Rear or forward facing?

[LyndorCake]

Okay, posting here for traffic really. I know what the research says and I know what the guidelines are, but I need to hear from some people with real life experience. When did you switch your car seat from rear to forward facing?

DS is nearly 2 and I know he should be rear facing until 4 however everyone I know have already turned the seat around. DH wants to change it, DPs want to change it, ILS want to change it, it's only me who is insisting on keeping him rear facing (which they are all doing without argument btw, no bad feelings going on here).
I'm just wondering if 4 is realistic? And if you have managed to keep them rear facing until 4, how did you manage? Physically I struggle to get DS in the car seat as it is (when he protests).

My friends DD is still backward facing - she is just about to turn 4.

I don’t have any experience myself because my last child was born in 2013 when backward facing seats up to 4 years was still very new. My DCs went forward facing at 1.5.
I expect you would get very different answers to your question if you asked it in a couple of years time - we are still on the cusp of change at the moment.

Sweden had lots of data on rear facing when mine where little, My DS was huge and didn't fit it at 18months so he went front facing.

I know comfort comes way below safety but I am struggling to fit him in rear facing now and as I say if he protests then it's nearly impossible! Both DH and I work full time so we have to be away by a certain time each day and get DS to childcare and it's just becoming more and more of a struggle.

When I had my first I didn’t really do much research into car seats, but I wish I had. He went into a forward facing seat, at just over a year, when he outgrew his rear one. Now I have my second, I’ve done lots more research and wish I can keep her in a rear facing seat for a lot longer, but can’t as I can’t afford to buy a new car seat for her.

I’d say to keep your DS in a rear facing seat at least a bit longer.

3.8 here with tall but skinny DS when we moved him to HBB. Would have tried to wait till 4 but we needed the toddler seat for younger child who had outgrown infant carrier. Wasn't prepared to buy another rear facing seat just for a few months.

I can't see that it would be easier to get a wriggling, resisting toddler in forward facing tbh.

Rear facing is safer. We planned to do it until our daughter was 4. We ended up turning her at 3 and a half as she was consistently complaining about being uncomfortable. That was a compromise I was ok with.

We've only just moved my ds to forward facing, at 3.5 - and purely because he was too tall and heavy for his rear facing one. He was perfectly comfortable in his old seat.

DS1 is nearly 4 and RF in an Axkid Minikid. He will stay in it until he outgrows it, which probably won't be for about another 2 years. DS2 is in an infant carrier, but when he outgrows that he will also RF in a Minikid. We have a Joie Stages RF in grandparents' car as our spare.

What do you mean you're "struggling to fit him in" RF and what would make that different FF?

My Lb is 3 and still rear facing. No complaints so far. I have a swivel one and if he doesn't want to go in it's still a struggle so not sure ff would really help in that situation.

why not get one of the 360 spin car seats - they are much easier to get in and out when they are kicking off!

Ah right, I thought it would be easier to get him in FF as he wouldn't have the seat back to kick against. I'm really short so he wouldn't be able to reach the back of the front seat with his legs.

My youngest will be 6 in January and is rear facing, she weighs 17.9kg and is in a 25kg weight capacity seat. She’ll stay rf until she outgrows her seat by height or weight.

My eldest is nearly four and rear faces and youngest is two both in in Axkid Minikid - No plans to turn either round any time soon.

Eldest knows his seat like a 'racing driver' seat which keeps him safe. He has never questioned it.

We have quite a big car though with sliding rear doors which makes it easier I think. He either has his legs bent slightly and up against the seat back or crosses them.

Both children climb into their own seats no problem (usually it's a race).

We find removing shoes means they can cross legs and get comfy easier and minimises dirt in the car - Shoes go in footwell and we pop them on once arrived at destination.

Personally if you have a rear facing seat your son still fits it's a no brainier - Keep rear facing.

My 3.5 year old son is still rear facing, and my daughter went rear facing until she was 4 and exceeded the height limit.

My son is in a Brittax Two way elite which is an affordable rear facing seat.

Its safer to keep them rear facing, so why wouldn't you!

We used a Klippan Triofix Recline with the spacer. She hit the rear facing weight limit before she ran out of space. She now complains about being forward because her feet just dangle instead of being comfortably crossed. She gets pins and needles.

That seat has been updated and is now the Klippan Comfort. They still sell the spacer. We chose it because it was both ERF to 18kg and then FF to 12 years. A balance of the safety aspect with the environmentally responsible action of never having to buy another car seat.

https://incarsafetycentre.co.uk/product/triofix-with-recline-black/

Most people I know as well with children my sons age forward face.

I don't let that sway my opinion on what's best for my children - it's hard when people question it sometimes but I know if I have an accident I have done EVERYTHING I could to try keep them safe.

We turned DD at 3.7, only because we needed that seat for her brother. We had a maxi Cosi 2 way pearl, and I think she would have had another year in it.

Around 2 I was getting pressure to turn her FF. It was the time she resisted most and grandparents kept telling me it was because she faced rearward. I persisted and we came through it.

Can he possibly climb up into the seat himself, with a little assistance? My DD loved doing that.

DS was rear facing until just shy of 4.

Your reasons for not turning your DS don't sound particularly compelling.

It is safer to keep him rear facing, so why wouldn't you?

We've just turned DC2 forward facing and he's about to turn 4. He was complaining about his legs being uncomfortable, but to be fair we don't have the biggest car.

Mine are both FF and have been for some time. But I am curious all these people who continue to have their children RF. What cars do you have? How big are your children? I'm just asking purely out of curiosity because it was always the size issue (of my giant children and my tiny car!) that put me off rear facing.

@Fatted

4 year old and 2 year old both around 80th centile.

We have a Citroen Berlingo (chose car purposely so we could rear face easily and as has 3 full size back seats) but also have a small C3 and kiddies regularly go in family members Fiesta with no issues.

Space shouldn't be an excuse - You equally need a lot of space in front or a forward facing child so they don't hit the seat in front when thrown forward in a crash.

Our DC started vomiting really badly when rear facing from about 18 months. Forward facing - no problem; looking out of the window, chatting away. Rear facing - crying and then repeated vomiting. We tried to minimise the use of the car but obviously that’s not always possible.

I hated it but wanted to stick with rear facing on the basis that sick is better than what could happen in a crash; DH felt that it was really mean to make DC feel so sick when there was an easy solution.

Then one day she started choking whilst screaming and being sick, so I gave in - that was at 2. However if we’re doing a really long motorway trip, where she will sleep quite quickly (weirdly she’s never sick if she’s asleep!) we still turn it round and do rear facing for that as it feels safer.

DD went into FF just over a year old. I wanted her RF but she had a medical condition which meant her legs needed to be stretched out in front of her not curled underneath her so had to do FF. If I ever have more DC though they'll be RF as long as possible.

We have bigger cars now. But when my eldest was a baby I only had a 3 door Polo that was so old it didn't have isofix which severely limited our choice of car seats. .

As I said I asked mainly out of curiosity because I just couldn't imagine getting two big rear facing seats into that tiny car. I just assume everyone with extended rear facing is driving around in enormous people carriers.

I have this same issue. My parents and my in-laws comment on how I need to change him to forward facing every time they see him in the car seat.

He's 2 (but in 12-18 clothes so small for his age) and I've no intention of switching yet.