Question so would you turn her

M

mumof2

New member

• May 3, 2011

• #1

my daughter is 3 and ahalf (well 3 weeks off) and has noticed that other childrren at her kindy are forward facing and whats to be forward facing

anyway will do poll

this is just out of interest

 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob

Staff member

• May 3, 2011

• #2

2 is a MINIMUM recommendation. At 4 evidence of benefit declines somewhat, so 4 is the age when I let my kids have input (but I still have final say.)

 

Dillipop

Well-known member

• May 3, 2011

• #3

I didn't vote on the poll since the answers don't really fit for me.

My minimum is 3, which you are over. However, your child isn't mine and I don't know what you feel comfortable with. If you felt comfortable switching her around, you would have done it and not asked opinions, which makes be think that you aren't ready to do it.

If she is just asking, you might put an end date in for her- when she turns 4, we'll talk more. Or 35 pounds. Or whatever you're comfortable to pushing her off to.

 

rachelandtyke

Well-known member

• May 3, 2011

• #4

It seems like for those who try to follow more than the minimum, there will always be differences that our children will see between themselves and their peers. At such a young age, I wouldn't be switching because of that. Next it will be harnessed vs booster seats (and at 3 1/2, I imagine some of her friends might be switching in the near future).

 

Baylor

New member

• May 3, 2011

• #5

If she still fits I would not turn her. My 3 yr old does not make decisions.. he has input but I make the decisions knowing that I am responsible to keep him as safe as I possibly can.

I agree, Make an end date for her and that will be that.

 

MommaWhitney

New member

• May 3, 2011

• #6

I voted "no if she is still within the limits keep her rearfacing" ONLY basing off what her peers are doing. I dont know her size or what you would feel comfortable with. My youngest is 16m and tall for her age, Ill be lucky to make it to 3 and would feel comfortable forward facing her at 3. I however would only do it if she continued on her growth pattern (being a bit larger for her age). I wouldnt put a small 3yr old forward facing that still fit in his or her rear facing seat.
Anyway that being said Im kinda going through the same thing but with harness vs booster. My DD1 is in Kindergarten and is going to be 6 in about 6 weeks. She is on the 3rd slot of her GN (the harness is about half an inch above her shoulder) and she is 39lbs. She wants to booster and she ask me to booster.. She sees her friends in boosters and her cousin (who is younger than her by 9 months) in a booster and its hard to explain why. I tell her she constantly has to be over 40lb to booster. My limit to feel comfortable with booster training is 6 and over 40lbs. And I have to explain to her that the booster will only be for short rides at first and only in DH car, MIL car, and car pool. I told her she has to show me she can safely sit in it all the time before she can booster 100% of the time and that for long trips that she falls asleep for she will ride harnessed until she doesnt fall asleep.

 

Defrost

Moderator - CPSTI Emeritus

• May 3, 2011

• #7

Not for that reason, no. I wouldn't want to set the precedent that we make safety decisions based on "what everyone else is doing." At 3, she's not likely to understand much of it, but I'd still use it as an opportunity to talk about making safety decisions based on our own needs and doing our own research rather than just "what everyone else does."

Now, if it were for some other reason, my answer might be different.

 

canadiangie

New member

• May 3, 2011

• #8

I'm in the same boat. It's tough. My 3.5 yo (exactly 3.5) is the only 'big kid' in my vehicle that is still rf. So she asks me daily if she's big enough to be forward, and I just tell her she's very big, but, like her older sister who was 4 before she went ff, so will she be. It's just not a subject I'm willing to really bend on. I'm at the mercy of all these idiot drivers out here and my 3.5yo needs me to advocate for her.

 

ks1978

New member

• May 3, 2011

• #9

I probably wouldn't turn her, BUT at the same time, I just recently turned my 3 year old (not even 3.5 yet, just 39 months) FFing in one car. She has been begging me for at least a year, but the deciding factor was space. She has long legs and kicked my son in the eye once. (not intentionally, it was the only temper tantrum she's thrown in the car-even though it was just us there, I was mortified) So the older two also wanted her FFing also because she hangs her legs over the side and just bugs them. I realize that some might disagree with my decision, but I am comfortable with it and actually really enjoy having her FFing because now we have a lot more conversations in the car.

 

Chely7425

New member

• May 3, 2011

• #10

I probably wouldn't turn her, but I haven't had to deal with T1 asking yet.. he got pissed the 1 time I had him FF so.. yeah.

 

E

::er!ca::

Member

• May 3, 2011

• #11

I wouldn't turn her because of what her classmates/other kids are doing. But I am ok with the average 3.5 year old forward facing (unless the child is super tiny or something). 3 is my minimum for forward facing.

 

KaysKidz

Senior Community Member

• May 3, 2011

• #12

I wouldn't do it BECAUSE of peer pressure. That said, both my 4yr olds (at the end of the month) are FF and have been for some time. I have no issue with a 3.5yr old being FF.

 

J

Jan06twinmom

New member

• May 3, 2011

• #13

I wouldn't turn her either, since there is still room. In the end, I know most children are actually more comfortable rear-facing than forward-facing. Maybe you can use that as a selling point for wanting to stay rear-facing too? My twins expressed a preference for rear-facing once they had the verbal skills to do so.

I recently had my 6yo tell he that he was mad at me because he didn't get ride backwards as long as his twin sister. He hit the 33lb limit of our car seat at 2.5yo and his sister was rf to 4y4m when she finally hit 33lbs.

 

KiwiGem

New member

• May 3, 2011

• #14

ketchupqueen said:

2 is a MINIMUM recommendation. At 4 evidence of benefit declines somewhat, so 4 is the age when I let my kids have input (but I still have final say.)

Click to expand...

This is what I did. But Ava is 4.5 mths now and will still choose her TWE for rear facing over the Radian for f'ing.

You may find with Plunket releasing their article about changing their rear facing recommendation to 2 years to come into line with the AAP recommendations, that you might get asked about rear facing, especially as we seem to have posted in lots of NZ based places over the last couple of days about it I get people approaching me on a weekly basis genuinely interested in how and why Ava is still rear facing and they usually have toddlers much younger than her, so there is a sense that our *normal* is slowly starting to change in NZ (although still a LONG way to go!). Off course this shouldn't be a big factor in your personal decision but educating others as to how happy older toddlers can still be while rf'ing was something I thought about.

 

hrice

New member

• May 3, 2011

• #15

ketchupqueen said:

2 is a MINIMUM recommendation. At 4 evidence of benefit declines somewhat, so 4 is the age when I let my kids have input (but I still have final say.)

Click to expand...

:yeahthatlove:

This is my exact feelings on th esubject. And honestly, even at 4, if they still fit they would have to be putting up a pretty strong fight (daily) for me to turn.