit. Car seats for the littles is a great facebook page where you can get a lot of information and any other questions answered.

LittleApple · May 2014

Just because they turn 2, doesn't magically mean they should forward face. If he/she still fits in the seat rear facing, it is safer for them to stay that way.

ASmallWonder · May 2014

When you turn him, you'll need to place him in a seating location that has a top tether hook. Some middle seats have it and some don't so that may be your deciding factor. If/when you have a second, if you can do side by side installs you would leave him in the middle and put the baby on either side because a forward facer should be in the most protected seating spot, which is the middle.

salbabe79 · May 2014

we all would be safer if we were rear-facing when not driving. recommendation is for as long as possible. I have friends that turned their kiddos around at 1 year old, and my cousin (a car-safety expert) has her 4 year old daughter still rear facing, she just crosses her legs. i know that he middle is safer for rear facing but im not sure what the stats are for forward facing...come to think of it, unless it is someone with 3 or more kids, i cant picture a forward facing car seat in the middle!!

Meery82 · May 2014

smileybabyboy said:

You can keep him rear facing until he reaches the heigh or weigh limit of the seat, whichever comes first. It is recommended to keep them rear facing til 2 but it is safest to keep them rear facing for as long as possible. DS's seat has a 40 pound weight limit and isn't even close to that or the height limit yet. I won't turn him around until he reaches that which might be around 4 years old. If LO's legs are bent, he is fine and can just cross them. Keeping LO in the middle is generally safest, but it's best to put the carseat where ever you get the best fit. Car seats for the littles is a great facebook page where you can get a lot of information and any other questions answered.

This. Please keep your child RF as long as possible. My son is 23 months and is RF in the middle of the back seat. It's a pain in the ass getting him in there, but it's worth it for the added safety. He's going to stay that way until he outgrows the seat limits. If for some reason you do decide to FF, the middle is still the safest, as long as you can tether.

Meery82 · May 2014

salbabe79 said:

we all would be safer if we were rear-facing when not driving. recommendation is for as long as possible. I have friends that turned their kiddos around at 1 year old, and my cousin (a car-safety expert) has her 4 year old daughter still rear facing, she just crosses her legs. i know that he middle is safer for rear facing but im not sure what the stats are for forward facing...come to think of it, unless it is someone with 3 or more kids, i cant picture a forward facing car seat in the middle!!

I wondered also if the stats were different once they are FF. It appears that they are not.

ETA: the damn link won't paste. The Car Seat Lady says that FF in the middle is still 43% safer.

DawnLilly · May 2014

DS will be two in June. The only reason he is FF now is because the seat will not fit in the truck backwards. It will also not fit on either side. His legs sit on my middle console. I just love love love the mud on the console and the back of my arms.

If you can leave him RF, do it.

ETA: from my uncle who is an EMT: middle is the safest and the passenger side is the least safe. This is because in an accident you will automatically turn yourself away from it.

ASmallWonder · May 2014

DawnLilly said:

DS will be two in June. The only reason he is FF now is because the seat will not fit in the truck backwards. It will also not fit on either side. His legs sit on my middle console. I just love love love the mud on the console and the back of my arms. If you can leave him RF, do it. ETA: from my uncle who is an EMT: middle is the safest and the passenger side is the least safe. This is because in an accident you will automatically turn yourself away from it.

This actually started from the show The Office and isn't actually true

One study will show one side and the next study the other so it's a wash.

g8trkim · May 2014

elmoali said:

When you turn him, you'll need to place him in a seating location that has a top tether hook. Some middle seats have it and some don't so that may be your deciding factor. If/when you have a second, if you can do side by side installs you would leave him in the middle and put the baby on either side because a forward facer should be in the most protected seating spot, which is the middle.

This. It depends on your seats too. Sometimes the middle seats have a bit of a hump and the seat doesn't sit as sturdy.

DawnLilly · May 2014

elmoali said:

DawnLilly said:

DS will be two in June. The only reason he is FF now is because the seat will not fit in the truck backwards. It will also not fit on either side. His legs sit on my middle console. I just love love love the mud on the console and the back of my arms.

If you can leave him RF, do it.

ETA: from my uncle who is an EMT: middle is the safest and the passenger side is the least safe. This is because in an accident you will automatically turn yourself away from it.

This actually started from the show The Office and isn't actually true

One study will show one side and the next study the other so it's a wash.

This was advice he gave my dad when my dad was placing me in the back of the Monte Carlo he had in 1989. I'm thinking the Office probably wasn't a factor.

ASmallWonder · May 2014

The thought process was likely around for a long time but the current common thinking is mostly influenced by that show. It really doesn't make sense if you think about it. If you're turning left, the driver side is going to be impacted far more often than in any right hand turn. If you're driving straight, you will turn your wheel away from wherever the impact is coming from. Like, if someone is changing lanes toward your passenger side, you will jerk the wheel away from that, same in they're approaching from your left. When you're driving, the entire car instinctively becomes an extension of your body. You will veer away from the direction of any danger, regardless of where it's coming from.

minervacullen · May 2014

@elmoali‌ is correct.
The techs on csftl are constantly correcting the drivers side myth.

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