Experience with letting a RF'er ride forward for a few minutes?

Anne

New member
Has anyone had experience turning a child FF for a VERY brief time and then going back RF? Did they make a fuss going back RF?

We want to take DD to look at the lights at a nearby campground. They have a really cool display every year. We have a small car and the backseat is pretty low (2 door cavalier). While she can see out the back and side, not nearly as much as if she were FF in the center.

I have no problem with her being FF for a 5 mph crawl through a campground. It's bumper to bumper, so no one has a chance of getting up any speed. I would turn the seat around when we got there and go back RF for the ride home.

My only concern is that she'll like it and make a fuss about RF forever after. Right now she is perfectly content RF and I do not want to go back to meltdowns for every car ride. She is a very strong willed child.

Worth it, or not?
 
ADS

babyherder

Well-known member
My little cousin was ff for a short ride once and then flipped back around. Apparently, he didn't care. But only you know (or can take the best guess) at how your dd would react. I'd flip her if you think she would enjoy the lights. But I'd deal with whatever fuss came after with rf, if any. If you don't want to deal with any issues (and I don't blame you if you don't) then I wouldn't turn her at all.
 

crunchierthanthou

New member
dd (who is generally very opinionated) briefly rode ff in a cousin's seat. She didn't resist going back rf at all. Of course, it was an unfamiliar seat and a different vehicle. She might have had another reaction to her seat in our car being switched.
 

alia

New member
Could you avoid the issue altogether by driving there, parking, and getting out to walk?
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
Some kids don't care about going back and forth. Some make a fuss. I think it depends on the kid.

Knowing what I do of your kid? I'd probably be wary of doing it if you want to avoid later meltdowns. Or maybe make it VERY VERY clear that this is only for this car/this ride if she is good with that kind of "one time exception" explaination.
 

freqflyer

New member
I turned DS for xmas lights. It was a parental decision that I was comfortable with. But he was so happy to be back rear facing. After about 45 minutes he wanted his regular seat back rear facing (I had installed our spare seat on the passenger side. He's usually behind the driver's seat.)
 

Anne

New member
Could you avoid the issue altogether by driving there, parking, and getting out to walk?

No, this particular place is drive through only. There is a small area at the front where you can get out and there's a stand with hot cocoa. You can look around from there and see what you can see. But you can't walk around. You'd only be able to see a few close lights.

Some kids don't care about going back and forth. Some make a fuss. I think it depends on the kid.

Knowing what I do of your kid? I'd probably be wary of doing it if you want to avoid later meltdowns. Or maybe make it VERY VERY clear that this is only for this car/this ride if she is good with that kind of "one time exception" explaination.

This makes me hesitate to do it. I know many kids can switch back and forth, but DD......So with you knowing more about how she is and saying you'd be wary of it......I kind of am, too. Sometimes the serious explanation works with her, but not always. Sometimes it's complete agreement up front and meltdown later when we go through with it.


We really wanted to take her to see these lights, it's kind of tradition for me and DH. We didn't make it last year, so we really wanted to this year. But I don't know if it's worth the possibility of major meltdowns.
 

rachelandtyke

Well-known member
If you keep her rfing, she'll still see some, right?

You would know that she could see more if she were ffing, but she would still get to see cool things she hadn't seen before and wouldn't know the difference . . .
 

Pixels

New member
My DD can see a surprising amount from her low, RFing seat. Not everything of course, but a lot, and she doesn't know what she's missing.

If you install as upright as possible, that will raise her head a bit higher.
 

Chely7425

New member
Like everyone else has said I think it depends on the kids... my 2.5 year old rides FF in my mom's car (he is rarely in there, maybe 2 times in the past 4 months) and was FF briefly in my car but has never made a fuss about going back RF. My middle son has never been FF (he is only 1.5) but given his personality I think he would throw a huge fit.
 

geekKT

New member
It would depend on the kid. If it were me, and wasn't sure that turning my kid FF for a ride wasn't a good idea long-term, I'd leave him RF.

I figure if he had never seen the lights FF he wouldn't know what he was missing. I'd probably also make myself feel better by adding to the tradition in a way that he could participate in a little more - maybe a special (non messy!) snack in the car that night or a trip to get hot chocolate afterward, or even a stop at another house or two with nice lights to get out and look at.

Our TF does sit pretty low in the car, but I know now that he's more upright DS sees quite a bit out the back window, more than I thought he'd be able to.
 

Little Ps Mama

New member
DS rode FF for 2 months. He was so excited. Suddenly his car seat was a "big car seat." We turned him back around and hoped for the best. Seeing his now RF car seat again for the first time he said "Oh cool!" and climbed up in it. Never one complaint! :)
 

Blondie87

New member
My 2 year old former foster daughter is FF with her mom, but RF when she's with me once a week, and she doesn't care either way...
 

urchin_grey

New member
DS was FF full time from 15mo until 2.5 (we didn't know any better at the time). He was 21lbs, so we bought a convertible to flip him back and he didn't even flinch. I did the same thing as you the other night though and I flipped him to go look at lights. The only difference I noticed is that he's a total back seat driver. :rolleyes: Oh, and my 3yo nephew is RF full time in his mom's car and in my cars, but FF in his dad's car since 2.75yo and in both grandparent's trucks since 3yo. He's never questioned it either and he's VERY opinionated.
 

Holly

New member
Knowing your dd, I don't know if I'd try it. She seems like she might have the personality that would throw a fit about going back to RFing if she liked FFing.

I had Hannah forward facing from 11 months to 24 months (when I flipped her back around) and I was nervous that she'd hate it, but she didn't care at all.

ETA, have you seen the lights at the Layton park, the park that is near the police station that has ducks?
They have a huge lights display every year and it's all walking around (you can do some driving through, but you see it better if you walk the sidewalks around the park).
We haven't been this year but we're going to go sometime this next week.
A friend told me this year they have the best display she's seen and she goes every year.
 

Anne

New member
Knowing your dd, I don't know if I'd try it. She seems like she might have the personality that would throw a fit about going back to RFing if she liked FFing.

I had Hannah forward facing from 11 months to 24 months (when I flipped her back around) and I was nervous that she'd hate it, but she didn't care at all.

ETA, have you seen the lights at the Layton park, the park that is near the police station that has ducks?
They have a huge lights display every year and it's all walking around (you can do some driving through, but you see it better if you walk the sidewalks around the park).
We haven't been this year but we're going to go sometime this next week.
A friend told me this year they have the best display she's seen and she goes every year.

Yes, we did the lights at Layton park last week. She LOVED it! That's why we really wanted to go for the other ones, too. Have you ever been up to Willard to see theirs?

Yeah, I'm thinking the same about P. It's a total toss up as to whether she would prefer being forward or not, but if she did.....I think we'd be in for it. The only way it'd work out okay would be if she likes RF better. I asked James this evening and he's leaning to not trying it. Like others have said, she won't know what she's missing.

Maybe I'll move the seat to the center. I think that will lift her up a little bit more than she is now outboard. And make it as upright as I can.
 

Holly

New member
When are you going?
If you want, you can borrow our FPSVD and have her FF in it for the lights, then if she complains about RF, you can tell her that her seat can only RF and that she can't keep the FPSVD because my kids need it. (They don't, it's a spare in dh's truck, so it would be fine if you wanted to use it).
Dh is at work right now, but I'm going out and have to go over there and I could get it and bring it over to you if you want.
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
When are you going?
If you want, you can borrow our FPSVD and have her FF in it for the lights, then if she complains about RF, you can tell her that her seat can only RF and that she can't keep the FPSVD because my kids need it. (They don't, it's a spare in dh's truck, so it would be fine if you wanted to use it).
Dh is at work right now, but I'm going out and have to go over there and I could get it and bring it over to you if you want.

That is a good idea-- because the seat can be gone. "Oh, that seat is for FF, this one is for RF still." I've pulled that off with my throws-a-fit kid.

Or, you could even probably RF her in the FPSVD and she'd see more, being up higher.
 

babyherder

Well-known member
Trying it with a different seat is probably a good idea. I've convinced a few kids that they have to ride in a harness or a booster in my car even if they don't with their parents cause that's how my seats work. Their seats work differently.
 

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