Legally yes they need to be rear facing until 15 months however it is safest until they are at least 5 years old and their skeletons and necks are fully developed. It’s 5 x safer to rear face (even for adults!) this page explains why: https://axkid.com/uk/why-rear-facing-is-safer/ The law doesn’t always recommend what is safest for your child. For example it’s legal to give your child alcohol at home at 5 doesn’t make it safe!
Also HV aren’t car seat experts last time I checked 😜 I’d take what they say with a pinch of salt. Mine once commented that my baby should be wearing a coat in their car seat because it was a bit chilly out which is dangerous advice!
@JennyNo way 😂 I didn’t know that about alcohol! But thank you! I am trying to read as much and make the best choice but struggling a bit with figuring out what’s right and what’s just like you said a gimmick. 😅 We got given our first baby car seat second hand and at that point we didn’t have the funds to do anything else so we just went with it but now that we have the choice and ability to do better for our kid I want to make sure I’m doing as much research and picking the safest option I can!
There is a really helpful group on Facebook called Bump to Booster - UK car seat support. If you post with your child’s details (age/sex/weight/height), budget and your preferred specifications they’ll be able to recommend some quality safe seats.
Fab advice from @Jenny and completely agree with everything she has said! We have an Axkid Move and an Avionaut Sky, both from that list and bought with support from the expert admins from that fb group
@Courtney the group that Jenny suggested is a lot friendlier and the admins are also experts 🥰
@CeeCee I’ve never had an issue with either group tbh & the admins on the group Jenny recommended were also admins on the page I posted about not too long ago (and responded in a way the other admins did) so i wouldn’t say either is superior to the other in terms of knowledge or expertise, or friendlier. I am a member on both but found the car seat safety UK page quicker with responses than the other, that was all x
I’ve joined the one @Jenny suggested but I’ll join the other one now too and see how I get on with both! Thank you xxx
Hey thanks so much! @Jenny im still digesting half of what u said 😂 so going to talk to hubby and reassess options! Thanks for the recommendations. Can I just check you’ve said they need to be rear facing until 5/6 but I was told by our health visitor and I’ve just checked the government website it says they need to be rear facing until 15 months?