Rear facing?? Anyone use it with their toddlers

fernliebee

I've only got a teeny baby at the min so obviously she is rear facing. She has a 0-4 years car seat that stays rear facing until 13kg and lasts until they are 18kg. (britax 1st class) I completely support rear facing seats for children as old as poss as it is safer, and when I was small my mum had 2 seats put in the back of our estate car so we could travel rear facing as older children.

The only problem/ question I have is, with my car seat it is quite tricky to put my baby in to the seat, as you are left with a small gap to 'post' them through, this is hard enough with a 14lb baby never mind a 13 kg toddler!! Anyone experienced this car seat??

I see it as the harder it is to get them in, the harder it would be for them to come out (in an accident) he he!

fernliebee

shirlgirl2004 wrote: »

I realise that the 4 year old could be rear facing if I bought a special needs car seat but there is a balance between keeping your child safe and having them ridiculed. No-one has mentioned her still being in a toddler seat but if she were still rear facing her peers would be taking the mickey because she started school in September.

Depending on the car I think you can fit 5 point straps to ordinary seats which are safer than standard seat belts. Then they aren't much different to their friends so prob wouldn't get laughed at or even noticed;) . Not sure about how they fit with a booster seat but I'm sure they do!!

shirlgirl2004

fernliebee wrote: »

Depending on the car I think you can fit 5 point straps to ordinary seats which are safer than standard seat belts. Then they aren't much different to their friends so prob wouldn't get laughed at or even noticed;) . Not sure about how they fit with a booster seat but I'm sure they do!!

Sorry you misunderstood me. She is in a seat which is a toddler seat i.e. it has a 5 point harness and I'm happy with that and so is she. I wouldn't however have her rear facing at 4 even though I could buy a car seat to do that because I think she might be called a baby by her friends. Mental health is as important as physical IMO.

BernadetteN

Anyone remember how much fuss there was when the EU directive came into force a couple of years' back obliging all children 135cm and less to be in car seats and not under seat belts any more? Many parents said they wouldn't use them because their children would feel ridiculed. Now it's the norm for many parents to have their loved ones in car seats up to 7-11 years old, with just a stubborn minority in the UK ignoring the law - pity about the parents where I live in Belgium who think even seat belts for children are bizarre!

The biggest restricting factor in having children from 1-4 years old in rear facing seats is that many cars will simply not be big enough as the seats take up more space. Secondly rear facing seats restrict access to other passengers in the car. This means at the moment there are few rear facing car seats on the market because manufacturers see it as a small market. Perhaps in a few years it will become the norm for seats up to 4 years old to be rear facing.

I'd personally would have put our children in rear facing seats up to 4 years old, never mind the mental anguish they may suffer from others!!!! Our 12 year old came out of his car seat last year, at 150cm which is the EU Directive recommended height for a child to remain in a car seat. Our 10 year old who is 144cm tall will also stay in his car seat until he is 150cm. I've never once heard any child or parent ridicule our children for staying in car seats for longer than the law requires, and even if they did get comments, it wouldn't change my mind to have them in car seats.

foreversomeday

fernliebee wrote: »

I see it as the harder it is to get them in, the harder it would be for them to come out (in an accident) he he!

:eek: Of course it's better that the child can't fall out, but you don't want something which takes ages to get the child out of in an accident - what if you were unconscious/injured and someone unfamiliar with the seat was trying to free the child?

hollydays

foreversomeday wrote: »

:eek: Of course it's better that the child can't fall out, but you don't want something which takes ages to get the child out of in an accident - what if you were unconscious/injured and someone unfamiliar with the seat was trying to free the child?

Theyd cut the straps

shirlgirl2004

BernadetteN wrote: »

I'd personally would have put our children in rear facing seats up to 4 years old, never mind the mental anguish they may suffer from others!!!! Our 12 year old came out of his car seat last year, at 150cm which is the EU Directive recommended height for a child to remain in a car seat. Our 10 year old who is 144cm tall will also stay in his car seat until he is 150cm. I've never once heard any child or parent ridicule our children for staying in car seats for longer than the law requires, and even if they did get comments, it wouldn't change my mind to have them in car seats.

I couldn't agree more but my daughter is already 4 and at school so I feel keeping her rear facing would lead to ridicule by probably parents and children. I agree having her in a toddler seat at 4 is although not the norm still more acceptable by others, as is having a 12 year old on a booster seat. I don't feel I'm taking undue risk having her in forward facing at the age of four.

BernadetteN

hollydays wrote: »

Theyd cut the straps

We keep a combined seatbelt cutter and window shattering device in the glove compartment. I can't remember where we bought it unfortunately but it could have been Great Little Trading or another child-focused catalogue.

hollydays

Homebargains have them £1

NBirdy

Don't mean to hijack the OP's thread, but does anyone know of any good deals on rear-facing car seats that suit larger children/babies? My DD1 is tiny so came straight from our rear-facing Group 0 car seat into a forward-facing Britax Explora Isofix at approx 14m.

However DD2 is on the 91st centile for height and weight, and is already almost 19lbs at 5 1/2 months. The Group 0 carseat has a weight limit of 22lbs and I certainly don't want to put her forward-facing before she's 1!

I would like to find a bargain if possible (though obviously NOT a cheap and nasty seat, just a good deal) as money is tight and I'd like to be able to afford the same seat as her sister when she does go forward-facing.