Rear facing carseats

So we just bought and installed our convertible seats last night (hey, my boys are small!), and tried them out. I was so looking forward to them having a more comfortable ride, since they were getting a bit tight in the infant seats, and we're heading out of town for the Labor Day weekend. When I put them in their convertibles, their poor legs are all crunched up against the back of the rear seat! They actually have less leg room in their new seats than in the infant seats. They got really fussy too, but it might have been because I was freaking out about their legs.

I looked online and it seems this is normal. I guess the theory is "better a broken leg than a broken spine", and people swear the kids are not uncomfortable with their legs all bunched up.

Anyone else still rear facing who has this issue? Do your LOs tolerate it? I want to keep them rear facing as long as possible, and I'm really hoping the boys will cooperate!

 

I have to admit I'm confused... Mine are 18 months and in the 50th percentile for length, but still only touch the back of the seat when their legs are full extended. Maybe it depends on the car seat/vehicle?

 

I don't know what to do either my girls are 2yrs and still fit in there infant car seat and there legs are just starting to bend up. My doctor kinda freaked out and said they should of been forward facing at a year, I disagree my girls are small and there infant car seat goes up to 35lbs and my girls weigh 26lbs/27.5lbs. I did some research and read that some countries believe in keeping rear facing up until 5yrs old. I'm afraid to buy another rear facing carseat like you Nate and Jacks mom and there legs will still scrunch up. Maybe its time to go forward

 

Oh yes, my girls have their legs all bunched up. And the goal is to keep them rear facing for another year, by then their knees will be over their ears! But from what I've read it is best no matter what to keep them rear facing for as long as possible. Plus they really don't seem to notice.

 

My twosome, their legs bunch up in the back...not too bad. They don't seem to mind it yet. We plan on switching them to forward facing at 2.

 

Maybe we didn't install them right, but the base of the car seats (Britax Boulevard) goes right up against the back of the rear seat, so there is no gap between the edge of the car seat and the back rest. I tried to find a good image online, but these are as close as I can find to how my guys look in their seats:

http://images2.cafemomstatic.com/images/user/gallery/post_621504_1247716323_med.jpg

http://media.photobucket.com/image/rear%20facing%20leg%20room/lenats31/Britax%20Multi-Tech%20car%20Seat/marts2009002.jpg

http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/LucasF.aspx

The seats are at the maximum recline, but they are still almost completely upright. I think we may put a rolled up towel under the front of the seat to make it tip back (a recommendation in the car seat manual) and see if reclining more gives them additional leg room.

 

My boys HATED being rear facing even while still in their infant seats. The older they got the worse it seemed to get so once we moved them out of their infant seats, we moved them right into forward facing seats. They meet the AAP requirement of 1 year and 20 pounds and since it isn't illegal, they are forward facing. I know it isn't the norm on this board, but they are so much more comfortable and no longer fight me about getting into their car seats which is much less stressful for me.

 

I'm so glad to see I'm not the only one that let my LOs face front! We had the same problem about them HATING rear-facing so we turned them around.
A girlfriend of mine told me she contacted the local highway patrol to ask about the new recommendation that they rear-face until they're 4, they told her that until their knees hit their chest or chin, they can continue to safely rear-face.
I have to admit I find it confusing though, another girlfriend was complaining to me that as her daughter got bigger, her feet wound up being higher than her head when the rear-facing convertible car seat was at the correct incline for a child her age. Now, I totally know that kiddos can tolerate a lot more than adults can before they become uncomfortable in a situation like that but still, I can't see taking a road trip like that!

 

Oh my gosh I'd be looking for another doctor asap. I can't believe this! The recommendation now is to be rear-facing until 2 (and I've heard people mention it might be 4 soon?).

Anyway, for mine I found a picture online (here) that kinda shows what it's like for them. I guess I had a wrong idea in my head and they touch the back seat, but their legs are really fine and definitely not as cramped as some other pictures I've seen... They're about 31.5 inches and we have marathons... but yeah I can see how it will be more cramped when they are older... I just find it odd that a 13 months old would have the legs all bent.

 

R and E are still rearfacing at 3 1/2 years old. They don't complain at all about their legs and will usually sit criss cross (what we used to call Indian style) or with their legs dangling over either side of the seat. But occasionally I see them sitting with their legs straight up the back of the seat which makes their feet higher than their heads. They will continue to rear face until they reach the weight limits of their seats which will probably happen in the next 6 months.

And as pp said I think I would be concerned about your pediatrician not knowing (or knowing and not following the new guidelines) that the American Academy of Pediatric's new recommendation is to rear face to the limits of the seat or at least till 2 years.

 

It must depend on the car/seat. Mine are rear-facing in True Fits and their feet barely touch. I'm going to try to keep them rear-facing as long as possible. They don't mind for now.

 

I know I'm veering OT, but till 4?? I cannot imagine having mine rear-facing till 4.

 

The police officer who installed ours said it is best to keep them rear facing as long as the car seat is rated for it. He said the longer the better. They are safest that way. I wouldn't turn them around until you absolutely have to.

Jen

 

I forward faced my first born as soon as she was 1. But not these girls!! I did a lot of research and read a lot of stories. My girls have bigger then average heads as well, so there is no way I'm going to forward face until their heads match their bodies (lol!)

My older sister forward faced them once when we were going on a trip and she was trying to be helpful. She has 3 of her own. I told her all the statistic and stuff and she was pretty upset... the girls survived and it was actually nice having them forward. I didn't like their feet dangling though. (or the other issues as to why I still rearface.)

BTW, Britax makes a european carseat that goes to a way way further weight then the ones offered in the US. So many european countries rear face a LOT longer then 1 year and I plan on doing it for as long as I can.

My only issue is, sometimes the straps that go across their thighs have left marks and I wonder if its maybe too tight, but it doesn't seem that way in the shoulders where it counts the most.

Also, just a side note, it seems to be safer to keep a child in a 5 point harness for as long as possible. Even though we all want to trust our seatbelts, there have been an occasional failure. My firstborn is 7 and she uses a booster seat with a shoulder strap. Our van is used and over 10 years old. I'm tempted to either get her back into a 5 point booster or get new seatbelts. I'm thinking both.

 

Here is a post about rear facing at carseat.org with important links that back the rear-facing desires of us "paranoid" moms.
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=9316

and about Kyle David Miller and how a 5 point harness would have saved him http://www.edmunds.com/ownership/safety/articles/119817/article.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azgBhZfcqaQ


that being said, I don't judge others on what they choose to do. this is just why I do it and why I feel this way abou RF.

 

Mamma3monkeys, thank you for posting the links! (Why can I never find what I am looking for? Oh well, different topic!) I have done much research on this subject as I have a friend who lost her little one in a car accident due to improper car seat use. She was not a neglectful or ignorant parent just under informed and she said she will regret it the rest of her life. I hesitate to talk to people about this subject as I don't want to sound like I am preaching, but then I wrestle with my conscience if I don't advocate for the children. What a dilemma!

 

I know, it sounds impossible! My seats are rated up to 35 pounds for rear-facing, but they may grow out of that before they're 4.

We did roll up some towels and got a better recline angle so their feet are not nearly as scrunched up. We looked for pool noodles and can't find any locally, because most stores have gotten rid of their summer stuff. Now if I'm in the market for a Christmas tree, I'm all set.

They did fine on their cross-state voyage, but I don't think they like their new carseats. They cried for an hour on the way up, and Nate screamed from Grand Rapids to Lansing on the way back. I VASTLY underestimated the amount of animal crackers that a 3 hour car trip requires....

Thanks for all the responses!

 

DH is so eager to have them front facing and I am not because I've done a little research. I have tried explaining it all to him but he just doesn't get it so I am very thankful to have the links provided here so that I may guide him in doing a little research "of his own" LOL!

 

We are still rear facing in my car and forward facing in DH's (physically impossible to drive any other way). In my car we have Radians and the kids are side by side. They have a great time playing with each other. Their legs are scrunched up a little, but they don't seem to mind. I thought I would turn them around at 2 (October), but now I'm not so sure. I have a co-worker who goes on and on about how cruel I am for not turning them around ("they must be bored", "I did a safety course 3 years ago and it's just as safe to have them forward facing".... are the reasons I hear most often), beyond her I don't think anyone else has a problem with it.