SIL has put 6 month old DS in FF seat

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My SIL has just moved her nearly 6 month old into a FF car seat. DH and I feel very strongly that rear facing is much safer, especially at such a young age. However, I also believe that other people's parenting choices are none of my business! So I'm just wondering if you think we should say anything to them/forward some of the research on RF being safer. They know we have gone for a RF seat after moving our 9 month old out of the maxi-cosi but we haven't really had a discussion about it. Should we just mind our own business or do you think we should say something? We have lost a family member in a car accident which I think is why I'm so concerned about this issue.

If you've got a Fiesta I would think a Mobi isn't a good bet (it takes up the most room front to back of the three I have listed) but the Max Way may well be the one to look at as it's designed for smaller/compact cars.

Danboo Give these guys a ring. They are REALY good at giving advice about what to do re all things car seat! They will be able to tell you your options and may have fitted seats into your make/model car before so will be able to tell you what may fit. I would prob recomend you look at somthing like the maxway, hiway2, Multitec or 2way elite (all Britax) as thse go up to 25kg harnessed. I would imagine that if your little lad is already 9kg at only 4mths then there is a pretty big chance he will be hit the 18kg limit of most other harnessed seats well before 4yrs ('recomended' min age for a highback booster) so these seats should see you through untill he needs a higback booster seat.

My friends dd was 13kg at 9mth and has just hit 18kg at only 2.6yrs so WAY to young for a hbb(which is what Mothercare 'advised' them to put her in ) they have just got the 2way elite after speeking to the team at In car saftey center.

What about the kiddy seats? Although FF I thought they were designed to be safer, as they do not restraint the shoulders or upper torso, so in an impact the body can move and greatly reduces stretching risk on the neck

The risk with a young child is the weight of the head compared with the strength of the neck muscles. Putting them in a particular type of seat doesn't make the size of their head relative to their body any different. I'd struggle to believe that a bit more movement in the shoulders is really going to make that much difference.

Have you seen ?

Just wanted to say that i understand why someone would put a big/tall child forward facing before 9 months, but i dont think it is the right thing to do. My son hated his rear facing car seat and was/is very tall/heavy for his age. At six months his shoulders were the same width as his graco RF seat and his feet hung off the end. He was uncomfortable, but we stuck it out another month and we found as he grew a bit taller the seat was wider near the top and he wasnt quite as squashed. But he was still squashed in the leg area, so at 81/2 months we bought him his brittax eclipse group1 seat, which at 21/2 he is now growing out of, ohhh the fun So No i dont think they should be putting a 6 month old FF and yes I do think you should have a quite word with them, but it isnt really your business, so go for the gentle approach.

I have 2 ERF's in my car and have given lifts to many friends with children. All of these friends have said their children don't like rear facing and most put them FF before 9 months. However they have all been absolutely fine in the car, chatting away, pointing at things, sleeping... these are not the signs of an unhappy child! And anyway, I'd rather have an unhappy child RF than a happy child FF.

Oh I forgot to say, my DD is nearly 18 months, average height and 75th centime for weight and has only just got too big to squeeze into her Britax Babysafe group 0 seat.