Car Seat Question

I still have the boys rear facing in their carseats but we are planning a trip to beach next week (about 4 hours away) and I wondered if they would tolerate the ride better if they were forward facing. Also, I was thinking having them forward facing would make it easier to try to entertain them for the ride. But, I know they are now saying you should keep them rear facing for as long as your car seat guidelines allow.

When did you turn your car seats around? Do you think it would make that big of a difference for our trip?

Thanks for any advice you can share with me.

 

We did turn ours around just after their first birthday because they were over the requirements weightwise and over a year. I know now my ped. is saying that it is recommended to continue rear facing until their 2nd birthday.

I did find however that they were happier facing forwards. Good luck with your decision.

 

We turned them forward facing on their first birthday (they had reached 20 pounds prior to that).

 

I asked this same question about two months ago with a poll on TS. There were quite a few responses, but I'm not sure how to find that poll again. Maybe someone else can figure out how to find it? (if not - I seem to remember that the most people turned their kids at year and 20 pounds)

 

30 lbs - that's the safest. But a lot of people do it at a year, whether or not their kids have reached 30 lbs.

 

We did it at about 14 months actual. I wanted to at least account for the 2 months of prematurity and then some. It did make them happier. As long at they meet the 20lbs and one year it is a personal decision. Its all over the map on here. You could always turn them for your trip if you want and then turn them back. It's up to you.

 

They were 17 months - it was right before Christmas. I have no idea why DH decided to do it just then, although Ryan was probably just barely over the 20-lb. mark at that point.

 

We turned my older DD at 18 months. My little ones are still rear-facing at 15 months, and I'm hoping to keep them that way until 2 or so.

For a 4-hour road trip, I'm not sure if I'd turn them -- I'd probably try to leave just before naptime so they sleep most of the trip. But, if you think they wouldn't protest TOO much, you could always turn them back after the trip!

 

Ours are still rear-facing, although they are barely over 20 pounds. My DH found some stuff (probably started off of here) about keeping them rear-facing for awhile for safety reasons, so that's where we are at.

As far as the trip, we drove from Virginia to Michigan (3 days, 9-12 hours a day) with them rear facing and they did fine. It's a little harder to get snacks, etc, to them (but cute seeing the little hands off the side of the car seat waiting), but they were fine. I wouldn't turn them around just because of your trip, if that is the only reason you were going to turn them.

 

DS turned at one year. DD i cant tell you yet because i am waiting for her to reach 20 lbs.

ETA: QUOTE
I asked this same question about two months ago with a poll on TS. There were quite a few responses, but I'm not sure how to find that poll again. Maybe someone else can figure out how to find it? (if not - I seem to remember that the most people turned their kids at year and 20 pounds)

poll

 

We turned our boys when they turned a year old. They were both over the 20 pound mark at that time, so according to the law we were good. I enjoy it a lot more, and they don't seem to mind. I agree with pp. Don't just turn the carseats because of the trip. Turn them because you are ready and know that they will be safe. I don't know how easy it will be to turn them back and forth once they can see out the front windows.

 

A week before they turned one. I couldn't handle their hatred of cars anymore.

I mean, everyone talks about how they can just put their kids in the carseat and go for a ride and the kids will pass out, but not my two. Alice hates, totally despises riding backwards in the car. Since I turned them face forward a few weeks ago, she only screams about 1/4 of the time. (And it's really bad when we're on long trips because she seriously will scream and cry for hours.) And of course, Royce is fine either way but when Alice really gets going, he gets annoyed with her and starts up.

The last 5 hour trip to Tallahassee was 3.5 hours of screaming, 1 hour of contentedness and 1/2 hour of whimpers.

 

We turned the girls at just about a year. They were both at the weight requirement and Haley was too tall it was more dangerous the way her feet hit the seat.

 

I turned at 16 months, they were around 25 lbs, they were already 20lbs at 7-8 months so that wasn't the issue.

 

My girls were turned at 18 months. Sydney was barely 20 pounds (if that much) but the pedi was surprised I had not turned them already. We did go on a trip when they were just over 1 and Dani was foward facing for the trip. It made no difference in how she did in the car.

 

Around 20 months. Mine were not 20 pounds at a year.

 

We still haven't switched. My girls are 16.5 months and weigh between 22 - 23 pounds and are about 32 inches tall. I'm going to try to keep them rear facing until they're two, but I don't know if that's possible. So far they do fine in the car, so no plans to switch them anytime soon.

 

At 16 months (they were 20lbs by their 15 month check up) because we got a new vehicle and it was easier to get the seats in forward facing. I didn't notice that it made a big difference in their happiness, although mine always enjoyed the car, whether they were rear or front facing.

 

Last week so 16.5 months. I love that i can see them and they love it too.Although i can that car rides were never an issue for us. I can say when we travelled we did rear facing because i felt it was safer for them. Savannah is just at 21 pounds. I heard once they are walking they are stronger too so that helped me decide. Sometimes i wonder if i made the right choice but so far i have turned them back around. I think that it was another milestone and those are hard on me. Best of luck!

 

We turned ours last week (17 months). They were both over 20lbs at 1 year, but I just didn't want to turn them yet. My main reason to not want to turn them was that seats recline more when they are rear-facing. We actually waited until AFTER our summer vacation (long car ride) because I was afraid they wouldn't sleep as well forward facing ...

A friend of mine has the same car seats as me (Sunshine Kids Radian 80) and she said that her son NEVER sleeps in the car anymore (He's forward facing) because the seats just don't recline as much.

So, if your sleep well in the car, I wouldn't turn them. But good luck either way!

 

about 14 mos - DS was over 20 and DD was about 19.5 - I have a 45 minute commute in the morning and couldn't take the unhappiness anymore - they sleep just as well foward facing as they did rear facing...

 

R and E at 31 months are still rear facing and will continue to do so until they reach the limits of their seats (33 lbs--they are now 26 lbs). We decided after much reading of car safety sites to follow the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics (to keep them rear facing until the limits of their seats.)

 

mine are still rear facing at 15 months. DS is now 25+ pounds and DD 20+. they will stay rear facing until DS hits 30 lbs, our seat's limit for rear facing. don´t want to deal with one facing forward and one back.....

FWIW we do 4-6 hour car drives relatively frequently (every 2 to 3 months) and they handle it just fine. i ride in back with them and hand them toys, sing, play the portable dvd for them, etc and we time it so they nap in the car, as well. they honestly do very well. just this last weekend, we didn't even stop to feed them, i just fed them in the seats....