car seat advice!

[carocaro]

ds2 is 6 months on 24 pounds and long, his head is above his infant car seat so we bought a britax that is supposed to fit in the car reward facing, but there is only a five inch gap between the side of the seat and the car roof to get him in and out making it very hard, I called Britax and they said he was too young to go forward facing which would make it so much easier to get him in and out all the time, he's a big baby and very peed off in his car seat at all times, he can support his head and neck well but of course still falls to the side if left unaided. What should I do, leave it rear facing or turn it to face forward?

Leave it rear facing and let him be pissed off - sorry get very angry about road safety after losing family members and seeing a hideous crash in which a child died!

still needs to be rear facing- certainly til he's sitting unaided- can you move the seat to a diffrent position in the car to make it easier?

We've got this seat. Ds went into it at about 7 months, so not as big as yours. I presume you've got it on the back seat? Have you tried getting into the other side of the car and putting him in from inside the car instead - I know its not as easy, but it might enable you to be backward facing for a bit longer.

Carocaro, I feel for you as rear facing seats are a pain.

I don't know for sure but I wouldn't face him forward if it were me.

I had the opposite problem to you i.e. smaller (weight wise but well over 1 year) children who could move to the next car seat but didn't meet the weight criteria.
I was told that the rear facing seats hinge on neck strentgh. This was after lots of research and ringing the manufacturers (in my case maxi cosi). Babies of 6months have no chance of controlling their heads in an accident if their seats face forwards as their neck muscles are weaker than older children.

Also at this young age their heads are bigger relative to their bodies. Horrible things happen to babies in forward facing seats in accidents at this age because of these reasons.

I know it's a pain. (For me it was the fact that I had to do it twice every time as I had twins) but if you had an accident ...

ideally they should be rear facing until 12 months. ds is 13 months and has just gone into a forward facing concord trimax seat (the best non-isofix one atm)

The law states Rear Facing until 20lbs AND 1 year, not OR 1 year.

You need to keep him rear facing for as long as possible, to the rear facing limits of the seat you've bought.

The UK is one of the only countries that hasn't cottoned onto Extended RF, and its SO much safer for children to keep them RF for as long as humanly possible.

It is soooo much safer for anyone to travel rear facing. I always sit rear facing on trains and stuff if I can.

And I didn't realise that the law says a baby can't go forward until a year. I know loads of babies that went forwrd between 9m & 1year. In fact I know more than one that would have been well over hte 13kg that most baby carriers take before the year and I certainly wouldn't have brought a rear/forward combi just for a couple of months.

In fact - just googling stage 1 seats (forward facing) are described as suitable from 9m

Indeed when you look at the law - it describes the weight a particular seat is suitable for in absolute terms - but teh ages given are approximate.

Going back to the OP - he is too young to be in a forward facing seat. I think they need to be sitting well for long periods and I think he should be at least 9m.

The car seat is a piece of safety equipment. Not a convenience or fashion item.