Why people can't wait to turn their seat FF...

[dogmom]

I know we always complain on this forum about parents turning their kids seat FF as soon as possible, if not sooner. The thing that struck me is no one seems to acknowledge why people want to do this besides the sitting the kid forward like everyone else in the car. Since my DD outgrew the "bucket" (i.e. infant seat) early I am remembering what I hate about RF.

1) Harder to get the seat in and out of the car. At least with my Britax, it is always harder to install the RF seat properly with the tether. I was blissfully ignorant with my DS how much easier FF is. Once I get the RF seat in I leave it there, which makes it harder for a whole bunch a things. I think, oh, maybe I can take my son and his friend somewhere, oh wait, I have to take the RF seat out and put a booster in...forget it.

2) With my DS who was a bit chucky and tall I was finding it harder and harder to lift him over the side and into the seat RF without hitting his head on the roof of the car. When he hit 33 lbs and I turned him around at 15 mo. my pain in my lower back went away right away!

3) My DD seat has to be behind the passenger side since my DH is 6 ft and cannot fit in a seat with a RF behind it. Then when I ride in the passenger I find myself sitting on top of the airbag running through all those medical journal articles in my head about airbag mediated injuries. Oh, and my DH always has to drive with the two of us which is a pain. I would take it out on the rare occasions we go out together without children, but see #1.

4) I find myself quizzing my 4 yo about what his sister is doing since I can't get those mirror things to work well.

I'd not turning her FF when she turns one, but I just like to acknowledge why some people might do so as early as they can. Sometimes we talk on this board like anyone with a 20 lb 13 month old FF is an ignorant parent endangering their child for no reason.

[MarisaSF]

I have to agree about #4.

My DD is 33 months and still RFing. I would have turned her around, but she prefers RFing and is still under the weight limit. I do worry about her as I don't have a mirror and I worry about choking, seizures, and not breathing. I've never found a mirror device that I thought would be a good purchase. If anyone can recommend a good one (any that are NOT hazards in case of an accident?), I'm all ears!

Selfishly, the main reason I like word to get around that it's okay to keep a child older than 1 RFing is that I get people asking/telling me, "Your daughter's legs will break," "Isn't she too old for RFing?," "Doesn't she hate riding backwards?," etc.

[Joolsplus2]

I gotta say...it's waaaaaay easier to rf a kid who doesn't hit 33 pounds till 4.5 and can climb into her own seat, behind a couple of shortish parents who don't mind an RF seat behind them.

But yeah, I see where your coming from, it IS easier to install and use FF seats, totally, I DO understand.

We're just trying to raise concsiousness...it's easier to ride a bike without a helmet, easier to have a pool without a fence, easier not to brush teeth every night, easier not to get kids to eat broccoli... I can understand all that, too, but that doesn't make me condone it, know what I mean?

I haven't found a mirror that works, either :(.
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[tjham]

Well said, Julie!

[Piglet]

Ah, but the reasons I HATE FF are:

1) DS2 now knows every time I try to eat in the car (which I do all the time when PG) and demands that I give him my food.

2) DS2 drops his toys to the ground all the time AND expects me to retrieve them for him (not easy when PG).

3) DS2 comments on my driving or tells me to flip up my sunvisor and the like.

4) DS1 and DS2 fight more now - they used to blissfully unaware of one another.

[kimbe]

>>1) DS2 now knows every time I try to eat in the car
>>(which I do all the time when PG) and demands that
>>I give him my food.

LOL!! I am dreading the day when I have to turn DD and she can see me eat.

I also didn't realize that the kiddos give driving tips!!! That one made me smile too.

[gina]

Ha--if DD hears me going thru a drive-thru, even if she is asleep, she will wake up and sign "eat." Why do they have to make those darn speakers so loud?

We do have a mirror which is great but then she KNOWS I am eating. We have the Baby in Sight Back Seat Infant Mirror . It was kind of floppy in the middle seat and she would grab it all the time, but now that we have put her carseat behind the passenger seat, I wrapped the strap around the headrest and it is very secure.

Gina

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w132/ginaelms/Dec06020.jpg

DD 15 yr Jade
DD 14 mo Olivia

[KrisM]

Oh gosh. I hear "Stop, Mommy Stop!" and "Go now, the light is green!" all the time. Drives me nuts :).

[jeno]

As a mom of 1 DC, I can say that RF has not been a problem. I guess I don't know any other way so I just make do. DS is HUGE. 14 months, 27lbs, and still not walking. I have to lug him everywhere. He outgrew his Keyfit at 4.5 months, so I've been doing this for awhile.

1) I move his seat between cars frequently. The more I've done it, the easier it has become and I'm more confident with my abilities.

2) Like I said, I just don't "know" any other way. What you don't know can't hurt (persuade) you.

3) We've got our seat installed pretty upright to help with this. Its a sedan and in the passenger outboard position, so not a huge car.

4) Only child, so I just make it work. He's pretty easy going, so generally there isn't much to worry about.

I am so thankful that I found this site and learned the safety importance of keeping DS RFacing as long as possible. Granted, I thought Jools and all these other extended RFacers were crazies. Now I've joined the pact and am working my hardest to convert everyone I know IRL. So far, its working!

[MamaParis]

Maybe I'm wierd, But I personally could not live with myself if something were to happen to my children because they were FF and I KNEW that RF was safer and because my child was flipped for convenience purposes.

IMO the inconvenience of lifting them in and out of the seat and the inconvenience of installing a RF seat, and the inconvenince of not watching their every single move, and the inconvenience of sitting with a little less leg room is worth it if it keeps my children safer.


I personally find FF to be SUCH a hassle!!! I flipped my 4 year old FF on her 4th b-day. (28 lbs and 45+ inches tall!)
And she is beyond annoying to drive with now. It was SO MUCH easier for her to climb into the RF seat and buckles her chest clip than her FF seat. It was SOO much nicer to not have a running commentary on my driving skills. It was SOOO much nicer to not have to feel her kick the back of the front seats when shes dancing and kicking. It was SOOO much nicer when she couldn't put her feet in the other kids (RF) faces on both sides of her. It was SOOO much nicer when before if she dropped her book, she could just knock it back up to her with her feet ... now it hits the floor and is stuck there until I can stop and get it for her.
OHH it was SOOO Much nicer to plop her in her rf seat when she was sleeping and have her sleep comfortably than FF when she wakes up every 5 minutes because its not at the same angle as her RF seat was.
It was SOOO much nicer when she didn't complain that her legs were going numb from sitting in the seat for too long and then have her prop them up with her dirty shoes on my pretty leather console!!! lol


JMO ...

[HIU8]

I personally love to have DS RF. He doesn't know any different (although we did have him FF on a plane about 6 months ago b/c the stewardess actually started to yell at us that it had to be done that way). He could care less.

I'm 8 months PG and I still lift him into his Marathon (he is 2.5 yo, 25 lbs and 35.5 inches). I'm not currently having any trouble doing that. He is all torso and can't manage the climb by himself in our minivan.

We have a mirror attached to the headrest (buckled around it) so we can see him. He can look out the window, he tells me what he sees behind the car, he sings with his music, he talks to me. He tells me he is stuck in his carseat b/c the policeman said he had to ride like that b/c it's safer (DH and I have worked hard making sure he knows that).

At this rate, I have a long while before I have to turn him FF. I even managed to convince my sister to keep my 1 yr old DN RF in her boulevard. She told me that she would not dream of turning her FF until she reaches the weight limit (I'm so happy about this!!).

Heather
DS 11/27/04
DD EDD /22/07

[Sangiovese]

>2) With my DS who was a bit chucky and tall I was finding it
>harder and harder to lift him over the side and into the seat
>RF without hitting his head on the roof of the car. When he
>hit 33 lbs and I turned him around at 15 mo. my pain in my
>lower back went away right away!
>

LOL! I'm always whacking DD2's head when I'm trying to put her into her RF car seat. It doesn't really inconvenience me, though! LOL!

DD2 is 28 months and around 30 lbs (I need to weigh her). The only thing that made me consider turning her FF was the summer. One time, I went to get her out and her face was red and she was so warm and sweating. She had been fussing, too. I made an effort to make sure that she was cool after that (quizzing her sister isn't an inconvenience for me, either, but it may be for her!). It just kind of scared me, though.

This is a nice vent. We know that RF is safer, but there are still frustrating aspects. (As there are with FF - the food one is funny! DD2 is RF, but still knows when I am eating!) I was extremely frustrated by having my knees in the dashboard for a few months, but I got over it (as another poster mentioned, it is only on the weekends when DH drives).

[Joolsplus2]

Hehehe, Crazies... Welcome to the club :) It took me quite awhile to decide to RF my dd again (see link in my siggy), and there were some rough times trying to cram her long legs into our Prius (househunting! OMG, in and out, in and out, and it was like 100 degrees...argh, FF would have been SO much easier!!!)

DH today was just lamenting that Leah can't sit so we can see her (FF) and saying it should be like the old days when fewer people died in car crashes (has he not been listening to me for years? FEWER people die now.. his brother works in a body shop and used to get cars to fix that had people DIE in them...now cars would be completely totalled before someone dies in them, generally...).

Anyway, sorry for the vent, he just really struck a nerve.

Yeah, Leah's 22 pounds and not walking, and it's so nice to haul her around in her Safeseat...
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[stillplayswithbarbies]

well, if we want to talk convenient, it would be darn convenient to toss my kid a few twinkies for each meal and call her fed, but it wouldn't be the right thing to do. :)

We don't make decisions on what is easier, we make decisions on what is right, what is safer, what is best for the child.