Rear Facing Car Seats: When Did You Flip?
Posted at 5:11 am on August 25, 2009 by Farrah
You’ve probably seen it circulating around Facebook or mommy-message boards- this video about keeping your children rear-facing in their car seats past the standard 1yr and 20lbs. rule. It is pretty compelling. Anytime you see a simulation of a toddler’s head whipping back and forth during a collision or pictures of a sweet little guy in head traction following a car accident due to his spinal injuries, you are gonna pay attention.
My youngest just turned one and is well past the 20lb. limit and we just turned him around. But after watching this
video I am having second thoughts. He has hated his carseat from day one. HATED!! I mean, screaming and crying until he fell asleep or we took him out. I perfected the whole “nursing in the carseat” trick, which is never easy on the back. He has gotten better lately but when we finally flipped him to forward-facing, his whole face lit up. He was so much happier to be able to see me and to see different sites than the back or our car. And truthfully, it is easier for me too. I can interact with him easier and give him snacks or books to keep him happy.
But then I saw this footage and and questioning my motives for flipping him to forward facing. His fussing seems minor when compared with his life and his ability to walk. I do not want to put his safety in jeopardy. The new Amercian Academy of Pediatric guidelines still state that 1year and 20lbs is the absolute rule. But they also state that it is best to rear face as long as possible.
What do you do? Are you keeping your kids rear facing as long as possible or as long as their car seat allows? Or did you flip them as soon as they met the criteria? My little guy is currently forward facing but I am seriously considering switching him back, which I am sure would be a wildly unpopular decision. Should I switch him back or do you think my 27lb. 12 month old is just as safe facing his mama. He is certainly happier this way, but that is not the decision-making criteria. Well, not the only criteria. 
I feel confident that he is safe this way but I want to be sure I am not just convincing myself of this because I don’t want to switch him back to rear-facing.
Please join in this conversation and help me figure out the best plan from here.
With kiddo #1 we switched at the 1yr/20lb benchmark. Since then I have seen videos like the one posted here and reconsidered our options for kiddo #2. He turned 1 at the end of April and has been over 20lbs since a few months before that. We chose to keep him rear facing for now.
I am not sure how long we will keep him rear facing. Having a (soft-sided) mirror in front of him so that he can see himself and I can see him in my rear-view seems to help keep him somewhat distracted. He can also look at his big sister in the other seat since she is forward-facing.
We will probably re-visit as he gets taller and his legs run out of room!
Wow, an eye opener. I switched my daughter as soon as I could but now I wonder if I should wait longer for my son. We just bought a convertible carseat that can face rear up until 30lbs so maybe we will have to keep him rear facing now until he reaches that point.
On the other hand, I think it is important for moms to know the recommendations is 20lbs AND 1 year old, not either or. I worked with mothers in a professional setting for 4 years and rarely met anyone who understood that. They thought once the child was either a year OR 20lbs they could flip them. Not so. So if you have a small one year old or a big baby, it is recommended you wait until both criteria are met before flipping.
As far as what you, the author should do, it’s a toss up. My gut says to flip back but then again I don’t have to deal with the screaming child everytime you go in the car. Good luck figuring it all out-isn’t that what we do always as moms though, weigh the bad with the good and make the best choice we can?
This is a great post. I moved my first born a few months after he turned one, and quite a few pounds above 20. Like you, it made him so much happier. I’ve already been thinking about my second born. He’s such a small little guy…I think he’ll be rear facing for quite awhile.
Your situation sounds very either/or to me. You’ve met and exceeded the age and weight. But on the other hand, it does say “at least” and it wouldn’t hurt to flip him back. I don’t think you can go wrong. Whatever your instincts tell you!
We still have my 20 month old rear facing, but he only hit the 20 lb mark at 18 months. He has never had a problem with his carseat though. I think we’ll switch him at 2 years old or whenever he looks uncomfortable. But, I agree with what the others have said. Your little boy is big enough and if forward facing really makes him happier, then it is probably fine.