Is your 1, 2 or 3 year old rear facing in the car?

[wmama]

My youngest is only 3 months, but my first two rear-faced until the weight limit of their seats. My first dd went ff at 2.5yrs because she outgrew the height on her Roundabout, but then I got a Marathon and she went back to rf from 3-3.5yrs. It wasn't a problem to switch her back to rf (I played it up as a great thing that she got to sit backwards). My 2nd dd just reached 33pds and turned ff a few months ago, at 3.5yrs old. My new little guy will of course also be rf to the limit of his seat .

[imommy]

Okay I don't want to sound like a know it all but my husband works for the fire department and a few of them took carseat safety as a course and are state certified carseat instructors/installers or whatever you want to call it. They took it through the local Children's Hospital (which is pretty well known I might add) and they are certified to move the carseats, put them in, etc.

They told my DH that my son could be turned around as long as he is 1 year and 20 pounds, no lectures no if ands or buts, just said it's okay to do it then.

So for all you mamas that have your kids turned around at 1 year and they aren't at the weight limit or height limit, no worries. If you aren't that concerned about it, don't feel the pressure to turn them back around. I would think that if it was a huge concern that my husband's fellow firefighters wouldn't have told him it's okay to do it. KWIM?

[Cristina]

I turned DS #1 around at a year. We don't drive often, but when we do , it is long car trips. It was so nice to be able to turn around and talk to him or hold his hand- only when DH was driving, of course He is almost 3 now and hasn't hit 30 lbs yet, I can't imagine turning him back around... he'd freak! As for DS #2, we will probably turn him around at one year as well.

[Ontariomama]

On the Britax website, it says that once the top of their head is even with the top of the seat.... kind of in the middle of what we said. I still wouldn't feel comfortable, but maybe that's just me. When you are in an accident, baby moves *up* and out of the seat, kwim... loose straps combined with a too-tall child spells disaster in an accident.

It may be different in Canada, but I'm sure that the same rf rules apply for bucket and/or convertible seats. I'd have to read my manual to know for sure.

http://www.britaxusa.net/support/faq.aspx

"Is there a standing height limit for rear-facing?

Refer to your user’s guide and the labels affixed to the restraint for the appropriate height and weight ranges. Older restraints have a standing height limit of 30 inches rear-facing. As well, as required by Canadian regulations, there are height limits for restraints distributed in Canada. Newer restraints have no standing height for rear facing as infants grow at greatly varying rates; however, the child is too tall when the top of the head is even with the top of the shell."

[havanadaydreamin]

DD just turned a year, but she will stay rearfacing until she is too tall or hits the weight limit. I think that she will be too tall before she hits the weight limit though, since she is 31" tall at 12 months!

However she is FF in DH's Expedition b/c we can't get the seat tight enough in there RF. She isn't in that but maybe 2-3x a month, so I don't mind that.

[kezoo]

Originally Posted by Shannon I didn't even know that babies were supposed to be rear facing until 33 lbs. My 3 year old is just now 35lbs....I was really dumb with her though, I turned her forward facing at 8 months...Dh said it didn't matter. We were in a car accident at 11 months and she was fine...THANK JESUS! With my Chloe, we turned her forward right around her 1st birthday. I thought they were supposed to turn then??? I've really never heard otherwise. I think my DH would think I've really lost it if I turned her back facing again.

In Michigan they drum it in your head that you cannot turn your baby around until they are 1 AND 20 lbs (you have to meet both criteria). You hear it from the ped, from the hospital, on the radio, etc... We turned our first when he was about 16 months and we went on vacation and it was a major PITA to do rear-facing in the taxis, friend's cars, etc, and when we got home, we just kept doing it.

[hockeymom6201]

I turn my guys around when theyre legs are up against the seat , my first baby used to flip his car seat over from pushing against the seat .. I think that is more unsafe ,lol.

[childers521]

All my kids have faced rearwards until they hit the weight limit.
Ds2 is still facing rearwards and ds1 still rides in a booster seat.
DD rode in her booster seat until partly through 3rd grade - 9 years old. She is small for her age, and we thought it was safer for her and she actually thought it was more comfortable for the times she was sleeping in the truck. Her 1st grade teacher did comment that she was the only 1st grader still riding in a booster, but in a positive way.

[Radish4ever]

Thank you for posting this - DH *just* turned DD's seat around today at lunch and we were about to go out............ We'll be staying home till he gets back and can switch it back around!

[Dsunny1]

Originally Posted by hockeymom6201 I turn my guys around when theyre legs are up against the seat , my first baby used to flip his car seat over from pushing against the seat .. I think that is more unsafe ,lol.

Wow I have never heard of a tightly installed seat flipping because a child was pushing their feet against the seat. I bet you were shocked when he did that!!!

In regards to the height limits in rearfacing. I am a certified child passenger safety technician. I have conducted many car seat checks. We get certified by the national highway traffic safety administration and Safekids usa. NHTSA is the agency responsible for setting the crash standards in both vehicles and in how child seats are manufactured. They say the child's head should not be more then an inch from the top of the seat in a rearfacing child seat (infant or convertible). I think I will follow their advice. The shell of the seat is there to protect the babies head, especially in rearfacing where it is absorbing all of the crash forces (instead of babies spine). I want my child completly encompassed in that shell as is recommended. If a parent came through a check that i was at and the child's head was less then an inch from the top, we would not be allowed to let that child leave without a)giving them a seat with a higher shell, or b) advising the parent that the child is in danger and having them signing a release acknowledging they are aware of that fact...Or if the child was over one year and over 20lbs, they can legally ride ff, although we do not recommend them to do so.