New car seat recommendation for babies

It is a legal requirement that all children and babies travelling in a vehicle be securely strapped in via a car seat or booster seat. Currently a rear facing car seat is recommended for babies until the age of one; after this age a car seat that is forward facing is then legal to use or unless the child outgrows the car seat before the recommended time.

In many European countries parents use rear facing car seats until the child is much older and after much research by the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP), they have now stated that babies should use a rear facing car seat until the age of two as it's much safer. Because babies have larger heads compared to their small necks, this is the most common injury when forward facing. If the child was rear facing, then injury is most likely to be to the legs rather than upper body such as the neck.

Car seats have changed a lot over the years allowing for heavier children to use them for longer but if a child outgrows the rear facing child seat, they are usually put in the next stage up that accommodates their size and weight, a forward facing car seat. The AAP is advising all parents whose babies outgrow their infant car seat to buy a new car seat that can be used rear facing until the child is two. Unfortunately there are not that many manufacturers that allow for older children to sit rear facing for more than a year so finding a car seat that allows this would be a struggle.

Many years ago car seats were not a legal necessity and as long as a child was seated and restrained with a seat belt they were deemed as safe. In many parts of the world, car seats are still not a legal requirement, and as car seats continue to get more expensive, many parents will find that it is another unnecessary squeeze.

The best way to save money when buying a car seat is to purchase one that can be used for a longer period of time. There are a few that can be used at birth rear facing, then turned forward when the child is older. So by paying a little more, you will find that one car seat can be used for longer so there's no need to keep upgrading every time a child gets bigger.

All parents agree that babies and young children need to be safe and secure when travelling but most cars and car seats do not allow for extra foot room for a growing child, so after 9 months some babies will start to feel squashed in a rear facing car seat. If it becomes a legal requirement for children to be in a rear facing car seat for up to two years, then there are many problems that will need to be overcome, one of them being dirty shoes that will mark the rear seat backs.