Anyone heard this one before?

[Agatha_Ann]

Twice this week, I have heard this new reason why children under 2 are FFing. Two of my daycare families have told me that their children wouldn't stop climbing out of the seat until they turned them around. What the heck?

One is 14 months and the other is 15 months. Two random conversations, where the parent brought up the topic, stated how they know it is wrong, but it is the only way to keep them in the seat...Um maybe start with tightening the straps properly?

Is this total coincedence I heard this from two people, or is this a new excuse?

[DahliaRW]

Probably new excuse from people who already misuse seats.

[sewaneecook]

It may not be just an excuse.  I was able to maneuver my way out of very tight spots when I was little (and I still can get my shoulders very narrow to squeeze through small areas in kiddie play areas).  Granted car seats have changed in the last 30 years, but I regularly climbed out of my car seat as a toddler.  I don't know if I could get all the way out of current seats, but I'm certain I could get my upper body out without much of an issue. 

[AFWife]

Originally Posted by sewaneecook 

It may not be just an excuse.  I was able to maneuver my way out of very tight spots when I was little (and I still can get my shoulders very narrow to squeeze through small areas in kiddie play areas).  Granted car seats have changed in the last 30 years, but I regularly climbed out of my car seat as a toddler.  I don't know if I could get all the way out of current seats, but I'm certain I could get my upper body out without much of an issue. 

My little brother was dubbed "Little Houdini" for this very reason. He used to climb out of his stroller. You could strap him in extra tight, turn your back for a minute, and he'd be on the floor. Seriously.

[blessedwithboys]

My ds1 stopped trying to get out of his seat when I put him FF at 12 mos.  As time went on, I learned that he had sensory processing issues and had been getting carsick from riding RF.

I agree that ERF is safer, and I'm 15 yrs more mature now that I was back then, so I might do it differently now, but at the time it was the best decision for us.  My options were leave him RF and risk him going through the windshield in a crash or go FF and know he was secure.

Live and learn, know better do better and all that jazz.  :)

[Monkey Keeper]

Late to the party, but my niece escaped like this too.  She figured out very young how to slide the chest clip down and then would just snake her arms out and then climb out the rest of the way. I had no carseat experience at the time, so IDK if her harness was perhaps too loose? But she really, genuinely could get out, and what she wanted to was to look over the back of the seat into the front. 

[Caneel]

Close friends had this problem with their daughter, she would absolutely not stay in her seat.  They turned her around at 18 months because it got to the point that they couldn't get down the road.  Probably not a good idea but the mom went so far to use diaper pins above and below the chest clip to slow down the escape processs and she quickly learned how to undo those.

[nia82]

What car seat is that that allows that? DS's Radian and his old Britax Boulevard won't allow that. It is really hard to slide the chest buckle up and down (even I have trouble - but I pull the straps really tight so that I cannot pinch the belt anymore as suggested by our CPST), let alone to open it. The bottom part where the metal buckles go is impossible for DS to open, even I need tons of force to do so...

My nephew escapes from his Britax, however that is in Europe and those toddler Britaxes there do NOT have chest buckles and are only buckled in at the bottom so it is super easy to escape from that car seat...

[Caneel]

Originally Posted by nia82 

What car seat is that that allows that?

The diaper pin containment system?  None, I am sure!  She was just desperate to keep her daughter in her carseat. 
 

[an_aurora]

We went through this too when DD2 was younger.  She's a very petite little girl and could wriggle out of her straps.  We turned her FF early (at 3 years of age) and that didn't solve the problem but at least I could see her and pull over quickly.  I would not recommend FF'ing to stop an escape artist.  There are many other tricks to try: what worked for us was putting a zip-up hoodie or shirt on her, buckling her up, and then zipping the shirt over the straps.  Same thing with overalls, button-down shirts, etc.  DD went back RF'ing at 3.5 and is 4 now and RF'ing.

[Lillitu]

This topic is tad judgmental from the first few posters. Perhaps you should really listen to people, instead of foisting your ideas of what is best for their family onto others. This is not a mompetition. Everyone wants what is best for their family and child, please try and remember that.

My son is 15 months and is RF. But unless one of us sits in the back with him (his carseat size and the size of our car make this hard- only I fit, not DP, which means he is the only one to drive, ever- when we are together and it is very difficult for one of us to take him somewhere without another adult- which is not always possible), he will work his way out of the seat trying to see us. I shit you not. He wants to see mama and daddy and nothing will stand in his way. This is why we are considering FF- he meets our state's requirements (over one year old and over 20 pounds) so it is not legally "wrong" as the OP stated.

I am fully aware that it is safer in an accident for my son to be RF, but what about other accidents, like the one caused by my son trying to crawl into the front seat when I must take him somewhere on my own without DP?

To assume people do not know what they are doing (I know how to install and adjust the straps on my son's seat, so the sarcasm is unwarranted) when they do something different from you is uncool. And perhaps they were sheepish with you in the first place because they knew you would be this judgy. Sheesh.

[Holly_Noelle]

Originally Posted by Lillitu 

This topic is tad judgmental from the first few posters. Perhaps you should really listen to people, instead of foisting your ideas of what is best for their family onto others. This is not a mompetition. Everyone wants what is best for their family and child, please try and remember that.

My son is 15 months and is RF. But unless one of us sits in the back with him (his carseat size and the size of our car make this hard- only I fit, not DP, which means he is the only one to drive, ever- when we are together and it is very difficult for one of us to take him somewhere without another adult- which is not always possible), he will work his way out of the seat trying to see us. I shit you not. He wants to see mama and daddy and nothing will stand in his way. This is why we are considering FF- he meets our state's requirements (over one year old and over 20 pounds) so it is not legally "wrong" as the OP stated.

I am fully aware that it is safer in an accident for my son to be RF, but what about other accidents, like the one caused by my son trying to crawl into the front seat when I must take him somewhere on my own without DP?

To assume people do not know what they are doing (I know how to install and adjust the straps on my son's seat, so the sarcasm is unwarranted) when they do something different from you is uncool. And perhaps they were sheepish with you in the first place because they knew you would be this judgy. Sheesh.

The OP never said anything about it being "legally wrong", in fact she states the parents of the kids said it was wrong. You seem a bit more defensive than the OP was judgemental.