Should I keep her rf'ing?

Mirandagrate

New member
DD will be 4 in May and has only ever ridden FF twice. She's perfectly happy RF and never talks about riding FF. She is small. I just weighed her yesterday and with light clothes she's barely 30 lbs. She's only about 38 inches tall too. The only reason I ask is because I've been reading posts where people say not to worry about turning their 4 yr old RF or that 4 yr olds are perfectly fine FF. But then I read about how much safer it is to ride RF as long as possible and other countries do it longer... I was planning on letting her ride RF until she outgrew the limits on her XTSL, although at her size, she might be 7, LOL :p
So, are there any benefits to keeping her RF after 4? Is this some magic number? Am I missing something?
Thanks :)
 
ADS

Judi

CPST/Firefighter
It is safer for all to rear face, even adults. I see no reason to switch her, since she fits and is not complaining.
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
The "magic number" would be closer to six, but it's not a sudden thing. The skeleton is nearly completely ossified at six. Less so at four, but moreso than at two. I've seen a study that kids under the age of five are at higher risk of internal decapitation, so maybe that's where four comes from?

It would be safer for all of us to rear face. But for you and me that difference may be 3%, whereas for a one year old it's as much as 532%. I don't know numbers for a six year old, but given that the skeleton ossifies about then, between one and six the number probably goes from 532% to something like 10% (just making that up). So by four, the number isn't as drastic as a one year old. Even a lightweight four year old is still four and has had four years to ossify the skeleton.

Wendy
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
4 is the age where I let the child choose. If she's not asking, I'd keep her RF. (I RFed my eldest to almost 6, she is just now outgrowing all our seats RF and going straight to a booster.) However if she asks she'd be, at 4, at a point where I'd say, "Okay" and turn her around.
 

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