When to turn the kid around?

jtaylor379

New member
Ok, so this is my second post today along these lines. My youngest son is almost three, weighs 32 pounds and is about 38 inches tall. He is rear facing in his Roundabout 50, with a few pounds of growing room to get him to the 35 pound max. He is our third and last child, and to be honest we are just ready to have everybody facing forward and seeing the same things when we are driving. If we could move him forward facing, and also put our middle son into a booster (other thread I just posted) it would also allow us to use one of our outboard seats to come forward so our oldest son could get into his seat without having to go through the trunk (because our other two boys need to use the ISO FIX positions for their seats, which are only outboard in the middle row on a 2007 Volvo XC90).

So, I guess the big question is at what weight/age have I gotten the greatest benefit from keeping him rear facing? I'm sure there is more benefit for him to continue rear facing, but can I call "Uncle" and be comfortable that I'm simply not just turning into a slacker Mom, but have done a damn good job with my three monkeys? :) :) :)

Cheers,
Jessica
 
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babyherder

Well-known member
You've already done a damn good job for rf this long! I figure every day I give a child rf is a gift. It doesn't mean I can do it forever but it does mean I should feel good about every day I did. If I were you I would try to get to 3 rf and then reevaluate. We don't really know how much safer rf is at this point.
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
In my family we go for 4. And after that it's up to the kid. 4 is an age I feel is well supported by the available evidence as still having significant benefit and is achievable in current seats.

But you would be well within recommendations to just max out the limits on your current seat and then turn. So it's really a choice only you can make.
 

Violet's Mom

New member
People can agree or disagree with you here, but it is ultimately a personal choice with which you have to feel comfortable . I always thought I would shoot for 4, but now as my daughter is turning 4 I wonder if rf until 5 or 6, as apparently is not uncommon in Sweden, is ridiculous. I however, tend to be anxious, especially about car safety, so the peace of mind outweighs the convenience and lifestyle benefits of ff at this point. But I have a child who doesn't know forward facing exists. For you, things may add up differently and the convenience/lifestyle factors may be significant enough to overcome the safety benefits.
 

kiloyd

New member
I'd say you've done great and he is over 30#. Wait until he turns 3 then turn him FF if you really want to.

RF to 3 yrs is GREAT!!!!!

Two of mine made it RF to 2 1/2 yrs when they reached the seats weight limit of 33#.

Not sure what I'll do with my now 2 1/2 yr old that weighs 29#.
 

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