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Parenting

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Original poster

Any reason not to get a rear facing car seat?

18 replies

Stefka · 03/10/2008 16:15

I posted this in products but didn't get too many replies and I am keen to know people's thoughts.

DS is needing to go up to the next car seat. I read the stuff on rear facing car seats and it makes sense. Are there any reasons not to get one that I might be missing? They are expensive and I want be sure I am doing the right thing.

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Tommy · 03/10/2008 16:17

a friend of mine is a very enthusiastic advocat of these. As far as I can see (from her evidence) they are much the best seats you can buy from a safety perspective - which is the most important thing isn't it?

Original poster

Stefka · 03/10/2008 19:29

That was what I had read - that they were safer and I guess I feel that now I know that I can't unknow it if you know what I mean! They are dear though and I am guessing as he gets older DS won't like it much. Still they are for safety so it makes sense to me to go for that. Just wondered if anyone knew of any negatives or arguments against them.

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WantThisWantThat · 03/10/2008 19:58

Don't want to be all judgey and not sure of what you are actually talking about but is that for a size 1 car set that faces the back seat. Won't your child get bored that he can't see anything - is that this not a danger in itself? All car seats have to pass stringent safety tests anyway, so I'm not sure what real all round benefits it would have? Curious though - do you have a link?

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Sycamoretree · 03/10/2008 20:13

My sis went for this option - I gather they are supposed to be safest. All I can say from experience is, it is bloody boring for them starting at the back of a car seat as they get older. They like to look out of the window. Also, if they are throwing any kind of fit, whining, crying etc, it's easier to turn around (when you are in passenger seat of course!) and give them a smile, sing a song, chuck a rice cake at them, or if all else fails, the dummy.

Original poster

Stefka · 03/10/2008 20:41

It was new to me too - someone on here mentioned it. There is some info here:

www.rearfacing.co.uk/index.php

I don't know much about it myself to be honest. Just trying to figure out what is best.

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WantThisWantThat · 03/10/2008 21:03

Hhmm - website seems a bit paranoid and keeps alluding to their popularity in Scandanavian. Perhaps, because of the darker, icier conditions there is a greater need for a carseat that is even safer because there is a greater risk of a car crash. Volvo's (I think) are one of the safest cars but it doesn't mean that all the others out there are death traps. DD can be such a PITA when I'm out driving with her - I think this would be even worse.

Original poster

Stefka · 03/10/2008 21:07

It's always hard to know about these things isn't it. They do seem to have a lot of evidence though. I don't get why the UK government wouldn't be recommending them though if they knew they were safer.

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WantThisWantThat · 03/10/2008 21:33

I know! I spent ages deciding on the best car seat. Ended up with a Maxi Cosi Toby because it was so easy to install (was using the one between two cars at the time so was always have to to take in and out) and strap in. TBH, I assumed it as long as it was installed correctly then it would offer as much protection as needed. Good luck!

Tangle · 04/10/2008 22:43

Whether or not it fits in your car. We shifted DD into a Concord Ultimax when she was about 7 months as she outgrew her 0+ car seat. She's now 18 months and still rearward facing. The only time we've had a problem with her is on very long journeys (around 7 hrs) and I suspect she'd have been unhappy whichever way round she'd been. She's reaching the weight limit for rearward facing, now, and we have to decide whether to keep the car seat and turn her around or get a proper Grp 1 rearward facing car seat.

The only thing putting me off getting the new carseat is that I'm concerned it won't actually fit in the car and I can't find anyone locally that stocks them so I can check. Replacing the car would be difficult at the moment.

As for why the UK government don't recommend them, I haven't got a clue.

Original poster

Stefka · 05/10/2008 14:00

I found a local shop that has one so I am going to go and check it out. I am pretty sure I am going to get one though - all the evidence says that they are safer.

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MerlinsBeard · 05/10/2008 14:01

what do they do with their legs in RF carseats when they a re older?

Original poster

Stefka · 05/10/2008 14:08

Good question! I ask when I go and look at the seat and see what they say.

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SlinkieM · 05/10/2008 20:49

The fact they haven't been tested by an independent reputable source (eg Which) would put me off. If you look at all the car seat tests, you can see (among fwd facing ones - the only ones I have seen tested here) the quality and safety varies enormously. Without independent analysis how would you know you were buying a decent rear-facing or a lousy one just like you could buy an excellent fwd-facing or a duff one? Unless you have access to test results or knowledge from friends etc from the countries where these are popular or the norm, you wouldn't really know the quality of what you were buying surely?

Tangle · 06/10/2008 15:23

DD just bends her legs, or waves them in the air if she feels so inclined. She falls asleep happily enough, so I'm assuming she's not uncomfortable.

Slinkie - If you look at this page on the rearfacing webpage, you'll find a number of links to independent safety tests of rearward facing carseats. The page also has some very valid thoughts about test results in general that you might find interesting. The only hitch is that they're all in swedish, although the rearfacing site admin do offer help in that department.

Original poster

Stefka · 06/10/2008 16:18

We tried it in our car and it doesn't sit flush with the back seat so there is plenty space for legs.

The woman in the shop said that they are definitely safer but that people here are obsessed with getting their children front facing as soon as possible. They come to her with four month old babies asking for front facing car seats all the time.

We bought it in the end. It is more expensive but we thought it was worth it. It's a really nice seat too.

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Tangle · 06/10/2008 16:22

Glad they were helpful Which seat did you get? I've got a couple of months before DD reaches the weight limit for RF in her current seat, so I'm doing my digging now.

diddle · 06/10/2008 16:26

surely it is bad for their posture at an older age, to have their legs tucked up against a seat like that. the kids on the linked site don't look very comfy

Original poster

Stefka · 06/10/2008 16:36

The Recaro polaric:

shop.babyworld.co.uk/DisplayDetail.aspx?prodid=2019

There is space for legs on the one I got so his legs won't be tucked up. For me, having read the research, I feel happier knowing he is in a safer car seat.

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