how old are your kids and are they front or rear facing in their car seats?

[hohohobitches]

just that

DD is 3 years and 4 months and we are still rear facing because it's much safer.

@Cyw2018 i don't know how he could climb in himself the car seems too small for him to be able to do that!

Im loving some of the responses on this thread.

11 years ago rear facing was something very few people knew about. Yet here we are ......... it was worth the campaigning.

@SharpLily

For those on this thread who turned their kids forward facing at 1-2-3, I'm interested to know if you understand why some of us are horrified by that and how do you feel about it? I don't want to start any kind of argument, I am genuinely interested in the answers.

I honestly think people get busy and don’t think about it that much which sounds awful. For example- my first DD FF from 1 as I just had no idea. I went to mothercare when we outgrowing her baby seat and they recommended one which only FF so she’s been in that until now (4) when DS has outgrown his baby seat and has moved into her old one. Having read this thread and doing some research and I am honestly horrified at the increased risk, have just ordered an extended rear facing car seat and won’t be travelling until it’s here. I feel terrible but I just never thought or new. I am very educated, intelligent and worry about my children’s safety as much as the next person but assumed that they’d sell me something safe that most people use. The ship has sailed with DD no way would she RF now but hopefully I’ll do better for DS. Thanks for this thread!

Dd1 is an adult now but she was FF once she outgrew the baby seat.
Dd2 is 7 now and stayed RF til a car crash meant we had to replace the seat. She was almost 5 so just bought FF.
Dd3 is in a seat that will stay RF til she's 18kg. I reckon she will be 5ish.

@ClaraLane who said anything about having a ‘shitty unsafe’ car seat? The majority of car seats if not all are either I-size so legally have to be rear facing until only 15 months then legal to be forward facing - or a non I-size car seat as we have can be forward facing from 9kg. The recommendations determine whether a car seat is shit or not

[quote LifesLittleDeciders]@ClaraLane who said anything about having a ‘shitty unsafe’ car seat? The majority of car seats if not all are either I-size so legally have to be rear facing until only 15 months then legal to be forward facing - or a non I-size car seat as we have can be forward facing from 9kg. The recommendations determine whether a car seat is shit or not[/quote]
Did you realise that in order for a car seat to be allowed to be sold in the U.K. it only needs to be tested at a total speed of 32 mph, so each vehicle travelling at 16 mph? Over that speed they might work but they might not. That’s what I mean by shitty unsafe seats. Yes they pass the test but they’re the bare minimum of safety, like eating a diet of 100% junk food is still providing you with nutrients but it’s not as good for you as a balanced diet. You won’t starve on junk food but you won’t thrive either.

www.carseatadvice-uk.com/car-seat-testing.html#

This thread won’t be typical. We moved our 41/2 year old into a high back booster recently. We had the maxway plus and although she was within weight, she just wasn’t comfortable anymore (very tall). She outgrew her 18kg seat at 3 so the maxway was an expensive additional purchase but I wouldn’t have been happy with her moving into a HBB at that point.

People can get a bit evangelical and I don’t think that’s the best way to persuade re the benefits. Really health visitors could be doing something at the 9m to a year check as that’s a point where some children are moved too early out of infant carriers.

Both RF. 5 and 2. We have an Izi Modular for the little one and a Minikid. When DD hits 25kg or DS hits 18kg, we'll put her FF and him in the Minikid

DD is neither, she's sideways across two back seats in a lie flat seat. She'll stay like this till she hits the limit for lying flat in the seat at 10kg, then rear face until she goes the limit for that, and to be honest I'll think about what seat we get then when we get there!

I'm aware people will want to tell me this isn't as safe as RF in a crash. However, I made the decision that for a low birth weight baby with a genetic SIDs risk, I'd rather she was safe lying flat in normal travel and slightly more at risk in the unlikely event of a crash.

Oh gosh I feel so bad seeing this thread. My DD is 14 months and her FF car seat arrived yesterday !

I didn't realise this is a thing and thought as she's outgrown her infant one in a massive way, I had to get FF.

She's absolutely huge for her age. She's well over 80cm and around 11KG in weight ( at 12 month check ). Wish I had seen this before buying.

@ijustdontknowwhy

Oh gosh I feel so bad seeing this thread. My DD is 14 months and her FF car seat arrived yesterday !

I didn't realise this is a thing and thought as she's outgrown her infant one in a massive way, I had to get FF.

She's absolutely huge for her age. She's well over 80cm and around 11KG in weight ( at 12 month check ). Wish I had seen this before buying.

Return it and get a refund. You are entitled to do this if it's unopened and unused.

Wow I've been FF my 17 month old for a month now. She was so uncomfortable RF
I feel like a terrible parent.
That said I don't really go far and rarely use the motorway.

For those on this thread who turned their kids forward facing at 1-2-3, I'm interested to know if you understand why some of us are horrified by that and how do you feel about it? I don't want to start any kind of argument, I am genuinely interested in the answers.

Well if you remain horrified by someone who turned their 3 year old FF because they vomited every time they were in the car, and who doesn’t often use the car in any case, then no, I don’t understand it. I also wonder if you understand that shaming and hectoring is not an effective public health communication strategy?

However I might be an outlier here because I’m horrified by the number of people who think it’s ok to drive their child 1 mile in a diesel belching 4x4 every day (but of course they’ll be RF until they’re 16, anything else is just neglectful parenting and borderline abuse, sod everyone else’s lungs).

@JeanClaudeVanDammit

For those on this thread who turned their kids forward facing at 1-2-3, I'm interested to know if you understand why some of us are horrified by that and how do you feel about it? I don't want to start any kind of argument, I am genuinely interested in the answers.

Well if you remain horrified by someone who turned their 3 year old FF because they vomited every time they were in the car, and who doesn’t often use the car in any case, then no, I don’t understand it. I also wonder if you understand that shaming and hectoring is not an effective public health communication strategy?

However I might be an outlier here because I’m horrified by the number of people who think it’s ok to drive their child 1 mile in a diesel belching 4x4 every day (but of course they’ll be RF until they’re 16, anything else is just neglectful parenting and borderline abuse, sod everyone else’s lungs).

Shaming and hectoring? I don't think so - and I don't have any public health communication strategy. I pointed out further up the thread that I used to work in car safety and I think you'll find practically everyone in that position feels the same. It's not because we enjoy being bossy, it's because we've seen the results and it ain't pretty.

For those saying they don't go on the motorway or use the car very often, please be aware that most crashes don't happen on the motorway and accidents can happen as soon as you leave your driveway. You don't have to go far.

I have no interest in shaming anyone, I would just like to see more education and wider discussion around this subject and I would say the safety of our children is something worth being evangelical about.

[quote NameChange30]@Amrythings
"he's so long in the back it's difficult to find or fit an RF seat that could accommodate him for any length of time past that anyway."
The tallest one is the Klippan Century and you could also consider the Axkid Minikid/Move, all good seats for tall children with long torsos.
The ICSC or other car seat specialist could advise.[/quote]
That's nice, but when he's in that car we have to fit his very tall father and sister in as well, so the ERF options aren't workable. For the few journeys he's in his dad's car, the seat he has is the safest option available.

I did research these things you know.

DD1 we turned at 18 months as she just hysterically screamed in the car which was frankly so distracting I was in danger of crashing ! She rear faced on the motorway until she was 3 and just really comfortable leg wise. She’s tall.

Crashes can of course happen in local journeys but how many of those are at remotely high speed to cause more than superficial damage to a car? I rarely get above 40mph in my busy local area!

DS 3.5 years has been FF since 18months, he would escape from the straps if rear facing. DD is only 7 months so is RF, she’ll be FF at about 18 months.

@HolmeH

DD1 we turned at 18 months as she just hysterically screamed in the car which was frankly so distracting I was in danger of crashing ! She rear faced on the motorway until she was 3 and just really comfortable leg wise. She’s tall.

Crashes can of course happen in local journeys but how many of those are at remotely high speed to cause more than superficial damage to a car? I rarely get above 40mph in my busy local area!

The RTC with a dead toddler that I dealt with was a few miles from their home. It was on a stretch of duel carriageway, but most people will live within a few miles of a national speed limit road.

Also a head on of two vehicles traveling at 40mph has a closing speed of 80mph. Doesn't sound so gentle now does it?!

DD is 2 (27 months to be precise as I think for a question like this it makes a difference that she's nearer 2 than 3) and she's still rear facing. At the moment it doesn't occur to her that there's an alternative. Intention is another year or so rear-facing if we can. She's in a 360 chair so in theory good til she's 4 or so but DH is tall and she is too (already in 3-4 clothes due to her height) so she may out grow it before then.

19 month old is rear facing. Agree with others that said he was much happier once in his next size up car seat from the infant carrier as was more upright so I'd definitely say try that first before dismissing it. He knows no different and I want to keep him RF for as long as possible due to the huge increase in safety of RF.
I understand a bit when people say they didn't know that RF is safer as it's not very well promoted but I also knew no different either, however I did a lot of research when buying her next size up car seat and that's when the facts were obvious - for something so important I would assume everyone would.

2.5 year old and 5 month old both rear facing. The toddler has an Axkid, baby has a taxi costing and she will then have the next seat that will do her until she is about 4, by which time I suspect DS will be out of the Axkid so she can then have that

I find parenting decisions really hard sometimes, but for me this was easy - its safer, so I'll do it.

Maxi cosi!!

3.5 years, still rear facing in the back of the car and will do as long as he fits

These same arguments have been happening on here since I joined in 2008, they're not new it's just more commonly known/discussed nowadays!

My eldest FF from 9 months because all my research was based on asking people I knew, legal guidelines and info that I could find easily online from stores and other parents. I had more info and knowledge by the time my youngest came along so we rear faced until the seat was outgrown at 4 years old.

It's not that people don't research or care about the safety aspect it's about how people gather information and what resources they have available to them.

Even now I only know 3 people who use ERF seats because it's not the norm!