https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 06 Jun 2026 15:14:01 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/extended-rear-facing-when-did-you-forward-face#post-2915896 Wed, 27 May 2020 00:00:35 +0000 turquoisemama 2915896@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Purpledaisy: We just turned my DD a couple of weeks ago, she’s almost 5 1/2yrs. The Diono Radian allowed us to go that long. Why not continue if there’s no issue? It’s much safer, so I don’t get why you would do it prematurely but I know a lot of people who turned at 2. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/extended-rear-facing-when-did-you-forward-face#post-2915787 Sat, 23 May 2020 14:56:13 +0000 LemonJack 2915787@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@misolee: @Purpledaisy: I’m glad to see this. My oldest is in K and is small for her age, so she’s still in a five point harness and I don’t have plans to move her anytime soon. She is starting to notice a lot of kids aren’t in them anymore though. I’m actually surprised by the amount of people who had their kids in backless booster before K. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/extended-rear-facing-when-did-you-forward-face#post-2915741 Fri, 22 May 2020 11:48:48 +0000 petitenoisette 2915741@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We turned around slightly after her 4th bday. That was always my goal, I guess I thought by that age enough stuff had fused in spine to make it safer. </p> <p>DD2 is rear facing still at 2 with no issues (obs never in car now!) and will plan to keep her there til 4 as well. She is larger than DD1 but that doesn’t change my goal. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/extended-rear-facing-when-did-you-forward-face#post-2915740 Fri, 22 May 2020 10:37:21 +0000 misolee 2915740@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@purpledaisy</p> <p>My first grader has similar weight and height as yours and she’s in a high back five point harness. She hates it. She’ll be in 2nd grade in a couple of months, her friends are mostly just in a booster,etc. But last fall, a guy rear ended us. She was sitting in the 3rd row and closest to the impact. Doctor said that bc she was sitting in a high back, it had less damage but she still had to go see the chiropractor a couple of times. So she has no choice. I tell her that if she gets taller then we can reconsider (she eats like a bird). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/extended-rear-facing-when-did-you-forward-face#post-2915738 Fri, 22 May 2020 08:55:16 +0000 Baby Boy Mom 2915738@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My oldest was also small so stayed RF until he outgrew the limit around 4.5 almost 5. Second we switched around 4 when I needed his car seat for baby sister. And my daughter at 3.5 because we changed cars and it was just not manageable anymore, plus we rarely drove. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/extended-rear-facing-when-did-you-forward-face#post-2915728 Thu, 21 May 2020 23:27:09 +0000 MenagerieMama 2915728@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My kids are reasonably average size around 3-4 yo, and I flipped my oldest at 3 yo in our rarely used (for kids) secondary care, and 4+ (I think she was a few months past 4) in the primary car. I had told her she needed to be 4, and waited until she remembered and asked! Only FF in the secondary car because we bought a lightweight seat to use as our backup travel seat and she was too big to RF in anything reasonable for travel. We use Clek seats as our main RF seats. LO2 just turned 3 and she is still RF - we actually have a Clek in each vehicle for her now, we put LO1 into a Chicco MyFit with 5 pt harness in the van, she's in a HBB in the secondary vehicle. Baby brother though is a hulk and needs out of his bucket seat, so I think we're going to do a big seat reshuffling next week. So then LO2 will be FF in the secondary vehicle and she and LO3 will both be RF in the cleks in the van. So my hard stop is 3 yo for any FF, but goal is RF for the majority of travel. The secondary vehicle only has the kids in it for daycare drop off (3 min from the house) 3x/wk. Otherwise they're always in the minivan (unless DH takes them on rogue errands, he doesn't like to drive the van...but now the kids don't leave the house except for school!). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/extended-rear-facing-when-did-you-forward-face#post-2915726 Thu, 21 May 2020 21:27:16 +0000 poppygirl15 2915726@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We flipped a few months before 4. He was 37.5 lbs and I worried with clothes he was getting close to the 40 lb. weight limit. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/extended-rear-facing-when-did-you-forward-face#post-2915723 Thu, 21 May 2020 19:24:53 +0000 DesertDreams88 2915723@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We flipped around at 3y3m because he was decently big (don't remember the stats), we had a big drive coming up, and with a baby it was easier for him to get himself in his seat and do his chest clip by himself. </p> <p>My daughter is really small and will probably be RF til kinder, hah. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/extended-rear-facing-when-did-you-forward-face#post-2915721 Thu, 21 May 2020 17:42:10 +0000 PinkElephant 2915721@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Purpledaisy: She's in a Graco Tranzitions 3-in-1 that goes from a harnessed booster to a high back booster to a backless booster. As of midway through this year (she's in second grade and didn't want to be in a "baby carseat", since many of her turning-8-year-old friends are aging out of seats altogether) she uses the "adult seatbelt" for trips around town with the seat connected to the car using LATCH, and for longer trips I secure the carseat with the adult seatbelt and have her sit in the harness. She's also small (48 inches, 45 lbs).</p> <p>I don't really care if people think I'm crazy for keeping my kids in carseats as long as I can. Safety comes first - I moved my three year old only because her ability to undo the straps in a rear facing position was (obviously) less safe than turning her around where she no longer tries to get out. From a social aspect, I also don't care very much, but would probably draw the line at having a kindergartener whose classmates see them in the car rear-facing, as I think that would definitely elicit some unnecessary teasing. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/extended-rear-facing-when-did-you-forward-face#post-2915720 Thu, 21 May 2020 17:14:54 +0000 Purpledaisy 2915720@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@oldschooolmama: I’m totally considering having him RF until he reaches the height or weight limit... I just feel like people are starting to think I’m nuts haha. Even though CA law is now RF until two I feel like hardly anyone actually does🤦‍♀️ </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/extended-rear-facing-when-did-you-forward-face#post-2915718 Thu, 21 May 2020 17:11:21 +0000 Purpledaisy 2915718@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@PinkElephant: We also have Maxi Cosi Prias! My 7 year old DD is still in hers haha. She’s 44 inches and 43 lbs. I’m considering letting her move to a high back booster using a seat belt next school year (she’ll be going into 2nd grade). She’s a super good sport about it but I know it makes her feel like a baby sometimes... especially since most of her classmates are in just the bottom booster seat and I’ve seen many of them in the car with zero booster seat😳. </p> <p>Just curious, what kind of seat do you have your 8 year old in? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/extended-rear-facing-when-did-you-forward-face#post-2915715 Thu, 21 May 2020 16:13:52 +0000 PinkElephant 2915715@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Purpledaisy: My 3.5 year old has similar stats; we had JUST turned her seat before we went into lockdown and she's barely been in the car since. We were going to keep going, but she was starting to get really resistant to being rear facing, and I felt she could safely and securely sit in the carseat we have facing forward (it's a Maxi-Cosi Pria, so designed for much younger kids). I would not let her ride in the combination five point harness booster/belted high back booster her 6 and 8 year old sisters sit in. I just moved the 6 year old out of the exact same Maxi-Cosi because at 45-46 inches and 41 lbs, I finally was starting to feel like she is physically large enough to be in a smaller, less enclosed seat (but she still uses the harness). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/extended-rear-facing-when-did-you-forward-face#post-2915714 Thu, 21 May 2020 16:07:40 +0000 agold 2915714@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wanted to do extended rear facing and bought car seats to do it. Both my girls hit or exceeded 30lbs at their 2 year check up, and both over 35" tall, so at husband's urging, we turned to forward facing. It was mostly convenience for us, at the girls love forward facing. I'd probably wait until 30lbs, at least. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/extended-rear-facing-when-did-you-forward-face#post-2915707 Thu, 21 May 2020 15:14:37 +0000 peaches1038 2915707@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@catgirl: thanks for the ideas!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/extended-rear-facing-when-did-you-forward-face#post-2915704 Thu, 21 May 2020 14:46:43 +0000 mamabolt 2915704@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>3.5 for both kids. With DD I was similar to you that I couldn’t fit two RF seats. I think with DS I did it before a longer trip so it would be easier to see him and hand him things. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/extended-rear-facing-when-did-you-forward-face#post-2915696 Thu, 21 May 2020 12:40:10 +0000 catgirl 2915696@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@peaches1038: My DD was the same - she hated when we turned her forward facing. She cried for every ride for weeks. Part of it was that she just hated change but she also hated the feeling of her legs dangling. You can use an upside down styrofoam cooler or a rolled sleeping bag as a foot rest. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/extended-rear-facing-when-did-you-forward-face#post-2915695 Thu, 21 May 2020 12:34:42 +0000 peaches1038 2915695@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We switched when he hit the weight limit a little before he turned 4. He actually preferred being rear facing bc he doesn’t like how his legs dangle now. He’s 97th percentile for height and never complained about his legs until he was turned. I almost bought another one with a higher weight limit but DH was not into that idea haha </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/extended-rear-facing-when-did-you-forward-face#post-2915694 Thu, 21 May 2020 12:32:30 +0000 oldschooolmama 2915694@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My goal is 4 with my daughter. If your son were my child I would probably rear face till 5 since he’s smaller. Just my opinion. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/extended-rear-facing-when-did-you-forward-face#post-2915693 Thu, 21 May 2020 12:12:47 +0000 Purpledaisy 2915693@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MountainBaby: I definitely count 3.5 as ERF! I thought it was anything over 2? Yeah we’ve barely been in the car lately so it hasn’t really mattered, I’m taking the kids about 3 hours away next week and am considering flipping him which is why it’s on my mind :wink: </p> <p>@catgirl: I wish he would hit a limit so that I would have a “reason”! With my DD I switched her just after she turned three because DS was coming and I couldn’t fit two car seats RF in my little car, so the decision was made for me! Now I’m like, is rear facing an over four year old extreme?🤔 </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/extended-rear-facing-when-did-you-forward-face#post-2915692 Thu, 21 May 2020 11:55:12 +0000 MountainBaby 2915692@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't know if we quite count as extended, but we switched at 3.5. Now, that was literally the week before shelter in place started so she's only rode forward about 3 times :grin: For us she hit the height limit on one of our seats, so we decided to switch her in both seats at the same time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/extended-rear-facing-when-did-you-forward-face#post-2915691 Thu, 21 May 2020 11:52:15 +0000 catgirl 2915691@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We turned DD three weeks before her 4th birthday - but only because she hit the 40 pound weight limit. My goal was 4 so not sure what we would have done if she hadn't hit the weight limit. Making it to 4 is a huge accomplishment though - awesome job! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/extended-rear-facing-when-did-you-forward-face#post-2915686 Thu, 21 May 2020 11:32:07 +0000 Purpledaisy 2915686@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If you decided to extended rear face your child, when did you finally flip them?</p> <p>My DS will be 4 in a few weeks and is still rear facing. I see so many recommendations to rear face as long as possible until your child is over the rear facing height/weight limits on your seat. However, my seat goes until 40 lbs or 40 inches tall... my little guy is only 26 lbs and 35-36ish inches tall and could probably rear face until at least 5. </p> <p>I’m considering flipping him when he turns 4... but he’s still completely content rear facing and has never asked to switch. </p>