"But she's too hot rf'ing because the A/C doesn't reach her..."

Shaunam · Aug 19, 2008

I can understand parents wanting their kids to be comfy, but this excuse kind of annoys me. Why is heat such an issue at 1 year, but not when they are infants? How did you manage last summer when your kid was 3 months, but somehow it's inhumane now that the kid is a year old? I'd think it's harder on infants to be hot and toddlers would be used to it/better able to deal with/cool down with water in a sippy, ect.

It just makes no sense to me.

LuvMyCharlie · Aug 19, 2008

I agree. My son is usually wet from head to toe when I get him out of the car, but he's never "complained" about it. I just crank up the A/C as high as it will go in the back of the car. I mean, we live in southeastern GA. It gets pretty darn hot and humid here. I'm loving the fact that we'll be moving to CT in February, although that will bring a new set of carseat challenges.

bobandjess99 · Aug 19, 2008

although it's bullcrappy, of course, the reason i have heard given is that the first year they are in a bucket, while the second year, they are RFing in a convertible, which can have higher sides, or wings, which inhibit air flow more. I can sort of understand that thinking (i first heard this in regards to a BV, which does have those headwings) but still....ya, silly.

emars002 · Aug 19, 2008

DD2 sweats now - thats georgia for ya - but she doesn't complain - i just let her take water in the car and try to use the car instead of the van - it seems to cool down quicker - but she never did sweat in her snug ride. i don't know if its the sides of the seat like the PP said or maybe younger babies usually like/have to be warmer than a toddler - But either way, better hot and safe than cool an be injured:twocents:

MsFacetious · Aug 19, 2008

I have a child who does not sweat and quickly overheats. It wasn't easy but we managed. Guess how long we managed? 4 YEARS. She was rear facing for four years, 4 seperate summers.... In a Marathon/Wizard/Boulevard for the record.

My child literally is beet red after 10 minutes in 85 degree weather. Just BEING outside, not even running or anything. She can go outside and play for a few minutes, then has to come inside to cool off for 20 minutes or so.

This was within a maximum of ten minutes at our family reunion. It was 85 degrees at the most and she was under a pavillion.

We had the air conditioning on full blast, all the time. It was not uncommon for me to wear a sweatshirt in July, just to keep her cool enough. She drank lots of cold water in the car. If possible, we drenched her when we got to our location. Or while we were there. Like at the aviary the other day, we drenched her with the drinking fountain every ten minutes. Get her face wet, just let her play in the water. It's summer, it'll dry.

There is often a way around the "inconvenience" of keeping your child safe, the parent just has to care enough to find them.

jewlsvern · Aug 19, 2008

My SIL used that excuse and turned her DD FF for a 6 hour road trip. At least she flipped her back RF later. There are ways to keep your child cool and not compromise their safety at the same time.

xxluckychicxx · Aug 19, 2008

SingleMomTo2Girls said:
There is often a way around the "inconvenience" of keeping your child safe, the parent just has to care enough to find them.

OT but your daugher is beautiful! I

the drinking fountain pic!

Mommy2Marcus · Aug 19, 2008

My son is VERY hot natured so he gets hot easily. Yes he sweats being RF, but I just make sure to leave an air vent pointed up in his direction as well as put him outboard. People will come up with any reason they can think of to turn their child FF. However as others have said, he has NEVER complained! I also make sure that he has something cold to drink if it is really hot!

Shaunam · Aug 19, 2008

SingleMomTo2Girls said:
My child literally is beet red after 10 minutes in 85 degree weather. Just BEING outside, not even running or anything. She can go outside and play for a few minutes, then has to come inside to cool off for 20 minutes or so.

DD turns beet red in the heat too. On short car trips where the A/C doesn't have a chance to kick in and cool the whole car, she is so red, people are asking if she's sick or if she's sunburned. If it's over a 20 minute car ride though, she has a chance to cool back down and by the time we get there, she looks fine. But that in between time she looks *awful*! It doesn't bother her though. DD loves the car!

Melanie · Aug 20, 2008

I carry a small spray bottle of water in my diaper bag. When it's really hot I spray down the girls when I put them in. I don't know how much that would help in humid climate, but it makes a difference in 110 dry heat.

MsFacetious · Aug 20, 2008

Shauna, I don't know how many times I have had people say "Don't you realize you are supposed to put sunscreen on that child?" I get so sick of that. When after 15 minutes in air conditioning she is her normal color again.

xxluckychicxx said:
OT but your daugher is beautiful! I the drinking fountain pic!

Thanks.

There is a whole series of the drinking fountain pictures on my blog, on the August 12 Bird Zoo entry. I just chose the one that showed her red face the most. :thumbsup:

Victorious4 · Aug 20, 2008

I've suffered heat exhaustion. Twice that I actually remember. My daughter was also stuck in the car with me for work errands many hours of the day at least once a week. (She came to work with me from 6 weeks to 4 years old). This is one excuse that I actually do have sympathy for. When a toddler cannot safely hold their own minifan or crack-n-shake cold pack to keep cool & there truly isn't enough time to pre-cool the vehicle, it can become a health hazard. I did not always feel safe sitting in certain parking lots waiting for the car to cool. She's 6 years old now & still becomes easily over-heated when sitting outboard in her booster :twocents:

snowbird25ca · Aug 20, 2008

Maybe it's because I drive a bigger vehicle, but dd sweats just as much ff'ing as she did rf'ing and this is comparing the same carseat within weeks of each other this summer. She's verbal enough to complain if she was uncomfortable - it doesn't seem to be a huge deal to her though. :shrug-shoulders:

amy919 · Aug 20, 2008

snowbird25ca said:
Maybe it's because I drive a bigger vehicle, but dd sweats just as much ff'ing as she did rf'ing and this is comparing the same carseat within weeks of each other this summer. She's verbal enough to complain if she was uncomfortable - it doesn't seem to be a huge deal to her though. :shrug-shoulders:

I agree with you. My FF child sweats as much, if not more than my RF child. Different kids, maybe? Honestly, I think it's just another excuse to FF as soon as possible with some some bogus justification to make the parent feel less guilty :twocents:.

I am a bit sensitive on this subject, since I have had more heat strokes than I can remember. They're downright scary. When I drove a sedan, I aimed the vents towards the roof of the car. When I bought my SUV, I made sure it had rear a/c. When I bought my Crossover, I made sure it also had rear a/c. It's a silly reason to FF, give your kid a cool wet washcloth to play with.

scoutingbear · Aug 20, 2008

I always thought that C was hot and sweaty RF because there are no vents that reach him. But, after he turned FF (he turned due to weight, not being sweaty

), he is STILL hot and sweaty whenever we get to our destination. As in his entire back is soaked. He usually just asks for a drink of water when we stop and that's that. Maye it's just him? Maybe it's the nylon/plush hugging seat he is in? Whatever it is, he will probably always be sweaty when we stop.

sunnymw · Aug 20, 2008

To me, personally, not an excuse. You can see the signs of heat stroke/exhaustion and treat them before death happens. You can't see the signs of a head-on collision.

This is Ds1 last August in our car, in South GA, with NO A/C (so, heat index of 100-110?). So there wasn't anything to even REACH him. Everytime we went somewhere (which was not often, during the day) he broke out in heat rash from head to toe.

ETA the cold towel wasn't under the harness. It was soaked, then I'd hang it out the window to cool it, put it behind his neck, hold it out the window again, and so on...

armyfam · Aug 20, 2008

We have air conditioners in the back of my van so no big deal. It cools off quickly. In DH car, we got a remote start so he can cool the car off before he puts her in. About 200 bucks and well worth it! His car is not in the garage so it does get warm. I also don't worry about little fingers pressing the car key button and turning it on since it is not in garage. The car turns off after 15 minutes or so. Not sure if that is long enough for carbon dioxide to get in the house but its parked outside anyway. I UNDERSTAND about Georgia heat. We spent 3 sticky years in Fort Stewart and am enjoying Ohio weather now

I also took the head bolster off her Como and plan to put it back on this fall. Just too hot with those pillows on her neck.

MsFacetious · Aug 20, 2008

Ali still has a hard time FF as well. She does slightly better in the Regent but that vehicle also has better air conditioning too. In the Nautilus, she still has a hard time. Sadi also sweats a lot in there.

snowbird25ca said:
Maybe it's because I drive a bigger vehicle, but dd sweats just as much ff'ing as she did rf'ing and this is comparing the same carseat within weeks of each other this summer. She's verbal enough to complain if she was uncomfortable - it doesn't seem to be a huge deal to her though. :shrug-shoulders:

Victorious4 · Aug 20, 2008

sunnymw said:
To me, personally, not an excuse. You can see the signs of heat stroke/exhaustion and treat them before death happens. You can't see the signs of a head-on collision.

True, but kids are different. Overheating became a real, daily threat whereas a collision was still only a potential threat. A correctly used (& top tethered) FF seat for the hottest months was something I was willing to risk for my 2+ year old knowing the behavior issues involved with overheating were nullified. Every parent is different, too. I have a chronic illness & was both in school & working full time. After the hottest months of the year, kiddo reverted back to RF very easily & stayed that way until she was 4. She was safe both ways. Yes, she was safer RF, but only marginally so at that point.

I wasn't willing to risk the sanity & security of our relationship (during an extremely emotionally turbulent time nonetheless) or her immediate health for a "what-if", especially considering that her overheated discomfort was a strong distraction to me as the driver: distraction being the leading cause of crashes in the 1st place. After trying various creative distractions, FF'ing her to provide her with the cool air was the wisest choice for us. She was still buckled in correctly. I and others who take the time to truly weigh the pros/cons involved for our unique families don't need to be judged as parents. I achieved the balance of risks that worked for us. No one knows everyone else's story. Being correctly buckled in FF is quite different from being lackadaisical about her safety. Correctly yet temporarily FF'ing a child who meets the recommendations is far from the worst thing that could happen.

My Sweet Blessings · Aug 20, 2008

my DS was really overheating in our car RF. He's not quite a year so there wasnt even a thought in my head to turn him FF. He would be beet red and soaking wet by the time we got to our destination. Our weak A/C wasnt reaching him. I opted to leave him home during the day as much as possible. I wouldnt put him FF. I would dress him as lightly as possible when he went with me. now that we have a new vehicle, its not an issue cause the van has 4 a/c vents in the back and he freezes. LOL

"But she's too hot rf'ing because the A/C doesn't reach her..."

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