Does a child seat for a rear-facing back seat exist?

[JDad2015]

We have a Ford Freda/Mazda Bongo campervan - the conversion we have has a rear-facing back seat bench. We went to some lengths to get proper seat belts installed in the back (replacing simple lap belts) only to be told - by both Mothercare and Halfords - that our car seat (a Maxi Cozy Pebble) only works on a standard (forward-facing) seat. Moreover, both told us that there is no such thing as a child seat designed for a rear-facing back seat.

So...

The choices seem to be:
a) disable the passenger front seat airbag (not easy to do on our foreign, imported van)
And/or
b) get the interior re-modelled so that the bench faces forwards (apparently this will cost about a grand)

Unless...
c) a car seat designed for a rear-facing back seat exists.

Obviously safety is our top priority here. But it does seem a bit ridiculous that option C doesn't exist. Or does it?

[superbfairywren]

Afraid i dont know which option it would be but i would recommend you Ring the in car safety centre, they will be able to tell you if that's true. I wouldn't trust mothercare or halfords.

[JDad2015]

Thanks superbfairywren - I've just emailed them.

[BertieBotts]

YY to in car safety centre.

I think that you will struggle to find an infant seat which does fit. Your best bet might be a convertible one which goes forward and rear facing, but even those are usually not approved. The issue is that the law says infants must travel rear facing - hence all infant seats are designed to rear face on a standard forward facing bench seat. If they sold an infant seat which faced the same direction as the seat, then some numpty would buy it, put it on a normal, forward facing bench seat and then it could cause a problem (in theory, anyway!)

You might want to start looking now for the next stage car seat which can be installed on a rear facing seat, too, because that might also take a while! I seem to remember reading that DS' seat could be, that was a Kiddy.

[JDad2015]

Thanks - In Car Safety Centre says a seat for a rear-facing bench does not exist. So we are going with option A and B.

[superbfairywren]

That's a shame but at least you have a definite answer. The in car safety centre are fab.

[WhyCantIuseTheNameIWant]

Can you use a group 0/1, that turns round?

But have it facing 'forwards' as for an older baby, so your little baby is travelling backwards?

I don't know which brands of seat these are, as we had a maxi cosi.

So I can't suggest a company to email, to see if its possible.

But if you look in a large mothercare or similar, you can see the style of seat and note the make and model.

[JDad2015]

No - sadly not. Our campervan doesn't have ISOFIX for starters. And because seats are designed to be rear-facing it's not a simple case of putting them in the other way round - the safety features don't work.