Are 360 car seats worth it?

[Carseatt]

Exactly that. My 12 month old still uses her infant car seat but she really hates it. She keeps screaming and I'm thinking it might be because she's rear facing. Thankfully she'll be able to forward face at around 15 months. Maybe that'll help with car sickness and make car journeys less stressful and distracting.

I'm considering getting a 360 car seat. Are they worth it? Will it be too bulky in a small car?

We have a rotating Cybex one and it's amazing with my 2 year old. It makes putting her to the car seat so much easier and she is still rear facing though she is tall for her age. It does take 1.5 spaces so you can only fit one person at the back with her. But then again we also have non-rotating one and I cannot see us fitting 2 adults at the back with that either. As the Cybex rotates when it's raining I enter her car with her from my back door so we are both inside before I start putting her to the seat.

It depends on the car seat as to whether it’s too bulky for a small car. We have the silver cross 360 motion for the big car and that definitely wouldn’t fit in a small car but the Joie 360 fits in our fiesta. The front seat is pulled forward a bit further than I would like, especially for a long journey but I can get in easily and my knees aren’t on the dashboard.

I find them handy because it’s easier to put DC in at the side without banging their head. Also easier when they are having a tantrum and don’t want to go in the car, your back isn’t at awkward angle waiting for a gap in the tantrum to buckle them in. The main reason we went for 360 seats is because we didn’t know how long DC would be happy rear facing for. We didn’t want to buy a forward facing seat and turn them before we had to if they were happy to be rear facing. We also didn’t want to be stuck with a rear facing and a kid that lost the plot in that seat.

We were having a real problem with getting in the car and tantrums every single journey so we switched to forward facing. We did a few journeys forward facing but DC decided they prefer rear facing and asked to go backwards. It stopped the tantrums and they are happy to be rear facing so for us the 360 seats have been worth it.

They are nice but not essential. We have one in one car and a non-rotating one in our other car and I can't say it bothers me not being able to rotate that one.

We had a Joie one and I like you thought it would help with my toddlers car sickness. I was wrong!! The first journey (a long one!) she threw up 6 times. You can't take the seat off the rotating base and despite power hosing, using all sorts of sprays etc, we could never remove the vomit smell from the base!!! I never recommend them now!!

We really like ours. So easy to put them in. Mine also started getting upset in the car seat around then but in the spin seat was a lot better - it was a lot more upright than the laid back infant seat which I think helped. I wouldn’t rule out rear facing yet and would definitely try that if you do get a spin seat. She’s still so young to be forward facing if not absolutely necessary!

I love ours. I'm sure it's saved my back! Depends on whether they'll be able to climb in themsleves soon though as to whether it's worth it.

We can take the seat off the base on ours,so don't have the vomit problem. Ours is a pearl 360

I find it so much easier to get kids in to the spinning ones than non spinning. My baby is currently in an infant carrier and I can’t wait to switch him to the spinning one!

The spin seats are typically much higher up in the car than the rear facing ones, to accommodate the spin mechanism. It's easier for the kids to climb up to the rear facing seats, like my DS and Axxkid Minikid. I've heard of several families where kids felt pins and needles in their legs because of the dangling with forward facing seats, and wanted to turn back again.

And in the event of a crash, rear facing protects the child from the worst of brain injuries, spinal injuries, whiplash etc.

They're very convenient for getting them in and out. We did see a little bit of improvement in the travel sickness going forward facing (dd is very prone, and has been known to throw up within a couple of minutes of leaving the house), bit it didn't completely solve it. My best tips are a) try them on the opposite side of the car (dd was worse behind the driver's seat for some reason) and b) window open, blast with fresh air. Kalms work a treat but they can't take them until they're a bit older.

Absolutely love the Joie I spin. We have been using it for just over a year now. So easy to get the child in and out of from either side, especially useful if someone parks too close to open door fully.

I don’t rate them. Maybe it’s because DH is tall but we didn’t actually have space to spin it behind him, and we have a fairly large car. These days I’d just get a rear facing seat and then swap to a booster at 3.5/4. You might have more success in a more upright RF seat than an infant seat that’s very reclined, so I wouldn’t necessarily rule it out.

Please do look into the risks of forward facing at such a young age. When my first DD was young, I had no idea about the risks of forward facing a small toddler. Now that I have another DD, I'm planning to rear face until she's at least four or five. Here's some information:
Extended Rear-Facing Car Seats Explained: The Ultimate Guide (babyandco.com)

And also had the vomit issue on ours, it was a maxi cosi axissfix suitable from birth!!

Look into ERF ln fb its 4/5 times safer to keep your child RF until around the age of 6

Older 2 were babies before 360 seats existed. But we got a 360 seat for no. 3 (and kept for no. 4). The 360 seat and next to me crib would be my couldn't-live-without purchases. Really wish they had existed sooner.

We had one and it was amazing. I can't imagine trying to get DS in a rear facing seat during the 6-24 month phase when he was a nightmare about getting in the car.

Once he was about 18 months it did get tricky to put him, but still better than a non swivel seat (if you keep them rear facing). The swivel seat is a lot higher up than the car's normal backseat so he kept bumping his head on the doorframe. But he is a very tall boy so smaller children might not have that issue.

I have a bad back and for me it's so worth it because putting a toddler in a car seat when you can turn it to face you is so much easier than twisting your back to try and get them in when it's facing forward.

I know the risks but there are also huge risks when driving with a baby/toddler who screams and is distressed. The gov website states the height for moving to forward facing, which is a 1 year old.

Oh no!!

That's my worry about the car seat being too bulky. The rotation sounds so convenient. I might have to look into standard forward facing or multi stage car seats because she'll be able to stay in it for a few years. The rear facing car seats seem to be really reclined.

Thank you everyone for sharing!

I don't know about other rear facing car seats but the one I've got you change the incline as they grow.

I have a Halford rotating car seat it was a game changer with first child car journeys instantly improved. I got ds2 into it when he was about 7 months old from a doona and tbh I have him forward facing most of the time I only put him rear facing if going on a motorway. I know rear facing is technically safer but my 2 much prefer facing forwards.

It really shouldn't be about what they prefer, as a parent is should be about what would improve their chances of survival in an accident @Wavescrashingonthebeach

@Carseatt the gov website states a lot of bullshit and this point being one of them. Do the right thing by your child and RF them so they would be more likely to survive in a crash. This thread full of mums has blown my mind.