Confused about new car seat for 3.5yr old, rear facing?

[Elisanah]

I would really appreciate any help/resources on extended rear facing please!

We currently have a Nuna Rebl seat for our 3 year old and decided we wanted to keep her rear facing until 4 as I understand that is around when it's safer to move to forward facing.

However our 18 month old needs to move into the next size car seat so we'll move her into the Rebl car seat and get a new one for our eldest.

There is so little information on extended rear facing past 2 years online and I'm really confused as to whether to buy another rear facing seat until she is 4 (or the required height/weight, she still fits into the Rebl easily) or buy a forward facing one which will also be suitable for her as she grows.

It seems crazy to buy a car seat for only a few months but we will if it's still much safer for her to be rear facing. I've kept her rear facing as thought it protects her neck, does anyone know what makes it safe to go to forward facing at 4 instead of earlier? Will 4 months early make much difference?

Any thoughts/links to useful sites would be really helpful, thank you!

[teaandbiscuitsforme]

What's her height and weight?

My DD is about the same age and in a Axkid Minikid which lasts to 25kg. I have no intention of turning her forward facing any time soon as it's such a downgrade in safety. Add to that a high back booster rather than a harness and there's absolutely no way. She's not physically developed enough for a HBB (even though she's 75th centile for height and weight) and she's not mature enough to sit in a seat only restrained by an adult seatbelt.

If your DD is over 15kg, legally she can forward face in a high back booster. However, it is a huge compromise on safety. The safest option is a 25kg rear facing seat - axkid Minikid is brilliant but the Britax Two Way Elite is a bit cheaper if budget is a concern.

[teaandbiscuitsforme]

Best source for information - the Facebook group 'Car Seat Advice uk'. Lots of posts explaining why a HBB before at least 4.5yrs isn't safe.

[littledinaco]

Rear facing is far safer at all ages, not just until 4. If you buy a 25kg rear facing seat, they last until age 6ish or longer if you have a smaller child. Then you could pass to your youngest so it wouldn’t be buying a seat for a few months.

Age 4/4.4 is said to be the minimum for a high back booster as their pelvis is developed enough to hold the seatbelt in place in a crash rather than risking them sliding under the seatbelt.
Also, most children aren’t mature enough to sit correctly at all times, so no slouching, leaning forwards, putting their legs up, playing with the seatbelt etc.

Agree with the Facebook group mentioned above, lots of info on there as to why rear facing as long as possible is safer.

[Elisanah]

Thank you for your help, sorry for such a late reply.

No-one else I know has kept their children rear facing past 2 years so it's nice to have someone to talk to about it! It's nice to feel reassured in our decision.

She is 100cm and about 13kg (weighed her yesterday), I didn't realise she was so far off 18kg!
Is the Axkid Minikid only rear facing or can it be turned round? I'm wondering whether, given her weight, there might be a car seat that rear faces to 18kg and then converts to the next stage up...I imagine she'll be nearly 5 by the time she reaches the weight and height limit of that.

Thanks for the link to the fb group, it looks great, I just need to wait for the comments to open up again...but also need to get on and buy one because my youngest is right on the limit of her current car seat.

Thanks again!

[teaandbiscuitsforme]

The problem you've got is her height. She'd be fine in something like the Joie Stages by weight but she's likely to outgrow it by height before she's too heavy for it. If she's all legs, I'd go for the Stages; if she's got a tall body then you'd probably still be better with a 25kg seat if you want her to rear face for at least the next year/18 months.

The Britax Two Way Elite does convert to a HBB but it doesn't always fit very well.

Best advice is to get the seat you need now. A good HBB can be about £50 so it doesn't need to cost a fortune (although I appreciate it all adds up!!)

Also your youngest can go into the 25kg seat when they outgrow the rebl so you'd get a little more value for money that way.

[littledinaco]

I agree with tea about getting the seat you need now, especially as a decent HBB isn’t too expensive (plus your circumstances, car etc may have changed by then anyway and like you’ve seen with the harnessed seats, different HBB are suitable for different children so the one you get now may not be a good fit for your DD when she comes to go in it).

If you do get a 25kg seat and she’s only 13kg, you could get several years out of it.
I would say if you are going to buy a seat, it makes more sense to buy a 25kg one than an 18kg one.

If you look on the f/b group, loads of posters on there have their 5/6/7+ year olds rear facing. Can be reassuring just to have a look.

If you can get to a branch of the in car safety centre, they are really good and you can try the seats in your car, etc. They give advice over the phone too.

[Elisanah]

Thanks! Sadly not near any branches of the in car safety centres but I think I'll give them a call. I think I'll probably go for a 25kg seat though, at least that way we can keep her rear facing for longer.

Thanks again, you've both been really helpful, much appreciated!