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Average near 3 year old, RF or FF for birthday?
- Thread starter EALOVE
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katymyers
Active member
I didn't make it to four with my oldest, he was a few days past three and a half years when he reached forty pounds and thus the weight limit on his seat. I chose not to buy a higher weight limit seat because I personally felt comfortable with him forward facing at that stage. Developmentally I feel like his body was mature enough, he is shaped like an older kid, not like a toddler anymore. BUT if you are asking if I would be comfortable with turning a child that was still within the limits of their seat just for the simple fact that they had a birthday then no, absolutely not. I advocate using a seat, no matter what seat it is, to its absolute maximum limits because no matter how you look at it that's the safest option. My younger kids will RF til they're six if that's when they outgrow the seats they are in.
aeormsby
New member
Both of my kids turned FF shortly after they turned 3. That's when they were within a couple of lbs of the RF limit of their seats (33lb). 3yo is the earliest I would consider FF. Maybe compromise and say when she hits 30-32lb you'll turn her (as long as that's after her birthday)?
soph's mom
New member
I am aiming for 4 with dd. she is very tall and I'm hoping she makes it in the new rxt. If she doesn't I won't be buying a new seat to extend that. I have three radians to keep her rfing a long time and at this point I don't think shelling out for even more seats will be in the budget. Talk to me when she's close to outgrowing them tho... My story may change...
NHTSA actually says to the RF limits of the seat, which for most kids in most seats happens before 4. I'd be following NHTSA recommendations if I FF'd her in the Boulevard at 2, because she will have outgrown it RF.
I'll be good with making it through the winter after she turns 3.
DS went FF at 3, because we were out of all non-Radian RF options at that time.
Once dd2 hit 3 we mostly continued to rear face her but she did ride FFing now and then. A few months later I switched her FFing in Dh's car and kept her Rfing in mine. She will be 4 in August and has been FFing in my car for the last 2 weeks. I think we are now ready to make the switch full time.
You have to do what you feel comfortable with. I don't believe a typical 3 year old is unsafe FFing. Of course they are safER RFing but at some point you have to take other factors into consideration. For some people that age is 2, others 3 and others 4+.
You have to do what you feel comfortable with. I don't believe a typical 3 year old is unsafe FFing. Of course they are safER RFing but at some point you have to take other factors into consideration. For some people that age is 2, others 3 and others 4+.
Phineasmama
New member
I wouldn't flip forward facing JUST because the kid turned 3, but I'm not sure how far past 3 my giant toddler will make it.
Brigala
CPST Instructor
Personal choice between you and your husband. If it's going to cause serious marriage strife to dig in your heals and demand to RF longer, at age 3, I'm not sure I'd fight that battle.
Fortunately for me, DH and I agree on RF to the limits of the seat. I'm stressing about the likelihood that my daughter will be too big to RF in her spare seat (CA65) by the time she turns 3 in two months. She's almost there now, weighing in at 38.5 lbs naked weight, over 39 dressed. So I have to decide now whether to discontinue use of the spare seat except in case of emergency (which means she won't be able to ride with Daddy to pick up hay this fall, not a big deal but kinda sad) or just suck it up and accept that she has to FF someday.
Fortunately for me, DH and I agree on RF to the limits of the seat. I'm stressing about the likelihood that my daughter will be too big to RF in her spare seat (CA65) by the time she turns 3 in two months. She's almost there now, weighing in at 38.5 lbs naked weight, over 39 dressed. So I have to decide now whether to discontinue use of the spare seat except in case of emergency (which means she won't be able to ride with Daddy to pick up hay this fall, not a big deal but kinda sad) or just suck it up and accept that she has to FF someday.
bethng
Active member
Personally, if my dh "told" me that my child would ff at age 3....especially at your child's weight, he would be educated on why I felt it was not safe and then if he still didn't see the error of his ways.....it would still be my way or the highway.....as they say. But I make the calls about car seats and who sits in what seat and in what position in my family. He knows that and would never even bother trying to overrule my decision. I have issues with my husband TELLING me I must do something......something I know is wrong (and for me it would not be OK to ff at that weight/age) so he could TELL me whatever he wanted to tell me but he would be ignored. As you can probably tell.....I make most child related decisions in our marriage.....because I do the research. I read the facts. He does not. If he took the time to educate himself and carry on an educated conversation with me then that would be another story.
I am ok at 3 with part time or occasional forward-facing if the child's spare seat has been outgrown RF or the seat doesn't install RF in a particular car; for full time/main vehicle, I do anything possible to RF to 4.
I had to turn my son FF at 3 years 3 months...for some reason and no matter how tightly I installed his carseat at some point during driving it would tip over..so was not safe. this happened while going for a family photo about 1 hour away.
I figured it would be safer to FF in a seat that is correctly installed. and I am happy I was able to RF him to over 3 years I would have liked to get him to 4 years.
he is approx 38lbs and around 40"
I figured it would be safer to FF in a seat that is correctly installed. and I am happy I was able to RF him to over 3 years I would have liked to get him to 4 years.
he is approx 38lbs and around 40"
MommyShannon
New member
My 3 yo is 36.5" and 30lbs in a TFP too. Right now I plan to keep her rf until the limits. Just show your dh crash tests comparing ff and rf. FF is so violent even at a "safe" age.
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Thanks, everyone! For the record though, he didn't flat out demand she would be FFing on her birthday, just that he'd like her to be. We're all anxious, but it doesn't mean we'd compromise her safety because it would be easier or that she could see the road and built in DVD screen with her older sister. At the time I felt pretty comfortable after turning DD1 at 3, so I think maybe he feels I'm having the same anxious feeling I did just before turning DD1. I'm thinking I'll set a weight requirement more than an age like @aeormsby suggested. Like ~30-32 lbs. She should be around there about 3.5 maybe, an age I'm totally ok with. Thanks again!
MommyShannon
New member
I realize this isn't the point but have you tried to show her the DVD screen? This is how my 3 year old watches.
I had to turn DD at 2.5 and 2y11m b/c she reached the limits on the seats we had then and there really weren't many other options at that point (no 40 lb RF seats until several months later).
Yet, when DS came along I was able to get Radians and still felt funny turning him FF in one car at 3y3m when he reached 40 lbs. And he's still RF in my car - although I'm getting ready to send him 4 hrs to my parents for a week and will send the FF seat for him. He's several weeks from turning 4 and the FF seat is easier to do the harness. And most likely he will go FF in my car near his 4th bday even if he still is just barely under the RF limits.
What happened with my DD though that got me to keeping her RF until almost 3 v. turning her at 2, then 2 and 30 lbs was the idea that I would be intentionally making her less safe when there was no reason to.
So with that in mind, it just became easier to keep my kids RF until the limits of the seat.
Yet, when DS came along I was able to get Radians and still felt funny turning him FF in one car at 3y3m when he reached 40 lbs. And he's still RF in my car - although I'm getting ready to send him 4 hrs to my parents for a week and will send the FF seat for him. He's several weeks from turning 4 and the FF seat is easier to do the harness. And most likely he will go FF in my car near his 4th bday even if he still is just barely under the RF limits.
What happened with my DD though that got me to keeping her RF until almost 3 v. turning her at 2, then 2 and 30 lbs was the idea that I would be intentionally making her less safe when there was no reason to.
So with that in mind, it just became easier to keep my kids RF until the limits of the seat.
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