How to stay RF

I have a 17 month old she weighs about 24 pounds and she is 33 inches. I kept her RF until about 13 months I couldnt go any longer. She is in a Britax Boulevard and has been. But her legs were so long she was getting frustrated and pushing her feet into the seat. I just dont know how you girls do it I feel like especially now that I have had her foward I cant put her rear facing. Also I have her seat attached to the lower anchors only.. I have been reading more and I kinda feel maybe I need to do more. Is there more then just the lower anchor attachments?

For most of us, it's not a choice at all. Rearfacing is SO much safer that we'd no more turn our 1 year olds around forward facing than we would let them do other dangerous things like play unattended by a swimming pool or make fingerpaints out of household cleaners. So they hit age one, their feet hit the seat, and so what? We just keep putting them in rearfacing, and it's not an issue. And lots of us turn our kids back around later, they really don't care, especially if WE have a good attitude about it (kids are really masterful at figuring out our moods...if we are nervous about something, they'll get uncomfortable and fight it, too).

If the links that we post for you (I won't, everyone else has tons) don't convince you to go rearfacing again, then yes, you absolutely MUST use the top tether, it works together with the lower anchors to keep the head from flying forward too far or sideways in a crash. :thumbsup:

Hi! Glad you came here to ask those questions, there are a lot of very knowledgeable people on here.

My first suggestion would be to go to a car seat check with a certified technician. They can help you install the seat properly either rear or forward facing. At her age though, your daughter would be 5 times safer riding rear facing! It's very worth it to turn her back around--and don't worry about the fact that she's already been forward facing, she probably won't care and if she does, she'll get over it in a week or two.

If she's kicking against the seat back and it's moving the seat, the seat is probably not installed securely enough. That's where getting the seat checked can be a huge help; they'll show you how you can get it in properly.

In addition to the lower anchors, there's also a top tether. Your Boulevard manual talks about how to use it (called a versa tether) in both rear facing and forward facing installations. Britax recommends using it at all times, but it's pretty important for forward facing! :thumbsup:

Yes, to us, it's sort of like the child who cries when you change their diaper, or who doesn't want to take their life-saving asthma medicine. There is no choice. The poopy diaper MUST be changed, the child about to suffocate MUST take the asthma medicine. Period. *MY* child MUST rearface. As a parent, I walk a fine line...between respecting and nurturing my child's personality, and also protecting her and making important deciswiosn for her because she can not possibly understand the consequences. A forward facing 1 year old has a 500% greater chance of dying...we're talking brokwn neck, head seperating from spine, dead. My 15 month old has zero ability to comprehend that, so he gets no vote. Just like he gets no vote in whether or not to play in the street, poke shiny metal things in the electrical outlets, or any number of other activites with the potential to end in his death. It's my job to protect him and make those decisions for him, so that he *lives* to be old enough to make them for himself.
My kids can choose their clothes, their food, their daily play activities..they can not choose to put themselves in mortal danger. That's where I step in.

Yes,your child is at the age that they do sometimes throw tantrums in the car.
Pushing their feet against the seat is NOT dangerous. Now..if doing so causes the seat to move, or tip, etc,then your install is NOT good, and should be corrected immediately, preferably by a licensed tech. A properly installed seat is not going to move out of place even with a toddler pushing against the seatback with their feet.
Please try and find a tech on here in your area to help you, or else search for any tech in your area.

joolsplus3 said:

For most of us, it's not a choice at all. Rearfacing is SO much safer that we'd no more turn our 1 year olds around forward facing than we would let them do other dangerous things like play unattended by a swimming pool or make fingerpaints out of household cleaners. So they hit age one, their feet hit the seat, and so what? We just keep putting them in rearfacing, and it's not an issue.

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Exactly. I would never consider forward facing my child under 2 just like I would never let my older child ride his bike in the middle of a busy street. My 2.5 year old rides rear-facing in my car (which is about 95% of his car rides) and forward facing in DH's car. He has absolutely no problem with the switch and has never complained. Kids don't care how they are sitting in the car. Whether they are forward or backward they are still strapped down, they don't care what window they are looking out of. I don't understand why people think forward facing is so much easier than rear facing.

So, yes, *I* think you should turn your child around, but that's obviously your choice. I think it's at least worth a try. I gave my neighbor some info on rearfacing and she decided to turn her 2 year old back around. He's a very high-needs child and she was very worried about what he would think and that he wouldn't like it. But, he hasn't made a peep about it and he'd been FF for a year.

I like to share this gallery of older babies and children who are still rear-facing. It should help alleviate any concerns you have about whether she is comfortable or safe with her feet touching the vehicle seat. :thumbsup:

Like Jools said, it's just not a choice for many of us. Kids under two who are forward-facing are 5x more likely to be seriously injured or killed in a crash than rear-facing kids under 2.

My DD, who will be 3 in June, is still RF (see her pic in my signature). What may look uncomfortable to an adult is not an issue with kids. Legs touching the vehicle seat is not a safety issue. MANY kids go through phases where they don't like the car seat, whether RF or FF.

I know it can be difficult keeping kids RF beyond the bare minimums, especially when we see everyone around us turning their kids FF at 1 year and 20lbs. However, the research was enough to convince me that my child should absolutely stay rear-facing until the limits of her convertible car seat.

If you want to turn her back rear-facing, go for it! Many people have done it and their kids are just fine. She may fuss at first just from a change, but she'll likely get used to it and be perfectly happy. If you do decide to keep her forward, please attach the top tether strap. Your car seat manual will tell you how, and your vehicle manual will tell you where to find the top tether anchor.

Let us know if we can help you with anything.

Here is a link to help you find a tech. in your area:

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=59135

I am pretty new here. I turned my DS around to FF at 1 year b/c I didn't know any better. But in the last few months I have learned SO MUCH about car seat safety, and one of the best lessons I have learned is about extended rear-facing. After buying a new seat with a very tall shell, I decided to try my almost *3* year old DS RF again. Even after almost 2 years of FF, he loves it!!! He has long legs, but loves to have them crossed, folded, or straight up the back of the seat. They get such a different view RF as well, things stay in their line of sight longer so they seem to see "more".

If you are considering it, why not just try it? What have you got to lose? And there is so much to gain!!

Glad you are here. We are happy to help you find ways to keep your precious cargo safer

See my older RFer in the pic below

Like the other posters said, it's just not a choice. I do foster care and every child I get under 35 lbs and that have an inch above their heads in my seats ill be rear facing, whether they are a year old or 3 year old, whether they scream and hate it or not. It is sooo much safer for them and I want them to be as safe as possible. I have put a 13 month RF after who knows how long he was FF, a 16 month old, and a 2 year old. They actually had no problem with it, they were perfectly fine with it! But even if they didn't like it, it's still the best for them and they will get used to it.
No one has posted any video's yet.. so I will for you..

There's Joel's Story.. he was 18 months and almost too big to even be rear facing, and he broke his neck because his spine wasn't mature enough to handle an impact.

Here is another video called The Importance of Rear Facing that explains more facts and why it's safer, and has alot of pictures of kids rear facing.

Please watch those videos! This decision could save your child's life someday!

And if you decide not to put her rear facing... DEFINATELY attach the top tether.

Hi,
I know every one else has pointed out the benefits of reafacing and your installation so I just wanted to say that I turned my daughter back RF right around her 2nd B-day. She had been FF since 18 months. There is no reason why you can't turn them back around. She thought it was fun (and big sis was jealous she couldn't).

As far as the legs being everywhere, try a few different seats if your budget allows. The Boulevard is a great seat I but Britax ahs raised the bar for all car seats and some are providing stiff compitition There are several seats that allow more leg room RF. My DD2 likes the Radian as she can actually hang her legs over the edge and rest them on the seat next to her.

And, last, when it somes to kicking the seat, sooner or later she'll learn she can kick the seat in front of her and press on it too. I would rather have it be one that some one is not sitting in

Skybows,

Welcome to the boards! It sounds like you are trying to figure out the safest and best way to transport your precious dd. You've come to right place! As others have pointed out, rear-facing is definitely safest for her. So, it's more than worth it to give it a go. My son could kick and push pretty strongly, and in one of our vehicles, he could loosen a good install b/c of the type of locking mechanism our seat-belts have. They lock at the latchplate on the seat-belt, so I had to twist them. That mostly solved that problem w/him. Also, since he's in a captain's chair and the car's manual allows it, I was able to recline the *car's* seat back a notch or two to give him more leg room. Eventually, we bought another seat to keep him comfy rear-facing longer. The Evenflo Triumph Advance has more leg room for him rear-facing, and he really likes it.

When rear-facing, he mostly props his legs up on the seat back or just splays them. He's never complained about it. I recently bought a very thin "kick mat" to put in front of his feet to keep mud/dirt off the seat, but it really hasn't been a problem until he recently started jumping in mud puddles! LOL I would just take his shoes off, but he happens to LOVE his shoes so he doesn't want me to remove them.

He's 3.5 yrs old and now rides forward facing in 3 of the vehicles he rides in and rear-facing in the other 3 (depending on top tether anchors at the moment and which car seat is available--the spare one he's outgrown rear-facing)! He doesn't complain either way, but if you ask him, he says he likes it better going "rear-ways" (back wards!)

If you decide to turn her back around and and she (or you) really want more leg room for her, the Evenflo Triumph Advance, Sunshine Kids Radian, and First Years True Fit all have a bit more leg room. If you decide to keep her forward facing, you absolutely must use the top tether. Almost all cars can be retrofitted w/top ta's if they don't have them already. The techs here can give you bulletin numbers and info from the manuals on that.

GL!

henrietta

I see some people still RR after 35 pounds what car seats do that?

here are some crash test videos. Every time my husband says we should turn our daughter I show them to him!

rear-facing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K62Ea8Fs4ng&feature=related

forward facing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMFPSStXfqE&feature=related

skyebows said:

I see some people still RR after 35 pounds what car seats do that?

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None here in the US. In Europe some seats do, but they are illegal here.

But, some of us in the US just have older kids who are light-weights

Maybe I missed something but did anyone say something about the tether being used with LATCH? Don't you HAVE To use both the top tether and the LATCH anchors? I know you can use a seatbelt and no tether (if there is not one) but with LATCH, I thought you always had to use both (at least that's what they taught us).

lorismurph said:

Maybe I missed something but did anyone say something about the tether being used with LATCH? Don't you HAVE To use both the top tether and the LATCH anchors? I know you can use a seatbelt and no tether (if there is not one) but with LATCH, I thought you always had to use both (at least that's what they taught us).

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Well, yes, that's what LATCH stands for (Lower Anchors and top Tethers for CHildren), but legally it's not required, so the manuals don't say you MUST use the top tether at any time (except Regent after 50lbs, Frontier after 65, and a few special other niche restraints like the Safeguard Go). There have been no educational campaigns to get people to use top tethers, so I'm not surprised no one really knows what they are for

And just to add, if there are people that are using middle anchors that are not supposed to be used, then sometimes there isn't a middle anchor. So, if you are using the middle anchors, they may not realize about the top tether. Not sure I am making sense

Jennifer mom to my 7 said:

And just to add, if there are people that are using middle anchors that are not supposed to be used, then sometimes there isn't a middle anchor. So, if you are using the middle anchors, they may not realize about the top tether. Not sure I am making sense

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Just to clear that up, I think what she's saying is if there are people that are using middle LOWER anchors that are not supposed to be used, then sometimes there isn't a middle TETHER anchor. So, if you are using the middle LOWER anchors, they may not realize about the top tether.

THank you, Cathy also called borrowing latch anchors. My brain wasn't working real well last night.