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(Extended) rear facing car seat questions:


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We do extended rear facing and I would actually like to turn my almost-3 year old back around to rear facing.

 

1. Can you keep a child rear-facing in a seat for longer than the seat says (say, over 30 pounds if that particular seat says 30 pounds) or is it safer to just turn them around to FF at that point?

 

2. Is it safe to try to install a seat with only a seatbelt holding it? The only spots that have a tether are 2 seats in our car, and we obviously have more seatbelts that need to be buckled than just 2.

 

3. What's the highest age that one should rear face? My kids are tall and heavy for their age, does that mean they can turn around safely at 3 years old or should I still try to rear face?

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1. It is very unsafe to use a seat past the stated limits!

2. It is safe to install with just a a seatbelt. Use a tether when you can though.

3. My children stay RF until they outgrow their seats. My almost 4yr old is still RF in a Graco Myride. She will probably last until 5 RF, maybe longer.

The min. you should turn your child forward is 2yrs old. As long as the child fits RF, I would personally put the child RF. The child has to be within the weight limit and at least 1inch of shell above their head, if they have exceeded the weight limit or there is LESS than 1 inch of shell above the child's head, they must be turned FF.

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1. It is very unsafe to use a seat past the stated limits!

2. It is safe to install with just a a seatbelt. Use a tether when you can though.

3. My children stay RF until they outgrow their seats. My almost 4yr old is still RF in a Graco Myride. She will probably last until 5 RF, maybe longer.

The min. you should turn your child forward is 2yrs old. As long as the child fits RF, I would personally put the child RF. The child has to be within the weight limit and at least 1inch of shell above their head, if they have exceeded the weight limit or there is LESS than 1 inch of shell above the child's head, they must be turned FF.

 

Okay, thanks. I know how much safer RF is so I wondered if it was a choose one evil over the other (ride RF past the weight limits, or FF).

 

Would you advise we just get new seats that can RF longer?

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Okay, thanks. I know how much safer RF is so I wondered if it was a choose one evil over the other (ride RF past the weight limits, or FF).

 

Would you advise we just get new seats that can RF longer?

 

Depends how old the kiddo is, IMO. If you have a 3 year old who is 29 lbs, then no, I would not buy a seat with a higher rear facing limit for him/her. If kiddo near the limit is 13 months old, then yes, I would get a higher limit seat that will (hopefully) accommodate him/her until at least 2 years old RFing.

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2. It is safe to install with just a a seatbelt. Use a tether when you can though.

 

I would say, please read the manual before deciding this. I am not sure they design all car seats to be compatible with seatbelts. I would definitely not use a seatbelt in any way that is not explicitly provided in the carseat instructions.

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Okay, thanks. I know how much safer RF is so I wondered if it was a choose one evil over the other (ride RF past the weight limits, or FF).

 

Would you advise we just get new seats that can RF longer?

 

 

 

My kids are really small so I feel better keeping them RF as long as possible. My almost 4yr old is only 29lbs. I personally will not even consider FF until age 3. If the child is under 3yrs old I would buy a new seat to RF in, if the child is over 3 and 30lbs I would feel ok with FF.

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OK, let me reclarify before SKL throws a fit. You SHOULD use the tether always when FF but that is not always possible. I know its not in my car when I have a 3 across. A few seats do REQUIRE it. A few Britax carseats do require the use of a tether over specific weight limits, which may limit their use in your vehicle if you don’t have a tether anchor or have a low weight limit on it and you choose to remove the tether once your child reaches the weight limit. The Frontier requires tether use over 65 lbs., the Husky and Regent require use over 50 lbs.

 

Here is a good link about tethers. http://carseatblog.com/9226/what-is-a-tether/

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In case you didn't know it OP, there are weight limits on the tethers, too. Be mindful of that as the child approaches the limit -- on our Graco Nautiluses the tethers go to 40...something pounds. After that you HAVE to use the car's safety belt to install the seat. The instruction manual also explicity instructs you not to use the tether straps in conjuction with the car's safety belt. It's one or the other on that seat, never both.

 

I know it gets confusing sometimes.

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