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Original poster

Confused about rear facing car seats

42 replies

CAG12 · 18/10/2019 12:31

Firstly I know you have to rear face until 15 months.

Im really confused though about this I found on the govt website. Does it mean lie flat OR rear face, or does it mean lie flat AND rear face?

So can you not rear face if you lie flat?

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Celebelly · 18/10/2019 12:33

No it just means it can lie flat or be be upright. There are a few lie-flat infant carriers (all rear facing)

Celebelly · 18/10/2019 12:35

(Well except for the ones that lie across two seats. Those don't really 'face' any direction, really).

dementedpixie · 18/10/2019 12:36

I think lie flat seats go along the back seat so they are side facing rather than rear facing. There are weight based seats too as well as iSize seats. iSize seats are the ones you need to rear face in up to 15 months. Weight based ones arent restricted to that age so could stop using it before then

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RolytheRhino · 18/10/2019 12:38

Yeah, as celebelly said. Lie flat is only worth it for very long journeys with a newborn (they're allowed to be in a standard car seat for a maximum of 30 minutes initially, rising to 2 hours, but that limit doesn't apply in lie-flat mode because they're lying flat. That said, if you can get a travel system that allows lie flat when out of the car, that could be beneficial (if it takes you an hour to go around Asda and they're in a standard travel system the whole time, that equates to one hour in a car seat).

Worth noting though, that in the event of an actual accident, traditional seats are safer than those that lie flat in the car, IIRC.

Celebelly · 18/10/2019 12:39

Some lie flat ones don't go across two seats. Kiddy ones don't (although alas they've gone bust) and Britax do one that doesn't either IIRC and I think Joie does one too. But some also only lie flat on prams and not in the car, such as the Cybex Cloud.

Celebelly · 18/10/2019 12:44

Worth noting though, that in the event of an actual accident, traditional seats are safer than those that lie flat in the car, IIRC.

Yes I believe this is true for the ones that lie flat sideways, but not for the iSize lie-flat ones that actually do rear face.

FairfaxAikman · 18/10/2019 12:52

Rear facing as long as possible, preferably in a seat that's passed the Swedish Plus test, is the safest way to transport a child.
9kg/15 month might be the legal minimum for forward facing but it's not safe.

imclaustrophobicdarren · 18/10/2019 13:24

@FairfaxAikman 👏 I so wish this was common knowledge. My SIL had my nephew in a cosatto HBB and he's a diddy 17m old! The poor thing couldn't even sleep! He's now back rear facing in a joie 360!

FairfaxAikman · 18/10/2019 14:00

@imclaustrophobicdarren I had a Joie 360 but upgraded to an Axkid Minikid recently. So many people think it's "cruel" and ask where there legs go 🙄

Alicealicewhothe · 18/10/2019 14:07

I'm confused too OP. We are first time parents looking at car seats and saw the maxicosi Jade which lies flat but is side facing. Honestly it's quite heavy and bulky. We were considering it as one set of grandparents live 4 hours drive away but we were are now looking at the joie I level which almost reclines flat but is still a rear facing car seat.

Harrysmummy246 · 18/10/2019 14:32

@FairfaxAikman

Love our axkid minikid and DS at 2.3 and 15+ kg is still perfectly happy especially as he can now see out. Legs just cross/ fold and I'm sure I read that's often more comfortable than dangling round forward.

Absolutely non-negotiable for me that DS is RF for as long as possible. DH hasn't even tried to argue fortunately

stucknoue · 18/10/2019 14:50

I don't understand why you are saying 30 mins in a car seat, you can't get across town in that time. Everyone used them attached to travel systems when mine were small and left them asleep in car seats, only preemies have issues with car seats

Celebelly · 18/10/2019 14:53

I hate the argument of 'everyone used to do this'. People used to do a lot of things that were later found to be unsafe. There's no judgement on the people who did those things as there wasn't the information we have then, but now we do know better, why wouldn't we use that information?

GrumpyHoonMain · 18/10/2019 14:55

Maxi cosi have a lie flat until approx 6 months (goes sideways across 2 seats). Kiddy had one that also went lie flat until 18 months but you needed to collapse the Front passenger seat. Cybex and Joie have seats that are upright in the car but lie flat when attached to a pushchair frame.

Celebelly · 18/10/2019 14:57

The Kiddy Evoluna doesn't require anything done with front passenger seat, unless you have a small car maybe. It fits fine in my Sportage without anything being done to front passenger seat. It's a great seat, but just a shame they went bust

HappyDinosaur · 18/10/2019 14:58

We had a lie flat car seat that went across two of the back seats. Because she wasn't all hunched up it didn't affect her breathing and so meany she could stay comfy in there for longer journeys. Lie flats can be side on or rear facing.

Celebelly · 18/10/2019 14:59

Joie iLevel is lie flat in car too.

Pinkblueberry · 18/10/2019 14:59

Firstly I know you have to rear face until 15 months.

But you don’t.

HappyDinosaur · 18/10/2019 15:00

Meant to say, ours was a Jane Matrix Light, it converts to non lie flat but rear facing, which is useful now our daughter is 1.

Original poster

CAG12 · 18/10/2019 15:04

@Alicealicewhothe yes same! So we bought a travel system that came with a cybex aton 5 car seat, and I wasnt to sure if it was rear facing, but now im pretty confident it is.

It says it has a lie flat function, but I dont think its particularly flat, just 'flatter' than sitting up

@Pinkblueberry please could you elaborate?

OP posts:

Pinkblueberry · 18/10/2019 15:14

Weight based seats are 9kg+, they don’t factor in age. Many babies are that weight before 15months. 15 months+ is for height based seats. I have a friend who was a bit stuck because her 15 month old didn’t weigh 9kg yet but none of the ‘height based’ seats seemed to cater for children that young so she’s kept her rear facing for now.

PrayingandHoping · 18/10/2019 15:21

@stucknoue there have been scientific tests which have shown that newborns oxygen levels drop when they are in an upright car seat for more than 30 minutes. That's why the advise is as it is

RolytheRhino · 18/10/2019 15:23

I have a friend who was a bit stuck because her 15 month old didn’t weigh 9kg yet but none of the ‘height based’ seats seemed to cater for children that young so she’s kept her rear facing for now

Good, best thing for her.

dementedpixie · 18/10/2019 15:30

Height based seats are from birth to approx 15 months so why would she be stuck?

There are 2 sets of regulations running side by side:
iSize - height/age based - rear face until 15 months
Weight based - rear face until 13kg, forward facing carseat available from 9kg. Various combination seats too

dementedpixie · 18/10/2019 15:34

She wont outgrow the iSize seat until she reaches the height limit

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