Extended Rear-Facing

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fionasmom

New member

• Sep 28, 2009

• #1

I just want to know if I'm in the minority with keeping my daughter rear-facing after 1-year. We just started daycare recently, and I've had the opportunity to watch the parents of the other kids pick-up their children, and I have not yet seen one car seat still rear-facing. These kids are similar size and age to my daughter (20-25lbs, between 1 and 2). I just don't understand?? I know that I try to inform other friends about the benefits of extended rear-facing past 1 year (educate, not preach), but I don't feel comfortable doing the same with strangers at daycare.

 

Last edited: Oct 3, 2009

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syd'smom

New member

• Sep 29, 2009

• #2

ummmm.....Welcome! I think you've found your place! DD will be three in Dec. and is still rearfacing, and will be until she weighs out of the biggest seat I can find!

 

Adventuredad

New member

• Sep 29, 2009

• #3

Extended rear facing depends a lot on where you are in the world. Here in Sweden rear facing to at least age 4 is recommended and most parents follow this advice. It's unusual to see anyone under 3 forward facing. In many other countries forward facing at 9-12 months is common. It has a lot to do with culture, habits, and education regarding car seat safety.

My daughter is 3 and will be rear facing for at least another year. My son is 5.5 and now sits forward facing in a high back booster although he sometimes rear faces in a Britax Multi Tech.

Nice of you to keep your little on rear facing. Stay that way as long as you can, its far safer......

 

Last edited: Sep 29, 2009

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob

Staff member

• Sep 29, 2009

• #4

You'll find lots of company on this board.

 

stayinhomewithmy6

Senior Community Member

• Sep 29, 2009

• #5

Where you live, you very well could be in the minority. On this board, you're definitely in the majority. Welcome!

 

April

Well-known member

• Sep 29, 2009

• #6

You are correct that here in BC it is uncommon for people to ERF. However, I'm starting to notice more kids in rear facing convertables, so that is a great thing. (Or maybe I'm just peeking in people's windows more often!) It is great that you're following best practice, and if other parents happen to notice and ask why, you'll have a perfect chance to spread the word. :thumbsup:

 

selinajean

New member

• Sep 29, 2009

• #7

April said:

You are correct that here in BC it is uncommon for people to ERF. However, I'm starting to notice more kids in rear facing convertables, so that is a great thing. (Or maybe I'm just peeking in people's windows more often!) It is great that you're following best practice, and if other parents happen to notice and ask why, you'll have a perfect chance to spread the word. :thumbsup:

Click to expand...

So true! A couple of weeks ago, our vehicle went kaput. We had to walk/bus for a couple of days. DH was busy checking out mini vans as we passed them, looking at the interior space, set up, features. Meanwhile I was busy snooping at their car seats!

We ERF too with Nick. I didn't know better with James when he was little unfortunately. We are definitely in the minority here. I had a 2yo girl ask me why his seat was backwards last week. I explained that it was safer. She said "oh" and then crawled into her booster in the back of her mom's car.

 

simplychels

New member

• Sep 29, 2009

• #8

I swear the only other RF'ing children I see besides a personal friend of mine, are those kids who are in buckets. I think the mentality in the city I live in is buckets rf, all other seats ff only.

Once im certified (in october) I hope to be able to have some sort of clinic or at the very least an info session at the daycare my DD goes to.

 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor

• Sep 29, 2009

• #9

I think it really depends on where you are. I know that there are other parents around my area that erf - and many more that are planning to when I talk to them. In one of my local mom's groups quite a few rf to at least 18mos, and some rf to the limits or over age 2 anyways.

But I do think in terms of best practice I live in a fairly unique area that has a lot of parents who research the heck out of everything - possibly in part because of news stories that the local media has done... and I think the media has been interested in carseat safety simply because it's been done in the city for over a decade.

That being said, there are still lots of toddlers in outgrown carriers, ff'ing infant carriers, unrestrained kids, and ff'ing 9mo olds.

So I think it just depends on where you look and who you know. Ds turns 3 in 3 wks and he'll be rf'ing until spring. I expect him to be around 33 or 34lbs at that point, but at almost 3.5 and that weight I'm fine with him ff'ing.

 

lauralou

New member

• Sep 29, 2009

• #10

My little man went back erf..He is 34 months 31lbs fully clothed.He can probably stay that way through early spring next year:thumbsup:

 

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momto2princes

New member

• Sep 30, 2009

• #11

Hi and welcome. The only people I know that ERF their kids are friends or family of mine that I have educated about it. I have yet to see a strangers car with a child ERF. Sadly though I see on nearly a daily basis children not properly restrained.

My DS's stats are in my siggy and is still RF'ing!

 

Aurinia

New member

• Oct 1, 2009

• #12

hi, here you're in the majority
where i live i dont know a soul who still rearfaces their kids after they've outgrown the infant seats (usually between 9 and 12 months)
i do however see plenty of "expired" car seats (seats that are old but as we dont actually have an expiry date on our seats in europe its difficult to convince people not to use old seats )
i have sean so called "experts" from big shops like halfords who pride themselves on fitting and installing car seats for you recommending a high back booster for a 2!!!! year old. luckily i managed to convince my friend that wasnt good enough and she got a harnessed booster.
i have seen car seats where the cover is peeling off and foam is missing, car seats installed incorrectly, kids in car seats where the straps are far to loose (unfortunately the same friend does this, told her a couple of times but still the same thing is happening, dont want to sound like a "know it all" but my heart breaks to see her doing it )
i wish there was something i could do to educate these people but in england you cant get certified as such, although i would if i could and then hold some sort of parents information evening or something. or clinics, anything to help
my dream atm is to open a shop selling rearfacing seats
i am looking into it atm

 

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dogmelissa

New member

• Oct 1, 2009

• #13

Just to add to this... DH just got a Toys R Us 'catalog' (I use this term lightly as it has no prices in it) from Thyme Maternity the other day. In the car seat section, in the descriptions for the different types of car seats (infant / convertible / booster) it says that the 'criteria' for turning a child FF is a minimum of 20-22 lbs AND the ability to walk unassisted. There is a lot of misinformation around, and many people simply do as they are told (or think they are told), reading this kind of info to mean that if their child is 20 lbs and walking they *should* be turned around. (And it doesn't help when nurses and/or doctors or other uninformed people give out info such as 'when they can hold their head up' or 'when they can pull themselves to standing') Just because they CAN doesn't mean they SHOULD - until the RF limits of the seat are reached it is much safer for a child to be RF. But you already knew that.

I have also noticed that most people will turn their kids FF too soon (IMO), but I figure that's still significantly better than the people I see with small children who don't even have a car seat at all, or aren't buckled into those seats.

Melissa

 

dingohate

New member

• Oct 1, 2009

• #14

While I'm sure you're in the majority on THIS forum, I posted about the 45lb Radian on another board I used to plan my wedding in their family section and it slid to the bottom and fell off the board virtually unnoticed

I don't think it's that populat to ERF but just like EBF, people are slowly realizing the beneftits and it's changing

 

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fionasmom

New member

• Oct 1, 2009

• #15

I figured that I would be in the majority in this forum, but sadly the minority in real life. It seems like it would be such an easy message to spread/share, especially between public health authorities/doctors, stores selling seats, the provincial insurance agency (ICBC) - I wish I worked in one of those industries to help educate a larger number of people. It's really about the current wording in all the advertisements. Start small, think big...

 

simplychels

New member

• Oct 1, 2009

• #16

One thing I wonder about when I see people ff'ing baby early, is if they stopped to think WHY seats have higher rf'ing weights posted right on the seat then just the bare minimum law requirements of 20 or 22lbs. I know its second nature to me. But that is just one part I do not get. I guess a lot is probably misunderstanding the law and a lack of reading the seat and the manual.

 

selinajean

New member

• Oct 2, 2009

• #17

simplychels said:

One thing I wonder about when I see people ff'ing baby early, is if they stopped to think WHY seats have higher rf'ing weights posted right on the seat then just the bare minimum law requirements of 20 or 22lbs. I know its second nature to me. But that is just one part I do not get. I guess a lot is probably misunderstanding the law and a lack of reading the seat and the manual.

Click to expand...

I was one of those people with DS1. We lived in a tiny town of about 200 people in the middle of nowhere. Internet access was next to non-existent and there were no resources which would allow me stumble across that info.
My thought process was that b/c the law says 20lbs and 1yr for FF, that is what must be safe. There was nothing around to say "best practices say to go to the weight limits of the seat". I honestly may not have read the manual properly either as a first time parent. I was already more than overwhelmed.
I just went with what the law said and that was it. I didn't even notice that the RF limits went higher. If I had noticed, I am sure that I would have assumed that is b/c all babies are different and some are 30 lbs at a year.

 

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flick37

New member

• Oct 2, 2009

• #18

I am the only one I have seen where I live. I have tried educating people on it, but to no avail. I just don't understand. But, we are, sadly, FF now in the TF.