Truscifi Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 When ds9 was a baby it was recommended to turn it around at 1 year and 20 lbs. I was reading up on it for the baby and some sites are now saying it is less about age, and more about height and weight. They suggest staying rear facing for as long as possible, until the child exceeds the weight for the carseat in that position or their head is within an inch of the top of the carseat when rear facing, preferably at least age 2. Other sites still have the 1 year and 20 lbs guideline. Ds-almost-1 is a long skinny boy. He is already 22 lbs and his head comes to the top of the carseat and his feet touch the back of the seat. It was around this time and size ds9's ped said to go ahead and turn him around because he was so tall. So do I turn him around? Do I get a bigger carseat and keep him rear facing? If so where can I get an affordable one? (The budget is tight these days.) Our current doc is a friend, so I'm going to text her to ask her opinion as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 I didn't turn until my small kids were 20 lbs AND walking. My ped talked about how it is all about the neck muscles and body weight. He preferred a kid be walking and 20lbs (and at least a year old) before turning. My kids were walking at exactly one year, but weren't 20lbs for a few months later. I don't know about the head at the top of the seat, but I was told it is fine if their feet touch the back of the seat. I know some people keep their kids facing back so long (in a properly fitted seat) that they sit cross legged. Rear facing is the safest so longer is better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmvaughan4 Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 I kept mine rear facing until they outgrew the limits. Ideally, I would not turn your DS around, but I completely understand the money issue and purchasing a new seat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted August 23, 2013 Author Share Posted August 23, 2013 Ds is walking already, and has been for almost a month. I think he meets and exceeds all the minimum criteria except age, and he is only 3 weeks away from being a year ( :svengo: how did that happen?!?) but the stuff I read was specific about it not being safe if the head is at the top of the carseat. That was only on 2 of the sites I looked at though. Sigh. Sometimes having access to all this information on the internet just makes life more complicated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 You will get a variety of answers here. I think the latest recommendation (not law) was to keep them rear-facing at least until age 2. I turned mine at 2.5. Personally I feel it has more to do with how mature the child's bones and muscles are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 If your son's head reaches the top of the car seat, I think you can still use it until the back of the head (the part that leans against the seat) gets to the edge. But what I would do is go to your local fire station and ask them to look at the situation. He is so close to being 1yo that I personally would not buy another seat unless I planned to keep him rear facing a lot longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plath Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 The American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends to leave rear facing until age 2. FWIW, feet touching the back of the seat means nothing. Many, many parents leave their children rear facing until 3 and beyond. Kids just bend their knees and are fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeacefulChaos Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 When ds9 was a baby it was recommended to turn it around at 1 year and 20 lbs. I was reading up on it for the baby and some sites are now saying it is less about age, and more about height and weight. They suggest staying rear facing for as long as possible, until the child exceeds the weight for the carseat in that position or their head is within an inch of the top of the carseat when rear facing, preferably at least age 2. Other sites still have the 1 year and 20 lbs guideline. Ds-almost-1 is a long skinny boy. He is already 22 lbs and his head comes to the top of the carseat and his feet touch the back of the seat. It was around this time and size ds9's ped said to go ahead and turn him around because he was so tall. So do I turn him around? Do I get a bigger carseat and keep him rear facing? If so where can I get an affordable one? (The budget is tight these days.) Our current doc is a friend, so I'm going to text her to ask her opinion as well. Note: I haven't read any other replies, so this may be stuff others have said. I think the official AAP recommendation is 2 (years) and 30 (lb) now. So that's that. Some people will tell you that you should definitely leave them rear facing for as long as humanly possible. And that's fine. Kids who are in rear facing carseats til they are bigger (Idk what the norm is - 4? - in these circumstances) find comfy ways to sit and they are fine. They hang their legs over the sides, cross them, etc. So I wouldn't worry about that. As far as the carseat itself goes, what is the limit on yours? I think most go past 20 lbs rear facing, to like 30 at least. If you need to get a new one, Evenflo is a good, inexpensive brand. All of our kids' seats that we liked the best were Evenflo - from convertible seats to boosters. (I currently have one in an Evenflo high back booster and one in an Evenflo convertible seat, still using the 5 point. Actually, Link just stopped using his seat recently - our state law is that they don't have to have boosters once they hit 8 years old, but it seemed really strange to me that my SMALLER kid was moving out of his seat nearly 2 years before his younger/bigger brother ;). He just moved out this summer, because he asked to. Up til then he never cared. Astro is the same size and is already asking to move out of his, so we'll probably let him when he turns 8.) With both of the boys, I wasn't particularly well informed about car seats - I didn't peruse the internet then the way I did now. I know it was there, I just never thought to look, and thought that 1/20 was 1 OR 20 - so both the boys were turned around at 20 lbs, when they were 9 months old. Obviously, I would NEVER recommend that anyone do that NOW!!! But education changes everything. ;) :D Luckily, we never had any accidents or anything and they survived ok. ;) With Pink, I knew about the 2 and 30, but she turned around at 18 months, when she hit 20 lbs. :rolleyes: She was our little tiny one - but DH felt really bad for her because she was twisting around in her seat trying to see the DVD player, so for peace in the van, I acquiesced to turning her around. :) (FTR, I still think that legally it is 1/20. Not sure, though.) In the end, all sorts of people do all sorts of things, and there can be all sorts of reasons to do them. I'm sure that whatever decision you make, you will weigh the pros and cons of each and choose what you feel most comfortable with for YOU. And that is my opinion on what you should do - get all the facts and decide for yourself. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plath Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 This is an excellent forum for reviews and recommendations: http://www.carseat.org/ For an inexpensive seat the scenera is often recommended. It runs roughly $30-40 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 The recommendation used to be one year and 20 lbs, now it seems to be at least two years. I will keep my current baby rear facing as long as he tolerates it and as long as he fits in the seat. I have big kids so we'll see which comes first. He's the first that I haven't switched right at twelve months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaraby Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 The 1yr 20lb guideline (much like the current 2yo guideline - http://www.healthychildren.org/english/safety-prevention/on-the-go/pages/car-safety-seats-information-for-families.aspx) was always a bare minimum and was never meant to be a hard and fast "rule." I don't buy the walking bit either - we're talking about the ability of a child's spine to withstand crash forces, especially when it comes to side impact accidents. This website (http://www.thecarseatlady.com/car_seats/rear-facing_seats.html) has a good discussion of the physics involved and why rear facing seats are safest. Generally speaking we err on the side of caution and wait to transition our kids at each point until they meet the height/weight limits of the seat. So, for example, my 5yo is still in a 5-point harmess (Nautilus) and will likely continue for another year or so. My 8yo only recently switched from a high back booster because he exceeded the height limit of his Nautilus. We switched my youngest forward facing earlier this year. She was 3yo and around 30lbs. We have a MyRide65 and could have conceivably kept her rear facing for a bit longer as she still had room height/weight wise. For a bit of perspective, my kids are usually at the top of the growth charts - tall with long torsos. I understand the budgetary limitations, but I also think it's important to consider the cost per year - for instance I think we spent $150 on ds's nautilus and he easily got five years of use out of it. I think the MyRide 65 was something like $180 and my dd's been in that since birth. So, three years so far and I suspect we'll get another three out of it. That being said, there's always a limit to one's resources and there are good seats out there that will let you rf for quite a bit on a small budget. The Cosco Scerena will rf to 40lbs and has a pretty tall shell. I believe it's around $40. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xixstar Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 When I know better I do better. So teen turned at 1yo back in mid 90s. 5yo turned at 3yo because she outgrew the limits of her seat RF. For the 3.5yo we bought a higher RF limit seat and she is still RF. My 5yo often rides in the RF seat when it is just her in the car. They fit just fine and bend or cross their legs to be comfy. Neither has ever complained on short nor long car trip. I am happy with our choices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acorn Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 I waited until about 25 to 30 lbs. They were 2 to 3 years old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 I keep them rear-facing until around age 3 and have a seat that accommodates that (Graco MyRide -- great seat, goes on sale at amazon for a reasonable price). You might look into the Cosco Scenera; it's not quite as bulky or as expensive as the MyRide (and now I can't remember why I didn't go for it instead of the MyRide), but it will do RF'ing until 35 pounds. (My 3yo's still outgrow the seat in length before they hit the RF'ing weight limit.) My current 25-month-old is 27 pounds and will be RF'ing until we need his MyRide for the current newborn, which should be in about 18 months (I tend to have big and tall newborns, so our infant seat is also one of the higher limit ones). At that point, we'll move the current 2yo to the current almost 5yo's harnessed Maestro, and the current almost 5yo will get a booster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted August 23, 2013 Author Share Posted August 23, 2013 Ok, so I checked the maximums for our seat in the instruction manual, and ds is right at the upper height limit, though he still has 8 lbs to go on the weight limit. We can go a little while longer, but I will have to change either to front facing or to a different rear facing soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loowit Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 I turned DD around when she was a year, but that is because I thought I was supposed to. After studying it more, I left my boys rear facing as long as possible. I bought car seats that I could use for as long as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 DD, who just turned 2, is 23 lbs and 34" tall. She still fits in her car seat RFing, so it is going to remain rear facing. My son turned somewhere between 3y1m and 3y3m (I forget exactly) He was 34 pounds and I was done with worrying about when he'd outgrow the seat. I purchased seats from the beginning with an eye to extended rear-facing. I did have a Scenera briefly -- but I felt it was very hard to install and I know myself. Stuff that is hard to install is way too likely to NOT be installed correctly (or moved around when necessary) so we returned it for seats that, while a bit more expensive, installed easier. I'd at the least make sure you can install the Scenera in your car if you choose to purchase it. We took ours to a car seat clinic when we were having problems and the CPST also had problems, which clarified for me that it was too much for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 I kept mine rear-facing until they outgrew it. They were both somewhere between 3 and 3.5. I got a lot of cr*p for it, though. I'm still getting heat for having DD5 in a 5-point harness. <shrug> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 I kept mine rear-facing until they outgrew it. They were both somewhere between 3 and 3.5. I got a lot of cr*p for it, though. I'm still getting heat for having DD5 in a 5-point harness. <shrug> My 6 year old is still in a 5-pt harness in our main car (Evenflo maestro. I LOVE that seat). He sits in a high back Graco Turbobooster in my husband's car -- to give him a chance to learn how to use a booster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 It would be safer if we could all ride rear-facing, but obviously that's not an option for the driver! Is this true? I think it would technically be possible to turn the bench seats around in our full size van, it would just be a matter of unbolting the brackets that the benches attach to and bolting them in facing the opposite direction... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 Ds I turned around 2 yrs old, he was right around the weight limit for his seat(Britax) Dd1 I turned around 4, she didn't hit the weight limit until then. DD2 I turned at 3, although she could still could be rear-facing with the new baby it made arrangement easier in the van and she is able to buckle herself, which is a help. DD3 is only 9 months so is of course rear-facing. I have her in a seat w/ extended limits and she is also small so she probably *could* rf for 5 yrs but I likely will turn her before then. Ds just moved to a booster at 9, poor kid is not very tall. I think he'll hopefully be tall enough by his next b-day to ride w/out a booster. DD6 is still in her 5 pt. The law here is a booster until 8. I know ds' aunt is technically not tall enough to ride w/out a booster where she lives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 Is this true? I think it would technically be possible to turn the bench seats around in our full size van, it would just be a matter of unbolting the brackets that the benches attach to and bolting them in facing the opposite direction... It is debatable. The "safer rear-facing regardless of age" is based on a certain interpretation of data that I don't agree with. I do believe that it's safer for babies and young tots. Every time you have to brake quickly, it jerks their heads around. But after a certain level of physical maturity, they can adjust better to such events. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carriede Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 DS was just over 2 when we turned him around. We did so because he had outgrown the rear-facing weight limit of the car seat, which was 30lbs (and is one of the lightest weight limits for a convertible car seat). When DD got too big for the infant bucket seat and needed the convertible seat (RFing), we bought DS a seat that will keep him in a 5-point harness until he's way old. DD is still RFing at 22 months and will remain so until she reaches the 30 lb weight limit (she's 27 lbs now) or until the baby is born (due in Jan). We want to fit 3 car seats in one row in our mid-sized SUV, so I doubt we can manage two RFing car seats at one time. But if we CAN, I'll reconsider DD's turning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MistyMountain Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 My older 2 were 4.5 when they got turned around. My youngest is still rear facing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaCEmom Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 OP- Is your DS still in a bucket seat? (The kind with a handle that you can carry them around in.) You may already know this, but "convertible" car seats are made to be used either rear facing or forward facing. (So can be used rear facing now, forward facing later) I mention it because I just want to make sure you know that you can still keep him rearfacing now and buy a seat that you'll be able to use for a few years. My 3.5 yr old is now ff in the same evenflo convertible seat he rode in rf. We did have a Scenera, but like a previous poster I also found it difficult to get a good install, and to get it tight enough. We try to leave the kids rear-facing as long as they're comfortable and within the seat limitations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abacus2 Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 I have to ask based on your description. Are you using a seat that was your 9 year old's? If so it will need to be replaced due to its age anyway. Most seats expire 6 years from the date of manufacture. Seats with a 30lb rear-facing limit aren't common now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted August 23, 2013 Author Share Posted August 23, 2013 OP- Is your DS still in a bucket seat? (The kind with a handle that you can carry them around in.) You may already know this, but "convertible" car seats are made to be used either rear facing or forward facing. (So can be used rear facing now, forward facing later) I mention it because I just want to make sure you know that you can still keep him rearfacing now and buy a seat that you'll be able to use for a few years. My 3.5 yr old is now ff in the same evenflo convertible seat he rode in rf. We did have a Scenera, but like a previous poster I also found it difficult to get a good install, and to get it tight enough. We try to leave the kids rear-facing as long as they're comfortable and within the seat limitations. Yes, he is still in a bucket seat. The height limit on it is 30". The convertible seats I'm looking at have a rf height max of at least 36". This one was not the seat I would have preferred, but it was a good one and was a shower gift. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daffodil Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 My older 2 were 4.5 when they got turned around. My youngest is still rear facing. This is true for us, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theYoungerMrsWarde Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 My new pediatrician for Lady Bug said the new research recommendation is rear-facing until age 2! :huh: I asked what happens with their legs and she said they're just scrunched up against the back of the seat. Um, NO, I will not be doing that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 My new pediatrician for Lady Bug said the new research recommendation is rear-facing until age 2! :huh: I asked what happens with their legs and she said they're just scrunched up against the back of the seat. Um, NO, I will not be doing that.Children sit cross legged quite easily and comfortably. Also, the risk of a broken leg in the event of a crash is far less of a concern than internal decapitation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acorn Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 My new pediatrician for Lady Bug said the new research recommendation is rear-facing until age 2! :huh: I asked what happens with their legs and she said they're just scrunched up against the back of the seat. Um, NO, I will not be doing that. Kids just sit with their legs bent. I would rather a little dirt on the back of the seat than ignore passenger safety tests that clearly show young children being safer rear facing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 OP, you must be new around here. Otherwise, you would know that there are two possible answers to this: 1. If you really love your child, you will keep him rear-facing until he is old enough to drive himself; or 2. This rampant over-protectiveness is a symptom of all that is wrong with America and a direct cause of our country's going to hell in a hand basket. And never the twain' shall meet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coco_Clark Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 The regulations are the way they are because of new research on children's bone structures. Meaning my THIRTY POUND! one year old was no more ready to forward face than my next fourteen pound one year old. It has nothing to do with size. It is developmental and has to do with having matured skeletal muscles. I rear-faced my kids as long as I could. With my giant DS that was a bit difficult because he was so darn heavy but its well worth it and we lasted until almost two. Driving is easily the most dangerous thing my kids are exposed to. Even a slight fender bender can pull a small child's spine out of whack and affect them for the rest of their lives. Buy a convertible rear facer. I know dozens of toddlers rear fa in and have never met one that says their legs are "scrunched". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 OP, you must be new around here. Otherwise, you would know that there are two possible answers to this: 1. If you really love your child, you will keep him rear-facing until he is old enough to drive himself; or 2. This rampant over-protectiveness is a symptom of all that is wrong with America and a direct cause of our country's going to hell in a hand basket. And never the twain' shall meet. LOL I was definitely expecting it to go that way. But it seems to be very civil so far. :) A PP made a good point. Since the little one will need another car seat anyway, might as well go for a big convertible one. Then you can turn your child when YOU feel he is ready. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeganCupcake Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 My new pediatrician for Lady Bug said the new research recommendation is rear-facing until age 2! :huh: I asked what happens with their legs and she said they're just scrunched up against the back of the seat. Um, NO, I will not be doing that. They can sit criss-cross-applesauce, drape their legs over the sides of the seat, or stretch them out and put them up on the seat. My DD was RFing until a few weeks before she turned 4 and she never complained of it being uncomfortable. We installed an extra RFing seat for a little cousin a month or so ago and she asked to sit in it, once again with her legs where she chose to put them (she is a lightweight, though tall, at almost 5, so she is still under the RFing weight limit). Kids are flexible and find things comfortable that we old tight people can't manage. It's not a really big deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 If he's in a bucket seat now, you'll need a new seat no matter which direction he faces, right? If so, I would just look for a convertible seat which can be installed both ways. As others have mentioned, the Cosco Sceneca is a vey affordable option, but it is a bit of a bear to install. If you google around, there are some good tips for getting a tight install on it. We've been using a Graco MyRide since birth, I think I got it on sale for about $120, and it has served us very well, but it is a bulky seat if space is an issue. My guy was three in May and weighs 33 or 34 lbs. I hope we can keep him rear facing until he's about four, but some of it will depend on how fast the baby coming in October outgrows his infant seat. I don't think I can fit two rear facing convertibles in my car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeacefulChaos Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 Well, if he's still in the infant carrier, won't you need to buy a new carseat either way? I never kept mine in a carrier past 3-4 months - I couldn't carry it past 2-3 months, tops, and usually moved it out of the car shortly thereafter. My kids were always going nuts trying to sit up more and see more. So we always went to a convertible then, and used it (or are still using it, in Pink's case) until they outgrew it. :) So I would say, since you'll need a new seat anyway (at least I assume you will?) you wouldn't necessarily have the added cost of a RF seat. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 But after a certain level of physical maturity, they can adjust better to such events. When we were expecting our fourth, we didn't have a van, and my option was a truck, so I asked the people on car-seat.org about what the safest arrangement was. I had a 2.5yo who was in a harnessed seat, and I asked if he was safer in the front RF'ing (airbag turned off with a switch) or in the back, even though that would mean turning him FF'ing because the seat wouldn't fit RF'ing in the back. They said that by 2.5 or 3, the difference was fairly negligible either way. I would consider 2 to be the minimum for turning around, but after that, we're talking small risks either way, so I'd be more comfortable turning FF'ing with the constraints of budget, needing seats for younger siblings, vehicle positions, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaraby Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 If so it will need to be replaced due to its age anyway. Most seats expire 6 years from the date of manufacture. Seats with a 30lb rear-facing limit aren't common now. This is also a good point even though it doesn't apply to the OP. On Graco's the expiration date is on the bottom of the seat. My midwife always thought this was hogwash, but the plastic breaks down and it always seemed like a silly way to save money, imo. :0) If the child is still in the infant carrier then a rf/ff convertible seat would be a great purchase. If it were me, I'd plan on purchasing two more seats, a rf/ff convertible and a HBB/BB (like the Evenflo Amp). If your dc was older then you could probably get away with a 3-in-1 like the Graco Nautilus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaVT Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 Children sit cross legged quite easily and comfortably. Also, the risk of a broken leg in the event of a crash is far less of a concern than internal decapitation. This this a thousand times this! Recommendation is a minimum of 2, ideally until they outgrow the seat by weight/height. We had to switch to FF shortly after my DS turned 2 because he gets very carsick and was throwing up even on short trips. Kids just cross their legs or find creative ways to sit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammi K Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 My midwife always thought this was hogwash, but the plastic breaks down and it always seemed like a silly way to save money, imo. :0) This is interesting. HAS anyone done studies to see how much (or IF) plastic degrades to a point where it is unstable after 6 years? I know it is supposition - but has anyone seen actual studies? I would be curious if anyone knows of any. (Not saying there hasn't been. I've just never seen/heard of any.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zillymom Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 I switched DD from RFing to FFing at 3 1/2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 This is interesting. HAS anyone done studies to see how much (or IF) plastic degrades to a point where it is unstable after 6 years? I know it is supposition - but has anyone seen actual studies? I would be curious if anyone knows of any. (Not saying there hasn't been. I've just never seen/heard of any.) I worked in a plastic factory, where I was told that that sort of material is considered very bad for the environment because it basically lasts forever. When I raised this question, someone said it wasn't the plastic they are concerned about, but the cloth parts such as the straps. I dunno. Based on my statistics course which taught me that expiration dates err way on the safe side, I would probably not throw out a carseat that was close to its expiration date. But I wouldn't keep it for years after that. I didn't have the choice since my kids' seats were in an accident when they were 4.5. The insurance company was glad to pay for them to get new seats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 I wait as long as possible based on seat limits. Here's a good blog post on the current recommendations: http://carseatblog.com/9416/confused-about-the-new-aap-carseat-booster-recommendations-start-here/ Seats give height guidelines, but you need to go by where your kid's head hits on the seat. Some kids have longer legs, some longer torsos. One child may outgrow the seat a few inches before the guideline says he does. You need a new seat anyway, so I'd look for deals and buy the seat with the highest RF limits and best reviews I could afford. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 My DS and older DDs were turned around at about 2/2.5. I turned DS around because, well, he was 2.5 and at that time that was already well past what most people were doing, and I was pregnant and it was very difficult to get him in the seat RF. Next DDs were turned around sometime after their 2nd birthday because that's when they hit 20lbs and DH pushed it. He hates having them rear facing and feels sorry for them. I think we did it because we were taking a very long car trip and he wanted them to be able to watch the DVD. Youngest DD switched after her 3rd birthday. She wasn't 20lbs until then. I would have kept her RF longer, but DH wanted to turn her- probably to watch the DVD. If I let her stay RF until she outgrew the seat she would still be RF and she's 6. She's still in her 5pt harness, however. I know some boosters have a 30lb minimum, but most have 35lbs and she's not there. To the OP- I would get a convertible carseat that he can be rear or front facing in. Leg length is not a concern and 1yo is so small and young. My DD has been in the same seat for 5 years and still has room to grow so I think even the more expensive ones can be a good investment because they last so long. I may need to check the expiration date on DDs because it's been so long, but it still looks new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 I turned my older son FF around when he turned three. He'd outgrown the rf seat limit for his seat (he was a big kid). My younger son was turned around when he was 2.5 or so. He wasn't quite at the weight limit but we had to buy new seats and I wanted to get a FF seat that would last him a long time. Neither of my sons had leg discomfort when RF. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 OP, you must be new around here. Otherwise, you would know that there are two possible answers to this: 1. If you really love your child, you will keep him rear-facing until he is old enough to drive himself; or 2. This rampant over-protectiveness is a symptom of all that is wrong with America and a direct cause of our country's going to hell in a hand basket. And never the twain' shall meet. :lol: :lol: :lol: They have car seats with five point harnesses that can fit kids up to ninety pounds now. One of these days, I fully expect someone to post that they still make their fifteen-year-old ride in a car seat, while lamenting that they can't turn it RF. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 I worked in a plastic factory, where I was told that that sort of material is considered very bad for the environment because it basically lasts forever. When I raised this question, someone said it wasn't the plastic they are concerned about, but the cloth parts such as the straps. I dunno. Based on my statistics course which taught me that expiration dates err way on the safe side, I would probably not throw out a carseat that was close to its expiration date. But I wouldn't keep it for years after that. I didn't have the choice since my kids' seats were in an accident when they were 4.5. The insurance company was glad to pay for them to get new seats. Plastic may last forever in terms of recycling into its component elements in the dump, but it certainly does NOT last forever in terms of being able to stand up to the forces of a crash. There's a video running around of a 10 yr old plastic seat not continuing to hold a child in during a crash test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 Plastic may last forever in terms of recycling, but it certainly does NOT last forever in terms of being able to stand up to the forces of a crash. There's a video running around of a 10 yr old plastic seat not continuing to hold a child in during a crash test. Ha! You beat me to it, I was just coming to post that video. :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 I don't remember what the rule is, but when dd had to scrunch up her legs I turned the seat around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.