Car seat safety for a 3 year old not rear facing ?

[Worriedaboutsafety]

My dd is 3.5, ASD and weighs quite a lot

She was rf till 3 in a joie spin but went over the 18kg limit

Due to financial constraints we had to get the next seat to be under £100 so got a high back booster that uses the normal seatbelt and she seems comfortable now, isn’t getting travel sick and isn’t having meltdowns but on car seat groups I’m seeing that hbb aren’t ok till 4+ (but she meets the weight requirement?) also I can’t ask for advice as the seats are £££ and I saw a comment the other day saying people shouldn’t moan about the cost as don’t have kids if you can’t afford the best car seats basically so I’m too nervous to ask anything.

I just want to know is my dd safe ? Maybe I’m not doing the absolute best but it’s still
safe isn’t it ??

I think my concentration is better as well with dd calm in the new seat so I think that adds to the safety as well ?

We've got a seat that's rear and forward facing. When it's only me or DH in the car with DS we have him front facing and when it's all 3 of us then one of us sits in the back with him rear facing. He's 18 months

I think our old seat was both but we only used it rear facing as id read that that forward facing with the harness wasn’t recommended but I get so confused with the rules what’s ok and what’s not as it’s not mirrored by the functions on the seats . I just keep worrying !

We had this problem. The Joie bold can 5 point harness until 25kg. It requires a top tether. We had to get one as my daughter reached the 18kg limits on others when she was 2. Over £100 though but I don't think there are many other options if child can't rear face (mine couldn't as she was horrendously sick constantly rear facing to the point of it being unsafe)

Yes my dd is the same she was having meltdowns obviously feeling sensory issues from nausea and then being so sick then screaming I couldn’t concentrate at all!! She’s much better now and I’m a safer driver but doubting myself after being on these car seat groups

My personal thought is that those car seat safety groups are becoming a bit of a place for people to show just how much of a better parent they are then you!

I’ve always been very safety conscious, but even I think they are becoming ridiculous, and there’s almost this idea that if the child isn’t rear facing, they’ll die immediately!

Sadly, there are no guarantees in life, and all we can do is try our best with the resources we have.

Can I strongly advise you remove yourself from any of these groups (assuming on Facebook), and I will also include removing from any parenting group or any child related shop group (wooden toys etc etc).

It’s important to remember that somewhere in the middle of a lot of these groups, is someone who is making a wee bit of money off the back of the content of the group, so it will suit their interests for narratives to be a one way street.

Yes I think you’re right as it is just stressing me out when logically I know I’m a safer driver with dd happy in her seat