What age did you forward face?

[febbabies2023]

I'm just curious to see when people started to forward face their children?

I see a lot of posts on 'mum groups' about how they'll basically keep their kid rear facing until they're 26, but virtually everyone I know has forward faced at about 2

For reference, my eldest is 3.5 and still rear facing. Youngest is 9m and will be for as long as I can too.
Eldest is 50th centile so car seat weights etc not really been an issue
Youngest is 99th centile so we'll see!

Just curious to see what the general population does :)

My eldest is 99th so he has forward faced since before 2. We kind of let him do it for short journeys then he got too used to it and makes a huge scene if I try to turn him round now 🤦🏼‍♀️ I wish I’d never let him know there was an alternative til later. My youngest is 50th though and hoping she won’t know forward facing exists til much later 😂

Eldest was 5.5 when he outgrew the britax max way by height rather than weight. Youngest is 2.5 and will
hopefully be in the max way until 6.
I wasn’t aware of erf when my first was born but I work with medical professionals who all rear face to 5 so bought an ERF seat when he was 2.

DC1 and 2 began violently puking on every journey at around 2-2.5y so have been forward facing since then. Shame but I couldn't put us all through it every car journey, it was awful. DC3 we'll do as long as we can but I'm anticipating the puking starting anytime now, if he follows suit. If I could (without sickness) I'd do it as long as car seats allowed.

Where do their legs go?

Thanks @PastelHouses. I did buy a high spec rear facing seat. She wasn't having any of it. Well done for making people feel bad, hope you're happy in your superior existence.

9 months ish.

The long term rear facing seats weren't a thing a decade ago.

Eldest was 4.5, youngest was 4.

Hey!
With my eldest we weren’t aware of the benefits of ERF so he started to FF around 2. Once I was aware of the risk we decided to turn him back RF with an Axkid where he will stay until he’s 6 minimum. My second won’t FF till she is around 6 either if I can help it. Just a personal decision x

Have a 2 year old and 3.5 year old with ERF til they are 6. The safety around this and how much more dangerous it is to FF should be rammed down new parents throats during midwife apps

On the contrary - I just bought an axkid move in Black Friday sales for £170. That's a seat that will last a child from about 10 months to 6+ years old.
Spin seats are about the same price and don't last as long (especially for high centile children)

I have to say it was never mentioned in either of my pregnancies! In fact they don't even check that the baby is correctly in the car seat before leaving the hospital now.

I do think it should be discussed during pregnancy, a leaflet given out, a text with a link to YouTube videos or something. I still think a lot of parents aren't aware just how much safer ERF is!

@febbabies2023 it's disgraceful really

Problem is midwifery advice is really all about pregnancy/babies. I do think most people rear face til at least 2/3 these days. giving people advice about something which won’t be relevant for 3 or more years is not really what they do. I don’t even remember weaning or potty training being mentioned by my midwife - understandably, as both of those things are not relevant to new parents who are probably overwhelmed with information at that time.

I choose to rear face on public transport as it's safer. Also in taxis as some have a rear facing seat.

I’m certainly not telling you anything. I wondered because I know my DS objected vocally to rear facing from around 14 months before we swapped him round. I generally respect what others do with their own children outside the obvious abuse, neglect, etc. - in no way was mine a question with derogatory intent.

I wonder if you’re not in a car much it’s more of a novelty whether forward or rear facing. Both mine are often in the car due to where we live.

You weren’t the poster I was thinking of @Christabelladaisy - a couple of others said that only competitive parents chose ERF to make a point.

If my kids had asked to forward face as toddlers though I would have just said no. They didn’t ask for it in fact, probably because they didn’t know it was an option. There are loads and loads of stuff my kids want to do and I don’t let them, for safety reasons (climbing on unstable things, running around near roads, riding bikes without helmets etc etc), so this is in the same category for me. (And before people jump on me, I’m not saying all these things are equivalent levels of risk, just that I get to decide what is safe, not them).

It would be different if it was a question of discomfort or car sickness or something.

@MissBuffyAnneSummers

They were. DD1 who is now 11 had a Cybex Sirona followed by a Klippam Triofix.

My DD who objected to RF from 2.5 did go on to have car sickness (and we had to put her in the front on long journeys) so I wonder if the screaming is due to the discomfort they are feeling but can't explain.

With a child with carsickness you do end up having to make less than ideal decisions... because frankly its even less safe for them to be vomiting.

In the car

They cross them, bend them, hang them off the side of the seat, put them up the back of the seat. A proper ERF seat offers lots of leg room. My son has never once complained that his legs are uncomfortable in his seat, and we do some long journeys. Kids are way more flexible than adults: just look at how they sit on the sofa or on the floor when they play. With FF, they often hang down which places pressure on the backs of their thighs.

Ds didn’t ever ask to face forwards. But he was becoming uncomfortable rear facing - lots of fighting and squirming and shouting / crying. I find it really difficult to focus if either of my children are crying or upset in the back, and I’m lucky really as both travel really well on the whole.

I had terrible motion sickness as a child @PuttingDownRoots , to be honest it can strike even now. I to think a lot of people think kids grow out of it and they don’t, they just are far more likely to sit in the front as adults! I don’t think my ds had sickness but - and I honestly can’t stress enough this is not in any way any criticism of any other poster, implied or otherwise - I do think for some children rear facing just isn’t going to be especially comfortable. Just as some adults are more flexible than others, so are some children. For my part I am as flexible as an average slab of concrete so it wouldn’t surprise me if my children inherit my natural grace and fluidity of movement

Group of 8 babies all turning 2, only 2 of us still rear face. Me and DH plan to keep our DC rear facing until they age out of their car seat at about 4