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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

When are you moving LO into front facing car seat?

30 replies

Sassles · 28/12/2010 21:52

Hi,

My DS is 7 months old, but is on the 91st centile for height and weight. He is over the 9kg minimum for a front facing seat and the maxi-cosi seems a bit of a tight squeeze width and height wise. However, it says baby can be in it till 13kg (can't see how a baby of this weight could possibly fit into the seat though).

The front facing seat says 9 months, but DS is as big as a 9 month old and can sit supported etc. I know rear facing is safer, but unsure whether or not to transfer him to front facing seat.

When did you all move them to FFS and any tips on when you know that they are too big for the maxi cosi?

Many Thanks.

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thisisyesterday · 28/12/2010 22:00

i would keep him rearfacing for as long as possible.,
it's sooooo much safer.

9 months is the absolute minimum at which you should turn him forward facing. but have a read of this site for reasons to keep him rear-facing for as long as you can

Original poster

Sassles · 28/12/2010 22:08

Wow, that's pretty interesting. I fancy one of the seats that has them rear facing till 4 yrs, but they are pretty expensive. Just wish the maxi cosi wasn't quite so snug.

Thanks.

OP posts:

tryingtobemarypoppins2 · 28/12/2010 22:17

Never.

tryingtobemarypoppins2 · 28/12/2010 22:18

Well as long as I can still find a rear seat that is :)

IneedacleanerIamalazyslattern · 28/12/2010 22:21

DS2 is 6 months and a big boy as well. He fits length ways really comfortably in his Maxi Cosi but sidth ways hated it he was so squished up.
I have just bought a Britax First Class for him so he is still rear facing as long as possible, this seat can turn forward facing when he is bigger and older.

It is on offer just now in Toys r us and Mohercare for under £100 and will do him a few years now.

pozzled · 28/12/2010 22:23

DD is 2.4 and I still put her rear-facing if at all possible. We have one of the seats that will do both and luckily she's quite small so she should be under the weight limit for a few months yet.

If we could have easily found a seat that goes rear-facing to 4 years we would have used that.

rosieposey · 28/12/2010 22:24

I didn't turn my ds front facing either. I bought a britax multi tech as they last for ages rear facing and I don't intend to turn ds front facing till he is at least 4. Have a read about how many more lives are saved from having babies and toddler rear facing till their bones are strong enough to withstand a forward facing impact. I know the forward facing seats are expensive but they are worth every penny. Hth

TheHoneydragonsInTheIvy · 28/12/2010 22:27

pozzled - what seat do you have at present that she is still rf in?

rosieposey · 28/12/2010 22:30

Sorry that should read rear facing toddler seats not forward facing seats are expensive. There are loads of rear facing toddler seat stockists now too.

BertieBottlesOfMulledWine · 28/12/2010 22:33

If he looks squished he probably isn't - the baby seats are quite roomy really. DS fitted into his until 18 months - he is small, but he's not that small.

The only thing you really need to worry about is when the top of his head reaches the top of the seat. It doesn't matter if their legs come over the bottom of it, and it's really unlikely that he'd outgrow it widthways first. Are you trying to squeeze him in in winter coats?

IneedacleanerIamalazyslattern · 28/12/2010 22:37

Rear facing toddler seats are still way to expensive to make many people by them.
I know so many people that think me buying the Maxi Cosi and now £100 odd on the Britax are mad when I can get one for £40 from Argos some people just don't get why I do it.
MIL included she has a rubbish and badly fitted seat in her car for Dnephew and nothing I say will make her realise how dangerous it is and I know that if she ever takes ds2 out then I will have raised eyebrows when I insist on his own seat fitted by me in the car.

I am saving a bit of money up for a longer term rear facing seat that DS2 will be in when many of the other dc's his age are already being put in booster seats.

IneedacleanerIamalazyslattern · 28/12/2010 22:40

Bertie I totally know what you are saying (I also know i'm not op but did make the same point as my reason for a new seat) but ds2 is so uncomfortable in the Stage 0+ seat he is pretty squished up width ways, he is so much happier rear facing in a bigger seat.
ANd I don't put jackets on in the car it can hinder the safety not a snug enough fit for the straps against the body in a thick coat.

Original poster

Sassles · 28/12/2010 22:45

bertie Think winter coats prob not helping widthways. Height wise we have about 1cm left before his head reaches the top.

May start saving pennies now. Unfortunately have just bought a FFS with my doubled up clubcard exchange vouchers at Tesco. Will hold off using it as long as possible.

OP posts:

BubsMaw · 28/12/2010 22:45

It's OK if their legs go over the front of the seat, as long as their head isn't higher than the top of the back (I read on an extended rearfacing web site that top of child's ears must be below the top of the back of the seat, but can't be certain on source of this info).

FWIW I bought my DS an extended rearfacing seat, the Kiss (Klippan Isofix Safety System), it was the most compact option for my smallish car, he's really comfortable in it.

IneedacleanerIamalazyslattern · 28/12/2010 22:48

You shouldn't put a winter coat on in a car seat Sassles, shame you bought the ff one already.
I do have a preferance for the ff seat I wanted but it didn't go rear facing so did get the first class instead just so he had more space.

CantSleepWontSleep · 28/12/2010 22:50

I believe that it's the eyes that shouldn't be above the top of the seat in fact.
I have a nearly 6 month old who is more than heavy enough for a forward facing seat, but no way am I putting him in one yet (even though it would make my 3 car seat arrangement much more workable to do so).

Wait another couple of months and see how you feel then sassles.

OvertiredAndShowingOff · 29/12/2010 12:47

How can their legs go over the front of the seat? That's the bit that touches the backrest of the car's seat, IYSWIM. I too have a big baby, the soles of her feet are already touching the backrest of the seat of the car, and the top of her head isn't far off the top of the car seat. (Sorry, not explaining this very clearly am I?!)

ShowOfHands · 29/12/2010 12:57

I do wish they'd make the rear facing ones cheaper. We moved dd when her head started to overshoot the carseat by more than the recommended amount. But we just could not find the money for another RF seat. I didn't want to put her in a FF one but was unable to afford anything RF for her height/weight (she was off the charts for weight and height and while I can't remember what weight she was when she went FF at around 11 months, she was 26lbs at 26 weeks so significantly more than that and flipping long).

BertieBottlesOfMulledWine · 29/12/2010 13:25

Because they bend their legs, it's not uncomfortable for them to do this.

AngelsfromtherealmsofgloryDog · 29/12/2010 15:01

Not until I have no choice but to put him forward facing.

We have a rear facing one for my 12 m.o. - just put him in it after he had almost outgrown his first one at around 12.5kg (he's 99th centile height). It's worth asking a retailer that knows what they're talking about. We got ours from the In-Car Safety Centre in Milton Keynes.

Bertie is right about the legs.

The BMJ reviewed crash data and found 4 fatalities in forward facing seats which could have been prevented by the LO being rear-facing. The fatalities in rear facing seats were unrelated to the seats (fire / drowning etc). IMO it's worth the extra money for the extra safety, although we don't use our car that often.

OvertiredAndShowingOff · 29/12/2010 15:43

I don't think the leg bending would work for us, we have a Cybex Aton that isn't Isofix, it's held in place by the seatbelt. The part of the seatbelt that would go across an adult's lap is on top of DD's thighs, so the only way she could bend her legs significantly would be if the seat belt weren't pulled taut, which of course isn't safe.

Will start saving now for the next stage rear facing one...

OrangeCountyStrip · 29/12/2010 15:51

May I just ask, if anyone can help, which RF seats are suitable for a 3 and a half year old?

I really don't know where to start looking - he's growing out of his 0-4 seat, I was going to get an Evolva for the next stage, but is there a RF alternative I should be looking at?

Many thanks.

earwicga · 29/12/2010 15:55

I changed mine at 9 months as it was so bad for my back using the rear facing seats. I suppose if I could of afforded a pram that took two car seats (twins) and could of just lifted them out into pram frame it would of been longer.

jollyma · 29/12/2010 15:59

Ds1 was 16 months but ds 2 had to be moved to his forward facing seat at 11 months as the straps would no longer fasten, he is v big. I felt he would be safer in a seat that fitted him rather than holding on a few more weeks until he was a year. I agree that rear facing until older is safer but it is hard to go back to rear facing if the child is used to forward facing.

pozzled · 29/12/2010 16:02

Ours is a Britax First Class, it can go rear-facing up to 13kg. At 2.4 DD does have to bend her legs a little, or stretch them up the back seat, but she still fits. Not sure what we'd do if DD was bigger/heavier though, most mainstream car seat stockists don't seem interested in rear-facing for older children.

When we bought ours at mothercare, DD was close to a year and the shop assistant thought I was mad to want to keep her rear-facing.

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