Shopping for a car seat can be daunting but we're here with the facts on extended rear facing travel so that you can make an informed decision on the right car seat for your family. It's a legal requirement for children to remain rear facing up to 15 months but we generally recommend to keep babies and toddlers rear facing for as long as possible.
So, the first question you might have is why is rear facing travel safer? Most dangerous collisions involve frontal impact, standard forward facing car seats restrain the child with a harness meaning that in the event of a frontal collision their head is flung forwards putting a huge amount of strain on the neck, head and spine. A babies head makes up 25% of their body weight compared to a fully developed adult who's head makes up only 6%. In a rearward facing seat the shell of the car seat absorbs the impact, distributing the force more evenly.
How long should my child rear face? We recommend up until at least 4 years however some seats such as the BeSafe Stretch allow rear facing up to approx 7 years!
Won't my child be uncomfortable? What about leg room? Children will naturally find a comfortable position, most will cross their legs. Some seats like the BeSafe Stretch have extendable leg room making your rear facing child even more comfortable!
Aren't rear facing seats difficult to install? Not at all! Most are fitted with a support leg, tethers & seatbelt but if you're concerned about fitting we offer a free fit service at our stores with all car seats!
If you have any questions feel free to reach out to us via email, live chat or socials! We also have car seat specialists in store who can fit check & demonstrate our huge range of ERF (extended rear facing) car seats.