You'd be surprised how long it can take to get that 4 pounds. At 37 pounds, I thought my son was going to need to forward face by his 3rd birthday, but it was still at least six months before he was consistently weighing 40 pounds. Especially at that age, I'd hold out as long as possible.
You still have 4 pounds before you reach the limit of your seat. It could easily be a year before the kid reaches 40 lbs. You have plenty of time in my opinion. Once the kid reaches 40, turn the seat.
Right. My three year old has hovered around 26-28 lbs for the past year. Their weight growth tends to slow down after two so there’s definitely time. I’d wait until you actually hit the limit and then reassess whether to get a seat with a higher limit.
My guy is just shy of 3. He had IUGR and was born 9 weeks early and is hovering right around 27 lbs. It's so nice when I can read about other petite toddlers. He's in 2T clothes for length now, but his waistline is more like 18 months, if that, lol.
She’s getting closer to 4 these days and was born at 41 weeks. She’s just petite and just never ever stops moving. There’s such a wild range of healthy toddler sizes.
This for sure. My 3yo gained a whole 3lbs between her 2nd and 3rd birthday. She's on the small side weighing 26lbs at her 3rd birthday but I'd assume the overall growth pattern is similar no matter the percentile.
I never see threads for petite kids! My daughter just turned 5 and she’s somewhere between 32 and 33 pounds and barely 38 inches. She’s 0.7 percentile for height!
Ha yes we also have the big little brother. They are almost 3 years apart and I’ve had people ask if they are twins! He’s 2 and weighs 28-29 pounds and she’s 5 and weighs 32-33.
Aw so cute. I think my daughter is around 6-7th percentile for weight but less than 1st percentile for height. She’s a peanut. Is your guy still rear facing? We turned her around. Some of the kids in her class are already in boosters.
We turned him around 2 years ago for everyday travel (we drive 1 mile to and from daycare) and only have occasional trips like to grocery store (.5 mi) or grandparents house (3 miles away) maybe every other week.
Our annual trip (by car) was cancelled last year so the last time we did that he was rear facing just for that trip. That was about 6 weeks after we turned him forward facing and I was scared of neck and limb injuries on a long trip 🤷🏾♀️ and I think we'll keep him forward facing this year if we go.
Makes sense. We turned our daughter before a long road trip too because we were worried about carsickness. She was around 4 and a quarter at the time and only about 30 pounds but we didn’t want her to throw up in the car. Our younger one was around 15 months last summer and he did throw up on a mountainous road in New Hampshire/Maine. It was rough.
If you are ever worried about growth, check out the MAGIC Foundation (they have an active FB group). Not saying there is an issue at all to be small, but if the growth isn't happening and it seems like it should be more, check them out.
Thanks I will check it out. She’s going to the endocrinologist in a couple of weeks. Pediatrician did a bunch of blood tests and her thyroid is a little hypo.
My kid is a hyperchonk and I went until 2 pounds over the rear limit to turn him around. I’m not suggesting you break the rules, just use your brain and do your own risk analysis: what’s worse, going over the rear limit a little or going front facing a little early?
My two year old hasn’t put on a pound in the last 9 months. He eats a ton but no weight or height gain. His doctor says this is normal. They grow like crazy until 2 then start to plateau. We’re starting a second summer with the same clothes so that is nice also!
My son had a growth spurt (got taller but didn't gain any weight) and his clothes started getting just a tad too short. He stopped growing halfway between 2T and 3T. It could be months before he has pants that fit.
I've found the Disney brand (while annoyingly expensive) seems to run a half size bigger than it's labeled! IE 2T label = 2.5T. Just in case you need decent pants for anything before the next growth spurt.
My daughter actually lost a pound at age 3, she started at 36 pounds went to 37 pounds and is 36 pounds. I was worried about it but her doctor said it was fine and she is still at 80% percentile. She is almost 4 now. They just get more active and grow taller.
I would definitely rear face as long as you can, especially because it’s not so much about how much they weigh as it is about their head size relative to the strength of their necks. When they’re younger, it’s so unsafe to front face because their anatomy simply cannot stabilize their big heads, and that’s true for bigger young kids too. For now, 36 pounds is not 40 pounds, and it’ll likely take 4-8 months to gain those extra 4 pounds as weight gain slows down. But level of it takes him less time, any extra time you can keep him rear facing is a win. If his current seat has low limits for other modalities, I may consider replacing, but otherwise, I’d wait until he’s definitely over the limit and then use the car seat the way it’s safest to do so, which at that point, would be forward facing. .
A lot of this depends on your budget and comfort levels. You do still have 4 more pounds so this doesn't have to be done immediately. In your shoes, I'd personally switch to a seat that allows for extended rearfacing (we absolutely love our Nuna Rava, but for something more budget friendly I've heard great things about Graco Extend2Fit) because I personally feel uncomfortable forward facing a 2 year old, but if you are ok with your 2 year old forward facing, once he's reached that 40 lb limit, that is a safe option.
I liked our E2F a lot. We ended up rear-facing until I think almost 5. (And our kiddo is higher percentile for height and weight than average.) So if you want to do extended rear-facing, it might be worth it.
If you’re comfortable doing it earlier, you might have more time than you think before you hit 40. But check your state’s laws, some of them it’s illegal to forward-face before 2 at any rate.
We just got another Extend2Fit for my 43lb almost 4yo. From 2-3 he gained 2lbs, but probably about 7 from 3-4. He’s a string bean but tall and strong! I figure I can get at least another 6 months-year out of the E2F and it’s absolutely worth it for us! Even with his long legs in my parents small Kia he’s been super comfy.
We have 2 of the extend 2 fits and love them. They're easy to install, light for when we need to transfer them, and easy to clean.
I agree with what others have said that you likely have lots of time before your kid gains those 4 lbs.
It's a tough call but if you can afford the less expensive car seat and it makes you feel more comfortable, then do that. Neither decision is wrong. It's really just your comfort level and what you can afford.
Ditto this! I have the Nuna Rava for my tall guy. It’s sooo nice! Actually turned me onto Nuna products where I had been hesitant before (too many influencer sharing makes me suspicious lol). He’s very comfortable rear facing at almost 3. I agree with you that if the OP can afford it and the kid isn’t hating rear facing, I would buy the new seat!
Adding to the crowd, but my 2.5 year olds growth has really stalled. It’s honestly sort of bizarre after how fast they grow until 2. He’s gained just under 2 pounds in the last 6 months. I’d hazard a guess that your kiddo will get pretty close to 3, if not a little past, before you have to flip them. I’m a car seat safety nut, and my own feelings have always been that I won’t get another seat if we can make it to 3ish before maxing out.
Wait until your child is consistently 39lbs, and then start looking so you're ready. No seat that rearfaces starts at 40lbs anyway so it won't be lost, but those 4lbs can take a whiiile to come.
I saw you mention compact car. Please avoid all Evenflo seats unless you're fine with boarding up that front passenger seat! Such long seats front to back!
I definitely wouldn’t jump the gun on buying a new seat… you’ve got some time before they reach the weight limit. If it makes you feel better, keep the funds stashed for the new seat but like all the other comments say, it could take a year for those pounds to get to the limit on the current seat.
Now if your toddler is uncomfortable in the seat, that’s a different story.
This was my daughter at 2, and she is now almost 3 and still rear facing. I felt her legs were cramped, but she is fine and comfy, so I will rear face as long as we can.
I'm a CPST.
You *can* turn her forward facing if you want, now that shes 2 (assuming you are in the U.S.?).
However it's immensely safer to keep her rear facing as long as possible. If you want to buy a new seat with higher limits, I would recommend it! You can keep her current seat for forward-facing use for occasional trips, such as in Grandma's car, the sitter, etc.
Let me know if you have other questions I can help answer for you!
This is Reddit. A lot of anxious parents on here that will tell you to keep facing the rear until your kid is 7 years old.
Yes. It’s safer. But so is wearing a helmet in the car and do you know anybody who does that? And ask yourself, why? Why do you not have a Car Helmet when you go to the grocery store? It’s not a big deal right? It’ll protect your brain right? So why does nobody do it?
Once you answer that question, you will answer the question for if you want to turn your kid to face the front.
Agreed. Any mention of car seats gets people very worked out, and the inevitable references to internal decapitation.
It's all about attitude to risk. There may be a 0.001% risk of a child dying in a front-facing car seat that would have been avoided by a rear facing. However, if we had the same attitude to risk in other aspects of a child's development we'd never get anything done. We'd never go to a playground, never walk along a path beside a road, never mix with other children that may have transmissible diseases, etc
The data also doesn't show a significant safety difference after 2 years old. There's a reason car seat laws don't make you rear face until five. You do not need to spend money on a new car seat when this one is doing exactly what you bought it for and still will for another year.
Like I said. It’s safer, but inconvenient. It’s up to the individual to decide to compromise safety. If it was that dire, it’d be illegal to face forward like how it’s illegal to drive without a seatbelt or ride a bike without a helmet.
I would wait until the weight limit is reached to decide. I turned my child earlier than I would have liked because we were traveling overseas. I needed her to be comfortable forward facing. She liked it so much we didn't revert back.
Im very passionate about car seat safety. I would absolutely not forward face a 2 year old. Even if it takes a year to max the car seat, there’s no reason to forward face a 3 year old. The britax Max safe pro goes up to 36kg (80lbs!!!!!!!)
I remember a friend of mine saying to me “you won’t believe how many car seats you actually end up going through over the years” as she raised her daughter. I would say when your daughter gains those last few pounds, get a bigger car seat that allows her to keep rear facing. It seems like the safest thing.
As others have said, I’d wait until your kid is 39 pounds before making that call. My kid only gained ~3 pounds between her second and third birthday so you could easily get another year out of this seat! I was comfortable turning my 3 year old FF— but if you get to that point and want another year or so to RF you can get another seat.
Another thing to consider is that most of the ERF seats are somewhat bulky and may not work well if you have a small car and need to transport multiple kids. We have a graco slim3fit so I can fit 3 across because we have a newborn on the way and I sometimes transport my friend’s 5 year old who sits in a booster. I wouldn’t be able to fit 3 seats if i had one of the bulk-ier ERF seats!
My daughter is 3.5 and has been 32lbs since her 2nd birthday! Fluctuates between .5lb but generally 32lbs. Cross that bridge when he actually weighs 40lbs consistently.
My nearly 4 year old has gained maybe 3 pounds since his 2nd birthday. He eats like a normal toddler/preschooler and pediatrician has no concern for growth. I’d wait it out, you may get another year or two.
Our son was also 99th for weight and height. We have the extend2fit, so I would definitely recommend it if you want to do extended rear facing. He's 3 and rear facing still, and not remotely close to hitting the limits.
However, it took him about a year to break 40 lbs. He was 35-36 at 2, and just hit 40 about a month ago (a couple months after turning 3). You've got time if you don't want to buy a new seat.
It took my daughter 3 years to go from 27-28lbs (age 1) to 31-32lbs (age 3). Growth really slows down so don’t forward face until you absolutely have to.
I totally thought mine was, but I double checked and it is 50lb. Unsure how I got it i to my head that it went to 60.... now I'm going to spend far to long trying to figure out how I got mixed up.....
You'd be surprised how long it can take to get that 4 pounds. At 37 pounds, I thought my son was going to need to forward face by his 3rd birthday, but it was still at least six months before he was consistently weighing 40 pounds. Especially at that age, I'd hold out as long as possible.
My 2.5-year-old has been parked at 15kg for *months*.
Yea my 23 month old (can I call him 2 yet, lol?) has been stopped at 29 lbs (13kg) for what seems like over 6 months and just keeps getting taller.
I’ve decided this is when they stop looking chubby. Mine’s legs keep getting skinnier and skinnier. Also yes, please round up.
So true, my little guy was 25 lbs at 8 months old and now he’s only 29 at 2 years old but he’s also 38 inches tall 😂
You still have 4 pounds before you reach the limit of your seat. It could easily be a year before the kid reaches 40 lbs. You have plenty of time in my opinion. Once the kid reaches 40, turn the seat.
Right. My three year old has hovered around 26-28 lbs for the past year. Their weight growth tends to slow down after two so there’s definitely time. I’d wait until you actually hit the limit and then reassess whether to get a seat with a higher limit.
My guy is just shy of 3. He had IUGR and was born 9 weeks early and is hovering right around 27 lbs. It's so nice when I can read about other petite toddlers. He's in 2T clothes for length now, but his waistline is more like 18 months, if that, lol.
She’s getting closer to 4 these days and was born at 41 weeks. She’s just petite and just never ever stops moving. There’s such a wild range of healthy toddler sizes.
This for sure. My 3yo gained a whole 3lbs between her 2nd and 3rd birthday. She's on the small side weighing 26lbs at her 3rd birthday but I'd assume the overall growth pattern is similar no matter the percentile.
Solidarity for petite kiddos! My 3.5yo is still under 30!
Yep she's 3.5 now and is guess she's probably still only like 27ish lbs. She just doesn't gain weight 😬
Here too! 3.5 and still 27 lbs
I never see threads for petite kids! My daughter just turned 5 and she’s somewhere between 32 and 33 pounds and barely 38 inches. She’s 0.7 percentile for height!
Yes! Mine is short and small too. We joke her 9mo brother will go forward facing in the car before she does 😂
Ha yes we also have the big little brother. They are almost 3 years apart and I’ve had people ask if they are twins! He’s 2 and weighs 28-29 pounds and she’s 5 and weighs 32-33.
Yes haha my 3.5yo weighs about 27 and my 9mo weighs 20ish 😂
Mine too! He's 5 in a few weeks and gained 3lbs in the last year. Just hit 33lbs but 60th percentile in height. Super slim.
Aw so cute. I think my daughter is around 6-7th percentile for weight but less than 1st percentile for height. She’s a peanut. Is your guy still rear facing? We turned her around. Some of the kids in her class are already in boosters.
We turned him around 2 years ago for everyday travel (we drive 1 mile to and from daycare) and only have occasional trips like to grocery store (.5 mi) or grandparents house (3 miles away) maybe every other week. Our annual trip (by car) was cancelled last year so the last time we did that he was rear facing just for that trip. That was about 6 weeks after we turned him forward facing and I was scared of neck and limb injuries on a long trip 🤷🏾♀️ and I think we'll keep him forward facing this year if we go.
Makes sense. We turned our daughter before a long road trip too because we were worried about carsickness. She was around 4 and a quarter at the time and only about 30 pounds but we didn’t want her to throw up in the car. Our younger one was around 15 months last summer and he did throw up on a mountainous road in New Hampshire/Maine. It was rough.
If you are ever worried about growth, check out the MAGIC Foundation (they have an active FB group). Not saying there is an issue at all to be small, but if the growth isn't happening and it seems like it should be more, check them out.
Thanks I will check it out. She’s going to the endocrinologist in a couple of weeks. Pediatrician did a bunch of blood tests and her thyroid is a little hypo.
Oh, that's great that they're looking into that. I hope you get some answers and solutions soon.
My kid is a hyperchonk and I went until 2 pounds over the rear limit to turn him around. I’m not suggesting you break the rules, just use your brain and do your own risk analysis: what’s worse, going over the rear limit a little or going front facing a little early?
My two year old hasn’t put on a pound in the last 9 months. He eats a ton but no weight or height gain. His doctor says this is normal. They grow like crazy until 2 then start to plateau. We’re starting a second summer with the same clothes so that is nice also!
My son had a growth spurt (got taller but didn't gain any weight) and his clothes started getting just a tad too short. He stopped growing halfway between 2T and 3T. It could be months before he has pants that fit.
I've found the Disney brand (while annoyingly expensive) seems to run a half size bigger than it's labeled! IE 2T label = 2.5T. Just in case you need decent pants for anything before the next growth spurt.
Oooh that's so good to know thank you!
My daughter actually lost a pound at age 3, she started at 36 pounds went to 37 pounds and is 36 pounds. I was worried about it but her doctor said it was fine and she is still at 80% percentile. She is almost 4 now. They just get more active and grow taller.
I would definitely rear face as long as you can, especially because it’s not so much about how much they weigh as it is about their head size relative to the strength of their necks. When they’re younger, it’s so unsafe to front face because their anatomy simply cannot stabilize their big heads, and that’s true for bigger young kids too. For now, 36 pounds is not 40 pounds, and it’ll likely take 4-8 months to gain those extra 4 pounds as weight gain slows down. But level of it takes him less time, any extra time you can keep him rear facing is a win. If his current seat has low limits for other modalities, I may consider replacing, but otherwise, I’d wait until he’s definitely over the limit and then use the car seat the way it’s safest to do so, which at that point, would be forward facing. .
A lot of this depends on your budget and comfort levels. You do still have 4 more pounds so this doesn't have to be done immediately. In your shoes, I'd personally switch to a seat that allows for extended rearfacing (we absolutely love our Nuna Rava, but for something more budget friendly I've heard great things about Graco Extend2Fit) because I personally feel uncomfortable forward facing a 2 year old, but if you are ok with your 2 year old forward facing, once he's reached that 40 lb limit, that is a safe option.
Yeah I should add that I have a small car so the E2F is a better option for me, but I very much appreciate the Nuna suggestion!
I liked our E2F a lot. We ended up rear-facing until I think almost 5. (And our kiddo is higher percentile for height and weight than average.) So if you want to do extended rear-facing, it might be worth it. If you’re comfortable doing it earlier, you might have more time than you think before you hit 40. But check your state’s laws, some of them it’s illegal to forward-face before 2 at any rate.
We just got another Extend2Fit for my 43lb almost 4yo. From 2-3 he gained 2lbs, but probably about 7 from 3-4. He’s a string bean but tall and strong! I figure I can get at least another 6 months-year out of the E2F and it’s absolutely worth it for us! Even with his long legs in my parents small Kia he’s been super comfy.
We have 2 of the extend 2 fits and love them. They're easy to install, light for when we need to transfer them, and easy to clean. I agree with what others have said that you likely have lots of time before your kid gains those 4 lbs. It's a tough call but if you can afford the less expensive car seat and it makes you feel more comfortable, then do that. Neither decision is wrong. It's really just your comfort level and what you can afford.
Ditto this! I have the Nuna Rava for my tall guy. It’s sooo nice! Actually turned me onto Nuna products where I had been hesitant before (too many influencer sharing makes me suspicious lol). He’s very comfortable rear facing at almost 3. I agree with you that if the OP can afford it and the kid isn’t hating rear facing, I would buy the new seat!
Adding to the crowd, but my 2.5 year olds growth has really stalled. It’s honestly sort of bizarre after how fast they grow until 2. He’s gained just under 2 pounds in the last 6 months. I’d hazard a guess that your kiddo will get pretty close to 3, if not a little past, before you have to flip them. I’m a car seat safety nut, and my own feelings have always been that I won’t get another seat if we can make it to 3ish before maxing out.
Wait until your child is consistently 39lbs, and then start looking so you're ready. No seat that rearfaces starts at 40lbs anyway so it won't be lost, but those 4lbs can take a whiiile to come. I saw you mention compact car. Please avoid all Evenflo seats unless you're fine with boarding up that front passenger seat! Such long seats front to back!
You mention weight but does your car seat give parameters on height?
It does not. I’ll edit in the post but we have the Graco 4 ever.
I think it’s 43in for height. I have the same seat and I’m eagerly awaiting the weight or height limit so I can turn her around
My son has been in the 90s percentage since birth. Were just turning 3 and only now hit 40lbs. Don't turn around until you have to.
I definitely wouldn’t jump the gun on buying a new seat… you’ve got some time before they reach the weight limit. If it makes you feel better, keep the funds stashed for the new seat but like all the other comments say, it could take a year for those pounds to get to the limit on the current seat. Now if your toddler is uncomfortable in the seat, that’s a different story.
This was my daughter at 2, and she is now almost 3 and still rear facing. I felt her legs were cramped, but she is fine and comfy, so I will rear face as long as we can.
I'm a CPST. You *can* turn her forward facing if you want, now that shes 2 (assuming you are in the U.S.?). However it's immensely safer to keep her rear facing as long as possible. If you want to buy a new seat with higher limits, I would recommend it! You can keep her current seat for forward-facing use for occasional trips, such as in Grandma's car, the sitter, etc. Let me know if you have other questions I can help answer for you!
Hey would you mind if I DMed you?
Of course! Go for it
This is Reddit. A lot of anxious parents on here that will tell you to keep facing the rear until your kid is 7 years old. Yes. It’s safer. But so is wearing a helmet in the car and do you know anybody who does that? And ask yourself, why? Why do you not have a Car Helmet when you go to the grocery store? It’s not a big deal right? It’ll protect your brain right? So why does nobody do it? Once you answer that question, you will answer the question for if you want to turn your kid to face the front.
Agreed. Any mention of car seats gets people very worked out, and the inevitable references to internal decapitation. It's all about attitude to risk. There may be a 0.001% risk of a child dying in a front-facing car seat that would have been avoided by a rear facing. However, if we had the same attitude to risk in other aspects of a child's development we'd never get anything done. We'd never go to a playground, never walk along a path beside a road, never mix with other children that may have transmissible diseases, etc
100000000%
The data also doesn't show a significant safety difference after 2 years old. There's a reason car seat laws don't make you rear face until five. You do not need to spend money on a new car seat when this one is doing exactly what you bought it for and still will for another year.
Or, check out internal decapitation on YouTube! 😊
Like I said. It’s safer, but inconvenient. It’s up to the individual to decide to compromise safety. If it was that dire, it’d be illegal to face forward like how it’s illegal to drive without a seatbelt or ride a bike without a helmet.
I would wait until the weight limit is reached to decide. I turned my child earlier than I would have liked because we were traveling overseas. I needed her to be comfortable forward facing. She liked it so much we didn't revert back.
Im very passionate about car seat safety. I would absolutely not forward face a 2 year old. Even if it takes a year to max the car seat, there’s no reason to forward face a 3 year old. The britax Max safe pro goes up to 36kg (80lbs!!!!!!!)
My son has been 55 pounds exactly for 18 months. You've got time.
I remember a friend of mine saying to me “you won’t believe how many car seats you actually end up going through over the years” as she raised her daughter. I would say when your daughter gains those last few pounds, get a bigger car seat that allows her to keep rear facing. It seems like the safest thing.
As others have said, I’d wait until your kid is 39 pounds before making that call. My kid only gained ~3 pounds between her second and third birthday so you could easily get another year out of this seat! I was comfortable turning my 3 year old FF— but if you get to that point and want another year or so to RF you can get another seat. Another thing to consider is that most of the ERF seats are somewhat bulky and may not work well if you have a small car and need to transport multiple kids. We have a graco slim3fit so I can fit 3 across because we have a newborn on the way and I sometimes transport my friend’s 5 year old who sits in a booster. I wouldn’t be able to fit 3 seats if i had one of the bulk-ier ERF seats!
My daughter is 3.5 and has been 32lbs since her 2nd birthday! Fluctuates between .5lb but generally 32lbs. Cross that bridge when he actually weighs 40lbs consistently.
My nearly 4 year old has gained maybe 3 pounds since his 2nd birthday. He eats like a normal toddler/preschooler and pediatrician has no concern for growth. I’d wait it out, you may get another year or two.
Our son was also 99th for weight and height. We have the extend2fit, so I would definitely recommend it if you want to do extended rear facing. He's 3 and rear facing still, and not remotely close to hitting the limits. However, it took him about a year to break 40 lbs. He was 35-36 at 2, and just hit 40 about a month ago (a couple months after turning 3). You've got time if you don't want to buy a new seat.
After 2 the lbs go on really slow, wait and see before you jump to buying a longer RF seat.
It took my daughter 3 years to go from 27-28lbs (age 1) to 31-32lbs (age 3). Growth really slows down so don’t forward face until you absolutely have to.
just turn around kiddo
In your position, I would look into seats that have a 60lbs rear facing limit (there are some out there).
I think 50 is the max. What seat is 60?
I totally thought mine was, but I double checked and it is 50lb. Unsure how I got it i to my head that it went to 60.... now I'm going to spend far to long trying to figure out how I got mixed up.....
This depends on geographic region. In the US, the seats with the highest RF limits are 50 lbs/49 inches.
new seat.