Anonymous wrote:I think the seat can RF until 60 lbs, so that's when we will turn it around. But I should double check that to make sure it's not 40 lbs.

Ummmm...you do know that 60 lbs is the weight of an average 8 year old.

I am scratching my head trying to picture my 4th grader trying to sit rear facing in a car seat.

The logistics alone are baffling, not even considering the social implications.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Our almost 5 year old and 3 year old are forward facing. I wish I had followed my gut and kept them rearfacing until 2, fortunately we've never been in an accident to test their seats.

Why do you wish you did something that clearly didn't make any difference?

NP here, but for me, now knowing better makes me wish I had done better. I can't change the past, and nothing bad happened, but I just wish I had known and acted differently.

Don't you ever regret any behavior, even if there weren't major consequences?

I'm the poster with the 5 and 3 year old and our third who is still rearfacing. This is what I mean. Fortunately, we weren't in an accident but if we were I can't imagine how I would feel now.

I still remember our second when we turned him around. When I made a normal stop at a stop light his head jerked forwards. Can't imagine if we had ever crashed.

I RF'd DS1 until 3, and will RF DS2 at least as long. All depends on when he outgrows the limits no the carseat.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:18 years. it's safer that way.

That's so irresponsible. If you can't protect your child at least through college, then you are a shit parent. I bet you even let that baby get their license at 18. DO you KNOW how many car wrecks happen to drivers between 16-19??? Gotta keep them safe. It's just not worth it.

Why do you have such a negative reaction to rear facing? How does it affect you if my child rear faces at 2.5 and yours does not?

Anonymous wrote:18 years. it's safer that way.

That's so irresponsible. If you can't protect your child at least through college, then you are a shit parent. I bet you even let that baby get their license at 18. DO you KNOW how many car wrecks happen to drivers between 16-19??? Gotta keep them safe. It's just not worth it.

First child at 18 months and second child at 2.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For anyone concerned about legs rear facing, these children are all perfectly happy http://www.photoshop.com/users/CarSeatsAreCool/albums/2a9fce7bbf5040bab2f8925bc7b7a2e4
For anyone who is interested in the facts about why rear facing is safer http://carseatblog.com/5168/why-rear-facing-is-better-your-rf-link-guide/
Little one is still rear facing at 2 3/4 years old and almost 40 pounds, hopefully he'll make it beyond 3 before he turns forward facing full time.

They are smiling for a picture - some of them look quite uncomfortable. Fine for short distances but not so good to be uncomfrtable for longer road trips.

They don't look uncomfortable at all. I think they look fine for even longer trips.

18 years. it's safer that way.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Our almost 5 year old and 3 year old are forward facing. I wish I had followed my gut and kept them rearfacing until 2, fortunately we've never been in an accident to test their seats.

Why do you wish you did something that clearly didn't make any difference?

NP here, but for me, now knowing better makes me wish I had done better. I can't change the past, and nothing bad happened, but I just wish I had known and acted differently.

Don't you ever regret any behavior, even if there weren't major consequences?

Anonymous wrote:For anyone concerned about legs rear facing, these children are all perfectly happy http://www.photoshop.com/users/CarSeatsAreCool/albums/2a9fce7bbf5040bab2f8925bc7b7a2e4
For anyone who is interested in the facts about why rear facing is safer http://carseatblog.com/5168/why-rear-facing-is-better-your-rf-link-guide/
Little one is still rear facing at 2 3/4 years old and almost 40 pounds, hopefully he'll make it beyond 3 before he turns forward facing full time.

They are smiling for a picture - some of them look quite uncomfortable. Fine for short distances but not so good to be uncomfrtable for longer road trips.

http://carseatnanny.blogspot.com/2012/01/is-rear-facing-safer-when-youre-rear.html?m=1
http://www.carseatnanny.blogspot.com/2011/03/why-i-do-what-i-do.html?m=1

For anyone concerned about legs rear facing, these children are all perfectly happy http://www.photoshop.com/users/CarSeatsAreCool/albums/2a9fce7bbf5040bab2f8925bc7b7a2e4
For anyone who is interested in the facts about why rear facing is safer http://carseatblog.com/5168/why-rear-facing-is-better-your-rf-link-guide/
Little one is still rear facing at 2 3/4 years old and almost 40 pounds, hopefully he'll make it beyond 3 before he turns forward facing full time.

Anonymous wrote:

Our almost 5 year old and 3 year old are forward facing. I wish I had followed my gut and kept them rearfacing until 2, fortunately we've never been in an accident to test their seats.

Why do you wish you did something that clearly didn't make any difference?

Anonymous wrote:You gotta have some faith and confidence people! Of course RF is limiting them. Who faces backward in a seat normally? They can see out the window but they can't see you. There's no interaction. We FF at 12M. He was so much happier. I cannot imagine keeping a child RF until 4 yrs old sorry. What happens if you get rear ended?

Our third is still rearfacing at 17 months and we aim to make it until 2. We can interact fine. She can see us through a mirror or by turning her head and looking up. I can reach back and rub her head and even pass back a toy or book or lean back while stopped. You can still talk and sing to your child even if they aren't looking at you. How is rearfacing limiting?

Forward facing is safer due to head size (their heads are heavier) and the fact that their spinal columns aren't fully developed yet. I think that takes priority over "I can see them better when they are facing me".

Our almost 5 year old and 3 year old are forward facing. I wish I had followed my gut and kept them rearfacing until 2, fortunately we've never been in an accident to test their seats.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You gotta have some faith and confidence people! Of course RF is limiting them. Who faces backward in a seat normally? They can see out the window but they can't see you. There's no interaction. We FF at 12M. He was so much happier. I cannot imagine keeping a child RF until 4 yrs old sorry. What happens if you get rear ended?

If you get rear-ended, you are most likely either stopped or traveling at low speed.

As I noted above the two rear ended accidents I know of resulted in one RF child dying and the other RF child being being permanently brain damaged. Being stopped or traveling low speed doesn't necessarily protect a RF child.

No, you are right it does not. But frontal crashes account for 74% of severe car accidents and rear crashes only account for 4%. Rear end crashes also provide a lot more ride down time (the length of time it takes for the body to come to a complete stop). The longer the ride down time the less safer the person (typically).

So, yes you can be severely injured in a rear end crash. However, the chances are much more likely that you will be injured in a front end crash. And while your stories are sad and horrible they alone do not make good policy. I have a friend whose car flew off a cliff and the only reason he survived was becuase he wasn't wearing his seatbelt and was thrown free of the car (it was a convertible). But I would by no means recommend that people go without seatbelts becuase the majority of the time a different outcome will occur.