Thinking about turning 22 month old FF

SPJ&E

New member
My son is 22 months old today and currently rides rear-facing in a Britax Marathon in my car and rear-facing in a Cosco Scenera in other cars. He is 25.5 lbs. and about 33 in. tall.

He doesn't mind being rear-facing, doesn't give me any problems really. He does like to snack in the car though and I can't see him or reach things to him easily. My car is also a 2-door (Cavalier), so getting him in and out is getting harder and harder, especially with his little brother's carseat right beside his. Lately I've really been considering turning him forward-facing, but can't seem to bring myself to do it!

Do you think he would really be safe if I did turn him FF?
 
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joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
Do you think he would really be safe if I did turn him FF?>>

;)

Just go one day at a time, reminding yourself, "this could be the day we are in a crash, how would I want him restrained if we were?"...that's what keeps me going when I'm tempted to let my kids out of their harnesses and highback boosters.

Good luck, your boys are total cutie-pies, too!
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
Can you teach him to put his hands up? That's what my daughter does, and it's easy to pass her things. Just as easy, if not easier, than forward facing, since her hands are now closer to me.

Would he be safe? What's that statistic? Kids RFing are four times less likely to be seriously injured or killed? So FFing kids are four times more likely than RFing? Would he be safe? *shrug* Probably. Four times less likely, though? Sounds nice to me.

Wendy
 

Yoshi

New member
What cutie pies!!!! Anyway, thought I'd say my 2cents:) . My daughter is a big girl, even at 22 months, I think she was at least 7 lbs heavier than your child, BUT she still could have been RF in a Marathon. She wasn't, because a.) I didn't know that it was safer and b.) I had a Graco seat which only RF to 30 lbs. On top of that, she was/is a "whiner", always wanting something, needing something immediately, dropping her dear Teddy,etc. Even now, I have to tell her that "Mommy is the driver, andthe driver can ONLY drive" I will only hand her things and get her things when we are stopped. BUT, if I knew then what I know now, she would have stayed RF until the day she was too big- whining or not! If it's safer- Do it! If he's happy- even better- he doesn't know differently. You still have lots of time to keep him as safe as can be!
 

SPJ&E

New member
He's staying rear-facing. I just have my moments where I want to turn him around SO badly. I know he's so much safer...which is exactly why I've kept him rear-facing while my family is basically telling me I'm crazy and don't know what I'm talking about, lol. He does put his hands up to get things, it's just hard getting him in and out. I've dealt with it for this long, I can tough it out a while longer if it means he's safer.

Thanks for saying they're cutie pies! I need to update those pictures...they are 22 months and 6 months old today!
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
<gold star of the day> goes to you. I know it's tough, though (I remember thinking 'I'll just make it through winter with her RF...' with Bitsy a few times when it got hard to cram her 4 yo self into the Prius RF...)

:)
 

thepeach80

Senior Community Member
It is hard sometimes, but if you want to turn him or need to, I would at least wait till his birthday in December. I can't believe our kiddos are going to be 2 so soon! We had Evan ffing for a while b/c he puked in his seat and I needed the other seat in ffing and I felt guilty everyday, but was too pg and lazy to fix it till a few wks ago. lol Now I feel better even if I can't see him as well.
 

kelly

New member
The 2-door car part of the equation does make it a toughie!

I luckily have a sedan now, but had a '94 2-door Accord when my first was born. With one, it wasn't too bad. We got the sedan when she was 8 months old, long before her brother came along. I've driven the old Accord a few times when the sedan was in the shop. Wow, with two kids it is TOUGH to get the RF one in, especially in such a tall seat as the MA. The first time, I struggled through. (He was around 20 months). The second time a couple months later, I caved and put him FF b/c of the struggle AND the intense mid-summer heat. But, then he'd go back RF in my sedan.

I do sympathize with your situation. I think if you hold off until he's two years, maybe he'll start to be able to climb in on his own if you plop him near the seat. Both my kids really started climbing in on their own (from the outside of the car) at just under two. Now, if I need to have them both in the sedan, I plan on putting him RF because he could climb in himself and I'd just have to buckle him. I really do feel better having him RF in that tiny, tiny car!

Could you move both outboard to give him some room to climb in while you get the baby in?

Good luck!
 

SPJ&E

New member
Right now, Pacey is in the center rear-facing and Joshua is on the driver's side. What I do is sit Joshua down (already buckled into his Snugride) by the car and put Pacey in his seat. Then I have to climb in the back and basically sit on the back of the driver's seat, if that makes any sense at all, in order to get Pacey buckled in.

The problem with putting him on the side, would be getting him buckled in from over the top of the seat. I do plan to do that though, put one on each side, when Joshua outgrows his Snugride and I put his new Decathlon in. I'm not sure though, that I can fit the Marathon or Decathlon rear-facing behind the driver's seat (my seat) and still be able to actually drive, lol.

If I can't, I'll have to put Joshua rear-facing in his new Decathlon on the passenger side and Pacey forward-facing in his Marathon behind my seat. I can get a Scenera in forward-facing beside the Marathon, but that takes some serious work, lol...so I know 2 Britax's are not going to go side-by-side.

Anyway, thank you all for your replies and suggestions! I am going to keep him rear-facing at least until he's 2 and most likely until Joshua outgrows his Snugride.
 

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