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Parenting

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Original poster

Rear facing car seat how long?

58 replies

PasstheStarmix · 18/05/2018 14:49

Hi, I understand by law you need to use a rear facing car seat until the child is over 15months old. I’ve seen information saying preferably keep it rear facing until 4 years old. I was going to change ds to forward facing after 15 months old but now I’m having doubts. What does everyone think on this?

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BryanAdamsLeftAnkle · 18/05/2018 14:55

My 3.5 is still rear facing and very comfortable. I'm keeping him there as long as I can

CoupleOfPushBacks · 18/05/2018 15:02

My DS is forward facing, has been since he was a year old.

Original poster

PasstheStarmix · 18/05/2018 15:02

Thanks Bryan, the britax car seat I have rear faces until 13kg and and forward faces until 18kg (about 4years old.) I’m not sure what age he’ll be when he gets to 13kg but I can leave him rear facing until then but would have to buy a new car seat if I want him there longer. He’s 15 months old now and around 10kg; I’ll have to weigh him.

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BendingSpoons · 18/05/2018 15:06

At DDs 2 year check she was I think 11kg which was 50th percentile (roughly). You will probably get quite a while out of it rear facing as their growth slows. I wouldn't turn it round yet if he is reasonably happy and fits it.

CoupleOfPushBacks · 18/05/2018 15:09

I second bending, my DS is only forward facing because he refused to go in the car. He hated not being able to see where we were going.

He loves it now.

However, if he had put up with it, he'd still be rear facing.

Original poster

PasstheStarmix · 18/05/2018 15:11

Thanks Bending. Ds is always around 50th too so maybe the rear facing will last him to at least 3. I’m going to keep it rear facing for as long as possible because it’s so much safer.

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Original poster

PasstheStarmix · 18/05/2018 15:14

Thanks CoupleOfPushBacks, I hope that doesn’t happen with ds as he has really long legs and he’s very wilful. He seems perfectly comfortable rear facing at the moment though and falls asleep in it.

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namaste86 · 18/05/2018 15:19

DS is nearly 15 months old and still rear facing. I've no intention of turning him until at least 2 but will wait as long as I get away with.

I actually recently bought a new car to keep him rear facing I had a 3 door car previously which only worked on one side and it was getting a nightmare to put him in/out plus we want another baby soon so logistically would've been a nightmare in my old car. Much easier having a 5 door!

Cuppaqueen · 18/05/2018 15:27

Interesting thread. My big and tall DS - almost 11kg and 90cm at 13mo - still just about fits in the rear-facing car seat but I think his head will start to creep above the top soon plus the cradle style isn't comfortable for him any more. I'd love to keep him rear-facing (if he'll tolerate it) but when I went into John Lewis recently all the next size up seats were forward-facing. Any recommendations for rear-facing toddler seats from those who've stuck with them?

Original poster

PasstheStarmix · 18/05/2018 15:30

I recommend the Britax Romer group 1. Ds loves it and even falls asleep in it. We have a mirror on the back seat so he can see himself in it and he loves it.

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Original poster

PasstheStarmix · 18/05/2018 15:31

It rear and forward faces +

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Bowlofbabelfish · 18/05/2018 15:32

Rear facing. A number of other countries recommend this and it is safer due to the relative weight of their heads and how that acts in a crash.

I thought the law was changing soon in the uk or have I got that wrong?

BelfastSmile · 18/05/2018 15:32

This is probably obvious, but it depends on the car seat as well. We have a maxi-Cosi that DS used a couple of years ago - it's only designed for babies up to a year or so, so anything beyond 15 months would be impossible.

Newer car seats (since the regulations changed) are designed to last longer, so make sure you get one of those if you decide to read-face (I assume you know this, but just in case).

We'll switch to forward-facing at 15m - I like to be able to see what the baby is up to in the car. I can see the arguments in favour of rear-facing as well, though.

Original poster

PasstheStarmix · 18/05/2018 15:37

Bowlofbabelfish The law has changed, I believe it changed earlier this year. By law you have to keep toddler in car seat until over 15 months old

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Original poster

PasstheStarmix · 18/05/2018 15:37

rear-facing*

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Original poster

PasstheStarmix · 18/05/2018 15:39

Belfast you can get a mirror to stick to the back seat and that way you can see your little one still. That’s what we have done and ds also loves looking at himself!

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ThePartyArtist · 18/05/2018 15:39

Rear facing is by far the safest method so great you're thinking about it. There's a really useful facebook group called Car Seat Advice UK where queries are answered by experts in child car seat safety. They can help you find the best rear facing seat for your child's size, car and budget.

BelfastSmile · 18/05/2018 15:40

I think the law has changed for new car seats, but there's a changeover period where you can still use old car seats - obviously they may have lower age/weight limits.

BelfastSmile · 18/05/2018 15:40

@PasstheStarmix ooooh, I'll look into that!

TroubledLichen · 18/05/2018 15:42

My 11 MO is forward facing because of the screaming fits and travel sicknes; she is the minimum weight to go forwards and it’s legal where we live. If your DS is happy in his seat rear facing then definitely don’t switch him! Keep him RF until he starts moaning.

We also have a Britax group 1 seat that does rear and forward facing; I can’t recommend the model as it’s American but it looks very similar to the Romer.

Original poster

PasstheStarmix · 18/05/2018 15:46

Thanks for the tip @ThePartyArtist that’s good to know, I’ll check that out. TroubledLichen the britax is great isn’t it, I can’t recommend it enough for quality, comfort and more importantly safety.

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LillyBugg · 18/05/2018 15:47

The car seat advice uk group on Facebook is amazing and a real eye opener. It literally breaks my heart a little when I read people wanting to turn their children forward facing just so they can see them. I'm all for pre real choice but please make sure you are making informed decisions when it comes to something regarding safety. The statistics of forward facing vs rearward facing are absolutely shocking. Keeping children rear facing for as long as possible is absolutely the right thing to do.
We used a maxi cosi two way pearl but my high percentile older DS grew out of it before the age of four. If I'd looked ahead I would have bought a longer lasting, harnessed seat that goes up to 25kg rather than the standard 18kg.
As an aside to this I was really surprised that most harnesses cannot be used beyond 18kg and seatbelts should be used after this. I ended up shelling out a fair whack on two new seats to keep my 3 year old harnessed as he is far too young to be trusted with a proper seatbelt. The car seat advice Facebook group covers this issue as well.

LillyBugg · 18/05/2018 15:48

I'm all for parental choice**

Original poster

PasstheStarmix · 18/05/2018 15:55

Thanks Lilly, I think lack of information or misinformation can be a problem and some parents with older car seats may not realise the law has changed. I know just before the change in regulations large stores were selling all their forward facing only group 1 car seats off on sale. I’ve seen loads of people with young babies forward facing and I have a feeling the parents honestly don’t realise how much safer rear facing is and maybe aren’t informed. I know myself after this thread and research I’ll be keeping ds rear facing for as long as possible and won’t be switching him to forward facing any time soon.

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Elpheba · 18/05/2018 16:01

We went for the joie 360 spin and are very happy with it. DD was a high centile for weight initially but has massively slowed so hoping this lasts her until at least 4. The spin function is amazing for getting her in and out and, like others, I'm just aiming to keep her rear facing for as long as possible- helps that she knows no alternative so can't exactly complain!

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