... to wonder why more people don't buy rear-facing car seats for children over 1 year?

[FrozenNorth]

Sorry if this has been discussed before, but I'm just curious as to why I'm the only one amongst my acquaintances to have bought a rear-facing car seat that should fit my DD up to the age of 4 years?

I realise that the government guidelines / laws don't say much about the fact that it's far safer to stay rear-facing beyond the initial group 0 seat, but a few minutes' internet research and a couple of crash-test videos on YouTube were enough to firmly convince me that it's the way to go. In Sweden it's recommended to rear-face your child to the age of four.

So, if you chose to forward-face your child at an earlier stage, what was your rationale? I know, for instance, that the rear-facing seats may not fit in smaller cars. They tend to cost more and they are harder to get hold of. Not a single large store (e.g. Mothercare, Halfords etc.) in the UK sells them.

In case anyone's interested in the evidence behind rear-facing vs forward facing, here's a few links:

Why consider rear-facing?

Safety benefits

The British Medical Journal recommendations

Buyers' guide and list of UK retailers selling rear-facing seats

YouTube video showing crash test footage

Sorry about all the links. This is something I feel really passionately about and I feel so angry that major UK retailers don't supply the safest possible seats for our children.

I think what I'd like to see is the informed choice of a RF car seat in Halfords/Mothercare/ToysRUs or where there are big chains selling car seats - maybe it would make them cheaper if more were available and there was more information about them?

All car seats sold FF or RF meet the necessary standards - otherwise they wouldn't be on sale - but presumably some exceed the standards currently set. If you look at the Euro NCAP car safety standards you can see that some cars are safer than others but you don't see people criticising others for not having the "safest" car and accusing them of putting their DC at risk.

why don't people have 5 point seat belts in cars?

manufactors don't make them

they would save lives

why are there windows on a civilian plane when it is far more dangerous, why don't people sit facing backwards on a plane is would be far safer?

Why do people speed, it would be safer not to

Why get out of bed, it would be safer to never go inthe home as most accidents happen in the home

We did the research and really wanted DS to stay rear facing, even though he is very tall. So we bought two of the v. expensive carseats and drove v. uncomfortably with our front seats all the way forward, but felt good that it was the safest thing we could do for him and were willing to put up with the discomfort ourselves for a couple of years. He did not seem to mind at all (almost sitting in lotus position as he is very tall), and with a BabyView mirror I could see him fine.

Then at about 21 months, DS developed carsickness and would vomit each time he was put in. Converted the seats to forward facing and no longer vomits. Enormous waste of money to use those seats forward facing though.

I wish there was another way to keep him rear facing but where we live we have to drive a lot and not willing to put him through carsickness.

I bought a rear facing car seat, on the strength of 2 words, non-separation decapitation. basically, the force from an impact can throw their head forward so violently that their small neck can not cope, and the vertebrae are forced apart and the spinal cord is snapped.
we bought this the seat does not go upto the rear seat, so the legs can dangle as they would in a forward facing seat.

sorry link should always preview!!!

Another parenting decision which causes much discussion...

If you don't fancy a rear facing seat then there are many reasons you can give for not having one. Where do they put their legs, car sickness etc. It's a personal decision.

Good for people to have the information though and that way they can make an informed decision, as with anything else (TV watching etc).

We have a Graco Duologic II which is suitable from birth and is isofix. We have it in a VW Polo and a BMW 1 series, so not large cars. I admit that the size of some of them prohibits their use unless you drive a very large car. Good think to not though, is that the isofix versions are often only certified to go up to a certain weight (would have to check to be exact) and the ones secured by a seatbelt do go higher.

Anything can happen, why subject your child to a cramped, uncomfortable ride for years, just 'in case' of a crash.
If it happens it happens, but at least my children will be in properly fitted front facing seats, where they can interact with the rest of the world and not feel sick.
Does anyone sell 'cotton wool' suits on the internet?

It's like lots of decisions - we don't always go for the safest option, we go for the safe enough option. Different people will be comfortable with different levels of risk.

My ds rides rear-facing. He's very comfortable - I have a mirror to see him and he can see out of the side and back window (rather than the side window and back of the seat in front...)

There's loads of research out there. A young child's head is bigger in relation to their body, the ratio changes at around 4 years, which is why internal decapitation is so much more likely.

Don't dismiss rearfacing until you have done your own research...

Car safety is not like 'wrapping them up in cotton wool'. I believe ther reaction by some people here is a bit like when seat-belts were made compulsary... and look at the number of lives saved.

FWIW manufacturers do know rear facing is safter, but they know they would they would never sell them, so don't make them... I've been told this by a manufaturer...

If rear-facing is deemed essential for the (very tall)Scandinavians, then that's all the persuasion I need.

We recently bought a rearfacing seat that can also face the front for up to age 4 that was actually cheaper (under £200)than the forward facing only seats we have also been looking at (some of which were as much as £250).

I'm assuming that DD will only complain when she is older, at the moment she drops off in the car, and yes perhaps through extreme boredom but it gives her a much-needed nap!

OP- I am in complete agreement with you about wanting RF seats to be more widely available. My DD (20 months) is still in RF, she is quite small for her age and we bought her a combi one so we can use it RF as long as possible. But when I spoke to the shop assistants about it, they sounded very dubious, couldn't understand why I would want to put her RF over the age of 1, and had no other alternatives.

I can see lots of reasons why some parents would prefer FF, but I do wish there was more choice available.

have to say having read some of the research i would def look into the rearward facing carseats, esp i am expecting another baby and we need to get a new first stage carseat so may get one that combines the first few years and can be rf.

BUT we also have FOUR other children to fit int he car, one in a stage two carseat, and two in the maxicosi high backed booster type seasts, then a ten year old who doesnt need a seat!

i am not sure if i could actually fit one in? but will certainly have a look and will be mentioning it in john lewis, where i tend to buy my baby stuff that i think they SHOULD stock these seats and offer parents a choice.

I also went to In Car Safety centre in Milton Keynes and bought the Britax Two Way Elite (I think its sold under a different brand name, as manufactured for a European market, but we called Britax and they told us we could get the seat there). Can completely recommend the centre, they sell forward facing too, but spend ages fitting the seats in your car and really know their stuff (you do need an appointment - we turned up without one and had to wait an hour, but they managed to squeeze us in).

Oh they also have car seats for children with Special Needs - they were fitting one whilst we were waiting and (IMO) showed a high degree of care and consideration to the family, (whilst lumping about 18 heavy looking carseats out to their car!).

Anyway, we have a 2 door Yaris, which is about the smallest car you can get and DS (incredibly tall 18mth old) fits in it fine. We have toys that hang on the back seat (Tinylove thing with steering wheel from Mothercare) and DS looks at books, eats snacks etc and seems happy enough. When I saw the articles about Rear-facing I couldn't believe more people didn't know about it/seats weren't more readily available/people weren't keener to get hold of them, but I'm very glad I have one!

It does drive me mad how the manufacturers/distributers refuse to make and stock them!

I don't drive and need a car seat which will fit in several cars, including taxis, so I kept DS rearfacing in his infant carrier for as long as possible (18 months in his case) and have now got a Kiddy Infinity Pro for him, which is not as safe as rear facing but is safer than a 5-point harness. I felt it was a good compromise

My DD is in a RF seat. She's much happier that way around as she can see out of the rear window as well as the side one, when she's forward facing in her grandparents car she can only see out of the side window. She was also unhappy in her baby rearfacing seat as she couldn't see out, but the group 1 seats are much higher so solve this problem.

Luckily we've had no car sickness yet and leg room isn't a problem as she's only 16 months, but she has lots more space to grow than in the picture the OP linked to - that seems to be a very cramped RF seat. We have the same one as Sneezecake above.

I do a lot of motorway driving with her, so its important to me to have her in as safe a seat as possible. If you're hardly in the car there's obviously much less risk anyway.

Mine have all been rearfacing until 4 or even 5.I am Swedish and I think forward-facing seats for toddlers are just insania.

god really?

DS4 screamed constantly until moved to forward facing and IMO that was more of a risk wrt to causing and accident than FF car seat would be

They should be better advertised though I agree, few people know about them

Can't help thinking that a life lived in fear is a life half-lived (c) Strictly Ballroom

We have a car seat which goes from 0-4 years and you can turn it around at 9kgs. My daughter is 16 months old, but sizewise would still easily fit into the rear-facing position. We still decided to turn it around, as she's much less grumpy that way. Yes, rear-facing might be safer, but it's a decision between comfort/less boredom and safety.

For me, safety would win hands down, but that's just my opinion.

We have a RF seat which hopefully will last until around age 4, I'm glad we have it and feel sure we made the right choice for us.

I often get comments from other mums, asking why we have a RF seat, many have never seen one before. This puts me in an awkward position. Do I answer truthfully and say because I believe its safer - if I do, they immediately become defensive. Its as if I have questioned their choice to FF, I haven't, I've just answered their question.
Fed up of offending people, when I'm asked now I just ramble on giving a nothing answer.

To be honest, I don't question why they have a FF seat and have no idea why they question my choice to have a RF seat.

Sometimes, I think their defensiveness is because they feel like perhaps they bought a FF seat just because thats what the lady in Mothercare sells, sometimes their responses make me feel like they assume I've chosen something 'hippy' for attention of something.

I think we are all capable of choosing the right seat for our situation. However, I do feel that RF seats should be available in mainstream shops so that every parent is at least aware that there is a choice.

I'm rambling now, but my main point is:
Please don't think that everyone with an RF seat is judging those of you that don't.

The Volvo seat is a Britax, shame on Britax for not making this seat more widely available.

My DD was rear-facing until the age of three, her height didn't allow us to make it to 4yrs. She wasn't bored or sick etc as she'd never known any different, nor were her legs squashed. Her seat was this one...

[http://www.fairbimbofix.it/eng/]

So those of you who are really obsessed about child safety, can I ask you what you're doing about road safety? What specific steps are you taking to ensure your child is safe on the road? What guidance are you following?

My daughter is 5, she doesn't go anywhere near a road without an adult holding her hand and won't for a long time yet, although she knows the Green Cross Code (as it was called in the ancient past, when I was a lass)