When did you change your stroller to forward facing?

[bumpbear]

LO is 8 months old and still in parent facing position in her stroller.

Someone in the supermarket tapped me on the shoulder and said I should think about turning her to face outward so she can learn what the world is like as she's a big girl now.

Am I treating her like a teeny baby and mollycoddling her? I feel like she's still too small to face out and besides, I love being able to communicate with her easily when we're out and about!

When did you change your stroller so baby faces out?

 

[PG5K]

Our pram has always faced out since birth. Recently we've had to lift it up a bit from the lying flat position so Lo can see everything as she's nosey.

It's rude of someone to tell you in the supermarket though!

 

[Tacey]

I don't use a pushchair, but if I did, it would still be parent facing at 8 months. I think babies learn far more about the world from looking at you, and communicating. It's not as if they can't see anything else! I'm really shocked someone would come and say that to you!

 

[xsadiex]

Don't listen to that idiot, some people are ridiculous. It's not like they can't see out when they are facing you. I have my almost 11 month old facing me, he loves it as we can make faces at eachother and talk. Someone actually came up to me a few weeks ago telling me they were sick of seeing forward facing babies and commended me for having him parent facing haha, I was shocked.

 

[dizz]

7 1/2 months and the honest answer is - it depends what we're doing.

We've got a rickety umbrella fold thing we keep in the car that only forward faces - if I'm just going somewhere and nipping out quick (or walking the dogs - I try to keep the mud to ONE set of buggy wheels) then she's in that one.

The other one can face either way - but only folds when forward facing with the seat on - if I'm getting the bus or something where I might need to fold it quickly I put it forward facing, but for most other things it's still parent facing and will be for a while (it's actually a double we bought because at least one of the seats have the option of parent facing).

I'm also an evil cow who extends the hood right over the pushchair (I LOVE that it has the ability to do that) to shut the world out altogether when I want to encourage her to take a nap!

 

[gidge]

My LO is 10 months and I still don´t want to turn her away from me.

 

[Celesse]

Never.

My not long until 3yrs DD usually walks now but on long journeys she sometimes goes in the pushchair and we chat as we walk. Couldn't do that forward facing. I do have a Spin so I can turn her forward facing without any hassle.

 

[Torz]

Alfie was about 16 months when I turned him & I only did that because he was constantly trying to look where we were going & all the weight was at the front & it was hard to get up & down curbs etc.

I think the woman in the supermarket was quite rude tbh

 

[AP]

Shes talking rubbish. We bought a Quinny Zapp Xtra on purpose so A could use it facing us - and she was going on 2 years old. It meant we could chat to her and hopefully help her with speech.

 

[MrsNorthman]

I still have Finn facing me and probably will for quite a while yet, I just love being able to look at him when we are out and about.

The cheek of some people to say something like that, some people just seem to think they know everything and can't keep their opinions to themselves!!! xx

 

[Foogirl]

Abby was parent facing right up until we got her wheelchair at 3 years old. Parent facing is definitely a better way imo. This is backed up by my SIL who is a paediatric speech therapist. They are currently lobbying the pushchair manufacturers to have more parent facing models. It totally makes sense, if they face you, you are talking to them. You are explaining the world around them. If they forward face, sure they can see trees and birds and cars, but they don't know what they are looking at.

If someone stopped me in the supermarket and said that, i'd be explaining that I too, was a big girl now, and was quite capable of raising my child without the help of interfering strangers.

 

[Lynzeigh]

Not out of choice originally, but my son stopped using his bassinet at 3 months old because he used to kick the front up with his feet. I have a travel system and the bigger pram part only faces outwards, so from 3 months old he was already facing outwards, felt too soon for me but he loved it. He used to cry when being laid in the bassinet to go outside but as soon as I put him in the outward facing bigger part of the pram he stopped the crying and would laugh instead.

If not for the type of pram I have however maybe he would still be facing me, he's 10 months old.

If your baby is happy don't worry yourself. That person in the supermarket is a bit rude in my opinion, she had no place saying what she did, it's none of her business!

There's plenty of time to explore when your lo is bigger or walking, plus although lo is facing you I'm sure they can still see some scenery.

 

[summer rain]

I think there's nothing wrong with it. Ideally I'd love to do parent facing but I can't lift anything too heavy and all of the parent facing pushchairs in our price range are just too heavy and big for me personally. Also a pushchair with carrycot attached so it can be parent facing again its just too heavy . We don't go out that often with the stroller and when we do the other kids come along and chat with my youngest xx

 

[Lollycake]

If I used a pushchair I would have it parent facing too. I think they learn much more from you being able to chat to them than they do from looking at people's legs!

 

[sequeena]

Thomas is almost 16 months and still parent facing. It's the way we prefer it

 

[Irish Eyes]

I chat to him the whole time we're out shopping or doing anything else! Wouldn't even consider turn him around!

 

[Foogirl]

I think there's nothing wrong with it. Ideally I'd love to do parent facing but I can't lift anything too heavy and all of the parent facing pushchairs in our price range are just too heavy and big for me personally. Also a pushchair with carrycot attached so it can be parent facing again its just too heavy . We don't go out that often with the stroller and when we do the other kids come along and chat with my youngest xx

Just out of interest, did you try the babystyle oyster? I found it to be very light. Much lighter than the foldable mclaren pushchair.

 

[stephj25]

I'm desperately waiting until my LO is 20lb (9kg) to turn mine around. It is an absolute pain at the minute as it is a fitted carseat and it is in the back of my 3dr corsa!! the instructions say backward facing until the above weight x

 

[aliss]

I notice you are from the UK but living in the US. I think this is more of a cultural thing, it is pretty rare to see (...if I have ever seen?) a bigger baby facing inward. Almost all North American moms put them forward when they outgrow the carseat.

Do what is right for you guys, if she's happy then she's happy, but I can see why some people would think it is "ODD" because it is not common here. Just like they look at me with dragon eyes for my rear facing car seat. I even told off a police officer once who told me that I was wrong and he should be facing forward at 1

 

[Buttercup84]

I don't think there's a magical age where they 'should' face forward, just when you/they want to. DD still face me in our m&p sola pram at the moment but recently has been starting to crane her head round to the front so i'm thinking that's her way of saying she wants to turn round. We have an umbrella stroller which she uses at OH's mum's house or for holidays so she's used to facing forward aswell.