I am about to turn my 2.5 yr old ffing

My 2.5 year old is currently nearing 35lbs and is rfing in a TF. I am actually quite proud of myself that I decided to erf and have you ladies on here to thank. So, Thanks!!! My dh has been pushing to turn him for a while now and I have held him off. Also, where I live ffing at the min age and weight is the norm. No one I know has rfed their child nearly this long. Our first two children are 6 and 9 and were turned shortly after their first birthdays (before I knew better). As thrilled as I am that ds has made it this long rfing I am getting nervous about turning him. I am worried that he is not going to be as safe ffing. I am also worried about his reaction, he has never been ffing. Has anyone experienced difficulty turning an older child ffing? How did you prepare them? I rarely use the DVD player in the van but I guess a plus will be that he will be actually able to see it since we are going to be taking a fairly long road trip during March break. I think that he will miss being able to see the older kids in the back.

Jen

My now 5.5yr old was rf'ing to 18mos, then ff'ing to 30mos, then rf'ing again to 34mos, then ff'ing until 3wks before her 4th birthday (when we got a TF and I decided to try her rf'ing just for the fun of it,) and then went back ff'ing shortly after her 4th birthday.

The only time we had any grumble was the first rf'ing ride at 30mos, and it was more just because of not liking change and I think she was startled by the different view.

So I don't think you'll run in to any problems. The TF is a nice wide seat in the interior and has a natural recline to it, so I'm sure he'll be comfy - and he'll be able to pull his legs up and cross them still if he likes to ride that way.

Great job on keeping him rf'ing to the limits of his seat, and for so much longer than all of his peers. You've gotten him through the greatest risk period and have done a great job.

If you want my prediction, I bet you'll get a big smile and a running commentary on all the things he can see. Just be prepared for some back seat driving.

Yep back seat driver is coming your way! Just posted similar myself:
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=115796

And mine is four!

Your 2.5 year old will be 500% less safe forward facing compared to forward facing. That is something we know from research and real life experiences. There is simply a huge difference in safety between RF and FF at that age, and also at older ages. But sometimes we have to make compromises in car seat safety that aren't ideal.

I doubt you will have any problems with turning FF. Regardless if parents durn kids back RF or turn them FF I very rarely hear about problems.

Good luck!

Adventuredad said:

Your 2.5 year old will be 500% less safe forward facing compared to forward facing. That is something we know from research and real life experiences. There is simply a huge difference in safety between RF and FF at that age, and also at older ages. But sometimes we have to make compromises in car seat safety that aren't ideal.

I doubt you will have any problems with turning FF. Regardless if parents durn kids back RF or turn them FF I very rarely hear about problems.

Good luck!

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Most people who practice erf'ing are very aware of the benefits of it. The original poster HAS kept her child rf'ing to the LIMITS of his seat. She does not deserve to be given a guilt trip or treated like she's making a bad decision.

Not all countries have 50 or 55lb limit rf'ing seats. And not everyone runs out and buys a new seat because higher limits have become available since they purchased their seat - one that likely had the highest rf'ing limit available at the time. And most people aren't comfortable *illegally* using an imported seat which doesn't meet standards.

Answering the OP's question without a guilt trip would be the best course of action in a situation like this. Especially when there is no need for a guilt trip.

To the OP,

Congrats for keeping your child safely rearfacing to the limits of your seat! You did a wonderful job swimming against the current in your community and doing what you know to be safest while probably getting some odd looks or worse while doing it.

My 2.5 year old has been forward facing off and on for a while now, whenever there was a smaller friend in his RFing seat. He loves it and tells me all about the traffic lights and when to go and stop.

Soon he will outgrow the limit of his seat and be FFing permanently too. I am not looking forward to it, either, but we got him this far and we are happy to have influenced others to RF their one and two year olds too.

To the original poster/Jen, big congratulations to you and your little one for rf this long I don't think you'll have problem with ff either. Your ds will probably startled at first because of the different view ff, but if you make it fun and exciting for him, it should be no problem.

Adventuredad said:

Your 2.5 year old will be 500% less safe forward facing compared to forward facing. That is something we know from research and real life experiences. There is simply a huge difference in safety between RF and FF at that age, and also at older ages. But sometimes we have to make compromises in car seat safety that aren't ideal.

I doubt you will have any problems with turning FF. Regardless if parents durn kids back RF or turn them FF I very rarely hear about problems.

Good luck!

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I try to understand why you would post this but I came up empty. Perhaps it is best saved for law makers, carseat manufacturers, etc. but not to a worried parent.

Whether it was your intention or not, your guilt trip is UNnecessary. The OP asked for help to ease the transition from rf to ff for her ds as well as her being nervous and worried. You didn't have make her feel that she is now making 'compromises in carseat safety'.

Seats with rf limit of 35 lbs is still considered somewhat high (there are only 3-5 seats with higher rf limits and many more with lower than 35 lbs limit). The child under discussion is 2.5 yrs old which is still rare for ERF, especially outside of the carseat safety enthusiasts circles. She even stood her ground with her dh. She needs the pat in the back and the hurrah for keeping her ds rf this long. It's a good thing that a 2.5 yrs old rf to 35 lbs in Canada.

Please rethink about posts like this which hardly help the matter.

Kudos for keeping your child rear-facing until 2 years old and beyond. Two years is the threshold of current data we have in the USA to compare rear facing to front facing. Depending where you live, there may be more relevant statistics. In some countries, like Sweden, they have had great success with extended rear-facing to age 4 and beyond. Other countries, like Australia, historically turned kids front facing even before they were a year old and did not have a rash of fatalities once kids were turned. Even in the USA, the number of fatalities to kids from motor vehicle crashes from ages 0-1, 1-2, 2-3, 3-4 and beyond is fairly constant. These factors indicate that many other variables are involved.

Ultimately, the most important variables are beig properly restrained in an age-appropriate child seat installed correctly in a rear seating position. Driving unimpaired/undistracted reduces the risks to your child significantly, too. We know with certainty that the vast majority of fatalities to children in motor vehicles are to those who are unrestrained, improperly restrained and/or riding with an impaired/distracted driver. If you can make sure your child does not fit in any of those categories, they will be very, very safe. Some day, we may learn that kids above 2 years old who are properly restrained with a safe driver are 20%, 200% or 2000% safer RF than FF in Canada, the USA and elsewhere. It won't be all that meaningful, however, since 2000% of nearly zero risk is still nearly zero risk.

By all means feel free to keep your child rear facing longer if you are able to obtain a seat (for example a Radian XTSL) that allows for this. On the other hand, being front facing at 2.5 years and 35 pounds is perfectly reasonable if you are confident the seat you choose is being installed and used correctly. My youngest son was front facing around that age and I had no reservations whatsoever.

Thank you so much everyone (except adventuredad)!!! I needed the support and pep talk. I live in Canada and as far as I know 35lbs is the highest rfing weight for a carseat available. I purchased the TF because at the time I bought it it was one of if not the only seat that could keep my son rfing as long as I did. I am doing everything I can legally do to keep my son safe.

Adventuredad: People come to this website for support and advice, not to be berated.

Thanks again!
Jen

Unregistered said:

Thank you so much everyone (except adventuredad)!!! I needed the support and pep talk. I live in Canada and as far as I know 35lbs is the highest rfing weight for a carseat available. I purchased the TF because at the time I bought it it was one of if not the only seat that could keep my son rfing as long as I did. I am doing everything I can legally do to keep my son safe.

Adventuredad: People come to this website for support and advice, not to be berated.

Thanks again!
Jen

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HI Jen! Congrats on keeping your son rear facing to the limits of the seat. Just wanted to let you know, if you're interested, that Canada (just in the last few months) has a handful of seats with rear facing limits of 40-45 pounds

Unregistered said:

Thank you so much everyone (except adventuredad)!!! I needed the support and pep talk. I live in Canada and as far as I know 35lbs is the highest rfing weight for a carseat available. I purchased the TF because at the time I bought it it was one of if not the only seat that could keep my son rfing as long as I did. I am doing everything I can legally do to keep my son safe.

Adventuredad: People come to this website for support and advice, not to be berated.

Thanks again!
Jen

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Though I don't always agree with Adventuredad on fine details, I am sure he shares the same goal as everyone else here: to protect kids from motor vehicle crash injuries. His opinion may well turn out to be validated as the best advice someday, too! I also note that everyone's writing style is different, especially in the International forum where English may not be the first language for a number of our members. So, sometimes things are expressed a little differently than what might be considered typical.

Anyway, please feel free to register and join us for more discussions!

Unregistered said:

Thank you so much everyone (except adventuredad)!!! I needed the support and pep talk. I live in Canada and as far as I know 35lbs is the highest rfing weight for a carseat available. I purchased the TF because at the time I bought it it was one of if not the only seat that could keep my son rfing as long as I did. I am doing everything I can legally do to keep my son safe.

Adventuredad: People come to this website for support and advice, not to be berated.

Thanks again!
Jen

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We actually have 5 seats in Canada that RF past 35lbs.

We do have 5 seats that Rf past 35 pounds, but they are more expensive, and since you stated you had to stand your ground as it was with your DH, I'm going to bet he wouldn't be on board to buying a higher rfing seat. You've done amazing and should be proud of yourself!! A friend of mine turned her 24 pound 11.5month old FFing because she doesn't like rfing (this is after I've send all the info on erf)....so you've gone above and beyond most people, especially here in Canada!!

:thumbsup:

Maedze said:

Just wanted to let you know, if you're interested, that Canada (just in the last few months) has a handful of seats with rear facing limits of 40-45 pounds

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amyd said:

We actually have 5 seats in Canada that RF past 35lbs.

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Shanora said:

We do have 5 seats that Rf past 35 pounds

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Just for any new folks reading this thread, while technically Canada has five seats that RF past 35#, but of those five, three are essentially the SAME seat. Those three are different models of Sunshine Kids Radian seats. So, if the Radian works in your vehicle, you have a choice of three models. But if it doesn't work in your vehicle, then you've just eliminated three of the five seats available.

So, I personally consider Canada to have 3 seats that RF to 40 or 45 pounds:

1. Graco My Ride - 40# RF
2. Safety 1st Complete Air - 40# RF
3. Sunshine Kids Radian - 1 model 40# RF, 2 models 45# RF

Sorry about offending the OP, it wasn't meant as a guilt trip. Bad choice of words from my side. Sorry!! RF to 2.5 is well done. Even though English is one of four languages I speak I'm afraid I can't even blame it on that...... I think I'm known for being helpful to others and answering questions about car seat safety but after re-reading my reply I agree this was poorly done.

I was perhaps looking more at the concerns she posted and disregarded the rest.

I am worried that he is not going to be as safe ffing.

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AD, I did understand what you were trying to communicate

Adventuredad: Apology accepted. Thanks for your concern.

Jen

Nothing to add except that it is nice to see a group of people so passionate about carseats and children's safety, and that everyone can come to a pleasant understanding.