Extended RF - New Q pg. 3

[Caitie44]

I felt this forum was the best option for this sort of discussion, so please forgive me if this fits somewhere better. Since I had found out I was pregnant, I've been researching the benefits of rear facing and decided that was what I wanted to do. At the time, DF was on board. Now that DD is past a year old, he wants to forward face and says that rear facing past 25 pounds is too dangerous.

The car seat we have rear faces up to 40 lbs, and I picked it for that reason specifically. I've shown him the website which states this. I've shown him various websites that state it's safe to rear face. He still says it's not true. Now today, we planned on riding with his mom to his grandparent's for Christmas Eve, and I started to install the car seat rear facing after getting confirmation from DF. His mom comes racing out of the house saying how it's unsafe and she'd be happy to have her police officer friends tell me how unsafe it is. I'm livid.

For one, I've done my research... I'm not stupid. I wouldn't do something I thought would harm my child. So my question is this... What are your experiences with rear facing past 25lbs / 12 months? What are some ways to prove my point? Should I go talk to a pediatrician? Police officer? Fire fighter? I'm at a loss. It's like its me vs everyone else and I'm over it.

 

[misspriss]

I have showed skeptics crash test videos on youtube. It is HARD to argue with the physics. When you see that little dummy that represents your child, when you see that neck snap forward FF, there is no argument.

There are stories of children who were injured FF promoting ERF on youtube, with their hospital stories and stuff. Very moving. First hand accounts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sssIsceKd6U

Very sad:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8gU9zzCGA8

 

[Caitie44]

I didn't even think of videos. I'll check some out when we get home, we're on the road currently. It makes me sick; but I don't have my own car just yet, so there really isn't a whole lot I can do. I feel awful.

 

[Caitie44]

Oh! I didn't see you linked videos. Thank you.

 

[misspriss]

Oh! I didn't see you linked videos. Thank you.

You didn't miss them, I went back and added them after I posted. I didn't know they would show up like that, I just thought I was posting links.

It is VERY HARD to argue against the laws of physics. Having a visual should really show your family what is really safe and what is not.

If they still argue, then don't ride with them. I would never put my son FF just to satisfy someone else, I firmly intend to keep him RF until he grows out of his next seat, a Clek, at 50lbs (or however many inches). If I had a large child, I'd order a seat from Sweden before I'd FF them early. I believe in it that much.

 

[Tulip]

Tell your family that in Sweden they RF to 4 years old and child Road deaths are very very low! It is FIVE TIMES safer for a toddler to RF than FF. i'm not in the states so don't know where this insistence that RF is dangerous comes from :-/

In Europe we are bringing in new regs to keep babies RF until at least 15months. My eldest only turned ff at 3.5 years x

 

[Caitie44]

This is what frustrates me! I've shown countless facts, and they still pass it off like it's some crackpot theory and not proven. I really don't know what else to do to show them, besides going to talk to a firefighter or police officer. However, I'm not sure if I'd be allowed to just waltz in to discuss car seat safety, kwim? I suppose I could always call the station and ask... I think I'm going to make an appointment with DD's pediatrician and discuss it with him.

 

[misspriss]

I got a 9 month paper, at all wellness checks they have a standard "what to expect" sheet, it talked about turning your child FF soon! I wouldn't trust my ped for that. I almost called up the office and gave them a piece of my mind. I should have...maybe I will...

 

[BlueWater]

I've watched the first video, and I'm shocked how much a baby moves FF in an accident. It's crazy that ERF isn't promoted more.

 

[SarahBear]

Maybe they think it's dangerous because some carseats aren't designed for it? If you're above the limit, it's obviously unsafe. We just turned Violet forward facing at 2 and I was disappointed that we couldn't do it longer, but she was reaching the upper height limit for rear facing. If they won't listen to what you've shown them already, then they probably won't listen to anything. It's pretty obvious when you think about why rear facing is safer.

 

[bdb84]

https://csftl.org/why-rear-facing-the-science-junkies-guide/

https://csftl.org/rear-facing-car-seat-myths-busted/

 

[JenX]

Our pediatrician said we should rear-face until at least two. She tends to go by the recommendations of the AAP- the American Academy Of Pediatrics. Would that help sway them?

https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the.../AAP-Updates-Recommendation-on-Car-Seats.aspx

We have a 20 month old still rear facing, I want to keep her that way as long as I can.

 

[Caitie44]

DF has turned the car seat RF again, but i can't tell if he did it because he truly believes its safer or just to stop my ranting and raving. I still plan on educating him about it. As for MIL, not sure if she'll ever believe me. So from now on we simply won't ride with her unless she goes by our rules. End of story.

Our seat is confusing though. I may just have to call the manufacturing company and ask about it... But on the site and info on the sheet at Babies R Us, it states it rear faces up to 40lbs - yet on the side of the seat it says it's only safe in the RF position for infants up to 22lbs. Anyone know why that might be?

 

[Caitie44]

Here is the seat we have...

https://m.toysrus.com/skava/static/...entPage=family&domain=https://www.toysrus.com

 

[misspriss]

DF has turned the car seat RF again, but i can't tell if he did it because he truly believes its safer or just to stop my ranting and raving. I still plan on educating him about it. As for MIL, not sure if she'll ever believe me. So from now on we simply won't ride with her unless she goes by our rules. End of story.

Our seat is confusing though. I may just have to call the manufacturing company and ask about it... But on the site and info on the sheet at Babies R Us, it states it rear faces up to 40lbs - yet on the side of the seat it says it's only safe in the RF position for infants up to 22lbs. Anyone know why that might be?

What seat is it?

I'd check the manual. Mine says on the side MUST rear face to 22lbs, but it can rear face UP TO 40lbs. 22lbs is REALLY low for a max on an American seat. I am thinking perhaps it is the minimum?

 

[Caitie44]

DF has turned the car seat RF again, but i can't tell if he did it because he truly believes its safer or just to stop my ranting and raving. I still plan on educating him about it. As for MIL, not sure if she'll ever believe me. So from now on we simply won't ride with her unless she goes by our rules. End of story.

Our seat is confusing though. I may just have to call the manufacturing company and ask about it... But on the site and info on the sheet at Babies R Us, it states it rear faces up to 40lbs - yet on the side of the seat it says it's only safe in the RF position for infants up to 22lbs. Anyone know why that might be?

What seat is it?

I'd check the manual. Mine says on the side MUST rear face to 22lbs, but it can rear face UP TO 40lbs. 22lbs is REALLY low for a max on an American seat. I am thinking perhaps it is the minimum?

I'll have to find it, but on the side of the car seat there's a sticker that talks about the three positions the car seat can be in - and says "Use in the rear facing position only with infants up to 22 lbs or serious death and injury can occur." Yet on everything else, it says 40 lbs. I'm looking for the manual now. I was thinking it was really low too.

 

[Tasha]

Yeah that reads as a minimum weight they must be to turn to me x

 

[JenX]

DF has turned the car seat RF again, but i can't tell if he did it because he truly believes its safer or just to stop my ranting and raving. I still plan on educating him about it. As for MIL, not sure if she'll ever believe me. So from now on we simply won't ride with her unless she goes by our rules. End of story.

Our seat is confusing though. I may just have to call the manufacturing company and ask about it... But on the site and info on the sheet at Babies R Us, it states it rear faces up to 40lbs - yet on the side of the seat it says it's only safe in the RF position for infants up to 22lbs. Anyone know why that might be?

What seat is it?

I'd check the manual. Mine says on the side MUST rear face to 22lbs, but it can rear face UP TO 40lbs. 22lbs is REALLY low for a max on an American seat. I am thinking perhaps it is the minimum?

I'll have to find it, but on the side of the car seat there's a sticker that talks about the three positions the car seat can be in - and says "Use in the rear facing position only with infants up to 22 lbs or serious death and injury can occur." Yet on everything else, it says 40 lbs. I'm looking for the manual now. I was thinking it was really low too.

Yes, that is saying the absolute minimum weight they can be turned around is 22 lbs, not the maximum. Maximum would be 40 lbs or whatever the manual states. They could have worded it a little more clearly, though.

 

[fieryphoenix]

DF has turned the car seat RF again, but i can't tell if he did it because he truly believes its safer or just to stop my ranting and raving. I still plan on educating him about it. As for MIL, not sure if she'll ever believe me. So from now on we simply won't ride with her unless she goes by our rules. End of story.

Our seat is confusing though. I may just have to call the manufacturing company and ask about it... But on the site and info on the sheet at Babies R Us, it states it rear faces up to 40lbs - yet on the side of the seat it says it's only safe in the RF position for infants up to 22lbs. Anyone know why that might be?

What seat is it?

I'd check the manual. Mine says on the side MUST rear face to 22lbs, but it can rear face UP TO 40lbs. 22lbs is REALLY low for a max on an American seat. I am thinking perhaps it is the minimum?

I'll have to find it, but on the side of the car seat there's a sticker that talks about the three positions the car seat can be in - and says "Use in the rear facing position only with infants up to 22 lbs or serious death and injury can occur." Yet on everything else, it says 40 lbs. I'm looking for the manual now. I was thinking it was really low too.

I agree with the pp, its telling you to keep them rear facing until at least 22pounds, just out of curiosity, what are the three positions? Rear facing, forward facing and... I'm drawing a blank lol

 

[MommyJogger]

Mine says that, too. It means that while they're under 22lbs, it's only safe to rf and not safe at all to ff. It's terrible wording and ubiquitous with that brand of seat. You could call the manufacturer and ask their tech to speak of the safety of rf vs ff to your mil. That's what I did with my relative in SC on our Christmas "vacation"(where rf past 1 is still illegal) and the Evenflo tech (not even sure she was cpst, but willing to make herself sound like a professional for the phone call, lol) was great with her.