20lb 6 month old baby- do I need to go rearfacing with her Group 1 seat?

[birdofthenorth]

My DD is just 6 months but is already 9kg/ 20lbs & is rapidly outgrowing her infant car seat, which was a Britax Baby Safe Sleeper lie-flat model, which she loved. She needs a new seat & is heavy enough for most Group 1 seats now, although young for them (most say "9kg or 9 months").

I was planning on a basic front facing Britax Prince model (which I can buy mostly with Tesco Clubcard points!!) but have now read more about the safety advantages of rear facing seats & wonder if this is the best option given her young age.

My concerns are (1) cost (2) how to fit it safely & (3) that MIL etc will see it as a daft fad!!

Any advice much appreciated.

Also does anyone know if there are laws about what age to be frontfacing in the UK? Seems to be illegal under 12 months in much of America!

[Flojo1979]

Hi
My DS was a big baby, 10lb+ at birth and very greedy, so was in a front facing seat (that DD is now in) at 6 months cos he quite simply couldnt fit in baby seat with winter coat on etc (was summer birth).
Touch wood never had any prangs so cant tell u much on safety aspect but I had no concerns and i'm very over protective

[CarGirl]

Yes you need to stick with rear facing as their neck muscles aren't strong enough in a collision and they basically get snapped........It's grim watching the tests tbh.

Babies should be sitting independtly reliably and a minimum of 9kg.

If you decide not to go rear facing than a forward facing with impact cushion is better than a 5 point harness as it spreads the impact down more of their spine rather than just their neck.

[FannyLogan]

You should never put a baby in a car seat in a winter coat.

Definitely go rear facing, my mother thanks everything I do is a fad water off a ducks back now. Your dcs safety is more important.

[peppapighastakenovermylife]

I had the same problem with DD so I got a britax first class si which is a big seat but rear facing until a certain weight (13kg I think) so there is plenty of room. You can then turn it round and use as a normal group 1.

DS is now 6 months and 20 pounds but very long so still fits in width wise in the baby carrier. He will go into the si when he is too big for his carrier.

They cost around £120 I think but you can get them in the sales for a bit less

[pozzled]

Please don't put a 6 month-old in a FF seat, their necks are not strong enough. Consider a combination seat which go up to 13kg RF and then can be turned around up to 18kg. Some of them are quite cheap and I'm sure would be safer than FF.

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I have the britax first class and it's very easy to fit both RF and FF. As for your 3rd point, what others think is irrelevant- the safety of your child is clearly the most important thing.

[tigermummy35]

Having read posts on here, checked out the crash tests etc, we went to In Car Safety Centre yesterday to buy DS's next stage seat. He's 15 weeks and 18lbs, so will soon grow out of his infant seat (2-3 inches from the top already). We'll keep him in that until his head reaches the top and then he'll go into a new rear facing seat. I also think people will say I'm mad for rear facing him, but don't care what others think.

[pookamoo]

We've got a BeSafe rearfacer which goes up to age 4. It is recommended that children shouldn't face forward before they are 3 or 4 years old! However, that's not widely known in the UK, although in Scandinavia it has been the norm for several years.

Have a look at www.rearfacing.co.uk/ for all the details!

[tigermummy35]

That's the same as we just bought Pookamoo. Although the rate at which DS is growing, they reckoned he'd use it to approx two and a half.

[birdofthenorth]

Thanks v much all. Rearfacing it is. Help much appreciated.

[birdofthenorth]

Ooh Britax First Class Si is on tesco.com so I can pay with Clubcard points, joy!

That's the cost concern sorted, as for MIL declaring it a fad, I guess I could google the horrendous crash test baby dummy videos for her if she raises objections!!

[DancingThroughLife]

Bird, we had a Britax lie flat too. We were all set to get the First Class until we discovered the Besafe extended rear facer fits in our car.

I was a bit worried at the time about what people would think - why couldn't we just get what everyone else gets, for example - but in the end it turns out I don't give a stuff DD's safety first and all that

I second googling the crash test vids. Sobering stuff.

[pookamoo]

Plus, I spoke to Britax and asked them about the maximum weight at which they can face rearwards, and they said they are ok rear facing for the life of the seat, for e.g. the First Class SI says it takes children up to 18kg. This means they can face rearwards up to 18kg.

They ought to label their seats better, I think, because their website implies that they must be turned forward facing after 13kg, not just that they can be turned after that weight...

So if you get the First Class SI your DS can stay rear facing for as long as possible.

[peppapighastakenovermylife]

Pookamoo - I emailed Britax exactly the same thing but got the opposite answer. They said at 13kg they had to go FF?