Would you feel comfortable forward facing a 24-month-old?

kandamom

New member
Hi,
I've been a lurker here for the past 5+ years, but this is my first post. I first found this forum when I was looking for a way to keep my (then) 38 lb. 24-month-old in a harness. I have learned so much from everyone here, so thank you.

Now my younger son is almost 2. He is a little lighter than his brother was at that age, so he has been rear-facing in the marathon I purchased for ds1 in 2004. He is currently 32 lbs., so a pound away from the rear-facing limit of the seat. Unfortunately, the MyRide is not a consideration for us due to Graco's response to a potentially life-threatening problem we had with one of their (non-carseat) products. Our plan was to have ds2 use ds1's old regent when the marathon expires. The regent will expire when ds2 is 5.5, but I was thinking about selling it. I would like to put that money toward a frontier. Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. Now that I know about ERF, I really want to get a 35 lb. rear facing seat, since that might keep ds2 rear facing until 2.5. I was originally thinking of another marathon or a true fit, but I can get a really good deal on a Triumph Advance. Then again, I am hopeful that another company will come out with a 40 lb. rearfacing seat. (Hopefully either the true fit or radian with their tall shells. Sunshine Kids told me that they're working on it over the summer.) I know that waiting it out might be the more logical scenario, but I'm also thinking it might be a little more critical to rf at 24 months than it might be several months down the road. I'd love whatever advice you can give me. I'm trying to find a balance between reasonable purchases and keeping ds2 as safe as he can be.

I posted a similar question a couple weeks ago on another car safety forum, but I wanted to see what the folks here have to say as well. Thank you to anyone who has already answered on the other forum.

Thanks

Rebecca

K - age 7, 51", 56 lbs.
A - 2 on 6/30, 37", 32 lbs., 13.5-14" torso
 
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daniele_ut

New member
Knowing that there are other options out there, no I would not be comfortable FF a 24 month old. In fact, I bought a Marathon when my DS was too tall to RF in the Roundabout at that age.

For me, 2.5 is the point at which I'd feel comfortable. I'm in the minority around here, but I turned DS around when he was 2 years, 8 months old even though he still fit in his MA RF.
 

cpsaddict

New member
I would feel comfortable ff a 2yr old if they max out the max on their current car seat. I am in the minority here in that I would not buy another seat for two more lbs. I would turn the seat around and top tether it. However, I would see of he actually fits in the Regent. Since it is so big, he may get swallowed by it. Same goes for the Frontier. It could take awhile to gain that last lb, so maybe weigh him every other week or something, just to get that last little bit out of it.
 

Holly

New member
I would, and I did. My dd was approaching the rf limit of our convertibles at 25 months. It was not an option to get a new seat at that time, we were 2 months away from having a new baby, plus we have to save up for quite a while for new seats, so it has to be a planned thing. I would do anything in my power to get a seat to RF if the child was any younger than 2, but once they are 2, thats the earliest I'm ok with turning them around. However, I like to rf to 3 when I can. My older daughter is a peanut and made it to 3, I'm hoping my son will be too.

So, if you have the money and want a new seat, yes, but if not an option to get a new seat, I wouldn't stress about it, RFing to 2 is great!
 

scoutingbear

New member
I FF my 25 month old because we had 33 pound limit RF seats. It was not an option at that time to get higher ERF seats. I would be okay with using my seat to the limits and then turning him. Everything I have read and seen has always talked about getting to at least age 2 RF which you have done. :thumbsup:
 

skylinphoto

New member
I would buy another seat to get those last 2 lbs.
It could take a while for your lo to put on 2 more lbs and even a few months more of rfing would be worth it to me with a kiddo so young. :)
 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member
In a correctly used + top tethered FF seat in a safe vehicle with a sober/aware driver, I would not feel uncomfortable . . . although I would feel more comfortable with RF (assuming correct use as well, of course)

My very leggy kid got a few extra months RF in the Scenera after reaching the Britax RF limit. She was 4 when she switched permanently to FF.

She was barely 2 when I found this forum & reverted her to RF (in my vehicle -- she was usually still FF in alternate vehicles)
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
I have had to. I've had kids weigh out of their seats RF at that age. However, at the time they were in seats with the highest weight limit on the market. If I could have obtained legal seats with higher weight limits and could reasonably afford to do so (the Scenera and Avenue are under $100) I would have.

But if it is not feasible (child has outgrown all but the tallest seats by height, seats are not in the budget at all right now, etc.) I would be comfortable, as long as the seat is properly installed (including tethered) and used.
 

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
I don't mean to be overly personal, but I guess it would depend on exactly how much $80 (for a Safety 1st Avenue) meant to my family. I would not feed everyone ramen and koolaid for two weeks in order to keep a healthy 32# 2yo RFing. I would skip a dinner/ice cream/movie night. Basically, I would not be comfortable FFing a 2yo if I had a choice.
 

ginny4

New member
i wouldn't buy a new seat for 2lbs. my son went from 33lbs to 35lbs in less than 2 months. it wouldn't have been worth it to me.
 

kandamom

New member
Wow! Thank you for all the replies. So many good points to consider.

My first thought was to get a scenera or an avenue, but dorel has a 36" rear facing limit. While I think that limit is incredibly silly, I still don't want to use a dorel seat against their instructions. I tried him in a scenera while at Target just to see if he fit, and he appeared to be within 1" of the top. His seated height is about 22.5". I could get an EFTA for <$100 from a reputable online dealer using a promotion and new customer discount right now.

Papooses - Your daughter sure must be leggy! I can't believe a child as tall as she is made it rf in the scenera until age 4. That's about the same seated height as my son at 37". My ds1 was born in January of 2002, and I had never heard about extended rear facing, not that he could have done it very long at the weight he was. I only wish my kids could rf until 4!

skylinphoto - That's just it. My older son only gained 2 lbs between 24 months and 36 months. Then again, he was heavier than ds2 for his height and he probably needed to slow down a bit. OT - I just LOVE the photographs of your kids. I'm trying to get into photography so I can learn to take some decent photos of my kids. It's a bit overwhelming at times, especially when it comes to lighting.

The regent is a very large seat for him, even though he is big for his age. I tried him in a frontier, and he fits well. I'd probably hold off on a frontier purchase for now, though, since I'm hoping Britax will come out with some new covers for it in the fall.

I'd probably be okay with turning him at 2.5, but then again, I don't know how I will feel when he is 2.5. I THINK it would take him that long to gain the last two pounds, but he COULD weigh 35 lbs. a month from now. DH doesn't want to buy a 35lb rf seat, but would be open to a 40 lb rf seat with a tall enough shell. I just wish I didn't know what I know about Graco firsthand. (I don't mean to scare anyone, it's just that I could never bring myself to buy another Graco product. In all fairness, I don't know that other companies are any different.)

No, the money question wasn't overly personal. We can come up with the money for the seat without having to eat ramen noodles. (I was to cheap to even buy those when I was younger;)) That's what makes the decision more difficult. If we absolutely couldn't come up with the money, then I would know that I had done all I could.

daniele_ut - I couldn't help noticing - I'm so sorry for the loss of your daughter. I watched my parents go through the loss of a child and am still at a loss for words in a situation like this. Just know that I am thinking of you, your daugher, and your family.

Thanks again to everyone.

Rebecca
 

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
My first thought was to get a scenera or an avenue, but dorel has a 36" rear facing limit. While I think that limit is incredibly silly, I still don't want to use a dorel seat against their instructions.

You can use a rear-facing seat until the child has less than 1" of shell over his head. The Avenue has a taller shell than the Scenera. I don't know offhand how it compares to an EFTA, but I'm sure someone else does. :)
 

skylinphoto

New member
Thanks for the compliment on my kiddos pictures. :) And good luck on your own photography journey! It sure is fun (and challenging..but that's what makes it fun. lol).

What about putting a little bit of money towards a seat with a 35 lb rfing limit that also makes a really good ffing seat? Would that make it easier to justify for you (I know that would be my train of thought if I was in your place)? You said you can get the EFTA at a good price. It makes a nice rfing and ffing seat.
Maybe using some coupon codes and such to get a Truefit down to a good low price and getting one of those?

It's a personal decision on your part though. Are YOU comfortable ffing him at this age? If you are, you've done a great job keeping him rfing as long as you have. If you're not, then decide which seat and which price point is good for you. :)
 

Splash

New member
Yes, I would. I would feel uncomfortable buying another seat at any price for another 2 pounds with a child that age. Carseats are a "money is no object" item in my home, and I certainly would not buy another seat solely to RF for another 2 pounds.
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
You can use a rear-facing seat until the child has less than 1" of shell over his head. The Avenue has a taller shell than the Scenera. I don't know offhand how it compares to an EFTA, but I'm sure someone else does. :)

The EFTA gives a bit more room but the Avenue does have significantly more headroom than the Scenera.
 

Mom to a few

New member
If you would only consider a 35 lbs rear-facing seat, then I'm not sure what I would do...I've had times where one of my kids stayed at the same exact weight for a year, and other times where they gained 3 lbs in a month. It's SO hard to tell when those big growth spurts will hit, and to know whether the increase will be more in length or weight. I'd be more comfortable with him RF, but I think FF is also acceptable at this point if you and your husband can't agree on a seat. If you buy a 35 lb seat, and your son outgrows it right away, would your husband be angry and feel that the money was wasted?

However, as far as Graco goes, they really seem like they've been trying to improve their products in the past couple of seats they've released. The Nautilus and MyRide are both good seats--and are both relatively affordable compared to their competition. Personally, I've always thought that the front adjust Snug Rides were "ok", but was not impressed with anything else they made (strollers, other car seats, etc). However, as they seem to be changing, my opinion is changing. I'm glad someone is finally making better seats that are more affordable than the Britax seats, so I can recommend them to people who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford them.

If you hang around here enough, you will find that there are many people who distrust certain companies. But even though (for one example) some people may not trust Evenflo, the Evenflo Triumph Advance is a great seat that I have used for my own child before without hesitation. And as far as the response you get from a company, that can vary greatly depending on what customer service representitive you talked to, and many other factors. We've all had bad experiences with various companies, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the entire company is unsafe. I've even had a bad conversation with a CS rep at Britax in the past, and everyone around here raves about how great their CS is!!

Anyway, I'm certainly not telling you to buy a Graco (I understand how it is when you get totally turned off to a company). Just understand that all companies have their "issues", but Graco does seem to be trying to improve.

Good luck with your little boy :)!
 

bree

Car-Seat.Org Ambassador
No, I would not feel comfortable forward facing a 24 month old.

I haven't seen any research that found that age 2 is a good delineation point for FF, but I have seen Swedish recommendations that kids should RF until at least 4. Since Sweden is a leader in child passenger safety in terms of both RF research and practice, I lean toward age 4 as my personal comfort level for FF.

I would of course take into consideration if there were a practical, affordable seat that would work for my kid, my car, and my budget. I also know that unless my 20 month old son's growth patterns change or a new wonderful seat hits the market, he'll have to forward-face when he's about 3 years old. I'd just be uncomfortable with it and willing to purchase another seat if it would work for us. :)
 

DahliaRW

New member
I'm going to be there right with you soon. Ds2 is nearly 23 months and 31lbs. We have a 33lb rfing radian. He still barely fits rfing in the MA height wise (we have a 33lb model of that too). So for me, I can buy another $200 seat for 2lbs when he hits 33, or I can ff him. Seriously, it's a no brainer. Since it'll be getting to fall/winter then, his clothes will weight more. And I can't count on him getting much time out of it. I was REALLY hoping the MR65 would have a tall enough shell to make it worth it, but it doesn't. So unless they come out with a 40lb rfing radian (which I would buy, since that's a lot of extra poundage and he has a lot of growth room in it), we don't have a lot of an option. He'll be ffing in the radian since it does a really good job reduce head excursion.
 

kandamom

New member
Again, thanks to everyone for all the advice.

However, as far as Graco goes, they really seem like they've been trying to improve their products in the past couple of seats they've released. The Nautilus and MyRide are both good seats--and are both relatively affordable compared to their competition. Personally, I've always thought that the front adjust Snug Rides were "ok", but was not impressed with anything else they made (strollers, other car seats, etc). However, as they seem to be changing, my opinion is changing. I'm glad someone is finally making better seats that are more affordable than the Britax seats, so I can recommend them to people who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford them.

If you hang around here enough, you will find that there are many people who distrust certain companies. But even though (for one example) some people may not trust Evenflo, the Evenflo Triumph Advance is a great seat that I have used for my own child before without hesitation. And as far as the response you get from a company, that can vary greatly depending on what customer service representitive you talked to, and many other factors. We've all had bad experiences with various companies, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the entire company is unsafe. I've even had a bad conversation with a CS rep at Britax in the past, and everyone around here raves about how great their CS is!!

Anyway, I'm certainly not telling you to buy a Graco (I understand how it is when you get totally turned off to a company). Just understand that all companies have their "issues", but Graco does seem to be trying to improve.

Good luck with your little boy :)!

I had always loved Graco! Their products seemed so nice and reasonably priced - not quite as nice as Britax, but close. I'm pretty sure I talked to a manager at Graco. My issue is more with their overall method of dealing with unsafe products. I had expected that they would want to get to the bottom of what happened, but I guess I gave them too much credit. I wonder if I should find the contact information for the higher-up management people at Graco and contact them...It was a very serious problem, and I strongly feel that other infants and toddlers are in danger. I'm still shaken up about what happened, and it's been almost 8 months. I hate to think about how different my life could be right now. It basically comes down to the fact that I no longer trust Graco with the life of my child. I simply can't. I do give them a lot of credit for coming out with a 40 lb. rf seat, though.

I was wondering about Evenflo, but the EFTA does look like a great seat at a great price.

Those were exactly my concerns about a 35 lb rf seat. DS2 was 29 lbs. nine months ago, so he's probably due for a growth spurt. His height has also been pretty steady for a while. Yes, I think DH would be annoyed if ds2 outgrew the 35 lb. limit right away, but I'd keep using the EFTA ff or sell it for not that much less than I paid for it.

Sincerely,
Rebecca
 

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