Grandparents & my DS' car seat

[WhenDoIGetToSleep]

My parents take my 2yr old DS out, usually once a week. They pick him up from, and drop him back to, my house. They have their own Joie 360 car seat for him.

I strongly believe that my DS should stay rear facing for now, based on accident and injury statistics for his age. My parents have always agreed with me to my face.

Last week, when they were dropping off my DS, I thought I saw him coming out from the forward facing position. As I could have been mistaken, I didn't mention it to my parents but made a note to check next time they went out.

This morning they all went out together again and, yep you guessed it, my DS was forward facing as they pulled away.

As my parents often travel on the motorway with my DS, and they've agreed with me before about being rear facing, I'm surprised and disappointed that they're doing this.

So I guess I have 2 questions:

1. When do most people turn their child car seats from rear facing? and
2. How do I raise this with my parents without sounding confrontational?

We turned ours ff at 4.5 just before she started school, which was about when she hit the max weight for the seat to rear face.

Honestly, your child, your rules. I personally wouldn’t be worried about being confrontational. I would tell them the seat is designed to rear face and he’ll be rear facing in their car, or they won’t be able to take him out anymore, end of.

Next time you see it, just say in a min confrontational way "Oh, remember to set the car seat to rear facing. Do you want me to help set it up?" See what their response is. If they don't want to do it you can then remind them of the stats etc.

That's supposed to say "non" confrontational!

My mother has a seat for ds which she bought, she asked me to decide which one I wanted her to get. She knows I want ds rear facing and is fine with this. If she turned him forward she wouldn’t be taking ds out again.

Many people turn their children forward facing before I would but I make the decisions for my child.

As for how to raise it, personally I’d send/show them the info on rear facing. Then be polite but firm that this is the decision you have made and they either follow that or your ds will not be travelling in their car.