When did you change your DC's car seat from rear facing to forward facing?

[ciaobella]

Just checking to see where the majority is ...

[Saartje]

Where's your poll slot for, "When my child reached the size limitations for our seat when rear-facing?" ;) We haven't reached that yet, so he's still rear-facing when in the car.

[jamsmu]

15 months... maybe 21 pounds?

[icunurse]

Just turned DS around about a week ago, though I didn't want to (23 lbs, 32 inches). But his legs were starting to get bunched up in the seat. He's loving the new view.
Traci
~Connor's Mom 02/2004~
Agency paperwork completed - waiting for #2!

[psophia17]

At 13 months and 29 lbs - he's a big boy :)

[jk3]

20 months

Jenn
DS 6/3/03

http://lilypie.com/baby2/030603/2/5/1/-5/.png

[jerseygirl07067]

16 months, since #2 came and we could not fit two rear facing seats in the back of our Jeep Cherokee. The infant seat is in the middle, and the other seat had to be moved to the side. Since DH and I drive with the seat pretty far back, it's the only way we could do it.

Marcy

[DebbieJ]

My ds is still RF at 18 mo and 22 lbs. He will be that way until he reaches 33 lbs, which is the RF limit for our car seat.

BTW, it's okay if their legs are scrunched up. It's not a safety hazard, but it may be a comfort issue for some kids.

~ deb
DS 12/03
And a niece or nephew arriving in early August!

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/10029.gif

[Marisa6826]

No plans to turn either kiddo till they hit the 33lb mark. Sophie's about 26lbs and Mia is obviously too little to turn for a long while (she's 16lbs and 7m old).

-m

[bluestar2]

22 lbs and 1 year. The car seats seemd to fit better and more secure FF in our car.

[JElaineB]

DS was 20 lbs. around 13 months but we kept him rearfacing in his primary carseat (my car) for another year, until just past 2 years old. We had him forward facing in his grandparents car (because it is easier for them to put him in forward facing) and my husband's car (out of necessity - rearfacing just didn't fit well in his car) pretty much right after 20 lbs. But he was only in those seats occassionally. So I chose the last option because that is the seat he was (is) in the majority of the time.

Jennifer
mom to Jacob 9/27/02

[ErinMC]

13 months - about 20.5 pounds

Erin

Mom to Chase
Feb. 2004

[KrisM]

That's when we'll turn him too. He's 14 months and 24 lbs now and still rear-facing.

[hez]

When he hit 31-32 pounds-ish. Seat goes to 33 RF, but we didn't want to turn around and find out he'd hit 34. Also, we're carpooling in my Grand Prix now (better gas mileage than the Envoy), and the passenger was scrunched into the dashboard when the seat was RF. He got up to 31-32 pounds right about the same time we started car pooling, so the timing worked out OK.

[Rachels]

We turned her around at two and a half. She was still below the upper weight limit, but was also carsick, and between her crying and my trying to soothe her, we frankly weren't making a lot of safety improvements. I was very distracted. FF has made a notable difference for her (and I'm an infinitely safer driver because of it). But we waited a long time, and frankly, without these boards I never would have heard that you should do that. I would have turned her at 20 pounds like everybody else.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02
New baby coming in October!
(Holy smokes, it's a boy!!!)


"When you know better, you do better."
Maya Angelou
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_amethyst_36m.gif
Nursed for three years!

[urbanmama]

My youngest daughter is still rear-facing at 27 months and 23 lbs. But I think I'm going to turn her seat around this week.

[AdoptChina]

DS turned 2 in June and is 28.5 lbs....still rearfacing. My goal is to get him through the summer rear facing and then turn him in the fall (his legs are already squished and I think when he is wearing heavier clothes I'll turn him forward)

[brigmaman]

10 months. Start throwing the tomatoes...
Brig was way over 20 lbs., but that wasn't the reason I turned him.
I have no plans to turn Cadie around that early.

[amp]

Well, I voted still rearfacing after 1 yr and 20 lbs, since that WAS true. He was past both those marks, but has now been moved to FF, so he isn't "still" that way. Wasn't sure how to answer.

[MelissaTC]

He was around 13 months and now that I think about it, wasn't 20 lbs. But oh well. He hated being RF and on our long car trips, it was torturous for all invlolved. I have no regrets...

[brittone2]

ITA. DS will RF to the limits of his Decathlon. He's 16 months and 24ish lbs.

[AvasMama]

I voted one year and 20 pounds, but it was actually 15 months and about 21 pounds.

Say what you will about safety (and I am all for keeping them RF as long as possible), but I guarantee you I am a MUCH safer driver now that Ava is happily FF than I was when she was RF and screamed constantly every time she was in the carseat.

Robyn & Ava

[NEVE and TRISTAN]

I think Tristan is at 33lbs or atleast 32.99 about now...
Bronwyn has a Dr's appt this week so I will be taking t to weigh him on the big scales...

I hate the thought of turning him...
I just feel safer with him facing backwards...
I respect anyones choice to do what works for them I just hate turning him around he seems like a baby still to me...


Neve
Reichen (6), Karsh (3), Tristan (2) and baby girl Bronwyn born March 10th!!!!

[marinkitty]

We turned Mia at 2 years, 26 pounds. She is pretty tall and her head was way above the back of our Roundabout, so it wasn't really safe that way anymore even though she was way below 33 pounds.

We just got a Marathon b/c Jack is moving out of his Snugride, so once we see where she hits on that one, we may go back to RF (if she'll tolerate it now that she knows about FF - she was always happy RF before).

Holly
Mom to Mia (3.17.03) and baby brother Jack (3.23.05)

[ellies mom]

DD is about 24-25lbs and 20mo old. She is still rear-facing in my car and will be until I decided otherwise (weight or just preference we'll see). She is forward-facing in DH's car because it was just plain useless while she was rear-facing, but she is hardly ever in it anyways so I don't mind.

DH is pretty anxious to turn her foward but I just ignore him. I've told him the reasons I want her to stay rear-facing and shown him the video so I don't get his thing. Then again, I don't really care because it is my car and it doesn't affect him any.

[crayonblue]

Melissa,

Same here. Lauren was 19 1/2 lbs. and about 17 months and I couldn't stand the screaming in the back seat anymore. So, we turned her. She hasn't cried in the backseat for 2 months now. I have absolutely no regrets.

[calebsmama03]

I had intended to keep C RF until the weight/ht limit for our seat, in which case he'd still be RF now at 28 mos. Unfportunately we took a trip to FL in Nov and his seat wouldn't fit securely in our rental RF so DH installed it FF (C was about 20 mos and maybe 23 pounds) and C refused to go RF when we returned :( FWIW, I agree with Rachel in that I am a safer driver with him FF because he HATED being in the car and would just scream the entire time while RF - maybe it made him queasy, who knows? That was also around the time that I was put on modified BR and told I couldn't lift him anymore and he was able to climb into the seat FF.
Lynne
Mommy to C 3/03
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif[/img][/url]
And Miss Purple, 5/05

[nov02mom]

We had the 30 lb RA and we actually turned him FF at 31 lbs because I didn't realize he was that heavy!!! I can't remember how old he was though....pretty close to 2.

[aliceinwonderland]

same here, as soon as he was over 20 pounds we turned him, edited to add that I'm pretty sure this was after his 1st birthday but can't be sure.. Throw tomatoes this way too. We have a Jeep Cherokee and his feet were hitting the seat, and he was crying miserably RF. So we turned him, just like that. And everyone drove happier ever after...

e.

[SarahK]

She's 19 months old, 29ish pounds, 35+ inches tall and still rear-facing. She also HATES being in the car. Ugh!

[stefani]

DS is 22 months (tomorrow!) and he is still rear facing. He is about 33 - 34 inches tall, and 24 - 26 lbs (he loses weight quickly when he gets sick). His legs are bent, but that doesn't seem to bother him, so it doesn't bother us :-)
We are planning to turn him around when he turns two or when he is within 1 inch of the top of the car seat (he is long torsoed more than long legged).

We have Evenflo Triumph, two Evenflo Titans, and Cosco Regal Ride (Touriva). When we were travelling when he was 19 -20 months in Asia I installed the Regal Ride forward facing in the planes and in the car, because I could installed it better then. He did not have a problem when coming back and he had to sit rear facing again.

[Melanie]

Around 1 year old...(well over 20 lbs). I couldn't take the crying in the car anymore. He started hating the car a few months earlier, I think when he was aware enough to know he was missing out on things. =(

Hopefully with this baby since Ds will be there to keep her company, we can keep her RF longer.

[ciaobella]

Thanks for all of the feedback - I really appreciate it!

Anne

[stillplayswithbarbies]

Logan is 27 months old and still rear-facing. She will be until she reaches the limits of her carseat for rear-facing.

I just had a flight attendant question me on the plane last weekend. She said "you are supposed to face it forward on the plane" and I said "no, you are supposed to use it the same as you do in the car and she rides rear facing in the car".

She looked at me kind of funny and walked away.

[nitaghei]

Neel is 30 months old and still rearfacing, and probably will be for a little while longer - until he hits the 33 lb limit on his RA. It does help that I have a big old-people car (Buick LeSabre) with a back seat with a deeply angled back, so he isn't squished. Now I just need to get DH to install the tether before turning him around.

I think he's the only kid at daycare over a year old who's still rear-facing - and there are several infants who are definitely not a year old, and most probably not 20 lbs who are FF'g. ggrrrrr.

Nita (fleece is my friend)
mom to Neel, January 2003
dog mom to a PWD and a cocker (at the Rainbow Bridge)

[mom2binsd]

From most of the previous posts it seems most people on these boards see the benefit of staying RF until the carseat limits, my DD is 25 months and 25 pounds, with long legs, but she just finds comfy position. I have had to defend her RF to so many people, they always ask if she'll break her legs in a crash, not likely, but if so, we can fix a broken leg, in the FF positon, not so easy to fix a broken spine or neck. There are great testimonials for RF on the car seat forum, especially under the poster "joolsplus" she's a car seat tech.

Wish the general public were as interested in child saftey as the members of this board! Why isn't there more done by the gov't or health agencies to educate the public on car seats??? Okay I'll hop off my soapbox now.....

[mudder17]

Hey, Happy Birthday to your Maddie!

As long as Kaya's head is below the top of the seat and she's under the weight limit, I'm planning on keeping her rear facing. I haven't had any comments made to me about it yet, so maybe I'm in the minority?

Eileen

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif for Leah

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif , 16 months & counting


http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/t/catcatcvi20040222_4_Kaya+is.png

[starrynight]

E is almost 22 months and is still rfing, she will be until she outgrows the RFing limits of her marathon. It's going to be awhile, she is a peanut at just around 23lbs, she is tall though so not sure if we will hit height or weight rfing limits first.

For the sake of discussion, her sister was turned around at 15 months because she was miserable and a screamer until we turned her so I waited as long as I could but that was our limit. Her brother at well over 20lbs and 10 months of age, gosh how things change in almost 7 years. I shudder to think about him turned that early now!

[laurena]

My DH turned the seat around when she was 1 year, 1 week and 23 lbs. I was not happy, BUT now I have a child who goes longer without screaming in the car - used to be 10 minutes and now it's about 40 minutes. Let me tell you, it's worth it for another 30 minutes of peace because I'm a less stressed and distracted driver for it. Therefore, I think we are all safer. Including those of you on the road with me!

[JBaxter]

Turned DS at 1 yr 27lbs and 33 inches. He hated riding in the car until I turned him.

[kijip]

Turned Toby around to FF in his Wizard when I thought he was 33 pounds. Realized later that week that in fact he was 32 pounds and turned him RF again until he was really 33. That bought us several more weeks. I would keep him RF now if the seat allowed me to! But Toby was never any happier or less happy FF or RF so that never impacted the decision. This all happened at about 19-20 months of age. Toby is a big kid but since he is so young I do worry about FF.