Rear vs forward facing

[aj_18]

The difference a few years makes is astonishing. DD#1 flipped at 11 mths and 20 lbs (2008),DD#2 FF from 12 months and 23 lbs and DD#3 still rf at 20 mths and is only 21 #. Plan to keep her rf as long as possible in our main car but in our Smaller car she is forward facing b/c she pitches an absolute fit when she is in that seat. :/ Thankfully it is rare that we use Dh's car.

[lauren_brooke]

DS is still RF at 16 months and 26lbs. I plan on keeping him that way till he's 2, and then we'll go from there. DH wants to turn him so badly but he understands when I tell him it's better for DS.

I was at church the other day and a lady was with her granddaughter and we were talking age/size among all the kids. Her gd was around 17 months but is tiny and weighs less than 20lbs (can't remember how much exactly), but she made the comment about how she's not legally supposed to be in the carseat that she is but that she hates facing backwards. DH had to kick me and give me the look to make me bite my tongue. If it was someone we knew, I would have definitely spoken up.

[schmoopee]

My son is still RFing at 32 months. He's over 30 lbs, haven't weighed him in a while so not sure by how much. His Radian goes to 45 lbs RFing so he's got lots of room to grow for weight, and height as well.

My DD, I turned her at 2.5 because she hit the limits of her seat, it only went to 30 lbs RFing. Wish we would have had higher limit seats then!

[mommyfrog]

My ds is still rf at 3yrs 9months. I'm hoping to make it to at least 4. I think we'll make it. He is 35-38 pounds after a recent growth spurt. His car seat rf to 40 pounds. My other kids were turned at (from oldest to youngest).....9 months and 20 pounds, 12 months and 20 pounds, 9 months and 22 pounds, 18 months and 22 pounds, 12 months and 20 pounds, and 18 months and about 25 pounds. The 5th one would have been rf longer but we got in a crash and I stupidly let my mom and sister go to the store for me to get the replacement car seats. I was sore. I had two really nice comfy boosters and a good convertible that rf to 30 pounds. They brought back two Turbo Boosters (nothing wrong with those, just not as plush and nice as what I had) and a ff only seat that was the cheapest at Walmart for my almost one year old who was barely 20 pounds. I don't know why they cared since it wasn't their money. Anyway, I go by NHTSA too. So rf as long as they fit trying to make it to at least 4, harness to the limits, booster until the fit the seat belt right. My almost 7yo is still harnessed and my almost 9yo is still boostered.

[allisonrose]

Both my sons are currently rfing. My older guy is 3y4m and roughly 34-36 lbs. I have a Radian 80sl which has a rfing weight limit of 45 lbs (which played a large part in my decision to buy the seat). There's a good chance that when I turn him it will be due to height rather than weight.

[luvsviola]

DD switched at about 4.

DFS is 2.75 and 30 pounds and still RFing.

My bare minimum for FF is 3.

[beaute_marquee]

I turned them both at 1 and 20lbs, then turned DS2 back to RF at 17 months. He's 2.3 now and still RF with a ways to go in his Scenera 40. I'm RFing him to the limit of that seat. DD is due in March and will also RF to the limit of an affordable seat. DS1 is still harnessed at 4.3 and will be till he outgrows the height or weight limits of his Maestro.

[bellybellybuttons]

My two older children were FF at 1 yrs old. We didn't know any better then. Thankfully we were never in a severe auto accident while they were little. We were rear ended in 1996 and believe our older ds, now 15 who was only 2mths old at the time has some learning problems due to that impact. Dh and I remember feeling aweful for a whole week. I can only imagine what was happening to my son's brain, he seemed okay but now I know he wasn't. I wish we had an air protect for him back then. Thankfully we still had our dd in a full booster till she was 4, she was 3 at the time of that accident.

Our now 34 month old ds is still RF and will be that way until he reaches the 40lb weight limit. I am so glad I found out about ERF. It's more important for my baby to be safe than to see where we are going.