Are these child seats really better?

[tigwig]

I have kept my 11 month old baby in his rear facing infant carrier for as long as possible as I'm aware that they are much safer in these seats than going forward facing at 9mths. However, I would say he has approximately another month until he outgrows it. I have been doing some online research and it appears that it is safer to keep a child rear facing until they are in fact 4yrs old and this was backed up by a rather shocking crash test video clip but yet I know of very few people who do this as it suggested that the car seats are not widely available in this country. I looked at some and the minimum price was £210 which I think is very expensive as a pose to putting him in the Maxi Cosi seat I already have. There is just a part of me that thinks what if I had an accident and the worst happened and I was told he would have not been injured etc if he had have been rear facing. Do any of you use these seats? Should I pay the money for peace of mind? Also if these types of seat are all they say they are how come forward facing ones are sold if they are so dangerous for toddlers with the way they allow a child to be flung forward violently?

[annie0000]

Always had forward facing seats, so can't comment on their use in older children. It really depends on doing your own risk analysis. What type of driving do you do? What type of car do you have/whats the car safety rating? etc etc.

Only you can decide what's best for your child and I would think the chances of being in any accident are fairly slim, the chances of any accident you have resulting in an injury for any passenger are even smaller, the chances of a good quality, properly fitted car seat not protecting your child are even smaller. There are possibly some accidents that could happen that it would be better to be in a rear facing seat, but the chances of that must be tiny. For me, it wouldn't be so much the cost, but the size of my child and how practical it would be to try to get them in a rear facing seat.

Just checked my sons' charts and they were 3 foot 9 at age 4. Where do they put their legs? Eldest also suffered from car sickness so was violently ill when facing backwards so it wouldn't have worked for us.

[karenmac60]

I would also worry about them if I couldn't see them! I think a child is more likely to choke or something than to be injured in a car accident, and if they're facing away from you how would you know? My daughter had a forward facing seat from 9 months and never came to any harm, and as Annie says, she would've had problems with where to put her legs by the age of 4.

[zzxxee]

i agree i think if you cant see an older child it might cause problems.
I remember a few years ago watching a programme about rear faceing seats in the passenger seat where the child could be crushed by airbags ....shocking !!

[ummmm]

I thought it was common knowledge that you never use rear facing seats if there's an airbag.

[pink-kittens]

I've seen that research and video as well.
Use rear facing for as long as you can.
As for the air bag issue? There isn't one - use the back seat

[zzxxee]

it should be ummmm i agree but this programme proved otherwise