When did you move your LO into their forward facing car seat?

[AlmondFrangipani]

I know all the advice but just wondered when everyone actually did it. We've got a 10kg 9 mo who hates his rear facing car seat. Tempting to change him into the other seat but holding out as long as poss!

When their heads overshot by too much and not a minute before. Had we had the money, we'd have kept them rf until 4.

Aged 4 for both dd1 and ds, dd2 will be likewise. Swedish childhood rta stats (or lack of them) don't lie!

Mine is still rear facing at 2.4 and will be until she outgrows her seat at about four.

DD is 4 and still rear facing...

8m for DS and 9m for DD.

And I know all the stuff about rf safety. Watched the videos etc.

BUT when you have dc who scream the entire time they're in a rf car seat it's extremely distracting, which IMO, is a greater safety hazard. And yes I mean all the time, every minute of a 10min or 3 hour journey. Apoplectic screaming.

I have 98centile+ babies and moved them as soon as their weight/height was acceptable. Screaming stopped instantly. Would do it again in a heart beat for mine, but if your dc just grizzles or is usually happy, then I agree with the above, extended rear facing as long as possible.

We've bought a new car seat which is forward facing...the only rear ones we saw we're extortionate!!! You'd think if it was so much safer they would be more readily available and competitively priced versus the ff seats!

Sadly Almond the prices are affected by supply and demand. There is a lot less demand for ERF seats which means fewer brands offer them and those that do dont supply to many retailers as there just isnt enough custom.

OP you will get most people on here telling you to keep them rear facing for as long as possible but I couldn't afford the extortionate prices and DD would not have tolerated it one bit.
I bought a ff seat with an impact cushion instead of straps, ours was a mamas and papas pallas cybex 2 and it was, for me, a good compromise.
she moved into it 5 10 months (she is a very tall gorl and 91st centile for weight) and outgrew her stage 0 at that point (head came over the back).

we changed to ff when dd couldn't fit in her first car seat./ IRL I have never seen any other kids in rf seat after they are babies where I live, I guess no one pays attention to the safety reports from Sweden...

I prefer mine ff.

Dd1 had a very long body so was in her next stage carseat at 10mths which seemed very young.
DS has a more average body shape and was more like 13mths.
Dd2 is 7mths and can't see her moving up for a long time.

moresnow, I did think of that and tried my friends extended rf seat for DS but the little rascal was having none of that either. Just wanted to see me (mirror didn't work either!).

I'm in no way advocating ff for most. But for mine I'm v glad the law hasn't changed yet and I could turn them early. DS often screamed so long he was sick

We just turned DD forward facing at the age of 4. We did think long and hard about keeping her rear facing for another couple of years as seats now go up to 25kg.

She is forward facing in a Cybex seat, which is the safest one we could find. However she now gets neck ache as she can't see as much as she could in her ERF seat and keeps twisting around to try and look out the front window. She can only really see the back of the passenger seat, so it does have its downside.

For what it's worth I prefer mine ff because I am partially deaf.

I really hope the law does not change because having toddlers facing away from me. (which means I can't hear them) on long journeys makes me feel sick.

Completely agree moresnow. I'd have loved a try before you buy, but the price they are I couldn't risk it.

I have a seat that can be both rear and forward, the instructions say it's safe to turn forward facing when the child is 9.5 kilo but recommended to remain rear until 13.5 kilo. I am lucky that DD is happy rear facing so I shall leave her for the time being.

Ds is 2.2 and still RF in a two way elite. I will probably turn him around around 3ish, as by then although FF is still slightly riskier, it's nowhere near as risky as an under 2 (which is why lots of countries RF until 2 years).

For those who've mentioned cost, the Joie stages is available for £149 and is apparently very good and RF until 18kg.

DS was about 16 months when he went ff. couldn't afford a erf seat.

He is 4.5 and still in his 5 point harness and is one of the few from his pre school class still in 5 point

DD is 20 months and is rear facing. We don't intend to turn her to forward facing until 4 years.

She was upset for the last couple of months in the Group 0 seat. I think because she couldn't see. The seat we have now (Cybex Sirona) is much higher and she can see out of the window. Seems happy enough. Although, tbh, she's staying rf whether she likes it or not.

I guess no one pays attention to the safety reports from Sweden...

we did. Our DD was in a RF seat till 4. She is now 15... back then, just about the only way you could get a RF seat after the first size was to buy a volvo and have their own seat fitted. But the safety data was available then..so thats why my previous car was a volvo. And even back then we knew that less than a year was a no-no for FF.

It absolutely stinks that RF seats cost more than FF - safety shouldn't be a matter of affordability.

Scandinavia calling here, so of course we plan rf until DS is 4-5 years. We have a large and comfortable BeSafe-seat that goes up to 25 kg. Due to us going to the UK for vacations often and due to the lack of rf seats available at car rental agencies, and the appaling standars on the seats they do have, we bought an extra car seats to use on holliday. It was a Britax, don't remember which one. It can be used both ways so can double as a booster seat when the child is a bit older. And here, finally, at long last, I reach my point for posting; the sales assistant told me that a five-point harness ff is actually worse than the three-point belt in the car. This because the three-point belt allows the body to move a little in the crash, and thereby easing the stress on the neck, whereas the five-point belt holds the body much firmer and thereby causing more stress on the neck. So there goes my plan to use this seat as a booster seat from 4-5 years.

My dd aged just 7 is still rf, my older dd was rf until about seven and a half. They are light children, and the seats are generous height wise, they are designed for the Swedish market and should fit until a minimum of four years. We have the Britax two way I think. They were expensive, but the safety advantage is so clear that I would have gone without chocolate for a year to pay for them if necessary!