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Any fellow Car Seat freaks in Chicago?

post #1 of 26
10/24/09 at 4:35am
Thread Starter 
Hi! Well, I'll get to the point. I've never seen a child over the age of 12 months rear facing, other than my daughter and kids I put in our car in our seats.

I always see kids in NO seats, 2yr olds in boosters, and everyone and their mother in Cosco Combo Boosters. So...

are there any other car seat freaks like me out there? I've yet to meet one!

My DD is 22mos, ~36", and ~30lbs, with ~15" torso height, REAR FACING in her Safety First Complete Air. And loving it.

Anyone else a car seat freak?
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post #2 of 26
10/24/09 at 1:36pm
I know they're out there. But, to be honest, I turned my oldest around to front facing when she was just over 20 lbs. She was 15 months, I think? My second will be 20 lbs. well before a year old but I'm still going to wait until she's over one year.

I was crossing the street the other day in front of a car that was stopped at the stop sign. This man had a little girl 3 or 4 maybe STANDING UP BETWEEN THE TWO FRONT SEATS!! I was appalled! To my chagrin, I didn't say anything. Maybe I should have??
post #3 of 26
10/24/09 at 1:38pm
Sorry, but I must be missing something? Don't you turn them to front facing when they are one year old?
post #4 of 26
10/24/09 at 4:52pm
Thread Starter 
Thistles- Aah! I hate when I see things like that. I've never once called the police (I'd doubt they'd do anything, not sure what their protocal on this is) or anything. I've been tempted to leave notes.. Egh. Just plain ol' misuse or non-use of car seats. KWIM? A forward facing INFANT seat.. ten kids in the back seat.. it's like the norm around here.

mom0810- By law, yes, you can, if they're 20lbs and 12 months old. There are tons of studies though, as well as crash test videos that state differently. It is reccommended now by many experts to keep your child rear facing until the limit on their convertible car seat is reached. For example.. a child can rear face in a seat until they meet the max rear-facing weight (usually 35lbs), and until their head is 1" from the top of the shell. At the time where those criteria are met, they can be turned around.

There are higher-weight rear facing seats out there, like the Sunshine Kids Radians (www.skjp.com), The Graco MyRide65, and the Safety 1st Complete Air, which is what we have for our DD. Each of these rear faces to at LEAST 40lbs. I expect to have my DD rear facing until she's around 4, based on her current height and weight and the room she still has to grow in the seat.

One BIG misconseption that I and other moms get is "well, what do they do with their legs? Won't their legs break?" Well, sure, it is possible. But a greater possiblity being FORWARD facing is breaking their necks. I believe that broken legs are better than a broken neck. Sure, I'd prefer neither, but kids are 500% safer rear facing for that reason.

Here are some crash test videos that show rear facing vs. forward facing. These might make up your mind for you
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8mFsXNXOLw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psmUW...eature=related

Here is a video about extended rear facing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_s2mE5ZVeQ

Here is a sad story for you. This grandpa is now a huge extended rear facing (ERF) supporter. He gives alot of good explanation in the video though.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8gU9zzCGA8

And this is why parents are advised now to keep their kids in a 5-point harness as long as possible instead of just jumping to a booster seat right away

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2kO8...eature=related

Hope that all helped a little bit!
post #5 of 26
10/24/09 at 10:09pm
Funny that you mention this because I was just talking with a friend about this today. Granted, she & I are not safety freaks but we know many, many Chicago mamas who are boasting about their new Radian XT (or something like that). You're not alone!
post #6 of 26
10/24/09 at 11:53pm
Thread Starter 
Ooooh I want a Radian! LOL! Glad to know I'm not alone though.
post #7 of 26
10/25/09 at 9:54am
My kid still screams hysterically in the car at 9 months old. I don't know if I can last past 1 year for rear facing, she's already well over 20 lbs....
post #8 of 26
10/25/09 at 3:05pm
Well, my lo was less than an inch from the top of the seat at 1 year old and way over 20 lbs. He's now almost 2 and quickly growing out of the new seat, too! I am sorry I didn't know all of this then, but it never would have occured to me. His legs were so bunched up facing backward that he hated the car until i turned him around!

I hadn't thought about all of this, I guess I am not a car seat freak. I am sure it's all good information though, thanks!
post #9 of 26
10/25/09 at 3:55pm
Thread Starter 
Just had to throw the info out there for ya though I prefer much more for people to be educated and then make their own decision rather than people to have no knowledge at all to back up their decisions So I guess I have the need to chuck out info when I see on opportunity- sorry if it sounded like I was trying to offend you Just wanted you to know your options!

AirMiami- Is there something that makes you think that rear facing is making your daughter cry?
post #10 of 26
10/25/09 at 4:31pm
I'm not as much a freak as you My DH turned ours kids FF at 13 months (and well over 20 lbs) and I didn't fight him on it. But....our DS1 is 6.5 yrs old and still in a 5 pt harness in a SK Radian 80
post #11 of 26
10/25/09 at 5:45pm
Thread Starter 


Yeah.. most people I know eliminate the car seat entirely after they outgrow it forward facing.. some even before then! Happy to know your DS is still in a seat- and of all seats- harnessed
post #12 of 26
10/26/09 at 10:02am
Oh, no, no offense taken. I feel bad that I did not know all of this stuff.

Oh well, I know now... IF we have any more kids. But for now I have a 2 year old that's 31 lbs, and a 4 year old that is 37 lbs, and they are both very very tall. Still in carseats, 5 pt harness, the whole deal, but I think that's the minimum the law requires. Dunno...

I am old enough to remember when kids were just sitting in the "back-back" of the station wagon, no restraint at all... so I guess I feel like I am doing okay.
post #13 of 26
10/26/09 at 1:45pm
Thanks for the links WindyCityMom! My daughter is 13 months, just over 20lbs and 30 inches tall and we still have her rear facing because I've just been resistant to facing her forward. My DH has been wanting to turn her forward facing so that she can "join" us rather than feel so separated. I think I'll check out those links with him.
post #14 of 26
10/26/09 at 4:23pm
Thread Starter 
Sure thing

For those curious, here is a photo of how my daughter currently fits in her car seat. Keep in mind she's 36" tall
http://i348.photobucket.com/albums/q...1005091203.jpg

And here is a photo of how much room she has to go in that seat (just for the heck of it!)
http://i348.photobucket.com/albums/q...s/DSC03126.jpg
post #15 of 26
10/28/09 at 7:46pm
I'm not hardcore on extended rearfacing . . . but, my dd turned 4 today and she's still in her Britax Boulevard. DS who is probably at the limit on his Britax bucket seat turned 7 mos on Monday and his Boulevard arrived in the mail the other day. Really need to install that since he's either at the height or weight limit - or both - on his current seat.
post #16 of 26
10/29/09 at 12:00am


Hi! I'm a TOTAL car seat freak. DS is still RF (although he's only 14 months, so its still soooo early) and I have no plans to turn him anytime soon.

I make DH install all carseats that DS rides in. I've taken every car with every different seat we've had to professional car seat checks EVERY TIME. (The techs said that DH had installed the seat perfectly! The most secure install they had seen all day! )

But I know what you mean- all of my cousins/siblings turned their kids FF the instant they could and had never heard of extended RF. Both my ped AND the car seat tech (!) told me to turn DS FF at his first birthday!!! Man, was I livid when I heard that. These are the professionals- they're supposed to know best practices! I sure did set them straight.... unfortunately, all they did was look at me funny and say "Sure, ok, whatever, turn his seat around whenever you want..."

But anyway... Yup. Total car seat geek.
post #17 of 26
10/30/09 at 4:18am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Belia View Post


Hi! I'm a TOTAL car seat freak.

woohoo That is so good to hear. I can't believe a tech told you to turn them FFing at 12mos- that is nuts, lol!

I'm 8 months pregnant and love installing all our our seats (um.. all five ) into MILs truck in every position possible. I have the slight reputation for being nuts, since I do climb up on the seats with my big ol' belly and then take numerous photos of my installs- haha.

Anyways, glad to hear someone else in the area is as keen about ERFing as I am
post #18 of 26
11/4/09 at 4:22pm
Car seat freak in Chicago here too I kept DS1 RFing until after he was 2 but moved him when I was so pregnant it was getting really hard to get him in the car RFing. DS2 is just over 1 and is, of course, still RFing. I keep trying to encourage others to read a little on it but it is often met with resistance.
post #19 of 26
11/5/09 at 12:26pm
Me too. I have rear faced all my children well past the age of 1. Be back later to read more....
post #20 of 26
11/5/09 at 2:51pm
Thread Starter 
charlieandhenry- that's awesome :] I know what you mean though- I've got DD rear facing- she's 30+lbs and rear facing, I'm 8 months pregnant, and boy is it hard to get her in there! My DH is usually there though, so I try to get him to put her in the seat and then I just buckle her in.
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