How often do friends and family give you trouble about ERF or EH?....

How often do your friends and family bring it up

  • More than once a week

    Votes: 1 1.4%
  • about once a week

    Votes: 3 4.1%
  • about once a month

    Votes: 7 9.6%
  • once every couple of months

    Votes: 11 15.1%
  • once every six months

    Votes: 3 4.1%
  • once a year

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • longer than once a year

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • They said something once but after explaining they didn't again

    Votes: 24 32.9%
  • They haven't said anything

    Votes: 12 16.4%
  • other (because there always has to be an other!)

    Votes: 12 16.4%

  • Total voters
    73
ADS

aclayton74

Active member
I voted more than once a week. My sister and I were discussing it last Thursday. She has a 7 yr old (No back booster), 4 yr old (Cosco AO) and a 7 month old (Snugride). She is talking about buying 2 Radians for her 4 yr old and 7 month old. I was like oh the Radians will fit great in your car especially with the one rear facing. She looked at me and said I am going to FF the baby when she gets out of the Snugride. Then proceeds to get crappy and say well the boy's FF at 9 or 10 months and they are fine. Um okay I am dropping the whole subject with her from now on. I did what I could to try to convince her RF is better and if I keep talking about it we will end up getting in a huge fight.
 

thepeach80

Senior Community Member
I've had my mom and my MIL say something like once, but that was it. I know DH's family has talked about me before though, lol. I had to take DH's cousin's kids recently in the car and I made the 2yo rf and I put the 4yo in a harness when we got home. She was in a booster till then and was so wiggly and her puffy coat didn't help. :( She wanted to rf too, but I think she is probably too heavy so we just stuck w/ a ffing seat.
 

NannyMom

Well-known member
No one has said anything to me about Sofi ERF. Maybe because I have the first grandchild on my side of the family...in my area (my cousins in OH and FL have kids....but we rarely ever talk). My Mom was pretty ticked at my Ohio cousin's reason for FF at 1 year "I like being able to see her smiling face in the rearview mirror". LOL, I have a feeling she may say something to my aunt (I already have).

Oddly enough I think people in my family may end up getting more flack for NOT ERF or EH. :D

My friends would never say anything. I've said something to them about their kids (I have 2 friends with DDs a few months younger then Sofi). They know all the safety info, and how strongly I feel (and understand). But they won't ERF either :( But....the girls seats are installed properly and tightly teathered.
 

southpawboston

New member
it's never been a problem. one friend mentioned something once, and we explained why we ERF'd, and that was it. we don't live in a car-centric part of the country, most of our friends walk or ride bikes, so we don't have lots of situations where it could potentially be a conversation piece.
 

BookMama

Senior Community Member
I voted other.

Every once in a while, DH or my folks or someone will ask me when DD will turn FF or when DS will go to a booster full time (or seat belt). Not in a "Come ON, you're so overprotective" kind of way but just out of curiosity, like you might ask when you're planning to move a kid from a crib to a bed. No pressure or negativity at all. :thumbsup:
 

LuvBug

New member
I voted other. Although I am the youngest girl in the family, I was the first to have the first grandchild. My family knows how I am, that I research everything, so when I talk about something- they know I KNOW what I am talking about. They know how passionate I am and they know they need to listen to me or I won't shut up :p

I have never once gotten grief from a family member about carseats. They all support it. They have questioned why and been educated on the topic, and then accepted it.
The same thing with my other parenting choices. They realize times are different now, they question, are educated, and accept it. If they don't accept it, well they never say anything more.

I think I am one of the lucky ones to have a family that listens to me. Though my family is very small and filled with like-minded and open-minded people.
 

keri1292

Well-known member
Never.

After breastfeeding more than one kid simultaneously in public, breastfeeding a preschooler who can read, speaking out about circumcision, co-sleeping, babywearing, not spanking...eh, facing backwards is small potatoes. :D
 

Shanora

Well-known member
I voted other as well. Since my youngest was 3 months old we've lived on the other side of the country from both sides of the family, and they never really seen my yougest RF past 14-15 months old (I went home for a week when he was about 15 months old...and RF him in my BIL's car). As for friends, I had Liam rf to 23 months and I don't think anyone really said anything to me about it.
 

christineka

New member
I voted never. My dad has mentioned a few times that pretty soon my girls won't be in any seats any more. I've had to tell him otherwise. If I can't fit the van's belts, then my kids will be in boosters as long as they can squeeze their butts into them.

Otherwise, people just look at me funny for having a "big kid" rear-facing as well as a van full of car seats.

Oh, I'm the only of my generation of family members (among siblings and cousins) to have kids, so I'm not compared to anyone else when it comes to parenting stuff.
 
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loufrando

New member
My own mom seemed to have the biggest 'issue' with S doing ERFing. Every single time she would see S in her carseat she would make a comment about her being uncomfortable and how 'ridiculous' it was. I would just tell her, "because she 5 time safer that way", or "I'd rather have a broken leg than a broken neck" and then cut it off.

My IL's weren't meanspirited or anything, but they had never seen a kid (probably over 10 months!) rfing like that so they asked about it because it looked different to them. I gave them the quick, "because it's much safer and now recommended by the AAP" answer and they never asked about it again.

My FIL though seems to suddenly have a huge issue with carseats in general. He is totally cranky and passive agressive though, so he just makes under the breath comments. Like when I was installing S's carseat and putting the booster in his truck when they were here visiting he kept sighing and making comments about how long it was taking (um, under 2 minutes!) and "when will they be done with those?" I just told him to get used to it because they won't be 'done with them' probably until they are 10 years old!:p

My sis and BIL don't say anything to my face but talk about me because A is harnessed in a Regent. Their son who is 6 months older is in a LBB and has been in a booster since he turned 4. My sister did say something to me last time I saw her about how it would be "humiliating" for her son if she made him ride in a "baby" seat like A's (Regent). Um, ok, whatever.:rolleyes:

I also get a lot of 'jokes' from friends and family (to my face and behind my back) about being a 'carseat nazi' or "don't let Lauren see (fill in horrible carseat usage/nonusage). You know how she is about that"... :(
 

cryswilkins

New member
No really questions it anymore.

My Dh's family, they have just chalked it up to me being crazy.:rolleyes: My MIL joked about turning her in her car one time, and I told her that if that happened then she would lose the privilege of driving her. That was the end the discussion.

My family was a little skeptical at first, but once I explained the crash statistics. My dad who is a retired Fire Fighter and EMT agreed with the facts, and my mom and brother were good with that.

My friends sometime ask how much longer she will "face that way" but that is pretty much it.
 

Naomi's-Momma

New member
Well. I voted other. the people who question me on it are the kids parents. they don't like it. but if they said I couldn't take the kids in the seat I bring in the why I say. I wouldn't take them at all and the parents know that. but they don't say much anymore, in fact I haven't been called a "nut job" this year so I guess their ok with it finally.:)
 

fyrfightermomma

New member
I voted "once but never said anything again"

When my oldest was turned back RFing at 2 1/2 they were shocked and couldn't figure why I would do that.

I explained it to them and kinda...lied.....and told them the new law was to stay rear facing until the limit of the seat. Well my 60 some odd year old parents aren't gonna go look up car seat laws so they bought it.

Fast forward to "joel's story." I posted it on my blog and my parents read it. My mom was so glad I sent it and couldn't figure out how people wouldn't RF their kids :)

When I went to visit them last time I showed up with my oldest FFing just due to a technical issue. My mom was floored. She opens the door, looks at me, and says in "that" voice "young lady, why is evelyn facing forward? you told me that she should be rearfacing!" I had to laugh.

I made sure to have her RFing when they stayed there last weekend lol

Friends don't say anything because they know I"m a tech. My SIL actually listened to me and her 19 month old is still RFing. My sitter also listened and kept her daughter RFing to 2 years.

I honestly have had no problem from friends and families. They know I knwo what I am talking about and I get most to listen.

It's the strangers who give me more problems about it
 

Mommy0608

New member
I voted "about once a month." Seems like someone is always making a comment about how Jessie would be happier FF, her legs are all bunched up, she can't see, etc. My friends all turned their kids at 1 year (or earlier!) :( and they just don't seem to get it even though I've told them why RF is so much safer (I've also emailed them videos and links). My parents make these comments too.

Maybe when I get my CPST certification later this month they'll quit bugging me about it. I don't mind if it's someone who doesn't know the facts, because that's a great opportunity to educate them... but when they KNOW the facts and don't care or don't believe it, then it bothers me.
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
I voted never but actually what has happened is, they ask about when they will move to the next one and I explain what is best, and they thank me for telling them and keeping their precious angels safe, and ask me to show them how to correctly install and use the seats. :D My daughter's pediatrician has been known to say stupid things, but I don't consider her to be a friend OR family, so...
 

solmama

Active member
My dad thinks I'm wonky. Last summer, my dd wanted to go to his job with him (about 3 miles away) and he didn't understand why she needed a seat installed in his car. It was only 3 miles and nothing was going to happen, right? BUT, it's a 2 lane road, speed limit 55, with woods on one side and Lake Superior on the other. Sorry, she rides in a seat, and I'm the mama.
 

Guest

New member
I voted never. All my friends and family are pretty clueless about this stuff. It wouldn't even occur to them that it's weird. I talked about it with my parents once, but that's cuz they were buying a seat for DS and asked about a booster. I explained it wouldn't work and mentioned ERF and they asked why when the sign said it would already work with DS and after I said it was over 5 times safer, they just accepted it. I don't count it cuz they were just pointing randomly at seats and didn't specifically bring up ERF.
 

emandbri

Well-known member
I would say Brian brings up Elizabeth being backwards about once a week. For some reason he has no problem with Benjamin being in a harness. I don't recall him saying anything about Benjamin being backwards but he was about Elizabeth's age when he went forward since he reached 33 lbs.
 

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