To be shocked people are actually rear-facing their primary age kids

Sorry I didn't mean to quote you!

My children are in their late 20s and then no one was rear facing apart from newborn babies in carry car seats.
I'm not saying that current thinking is wrong, obviously it isn't but it would have been unimaginable for me to have them aged 5 rear facing!

Same. Every car journey was miserable as it involved kids being sick. I’m the same, can’t sit backwards in a black cab, feel nauseous backwards in a train.

I can’t figure out how so many people on MN say they backward face their primary aged children yet IRL I never see kids that age rear facing.

Why are you shocked? They’re just following the guidelines. I think it’s really irresponsible forward facing before they’re physically ready for it. Mine also preferred rear facing and did so until they were 7.

Judging by the school run traffic around here I'm more shocked by the numbers without seats or ensuring kids are even strapped in, at all, kids just sat climbing around on seats.

I know it’s recommended but I can say I’ve never seen a child probably over the age of 3 around here in one.

Having said that can anyone recommend one of the extended ones for a very tall, long legged just turned 4 year old? (115cm, 23kg) or would he be too big for one?

I know it’s recommended but I can say I’ve never seen a child probably over the age of 3 around here in one.

Having said that can anyone recommend one of the extended ones for a very tall, long legged just turned 4 year old? (115cm, 23kg) or would he be too big for one?

I think it will become increasingly common. When my 14yo was a baby, there was pretty much no choice than a FF seat when they outgrew the carrier, except seats bought for ££££ at a handful of specilist shops. Parents of kids not a lot older thought rear facing your 9mo was strange!
When my 12yo was a baby, there was the first high street ERF seat... Joie.
Since then, more choice has become available for toddlers. And now up 25kg and 36kg.

I’ve not, so far, noticed any older kids (other than babies) rear facing. I wonder if it’s information that’s not widely out there. Strange there’s not been any tv ad campaigns, do we not do them anymore?

I am shocked more parents don’t have their young primary school age children rear-facing. Rear-facing protects young children because their neck and spine are still developing. In a head-on crash, a child’s heavy head can pull on their underdeveloped neck risking internal decapitation. A head-on crash is almost always higher impact than being hit from behind, hence it being safer to rear-face until their necks are more fully developed around age 6.

What you should be shocked about is that the majority of people forward face their children ridiculously and dangerously young, and that’s because there’s a severe lack of information on the dangers of forward facing in a 5 point harness. Yes this. People are weirdly resistant to science at times, even when they do have access to the info that RF is much safer they rush to FF.

They are far less likely to die or be seriously injured rear facing, I don't stop caring about my children's safety just because they go to school! Seems very arbitrary to take a child out of a safe car seat into a less safe car seat because they are starting school, rather than because they've outgrown it?! Lots of extended rear facing seats last until 25kg or even 36kg, have plenty of leg room and are very comfortable even for tall children, and their legs are less likely to be injured in an accident rear facing than forward facing. Why do you think children should be forward facing by the time they start school?

DS was rear facing until nearly 7 when he outgrew his extended rear facing car seat. The research is clear that, ideally you should be rear facing until 7. And it is quite common in other European countries.

Other parents are keeping their children safer for longer than you did. Are you shocked with them or yourself?

I switched my DC to forward facing at about 18 months old. Not a chance I'd be squishing a 5/6/7 year old up to rear face.

It’s safer due to the fact that their head doesn’t get thrown forward in rear facing. Child deaths in accidents are significantly lower in countries that routinely rear face.

We did this with our oldest 2, had no idea at the time that this was so controversial, they outgrew their first car seats and the next stage up were forward facing seats!
they are adults now, I wonder if many people were rear facing for much longer back then, certainly no one seemed very shocked about it at the time.
youngest is a teen and rear faced for longer but by 2 he was forward.

I don’t know anyone at all IRL who rear faces their kids. It’s only on here that i’ve read about it tbh.

Well it is safer but like all things you assess the risk, your child’s comfort, the type of journeys you go on, the level of risk etc. and you do what you feel is best.
We rear faced my son until he was 5 and then he was too uncomfortable (he was pretty tall) so we changed it. My in-laws were weirdly put out by it, like they literally refused to believe it was safer.

What you should be shocked about is that the majority of people forward face their children ridiculously and dangerously young, and that’s because there’s a severe lack of information on the dangers of forward facing in a 5 point harness. FF in a 5 point harness during a serious crash pins the body back and elevates the neck and head forwards, which can result in deadly or severe consequences. Therefore children shouldn’t FF until they are both big enough and mature enough to FF with a normal seatbelt in a high back booster. So yes, as my DS is small centiles, he will be staying in his extended RF seat until he’s outgrown it, which should be around 6ish.

So really your shock should be towards the lack of information on the dangers of FF too young, and the advantages of extended RF.

It's none of your business, really, is it?

Just as I'm sure you'd say it's none of my business if I said I'm shocked you don't feel the need to keep your child as safe as possible.

Yeah, I would have loved to have kept my son rear facing longer but he was vomiting constantly in the car and was utterly miserable.

I am surprised like you OP I haven’t seen it in real life too

You're shocked that some parents follow car safety advice? People have been doing this for years because the research shows it is safer.

Sadly it’s less common as people just don’t understand car safety or are too worried about what other people think. I will absolutely keep my children as safe as possible as long as possible.

My son starts school tomorrow (5 in November) and is ‘still’ rear facing, he will be for at least another 2 years. My eldest was 6.5 before he switched to forward facing and very tall so the leg length is a non issue if you invest in a decent seat.