how old is your toddler & are they FF or RF in their car seat? - Page 6

[Artichokie]

Originally Posted by Geist 

we turned our son around as soon as he met the minimum age and weight requirements to be FF. He absolutely hated rear-facing and would scream the entire time we were in the car. Turning him around completely solved that problem.

 

[olien]

Originally Posted by ASusan 

DS is 39 months, and we just switched him to FF this week. What a trip! We now have a little back-seat driver who points out all the stop signs and big hills.

He is nearing the top of his TruFit(!) and it was getting very difficult to do the buckles with his legs curled up and in the way. His legs to dangle, now, and he often puts them on the seatback to rest. urg.

Is that why I have been having such a hard time lately?? Duh. It didn't even dawn on me it was bec of his leg placement.

DS is 29mo & also nearing the top. he was 38.5in when last measured. i think TruFit goes to 40in. I think that is one of the tallest seats, so I dont know what I am going to do. I really want him RF longer...
 

[mummamilk]

 DS is 22 months and is RF in a infant seat. We have a new Radian that is RF until 45lbs.

I don't need to watch "video" I have lived it 3 times. DS was with me just last month in a car accident. He slept through the whole thing. Everyone on the scene said he was "just fine because he was RF. Meanwhile I was strapped to a back board and put in an ambulance. I wish I could be "just fine" after an accident.

He will be RF until he exceeds the limits of the car seat.

I drive a Sienna. DS's seat is in a captain's chair.

[AFWife]

My son is 21.5mo and FF. We turned him when he was 19/20mo old (I don't remember). It was kind of an "accident" to be honest... We had talked about having him FF because he'd have to sit behind DH (and DH can't push his seat forward anymore without hugging the wheel) but I was unsure. Well, we were rushing out of the house one day and I realized the carseat wasn't installed (I'd brought it inside to measure him in it properly) and our seat (Alpha Omega Elite) has always been faster and better FF in our car...so that's what I did.

DS LOVED it. He giggled the entire time. We kept it that way for the rest of the week and realized that car rides were suddenly much more pleasant. So, we've kept him that way. (It would have happened before 2 anyway because of DH being back so far)

[astar326]

Originally Posted by YayJennie 

We turned my son FF when he was about 16 months in preparation for his little sister (there was no way we could fit 2 RF car seats in my car).

i have the same situation. ds will be ~20 months when his sibling arrives and we won't be able to fit 2 rfing seats (and my tall dh), so we will turn him then. he is 24 lbs now and his seat would rf until 35 lbs. i would really like to keep him rfing longer, but i can't afford a new car.

[lilgavbenstine]

Another beneft/con depending on how you look at it about RF is snacking. I know with my older kids who FF at or before 1, they are 12 and 10 now, snacked all the time in the car. We did drive thru frequently. I'd hand them their burger and we be off. With YDS we rarely alow him to eat in his seat because I can't see him and I can't tell if he's ok. I think its so much better. Older kids began to expect a snack on every car ride. Ben doesn't even ask. And we avoid the drive thru unless I have big kid to help supervise. Healthier for him.

[Zimbah]

DD is 2.3 years and rearfacing, we'll probably keep her RFing until the new baby (I'm 6 months pg) grows out of her baby seat and needs to go in DD's Britax 2we.  If DC2 is similar size to DD, that will be around age 1 so DD1 would be 3.5 which I'm happy with.  I don't think we could comfortably have two rearfacing seats in our car because it would mean moving the drivers seat and therefore the rear seat behind every time me and DH swap driving which would be really annoying.  But we'll see how it goes, and also what the options are for FF seats at 3.5 considering that DD is 9-25 percentile so it takes a long time for her to hit the weight limits.

I find one advantage of RFing is that I can eat whatever I like in the front and DD can't see me and start asking for some - particularly useful in early pregnancy when I needed to eat almost constantly but didn't want DD to eat whatever unhealthy thing I was guzzling.

[sunshine9]

19 months and facing forward

[AndtheStars]

18 mos and RF in my car in a Marathon, FF in DH's and my parent's car, RF in in-laws car.  DS seems to not care which way he faces so I think that the current situations will last for awhile.  He rides in my car 95% of the time. 

[Chloe'sMama]

DD1 is 32 months and RF.   we just got the complete air so we can keep her rf longer!

[Wilbur]

I'm impressed that so many of you were able to stick w/RF for so long. DS is really tall and just really didn't fit anymore, was too scrunched up and we'd have to shove his legs in and I think he was probably pretty uncomfortable (he's also really thin, so he wasn't too much over the minimum weight req and I felt guilty about that). We probably switched him around 18 months and I have to say it made car rides much, much easier. I get really nauseous when I face backward in a moving car so maybe he was having a similar problem? But the crying spells completely stopped... when he eventually has a sibling, however, I'd really like to hold off longer.

[DomerJen]

DS is 23mo and rear facing.  He's only 21 lbs, though - he wouldn't have been legal until 18mo!  haha.  I have no plans to turn him until he reaches the height/weight limit for the seat.  Which will probably be around age 7.  Ha!

[DomerJen]

Originally Posted by olien 

Originally Posted by ASusan 

DS is 39 months, and we just switched him to FF this week. What a trip! We now have a little back-seat driver who points out all the stop signs and big hills.

He is nearing the top of his TruFit(!) and it was getting very difficult to do the buckles with his legs curled up and in the way. His legs to dangle, now, and he often puts them on the seatback to rest. urg.

Is that why I have been having such a hard time lately?? Duh. It didn't even dawn on me it was bec of his leg placement.

DS is 29mo & also nearing the top. he was 38.5in when last measured. i think TruFit goes to 40in. I think that is one of the tallest seats, so I dont know what I am going to do. I really want him RF longer...
 

The radian might go higher.

[Tiddilywinks]

17 months and still rear facing, I have Marathons with a 33 pound weight limit and he will stay RF until he is too heavy.

[Greenlea]

Originally Posted by Geist 

we turned our son around as soon as he met the minimum age and weight requirements to be FF. He absolutely hated rear-facing and would scream the entire time we were in the car. Turning him around completely solved that problem.

Same here, it was probably way earlier than most moms would like, but my son was misrable RF.  Maybe my now 3mth old will last longer.  As long as he is comfortable and not minding RF, I will ERF.
 

[giraffee]

RF my DD who is 32 mo. She is just under the 35 lb limit, so we either need to buy a new 40lb FR carseat, or turn her around. I insist on buying a new seat, but DH is reluctant as he thinks she is already too squished in there. I am not sure where this will go, as the higher limit carseat is expensive and there is only a couple of them available in Canada.

[jillmamma]

My oldest (now 8) was turned at 12 months, but I have since learned about ERF, so my girls have gone/will go longer.  My 5 year old DD sat RF till 4y3m (right before little sister was born) and could have easily stayed that way another year or more (even now she is only 33 lb), but I figured since she was already 4 and I needed to fit 3 across (which worked better with her seat FF), I would go ahead and turn her.  My youngest is 12 months and 17 lb, RF in a Radian XTSL, so I don't foresee turning her for at least 3 more years either.

[star*mora]

ds1 was rearfacing until october - so 3.5yrs old

ds2 is 16mths and we plan on going til 3.5 or 4yrs old now that we have a radian with a 45lb rearfacing limit now that they are available in canada.

[MangoMommy]

I struggle with this. I have a 20.5 month old, she's about 22 lbs (not sure of height) and is RF in a Marathon and she HATES car rides, screams the whole time, fights fights fights me getting in. It's horrible. It's been going on since November.  We one time took a ride in a friend's car who had a FF carseat, and she sat there when we ran errands and she hasn't been happy since. Seriously. She rode ONCE FF and ever since then, has made life very hellish getting in the car and going anywhere. 

I am very very close to turning her around. I can't take it much longer, the screaming and the fighting me to get in the carseat. I look like I'm hurting her, trying to bend her legs, unarch her back,etc. I have to force her in the seat with a lot of strength. It's very upsetting for both of us. 

What do I do? Ugg. I KNOW RF is much safer but it's totally hell in the car. And we are in the car a lot, doing lots of little 25mph trips around town. 

[micah_mae_]

DS is 26 months, 27.5 in and 35 lbs. He's still rf'ing and will until he's 40 lbs.