Should I feel bad about FF my almost 4 year olds?

[Unregistered]

I have twins who will be 4 in a little over a month. They have Radians and could both RF for a while longer but are asking to ride FF. Should I feel good that we made it to almost 4 and let them ride FF or keep them RF until they max out the seat? I'm feeling really conflicted about this. Part of me says we made it RF longer than any of our friends with similar age kids so go for it but another part of me says it's so much safer to RF. We're going to have a full van most of the summer with visitors and it seems like it would be more convenient to load them FF but again, my conscience starts nagging me that I'd be flipping them for convenience/their preference vs. safety. Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

[Nedra]

I have twins who will be 4 in a little over a month. They have Radians and could both RF for a while longer but are asking to ride FF. Should I feel good that we made it to almost 4 and let them ride FF or keep them RF until they max out the seat? I'm feeling really conflicted about this. Part of me says we made it RF longer than any of our friends with similar age kids so go for it but another part of me says it's so much safer to RF. We're going to have a full van most of the summer with visitors and it seems like it would be more convenient to load them FF but again, my conscience starts nagging me that I'd be flipping them for convenience/their preference vs. safety. Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

I am not a tech, but I believe most techs on here feel comfortable flipping kids at 4 years old and I've also read of some techs saying that they would flip a child over 3 years old if they were asking persistently. So I think a month away from 4 years old is pretty darn good!

If I were in your shoes, I'd try to get a few more weeks out of them, if possible, just so you can make it to 4 years old and meet the NHTSA guideline. But I am the sort of person who really likes to meet the guidelines!

 

[monica-m]

We made it to 4 in the primary vehicle and 3.5 in our secondary vehicle. In all honesty, if my child had been asking frequently to turn around before he hit 4, I probably would have done it. Yes they're safer rear facing, but they're still VERY safe in a properly used, properly installed forward facing seat. You did awesome keeping them rear facing this long.

If they're going to forward face in Radians and they're under 40 lbs, don't forget to use the Safe Stop.

 

[Keeanh]

You've done great!!! Yes, I would turn them. I would also let them know that if they don't like being FF they can turn back again. They might find sitting upright with dangling legs isn't all it's cracked up to be Personally I'd rather ride reclined with my legs up

Like Monica mentioned, you need to check if you need the SafeStop. I just want to add that you only use the SafeStop for FF under 40lbs when the seat is tethered. You leave it off for untethered. You should tether your seats if at all possible. Let us know if you need help finding your tethers, or if you need part #s to retrofit an older vehicle

The Radian can be a pain to install (as I'm sure you know LOL). If you have any problems at all, please come back and ask!!

 

[Unregistered]

Thank you everyone! I feel much better about flipping them. I'll try to hold them off until their birthday and then give them the choice to turn back if they don't like it. And thanks for reminding me about the Safe Stop. They're both under 40lbs and will be tethered. Many thanks!

 

[Baylor]

Turn them without guilt. Anything over 2 is awesome. Great job..

 

[kitkat0872]

My youngest started asking repeatedly around that age. We told him he could flip when he turned 4, and though I struggled with it for the same reasons as you, decided it was best to honor our word to him. Of course, at five, he could still RF, but we made it to the recommended age. Good luck in your decision!

 

[CarSafetyGuy]

The longer you can the better, but you've already helped out a lot by doing it past 2.