Are some kids under 35 lbs really 'too cramped' to RF?

javafinch · Mar 3, 2008

I'm wondering if this is possible or what you say when people insist their child was 'too cramped' and they had to turn them FF well before the weight limit for rear facing? I recently brought up extended RF on a thread on another site and got the comeback from a few others about how their child was 'too cramped'. How do you respond to that?

keri1292 · Mar 3, 2008

I think it really depends on their age. Ds2 will probably be about 6 when he goes over 35lbs. And with a super short torso (even with the 2nd from bottom slots on his MA) he'll be able to RF that long. But, yes, sometimes he seems a little cramped. Not cramped enough to FF. Plus, he looks cramped to me, but he really doesn't know any different, so never complains.

Starlight · Mar 3, 2008

If the child is complaining w/ out prompting, then sure. But if mom or dad are just assuming that the little one is cramped w/ nothing to base it on? Nah. Mom and Dad are just making up excuses.

TechnoGranola · Mar 3, 2008

I was actually thinking about this the other day. Don't some kids hang their legs off the side? I was wondering if that would be dangerous if they were outboard? Potentially getting their leg severed in an impact? or would it just break? Ugh, I hate to think about it, but I figured a severed leg would lead to death a lot easier than a broken leg so started getting worried about the kids who hang their legs over the sides.

azgirl71 · Mar 3, 2008

starlightCPST said:
If the child is complaining w/ out prompting, then sure. But if mom or dad are just assuming that the little one is cramped w/ nothing to base it on? Nah. Mom and Dad are just making up excuses.

:yeahthat:

natysr · Mar 3, 2008

I think it also depends on the vehicle. Jordan rides in our Honda Civic most of the time. the seatback in the backseat is angled back quite a bit, and he is not cramped at all.

In our Nissan pathfind, the way the seatback is, he has less leg room. He has not complained though. What I have done in the past is to put his seat in the center with the seatbelt, and recline the seatbacks of the two outboard seats. This gives him a bit more room to put his legs up.

But we have had only 1 carseat for a few months now, so when I switch it out, I've been putting him outboard with Latch.

My new marathon was delivered today, so I will probably put him outboard to start since the out-laws are visiting this weekend, but after that, I will move him to the center again.

thepeach80 · Mar 3, 2008

I think most parents impose what THEY would find comfortable on their child. I'm not sure I would want to be rfing like that, but I'm not 2 either.

My kids have short legs so it's never been an option. AJ was 37" when he had to ff and never complained. Evan is only 35" but older than AJ was when he turned so tall, leggy kids would probably have more problems than short, petite kids, but I've never one of these children who HAD to ff at 1 b/c they were cramped.

Suzibeck · Mar 3, 2008

I agree with the sentiment that most parents are just imposing their view on the child. The only times I think a child would be truely "too cramped" would be in the case of spastic cerebral palsy, where it may indeed be impossible or painful to bend the hips/legs appropriately for rfing, the other would be if the child was in a cast that simply won't fit rfing.

tinytoy · Mar 3, 2008

If Ashley complains about being too cramped I will tell her the story about how I used to walk to school 50 miles in the snow, uphill ... both ways. With no shoes.

:evil grin:

Calideedle · Mar 3, 2008

starlightCPST said:
If the child is complaining w/ out prompting, then sure. But if mom or dad are just assuming that the little one is cramped w/ nothing to base it on? Nah. Mom and Dad are just making up excuses.

:thumbsup:

I put my DS in my DDs carseat (not driving) He is 44lbs, 42" and about 4yrs old. He was so cozy and told me he loved it! I have a hard time believing a child would tell their parent that they are cramped. Kids can sit in the most wild positions for hours and feel fine!

carseatcoach · Mar 3, 2008

I can believe that a tall, long-legged, slim child might feel cramped rear-facing. The question in my mind would be whether the discomfort warranted turning the child around. I'd probably turn a child over 3 years and 30 pounds if s/he was uncomfortable (consistently complaining, not just having a cranky day). An 18-month, 25-pound child would just have to deal with it.

Niea · Mar 3, 2008

natysr said:
I think it also depends on the vehicle.

I think this is true too.

DD was perfectly happy to RF in my car, a 4dr sedan with pretty reclined seats. In DH's truck, though, she did complain and I think it was because the seat back there is pretty darn up-right, so much less legroom.

javafinch · Mar 3, 2008

Thanks for the responses. I can see an older skinny child getting to this point - the people in the thread that prompted this question were talking about little ones not much past their 1st birthdays, so I just found that hard to believe. But I could see someone with a child like my friend's DS who is extremely thin and wasn't 35 pounds until he probably outgrew the height on many seats! But the 'average' kid I would think could rear face to the weight limit. I know even my mom scoffs at extended RF past 1 year of age.

Ali · Mar 3, 2008

I think most parents forget how flexible kids are. What looks uncomfortable for us, is usually quite comfortable for them. Look at how they sleep!!!!

I turned DD back RF after FF for 3 months and she is SOOOOO much happier! She complained constantly when she was FF because she hated her feet dangling.

Victorious4 · Mar 3, 2008

IME, no

My daughter was that tall skinny child who still rode RF until after her 4th birthday

She prefered RF because her legs didn't dangle (causing numbness + back aches) Here are the last pics of her showing off her fave positins for riding happily RF:

"Cramped" isn't a reason to turn FF. If they're worried about leg injury, the response is simple: kids in Scandinavia ride RF till ~50+ pounds (with drastically lower rates of death/injury to this age group) & there are no recorded case of leg injury ... besides, broken legs can be mended, broken necks cannot (Internal Decapitation anyone?) so, would you rather have kiddo in a cast or a casket?

P.S. of course this is worded more bluntly than I actually say. No parent needs to be talked down to, especially when they are actively seeking information. Parents need education, not judgment :twocents:

fyrfightermomma · Mar 3, 2008

I have to be honest....I truly believe in ERF.....and I never thought a child could be "too cramped" RFing until I tried putting our BLVD in our Taurus. We had the seat two days. I just could NOT fit my 2 1/2 year old in between the door frame and the seat. The space between the head wings and the car frame was just too small without ALOT of wrangling and she screamed the entire time she was in the seat about "too big too big" and this is a child who has never ridden forward facing. It was just something about the BLVD and the angle it had to be at to have my husbands seat where he could drive that really did cramp her too much. We got an EFTA and while thats slightly better Its still almost impossible to wrangle her in that car. Yet in my Impala I have absolutlely no problem. So unfortuantely when she turns 3 we will be turning her FF in my husbands car because we just cannot physically get her in anymore (she'll stay RF until 33 pounds in my car) so I do believe it can happen, just not as often as parents may think!

Victorious4 · Mar 3, 2008

That's a good point.

I do remember dealing with that issue, too. Our solution was simply to let kiddo climb into the seat herself without my lifting & stuffing her in. We'd been doing mom+me gymnastics since 6 months old, though, too she was very nimble

She got herself in (into a tall SUV without running board) & buckled up the chest clip, then I buckled the crotch without having any problems -- I think this may have given her ownership over the seat, which probably eliminated the issue that otherwise would have caused us *both* to fuss.

ZephyrBlue · Mar 3, 2008

In our case, yes. My DS is almost 35mos and 2 mos ago he was complaining about his legs "hurting" when he was in his seat (I know he wasn't in pain, but that's the best way he could explain to us that he was uncomfortable). And we noticed this after a growth spurt left all of his pants too short, so I know his legs grew, not his torso (and I didn't need to move his harness straps up). As soon as we switched him FF, he was fine. No more complaining about his legs. My 7.5yo could still happily ride RF- she doesn't mind being twisted up like a pretzel, LOL, but my 5yo complained when I turned her back RF a few months ago- she said that her legs kept falling asleep and feeling tingly. I do think that the vehicle and car seat have a lot to do with it- the Radian left my DS with much more room to put his legs, while the BV really had him up against the vehicle seat back without much wiggle room at all.

Maybe my kids are weird, though, LOL!

AdventureMom · Mar 3, 2008

Calideedle said:
:thumbsup:

I put my DS in my DDs carseat (not driving) He is 44lbs, 42" and about 4yrs old. He was so cozy and told me he loved it! I have a hard time believing a child would tell their parent that they are cramped. Kids can sit in the most wild positions for hours and feel fine!

I tried my (then) 4-yr-old in a RF Uptown before delivering it to my niece. He loved it and said it was very comfortable and why couldn't he ride like that. He was disappointed to hear that he weighed too much...

Here he is:

CRS · Mar 3, 2008

I haven't read any of the other posts, sorry but I think "cramped" is all in their perception as an adult. What kids find comfortable many of us probably wouldn't. Kids are more flexible and well, adults just complain a heck of a lot more. I figure if they were cramped, they'd complain therefore if they don't - they're fine!

Are some kids under 35 lbs really 'too cramped' to RF?

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