I was so excited to switch LO around at 1 until I learned 2 is the new recommended age! She whines and cries most of the time. Would you switch your LO around to forward facing before age 2?
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We did but I know we are in the minority. Since the legal age is 1 year but the recommended age is 2 years (I believe) we went with the legal age to forward face.
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I don't have a LO yet so take this with a grain of salt, but I think I'd wait until 2 or as close to it as possible for safety reasons.
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we switched charlie as soon as he turned 1. this was before the recommended 2 year change. he was sooooo much happier. We rarely ride cars though (3-4 times a year).
read this article on why rear facing is recommended:http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/22/health/policy/22carseat.html?_r=0
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We switched at 12 months
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Isn't there a weight limit guideline too? So, maybe if she meets the weight limit, even if she is behind the age limit, it would be OK? I know my sister had my nephew forward facing a little bit after a year. He hated it and would scream so much when he was rear facing, and he met the weight guidelines, so she figured it was safer to not have a screaming baby.
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Personally I would not. There are some days when DS shrieks the whole way home, but typically he is okay in his seat. However the recommendation was extended because it saves lives. Until 4-6 years old, a child's spinal column will stretch much farther than their spinal cord. So in a car accident when facing forward, the chance is much higher that they can be killed by internal decapitation. It really is that much safer to keep them rear facing.
I can post some links if you want, and I'm actually in the process of writing a guest post on car seat safety, so I need to get that finished.
I would double check the angle. Some seats allow you to adjust the angle at a certain weight or age so they are sitting slightly more upright. Also check for sunlight. I have a window shade, but the sun blinds DS sometimes as the shade doesn't cover the whole window or the back window when the sun is going down. Try toys, books, snacks, etc... to see if there is anything that will hold his interest while you are in the car. I would even consider a portable DVD player or something, before I would consider changing DS to forward facing.
I'm actually disappointed that DS won't be able to stay rear facing longer, because he is so big for his age (19 mos and 35lbs) he will likely just barely make it to 2yrs old. I was planning to rear face him until he outgrew the weight limit, but was expecting that to be closer to 3 or 4 rather than 2.
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We switched at 20-months.
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We are hoping to make it to at least the 2 year mark.
There are days that she is not happy about getting in her seat but I don't think its because she's rear facing, she just doesn't want to be sitting there.
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I would check your state laws first. I. Know in my state they just changed the law to rear facing until 2.
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@Mrs. Bee: what do you do with the LOs when you take a cab? (Or are those the few times a year you're in car?)
I have never been in a taxi before! -
@Mrs. Bee: Thanks for the article! It was enough for me to just deal with the unhappy rear facing baby!
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We switched at 1. Our state law is rear facing until 1.
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@Rainbow Sprinkles: the cabs in brooklyn are car services and you just request an infant car seat when they pick you up. there are so many families here, they have car seats.... even 2 to accommodate charlie and olive!
we also zipcar in which case we bring our own car seats.
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we switched at 1! He was so much happier facing forward!
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My LO is also 14 mo. He used to scream and cry rear-facing ,but last month he stopped that. Hopefully your LO will just get used to it. Personally, I am planning to rear face at least until 2, even if he cries. I have seen some of the videos and I would rather be safe. I think the kids eventually realize that this is just the way it's gonna be and get over it.
@mrstilly: i'm looking forward to your post on car seat safety. After getting mine checked by a technician (and having the installation majorly corrected) I have been doing a lot of reading and it's not that easy to get a solid install if you don't know what you're looking for! With 5 car seats/boosters for 2 kids we have a lot of opportunity for error in my family.
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We are not at this stage yet , LO is only 6.5 months but I am hoping to keep her rear facing for as long as possible. Hopefully she doesnt hate it
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I would switch if my child were miserable and met the minimum requirements (1 year, 20 pounds). My shrimpy little girl (14 months) doesn't care, and she's only 18 pounds, so we've got a ways to go. She's still got a few inches in her infant seat, so now I'm thinking that I'll just wait for her to outgrow that by length (in what, 6 months? 2 months?) and then buy her a convertible seat, which I'll likely face forward. If she has a sudden spurt and needs a new seat next month, I'll rear face it.
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