OT. rant! forward facing early

I've known moms to turn babies really early too.. I can only hope and pray that they do not become a statistic - my dd absolutely hated rear facing - I never for a moment thought about turning her to make her happy. Around 12 months (just in the last couple weeks) she tolerates her car seat so much more than she did 1-11 months! If parents were just patient, they would see that baby eventually gets use to it and they do fine rear facing. We plan to rear face up until dd hits the requirements.. We estimate that will be around 3 years.. Our carseat is a convertible that goes to 35 lbs rear facing. All the kids in my family were 7 years old before they hit that number so she may be rear facing longer..

LyndaH - If I'm ever on a train, I always sit in the backward facing seats for this very reason!

My 7 year old dd would still fit in the Diono rf. she's only 42 pounds! I'm going to check on one because the infant seat we have is getting snug at 9 months.

Because the neck strength and muscles aren't strong enough to hold a babies head in place well enough to prevent decapitation. It's the same concept as whip lash in an adult. If adults rear faced as well the number of whip lash accidents would go down tremendously.

Why is it safer to rf?? Im going to at least till 2 but I was curious on way

Mrsulam that's the car we have too!

And yes October, it is slightly smaller than a Nissan.

And thank you for the clarification! I'm super tired today and misread that haha.

Also, diono seats are one of the only seats allowed to be braced against the back of the front seat. So that helps with space issues as well :)

I love seeing so many moms into the safety of their babies. Too many moms I know don't seem to care. The latest trend around me is moving toddlers to boosters when they are still 2! My 3.5 year old is in a radian and I won't turn it to a booster until he outgrows the harnesses. And my 18 month is still rf.

the clek foonf is supposed to allow three of them across the back seat. I've been researching this seat. I want to see it in person but I'm also interested in the nextfit. we still have a ways until we need it though

The only 2 seats I know of that allow 3 across are diono and combi carroco (sp?)

I'm not sure what size your car is, I've never seen one of those. Lol. I know the combi has a shorter shell (therefore shorter height limit) but wouldn't take uo as much room rf..

We have the radian in a Nissan Altima, behind the passenger seat.. is your car smaller than that? We have the seat pushed almost all the way back. And once lo is a year an angle adjuster can be used which frees up about 4"

You're right -- I'd choose to get creative before early forward facing if my kiddo started unclipping or unbuckling. That's just the only semi-valid reason I've seen, aside from not knowing the risks. Like i said, these were also not 6 - 9 month old babies, thank goodness!

While we're on the topic, any suggestions for a seat to fit nicely in a Saturn Ion? It's a pretty small car and since we want to have our little ones close together, I'm trying to find the best combo for seats to fit comfortably while still allowing us to get in the car :P

No, no. The radian rxt has a rf limit from 5lbs to 45lbs :) so you can start using it when you want. Dd's Infant carrier had a weight limit if 35lbs. But she's to broad for it. Her shoulders are right up against the side and she can't move her arms so we switched and she is about 19ish lbs.

I knew I was going to research this like crazy when my daughter outgrew her seat (rf 35lbs) but I'm so glad I have this info now to save up for a good car seat. I'm nervous though, it seems like all the seats you mention are 40lbs+? I don't know what to do about that 5 lbs gap!

Lynda. I was just talking to my dad about adults rearfacing yesterday lol. I said they should make the backseats facing backwards. Hell I'd love to ride that way lol. My dad agreed :P I've gotten him on the ERF train. Everytime he sees a little baby FF he gets upset.

@jp dd will be rf as long as possible

^^The diono radian can keep them in a 5 point harness until they're 80lbs and its a belt postioning booster until 120lbs or until the child is too tall.

The radian rxt ($239 on amazon) and radian r120 ($219 on amazon) both have the same weight and height limits.

The radian r100 ($179 on amazon) can use the 5 point harness until 65lbs and belt positioning booster until 100lbs or until the child is too tall.

If you can afford it I'd recommend the rxt or r120 that way they'll last longer.

@LyndaH your response literally made me lol :)

Well I'm not gonna lie, when I first heard about ERF I didn't pay much attention, and thought it was people being over protective...I'm sure once my little guys first birthday was rolling around I would have looked into it and changed my mind anyway, but you ladies definitely opened my eyes this morning...I am officially planning to ERF now, and also officially thanking God my older kids are all ok after my misinformed carseat usage in the past.

I'm actually feeling a little stressed about their current car seat boosters (they are just about 7 and 5, my 7 yr old is 49 lbs and my 5 yr old is 59 lbs, yes he's a moose!, not sure on heights) they are in Graco turbo boosters backless, they fit well in the seat belts and know not to move them off their shoulders...but still I'm wondering if I shouldn't invest in something else now! I'm good and freaked out! I thought I had made a good decision based off ratings and guidelines but now I wanna rear face them through high school, lol

Studies have even been done and it shows that adults would be better off in an accident if we were rf also but it would be difficult to drive that way lol.

Jp, I will turn until my son hits the weight limit (45lbs- diono radian rxt) or the height limit. Whether he's 2 or 4, we will RF as long as possible. It's the safest. Read about Joel's journey

We have an evenflo triumph and we love it. It rf until 40 lbs. We will rf at least until 2, but probably as long as possible. She loves the seat and loves the car. She can see out the window fine and seems to entertain herself. She often just starts laughing in the car. I have no idea why.

I'm new to ERF, my youngest (before my new baby) is about to turn 5 and when it was time to turn him the law/recommendation from our pediatrician was to turn at 1 yr and 20 lbs (we are in Cali), he is a big guy and was 23 lbs at 1 so we turned him about a month after his 1st birthday...I've been hearing about ERF, as far as I know RF to 2 is just a recommendation here in Cali right now not law yet, so I hadn't researched much yet since my littlest guy is only just about to be 4 months old...we did buy the Radian RXT for when we move him out of his infant seat though so I'm happy to read we made a good choice there!...I'm gonna go read up on this now that this conversation has popped up here, but I was curious, based off responses here, what age/size are you all planning to turn your kids?

Oh! And the girl I talked to told me her dr said it was ok! Idk what dr she's talking to but I would switch!!

Oh ok thanks october :)

My dd is 2 and only about 22lbs (very petite) so I guess I still have a while to rf in this seat either way

At every doctor appointment they ask if hes still rear facing and he should stay that way til at least 1 and its better if he stayed that way till 2, so I dont know how she thinks it's Ok. My sil did the same thing because he got to the weight before he was 1. Some people dont research stuff. I told my family im going to rear face till at least 2 and they said he wont like it that way and I should turn him around at 1 but I think thats way to early.

@lovemil11 the graco myride rf weight limit is 40lbs, just so you know :)

http://www.gracobaby.com/Products/Pages/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductID=1794334#sthash.GfRin219.dpbs

@mommylyles walmart.com has a safety 1st guide 65 convertible seat that has a 5-40lbs and 19-40 inches rf limit and then can be used ff up to 65lbs with a hight limit of 52 inches.

It's $78

They also have a safety 1st air on side for $58 (it is a girl color thi, Idk if they have a boyish one)

it has a weight limit of 5-40lbs and height of 29-40inches for rf but it has a ff limit of 22-40lbs and height up to 43inches... So you would have to buy another seat after your lo outgrew this one. So it would cost more in the long run.

October, I can't believe I didn't know the risks! This is a mom who made her boyfriend put safety plugs on the outlets in the shop! A place where baby never even goes lol. I feel like a total smarty pants! I'm glad I found out now before my second was born

@ mommylyles

I have a graco my ride 65, it rf up to 40lbs! I bought it from walmart.com for only $130 It's kinda bulky but I honestly love it and so does my 2 y old dd...it seems pretty comfy too :)

^^pp, at least it was because you didn't know. Most people do it anyway, even tho they know the risks.

We have a diono radian rxt that has rf limit of 45lbs. But it's not really a budget friendly seat. It was $290 with tax.

I'll see what else I can find :)

Okay question!!! My son is nearly 17 months and is ff. honestly I did it at 1 year cause.. Well I didn't really know any better. ** hangs head in shame** I think my son would flip his lid if I moved him back to rf but I'm thinking I will do it anyway. The carseat he has now has a 5 point harness but it isn't a rear facing seat. His other carseat that is rf says only until 30lbs. He doesn't weigh that much but does that mean I need to buy a seat with a higher weight limit on rf? What are good brands? I can't really spend a fortune because I'm due with #2 in September. Any information would be helpful

Oh I don't like my birth forum! Not a lot of drama and some of the mamas are great.. Some cd so I can't complain :). But one mama posted how she is SOOO glad she doesn't breastfeed and she would rather formula feed than have a baby "attached to her tit!!" She ended up deleting her post as well. Smh. The worst part was she's an RN!! And was pretty much bashing women who ebf, then tried to defend herself saying she didnt mean it like that. really!? haha. I feel really bad for those children whose parents act like that. And the kids whose parents think "it makes them happy" to be in a ff carseat :(

@jledwar @Nikki I know! I was like that is seriously not a good excuse at all.

^^ I'd rather come up with s different solution than ff early.

Those ladies could put a button up shirt on lo and strap them in and then button the shirt over the harness.

They could weave a small receiving blanket (or hand towel, wash cloth, etc.) Around the clip and fast it with a child proof safety pin. (Not to the actual harness as it could damage it)

Some people have found putting the pokey side of Velcro over the clip will keep lo from touching it.

There are always other things a person can try before resorting to ff.

I know a few ladies who ff early because lo figured out how to undo the chest clip. In that case, it's not any safer to leave them unbuckled and rear facing than it is to be able to monitor them front facing. They were also not as young, though.

pp and don't you love how that one mama was sticking up for her saying there's really no room to rf her children??

um she had 9 months to buy a bigger vehicle for the safety of her children

I saw that picture last night!!! I laughed so hard I woke up my husband. I didn't even have to comment because everyone else put her in her place.

Not to mention that the car was an eclipse convertible!!! Hah! Forward facing babies cruising in a convertible because its 80 degrees out today! Award winning parent there.

(And please don't take me for a huge a****** . She is BLATANTLY breaking the law. She deserves the comments she got!)

I said something to a girl on fb about her 11 mo being forward facing. She was pissed and told me he was to long. They will bend their legs. I'm keeping my baby rear facing for a while. It's so much safer!

I stay out of my birth month too bc I don't agree with what a lot of them are already doing to their babies. I stick with this group and ebf lol moms that are doing the same as me

I had a conversation with my SIL after I bought my ERF seat and she said she'd read about them being so much safer so I gave her all the details for where I bought mine as she said she wanted to get one. She then went for a UK convertible which only RF up to about 15 months (give or take) but put it in her car FF anyway! Her DS was 8 months and 3 weeks and she bought it as it was on sale. I understand doing that if you don't know any better but doing the research, knowing the best option and then making a difference choice is just plain irresponsible in my opinion!

Oh, and for any UK mums wanting to purchase an ERF car seat, visit the In Car Safety Centre website where they have a great selection for all budgets. I feel like I'm on my own little car seat crusade sometimes haha!

oh and I just have to say, I hate it when people put the carseats on top of grocery carts. I just want to scream at them! before I even knew it was not advised to do that, I still thought it looked very unsafe. come on people,

common sense! :/

That's crazy! My son is almost 10 months, his feet hang over his carseat but we have no plans to turn him around anytime soon. And when we do get a convertible seat we will get one that goes rear facing too. Unfortunately I think some of my friends are guilty of this :/ luckily my son doesn't mind his ride

and it really has nothing to do with how big a baby is. it doesn't change their skeletal and muscular structure!

She finally got so many comments that she just deleted her post. I don't understand why parents don't research, I think as a parent it's kind of the job. Especially in today's world. I research everything for dd. Diapers (obviously!), wipes, baby food, carseats, and I check all the laws and recommendations.

And the pp who said the niece was 1 at ff and bigger than your lo, that still scares me. my dh's cousin was in a head on wreck in a forward facing carseat at 3 years old and like 40 lbs (I think, I know she was well above the legal limit to forward face. And she was a big girl for her age, height & weight.) and she broke her neck. she had to wear a halo to repair it.

they said if she was rear facing then it wouldn't have happened. if it can cause that much damage to a 3 year old, imagine how much it could do to a 1 year old :(

Not just car seat issues but general misinformed parenting pisses me off. And then when you try to help them with updated or correct info, they get pissy. Since my baby is 8 weeks, it's currently BF misinformation in my due date group that is killing me!

I wanted to ff my daughter. Shes 1 but tiny! I don't think shed be safe ff. Its a pain to put her in because she's long but like y'all said I would rather have a safe baby than a dead baby. Idk when I will ff her it probably won't be for a long time though. I just remember my sister ff my niece at around 1 but my niece is a lot bigger than my daughter. I have a friend that has her 8 month old son ff already I haven't said anything to her though because I'm sure she knows. I don't want to go there...its a sore subject just like bfing vs ffing no sense in beating a dead horse.

In australia the law is you can ff from 6 months.

I don't like it and kept ds rf till the limit on his carseat (26lbs) and he was 15 months. Unfortunately over here the benefits of rf longer are not common knowledge :( and turning your lo is looked at kind of like a milestone.

Also we don't have chest clips over here and they are not recommended.

So although rf is safer, not everyone is aware of that and they are doing what they believe is the right thing :)

I try to stay out of the Oct forum for this very reason. It never fails that each time I go in there some nonsense is going on.

It's such a competition with these moms. Just a few of the things that have sent me packing:

At 3 months old, tons of the moms saying their babies were talking, like really talking...come on people...

A girl who is weaning her 6 month old because he likes solid food better.

The carseat bs, it's not an issue where 'opinions' are welcome, it's a freakin Laws, Safety and Common sense!!!

And in general the huge competition to have the biggest baby, smallest baby, smartest baby, best dressed baby (cders win that category!), etc. All ridiculous!

Toys and carseats are my pet peeves. I cringe every time I see people attach a toy to the bar of their infants carseat handle. Why don't people understand those toys are deadly objects and will be traveling at 40, 50, 60+ mph towards their babys heads when they are in an accident.

Greenukmum, I was horrified when I bought my maxicosi seat and it didn't have chest straps. I just realized I need to check the weight limit on it.

This happened in the august forum too. I couldn't keep my mouth shut. It makes me so mad when people say they had to because their lo wasn't happy. Boo frickedy whoo. Your kids are gonna be unhappy about a lot of sh!t in life. I'd rather have a mad baby than a dead baby ANY day of the week. I'm sorry, but ff before an appropriate age is lazy and asinine. There are few things I get riled about, but this is one of them.

In the UK (and Australia I think?) it's legal to forward face a child from 9 months onwards. I had to get an ERF seat shipped from Sweden as they don't even sell then over here :( My 27 month old is still RF and will be until age 4-5. Everyone thinks I'm bonkers! I'd rather be bonkers than be 'normal' (aka a sheep) and risk my child's life. I've already got another for when my 8 week old is big enough too!

Ugh that's sad :/

My dd is just over 2 now and still rf and I plan to keep her that way for at least another year. Some of my friends with kids think I'm weird or overprotive but oh well! I'm happy cause I know she's safer :)

Ah I feel you I can't stand that lol my 3 year old is still rear facing! I give people my opinion or refer them to their local chp, fire dept, or carseat manual

I'm glad a lot of mamas are saying something on that pic, so sad :(

Ugh....

I rarely go into that forum anymore, I just can't handle it, lol! Half the posts are for attention or for competition... The little bit of time I do have to spare i spend browsing this group or playing words with friends haha!

I agree with all of you ladies!

@herewegoagain, actually there are no documented cases of leg injuries from a rear-facing child's legs touching the seat their car seat sits on. However, one of the leading injuries to extremities is the forward-facing child's legs. 28 percent of significant injuries are to the legs.

October- I was part of that group too but ended up going 16 days late and moved to November. I stay away from those groups because they drive me nuts! I am on the AP side and it seems to not be the norm there.

I'm oct too, and visit it maybe once a week tops now, other pages I'm on multiple times a day! (Darn iPhone app making me an addict! Lol). I know one pic a while back in our group was from UK and I'm not going to judge as laws and the ways seats are made are totally different there - but for the ladies in the US that do it, yeah, it's sad. My DH lost his 12 yr old cousin in an accident he was in the front seat and the seat belt snapped his neck. We both do everything we can to keep our babies safe as we know first hand how quickly life can be taken. I'd much rather my baby have a broken leg because he was "too scrunched" rf than a broken neck because he was "happier" ff. I just pray these moms don't ever have to learn the lesson the hard way :/

Post links to the decapitation videos of little ones that are ff too soon.

Post links to sites that show how a child is not developmentally ready until 2...

this is why I stay away from the birth forums.. things like that make me sad and what's worse is when they don't care!

I forward face at 4 years

With this lo he will tear face until 2/3. Whats safe?

oh, and she said her car was too small for a rear facing seat.

in the U.S. most states have law that lo has to be 1 year old AND 20lbs. but some have the law 1 year old OR 20lbs. and in that case my dd would be able to ff by like 7 months. because she is 6 1/2 months and about 19lbs.

I wish the whole country, or the world even, would make rear facing until at least 2 years old (preferably 3) the law. it makes me so scared for these people's babies! :(

me and a couple other Momma's posted on it about the risks of ff early and she just said "he is big enough and old enough to be ff and he isn't happy unless he can look out the window. go take your judgement somewhere else"

Gahh!! my dd hates her carseat, I think if she were forward facing she wouldn't be so whiny. but she also wouldn't be as safe and her safety is not something I'm willing to risk so that she can look out the front window.

Both my boys wear helmets, even on big wheels. Also, still have my almost 7 year old in a five point harness carseat! But, he is safe and he knows it! I get very irritated when people put their kids at risk because 'they are happier'...

I agree. I know its their choice but why go against safety! I feel like a dork to have my 3yr old wear a helmet on his bike while all the neighbor kids don't have one.... but I would rather have a safe kid!!!