Your rfing age limit

christineka

New member

• Nov 17, 2008

• #1

Assuming child is normal, but small and can still fit (already age 4), when would you turn the kid ffing?

 

Last edited: Nov 17, 2008

melniemi

New member

• Nov 17, 2008

• #2

Probably 5

 

L

laccaycol

Active member

• Nov 17, 2008

• #3

I voted when to big to RF,
I am still workin on my hubby for a Swedish seat Colton he just turned 2 on the 9th and is 29 pounds i dont think we have a ton of time left. I would like to keep him RF as long as i can even if that means getting a Swedish seat

 

bobandjess99

Senior Community Member

• Nov 17, 2008

• #4

when they outgrow the seat.

 

M

mykidsmylife

Well-known member

• Nov 17, 2008

• #5

Honestly Seth will be FF at 3.5 even though he may still fit a tad longer... But that wasn't an option up there so I am typing it out.

 

christineka

New member

• Nov 17, 2008

• #6

My dd will be 4 years in a couple weeks. She weighs 28 pounds, is 35 inches tall, and has a 12 inch torso. I am expecting baby number 6 in 7 months. Previously, I was thinking I'd just ff dd at age 5 no matter what, but now I've been thinking about how much easier it would be to have 3 rfing car seats along the back bench. Then we won't have to put a booster on a side seat, in order to flip the seat for back access. Or, at least we won't have to be flipping captain's chairs every time we get in and out. At this time I cannot predict when dd will outgrow rfing, but at the rate she's been growing I suspect she'll make it to at least age 5.

 

fyrfightermomma

New member

• Nov 17, 2008

• #7

Not sure. I have one of the weird kids who will last until age 7 or so. She FF's now occasionally. I thought at 3 I would turn her, but now I will do 4. After 4, that's it.

US seats are just not made to accomodate larger older children. Just cramming my tall 3 year old into the seat now is next to impossible.

 

K

Karen

New member

• Nov 17, 2008

• #8

I'd do it until 5 if he fit. And at that point if he wasn't complaining I'd leave him.

 

Kat_Momof3

New member

• Nov 17, 2008

• #9

I really wish the choices had more detail.

I would leave them rf to the max if they didn't complain.

BUT... at 5, if they were wanting to ff, I'd be fine with it.

So... I put age 5... but really, I would also put rf to max.

it's kind of like with moving to a booster... I'd hold off as long as may be... but around 6-6.5, if the kid is really wanting to move, as long as the kid is mature enough, big enough, etc., I'm not going to pick that battle.

 

vonfirmath

New member

• Nov 17, 2008

• #10

Probably 3 max. But I suspect it will be 2 or shortly thereafter. I can find stats to support RFing to 2, but it is going to be very hard to go much farther than that because I can't really support it. It's a "feeling" for me.

 

Pixels

New member

• Nov 17, 2008

• #11

I voted 4. That's when I would be comfortable negotiating it, i.e. if she is asking for it. If she's not asking for it and there is no other good reason to turn her (problems fitting seats/vehicles unless she is FF), why mess with it? Even convenience of putting her in/out doesn't matter to me. If we can deal with it for 4 years, then we can deal with it, kwim?

 

Adventuredad

New member

• Nov 17, 2008

• #12

I voted 5 which I think is a good age (very subjective I know). At that point my kids are not fully developed and rear racing is still safer but the benefits are not as great as 0-24 months. I made it to 4 years with my son in his Britax Hi-Way. Weight was no problem but he was 95th percentile on height and simply outgrew the seat. My daughter is using the same seat and I think she will make it past 5. I would not ff my kids before age 4 regardless of circumstances

 

keri1292

Well-known member

• Nov 17, 2008

• #13

vonfirmath said:

Probably 3 max. But I suspect it will be 2 or shortly thereafter. I can find stats to support RFing to 2, but it is going to be very hard to go much farther than that because I can't really support it. It's a "feeling" for me.

Click to expand...

Are you not aware of the success of RFing to 50lbs in Sweden?


I'd turn at 5-6 without a thought.
Six would be my ideal thanks to papooses chart.

 

solmama

Active member

• Nov 17, 2008

• #14

Right now my ds is 2yrs 7 mos and 29lbs. I think he *might* make it to 3.5 or 4 in his TF before he outgrows it by height/weight (at his current growth rate). At that age, I'll be more comfortable with him forward facing.

 

NannyMom

Well-known member

• Nov 17, 2008

• #15

I will keep my children RF as long as they fit. However, if my 6 year old were begging to be FF, I would certainly take her feelings into consideration. I know she'd be safe FF, but if she could still fit RF, and didn't beg to switch, I'd leave her RF

 

skaterbabs

Well-known member

• Nov 17, 2008

• #16

If my kids fit RF, RF they'd be.

that said, if we ever have enough money to buy one of the new vans that allow use of the captain's chairs RF, I'd put the boys in them RF since CJ has outgrown most boosters and Gregory is getting close.

 

SPJ&E

New member

• Nov 17, 2008

• #17

This one is up in the air for me. As silly as it sounds, it really depends on the kid, for me. Pacey was a little over 3 yrs. old when we turned him FF (he never rode FF until then). He was still well within the RF limits, but it was time for us. If I had a larger vehicle, my answer might be different...but I don't. I have a small 2-door car and am extremely proud of making it as long as we did RF. Joshua is still rear-facing and will be until he is 3 yrs. old, at the least. We may go longer with him (he just seems so much smaller and younger than Pacey did), but I don't know.

Our bare minimum to turn FF is 3 yrs. old (assuming kiddo fits within the RF limits of the seat, which isn't a problem here), but I don't think we'd personally RF past 4 yrs.

 

T

thepeach80

Senior Community Member

• Nov 17, 2008

• #18

I put till they're too big, but it's not always black and white like that. I had decided no matter Evan's weight, he would go ffing when the baby comes, so just after 4. He just gained a ton and had to go ffing this weekend b/c he was 35# dressed, he'll be 4 on the 7th.

 

christineka

New member

• Nov 17, 2008

• #19

I have so many kids that I could fit a bunch of rfing seats. There is no issue with fitting them. I wouldn't have to bend over backwards to rf 3. In fact, I think it would be easier than only rfing 2. Dd hasn't asked to ff yet, but she is a pain to get in her seat the proper way. She gets in backwards or upside down. Her little brother is much better about getting in his seat. My other kids were buckling themselves at age 4, so I wonder if dd has some sort of unspoken issue with rfing. Then again, dd is generally a pain and disobeys rules on purpose.

 

April

Well-known member

• Nov 17, 2008

• #20

I put as long as they fit, but that being said, none of our kids fit rf'ing anymore and the youngest is only almost 27 months! (Time to change my siggy pic hey?!)