Tiny toddler... when would you switch to FF?

[shanniesue2]

Just to clarify... I'm not considering turning him anytime soon. But part of me also can't see RFing him till he's 4+

Right now, he is 2 years 8 months old... his birthday is the end of Feb. He weighs 26 pounds and is just shy of 36". So he's got a loooong way to go before reaching the limits on his MyRide. Right now, I'm kind of thinking 3.5 I would feel better about FFing him... but I haven't decided. I probably won't keep him RF to the limit of his seat just because he's so tiny. I think if I waited until he outgrew the seat by weight or height, he would be well over the age of 4 (although who knows, he may hit a weird growth spurt and gain 14 pounds or grow 10 inches in the next 9 months)

Anyway, how long would you keep your child RF if you knew it was unlikely they would hit the limit of the seat before he was maybe 4.5 or 5?

[chickabiddy]

3.5-4

[leighi123]

My son is even smaller than yours - 3yrs + almost 4months, and he is 25lbs, and just barely 35" (including his crazy hair!)

I bought him a radian, and he will RF until he outgrows it, 45lbs or too tall. His head is really big, so to me that means he should RF as long as possible.

I'm hoping that I can put him right into a booster after rearfacing.


At 6, if he complains a ton, I'd consider FF him, but so far he is happy.

[weliveintheforest]

I'd leave my child rear facing. My dd is five, and I am thinking about buying her a seat so she can rearface, she is *just* over the weight limit for her britax. My son is 3 this month and will likely rear face until he is over 4. He weighs around 26-28 pounds, I don't know for sure..

[chickabiddy]

Originally Posted by chickabiddy

3.5-4

Clarifying that I'd leave the child RFing as long as s/he was content, but would consider turning for convenience or preference at the age above.

[Panonim]

My DS is just slightly smaller and a bit younger than yours. He is a skinny boy and will likely take a loooooong time to hit those RFing limits. I think I would wait until the 3-4 year mark and see how he's doing at that point.

[shanniesue2]

Originally Posted by chickabiddy

Clarifying that I'd leave the child RFing as long as s/he was content, but would consider turning for convenience or preference at the age above.

This is kind of what I'm thinking...
DS has absolutely no issues whatsoever with RFing... but I also don't really think he knows any different. I mean, he hasn't had much opportunity to ride with other toddlers/children who are aren't RF. So I don't think he realizes that there's any other way to ride. And as such, he doesn't complain. I see this as likely to change the closer he gets to 4.

One other thought that I had... for the few of you who have 4+ year olds who are still RF... how do you handle social visits with friends. I ask this because I have taught pre-k (now teaching kinder) and I know that kids start developing more social relationships at this point and going home with other kiddos after school and such. With the carseat, do you just not do this I guess (it also occurs to me that this would be an issue RF or FF). I mean, unfortunately, I don't think I've seen many of my pre-k/kindy students still in some kind of seat or booster. So anyway, I realize these are all sort of different questions... just something I've been thinking about

[alegna]

Dd was rf until 3.5 and I really hope to keep ds rf until at least 4. We don't do school (homeschool) but often have friends ride with us (and sometimes ride with friends) and it's no big deal.

-Angela

[leighi123]

At 3-4-5-6yrs old, if another kid asks why he is rearfacing, you just say "he is safer that way" and leave it at that. Young kids arent going to understand why RF is safer than not.

Levi has older friends, some who ride in boosters but most who are in FF harnessed seats, and none have ever said anything about his seat (and they do see it once in a while)


You will have to deal with this at some point anyway. Here you can be in an adult seatbelt at 5. So no way Levi will be doing that. There will be kids saying he is a baby for being in a booster or whatever at that point, but I'll teach him WHY he is in one, and he can tell his friends its safer!

Already he has kids (not his friends but random kids at the park and things) teasing him for being small, calling him a baby (even though he is probably smarter than they are!). He tells them "I am not a baby, I dont like it when you say that" and they always have just shut up about it and they all go off and play. Its really not a big deal with preschool kids.

[treeoflife3]

Kiddo will be RF til the limits of her radianxtsl or unless we need to turn her (another baby but no new car for instance) or she expresses a great desire to be turned.

I don't envision her being turned before 4 in any of those circumstances currently.

[Marissamom]

well, I still haven't quite reached the point where my 17 month old could turn legally (she's still 19.something lbs), but I plan on keeping her RFing until she outgrows her seat by height (I highly doubt she'll outgrow by weight) or if for some reason it ends up being completely uncomfortable. but really I plan on going straight from RFing to Booster, I figure by the strap placement she'll outgrow her MR RFing at the same time as FFing.

[urchin_grey]

DS is 5.5 and still RF'ing. We're planning to TTC soon, so I'm thinking maybe I'll turn him once I get big and pregnant. Mostly for ease of loading him and also, once the hypothetical baby is born, he could entertain him/her easier if he were FF.

I imagine I would still RF him for long trips though, no matter his age (as long as he still fit). Its just easier to sleep that way and usually when we go on trips we drive through the night so I'd want him to be comfy.

[mamadelbosque]

DS1 is 3.5 and ~36-37" and ~30-31#s. He's FFing now, but only cause' he broke his leg and simply would *NOT* fit w/ the cast RF (well, OK, I guess he *could* but it'd be incredibly awkward and way uncomfortable...). Otherwise, he'd still be rfing. (Previously I told DH that we could FF him at 4 or to the limits of his seat(s))

[sapphire_chan]

If it's a friend who'll be sitting in the car next to your LO, and it looks like your LO is feeling uncomfortably, you could point out that they can look at each other more easily that way.

[Amila]

DD turned 4 in july and has a radian with a 45 lb rfing limit. She is 33 lbs, lol. I turned her a month ago due to configuration issues in my minivan with the arrival of #3. If I could have kept her rfing I would have, but I felt ok turning her.

[an_aurora]

DD2 will be 4 in early March and right now weighs 28 pounds, and she is RF.  I did turn her FF right after her 3rd birthday because we were having behavioral issues (she really wanted to FF and would get out of her straps RF).  In August I was in a bad crash and we were all shaken up by it, and she was willing to go back RF.  Right now I have all 3 of my kids RF (37lb 5yo, 28lb 3 yo, 18lb 16mo) and I will FF the oldest as soon as she hits 40lbs or wants to FF.  I would like to get DD2 through the winter RF, so she would be 4.  And DS will be RF until at least 3, although I don't imagine any of them will hit 40 lbs until 6.

[bobandjess99]

My goal is to RF to age 6, which is entirely possible given my tiny dude is 35 inches and 26 lbs and about to turn 3  

After age 4, I would probably be okay with him being FFing for certain rides in others cars, but for the most part, there is no need for that.  I drive my kids, we homeschool, I'm always available. 

[jocelyndale]

At the age of four, I'll give DS a say in it.  He likes RF.  He knows he's safer RF.  He might outgrow RF by weight or height before he turns four--he just started growing like gangbusters.  I won't buy a new seat to RF a child who is beyond 3.5y.   If he was a young three, I'd consider it.

[tea_time]

I have a small DD and just switched her to FF after her 3rd birthday.  She's 3ft tall and 28 lbs.  She wouldn't have made it to the weight limit for a long time, but she was asking to move forward and we decided 3 was a reasonable milestone.  I actually find it a little harder to get her in and out of the seat b/c she needs more help.  She could get up easier when it was RF!

[kasey08]

DD is 2yrs 4 months, 20 lbs and 31.5". A few weeks ago we stopped using the Graco Safeseat carrier she came home from the hospital in because it felt a little weird to have her in it, haha. But she was still 10 or 12 pounds from the limit (nearing the height limit though). Now she's RF in the Cosco Scenera that was initially just our spare carseat. I'd like to keep her RF as long as possible.. Well after 4 years old, but we'll see how things are going then. And by then there will be even more seats invented to choose from. She's happy and comfortable and has no idea there is another way to ride in the car.