Very disappointed - My godchildren's parents turned them FF

msg221

Well-known member
My friend came over to pick up a birthday cake I made for her nephew a couple of hours ago. She had her just turned 2 year-old twins in the car as well as her 5 year-old nephew. I was shocked to see the twins forward facing. She knows all about ERF because I have supplied her with all of the info, she saw the Joel's Journey video (in fact, she told me it scared her enough to agree with me about keeping them rear facing), etc. but now she has them forward facing anyway. This really concerns me especially for her daughter, who is only about 22-24 lbs. and about 32 inches tall. She said their neighbor had borrowed one of her seats and then ended up turning both seats for her when he went to re-install the borrowed seat. I don't know if my face ended up showing what I was thinking (I have a tendency to do that!), but I was very disappointed.

And if that wasn't enough, her nephew was sitting in his car seat with the chest clip over his abdomen and the harness straps looked too loose! He is here with his mother, visiting from Egypt. The car seat was borrowed from the same neighbor. I know it is a Cosco seat but I couldn't tell what kind, but it appears to be a combination seat because I could see the belt guides on the outside part of the seat. They still have him harnessed, which I recommended because I am pretty sure that in Egypt, car seats are not the norm and I didn't think a booster would be appropriate for him since he has likely never been in a car seat at all. The only thing is I don't know how much he weighs and if that seat only has a 50 lb. limit for harnessing, then he needs to be changed to booster mode. He is very tall and skinny, all legs, so he may not be at the weight limit, but I don't know for sure. He just turned 5 today.

I don't think I will be able to convince her to turn them back but I e-mailed her and did offer to check their seats (Boulevards) and make sure that they are at least tethered. I also offered her one of my TFP's for her nephew because I think he would be more comfortable in it then he looked in that Cosco seat. Plus it can be used to 65 lbs. (assuming he isn't too tall for it). I have an extra seat, the My Ride I got for $81.54 on Wal-Mart.com so I won't be short a seat if I do let her borrow the TFP for her nephew, who will be here until August.

Anyway, I am just sick about this and just wanted to vent.
 
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wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
Cosco combos have 40 pound harness limits, unless it was a 3 in 1, and even most of those have 40 pound limits. And they have low top slots, so I'd be shocked if a five year old's shoulders fit in it. It's happened, but not often.

Wendy
 

KaysKidz

Senior Community Member
Honestly, if she rf'd them until 2, she did far better then most. She made it to the critical age...which is 2. The littler twin is just as developed physically as her bigger twin, baring no physical issues or medical conditions.

It's also possible that the 3 across didn't work and they are flipped temporarily. But, if not, at 2, I would just make sure the seat is in properly and that everything is correct.

I have twins. One is significantly smaller then the other. They've both been ff f/t since 2.5 when they were moved to the 3rd row of our suburban to make room for our new baby and my 13yr old. Plus the larger twin was nearing the limits of his seat.

I initially tried rf'ing them in the 3rd row, but after a couple of days, I flipped them and haven't looked back. The smaller one has gone back and forth with the occasional rf'ing ride in the baby's seat when she wasn't in the car. He's 3 now, but only 27lbs fully dressed, but I don't stress over the fact that he's ff. Logistically, it's just what works for our situation.

JMO
 

TechnoGranola

Forum Ambassador
I don't know if you are a CPST or not, but if you're not, I wouldn't offer to check the seats. I'd only suggest that she's made sure read the manual for a FF install and to make sure read the section on tethering (give her a specific page # if you like). If you are a CPST, then no worries!

ETA: and of course suggest she see a CPST to get the install checked
 
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msg221

Well-known member
Cosco combos have 40 pound harness limits, unless it was a 3 in 1, and even most of those have 40 pound limits. And they have low top slots, so I'd be shocked if a five year old's shoulders fit in it. It's happened, but not often. Wendy

I mentioned to her my concern that her nephew did not fit in that seat and she said it is the same seat that her neighbor is using for his 6 year old, who is larger. I don't know if he is using it as a booster though. Oh, and she mentioned that her nephew is the one who moved the chest clip down because "it's more comfortable." She said they do buckle him in properly but that he is the one moving it down. I won't expect that his mother will say anything because they aren't even used to having to use child restraints.

As for the twins now being forward facing, it wasn't because of seating arrangements. She has a Sienna van, so her nephew is in the third row. She said that their neighbor borrowed the seats and when he went to reinstall them, he only knew how to do it forward facing (umm, the instruction manual is attached to the seat!) and she said she was fine with it.

I don't know if you are a CPST or not, but if you're not, I wouldn't offer to check the seats. I'd only suggest that she's made sure read the manual for a FF install and to make sure read the section on tethering (give her a specific page # if you like). If you are a CPST, then no worries!

I am not a CPST (would love to become one, but the class schedules don't work with my work schedule) and the only reason I offered to check the seats was because I was the one who originally installed them for her and I did have the seats I had in my car inspected (at the time, I also had Boulevards) so I know that I had them installed correctly. I don't even know that my friend would know how to install them.
 

Evolily

New member
Rear facing to two years is actually pretty awesome :thumbsup: and forward facing at 2 is a safe option (not the safest option, but safe). I would be very happy she rear faced as long as she did. No, it's not the best, but it is better and she does sound like she's trying.
 

msg221

Well-known member
I guess I should be happy that she did listen to me enough to keep them rear facing this long. Maybe I can at least convince her to have a CPST take a look at the installation her neighbor did when he changed them to forward facing. I did ask her if he tethered them, and thankfully he did.
 

Mae

Well-known member
Also, if it's a seat like in this post, it's very likely that the top position isn't usable for harness mode. The top slots in the 40lb seats of that model aren't reinforced, they can only be used when the seat is is booster mode (I believe all the 40# model's top slots aren't reinforced, but the 50# model's top slots are? I could be wrong...).




This really concerns me especially for her daughter, who is only about 22-24 lbs. and about 32 inches tall.

Also, even though she is really tiny, remember that it's not size that matters when you are talking about rear facing or forward facing; age is what really matters. Yes, she's still young, but I think she did a pretty good job at keeping them rear facing until at least two. That's better than the majority of parents out there. :thumbsup:

Just remember that they can still continue to RF in your car. Just because they're FF in mom/dad's car, doesn't mean that they must FF in your car.
 

msg221

Well-known member
Also, if it's a seat like in this post, it's very likely that the top position isn't usable for harness mode. The top slots in the 40lb seats of that model aren't reinforced, they can only be used when the seat is is booster mode (I believe all the 40# model's top slots aren't reinforced, but the 50# model's top slots are? I could be wrong...).

Also, even though she is really tiny, remember that it's not size that matters when you are talking about rear facing or forward facing; age is what really matters. Yes, she's still young, but I think she did a pretty good job at keeping them rear facing until at least two. That's better than the majority of parents out there. :thumbsup:

Just remember that they can still continue to RF in your car. Just because they're FF in mom/dad's car, doesn't mean that they must FF in your car.

I am definitely keeping them rear facing in my car. I don't ever want to feel regret that I didn't do everything to keep them as safe as I could if anything were ever to happen.

Not only that, it will be a matter of convenience for me to leave the seats rear facing since my stepdaughters' babies all ride in my car too and the youngest is only six weeks old.
 

Minnesota

CPST Instructor
Honestly, I am thrilled when I can get any of my non-carseat friends to RF to age two. Just think of it: it's twice as long as she would have done without your influence!
 

msg221

Well-known member
Yes, I've decided that I should be happy with that fact.

I did, by the way, get her to agree to borrow my TFP for her nephew. Yesterday I took him and his mother out and he used the TFP I normally use for my godson and grandsons. He fit in that seat a million times better than whatever Cosco seat is in her van. He still had shell above his head and didn't looked squashed in the seat. And another thing, before I even drove, I told his mother that she needed to tell her son that he was not allowed to move the chest clip down (again, they are from Egypt and her son only speaks Arabic so she had to translate for me) and she said she had already told him that and told him again right then. And he did listen and left it alone! I kept checking in my rear view mirror on the way to the store!
 

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