Your baby is always safest in a rear facing car seat; for as long as your child fits in a rear facing child restraint / baby capsule. However, there are practical limits to keeping a child rear facing, such as the height markers. It is crucial to ensure your child remains in a rear facing car seat for as long as possible to maximise safety.
The height marker to turn a child around indicates the minimum torso length; the child should remain in a rear facing car seat before being turned around to forward facing. The height markers must have measured at the shoulders.
Child Restraint standardsRight now there are a number of different child restraints out there, which comply to differing standards, the 2004 standards uses a weight and age based system, the 2010 standards which uses height markers and the new 2013 standard which introduced the G type seat and isofix. Regardless of whether your child restraint is compliant to the 2004 or 2010 standard; the most important point for a rear facing carseat is that your child is comfortable and not squashed into the restraint, does the child fit into the inbuilt harness for rear facing carseat use.
Legal Age for Rear Facing carseat
It is vital to choose a suitable rear facing carseat that meets safety standards to ensure your child’s safety while travelling.
From 6 months of age; children can be turned around; from rear facing position to forward facing; however the generally agreed minimum is that the child should stay rear facing in a car-seat until they reach at least the first height marker, with many experts recommending that you do not move your child to forward facing until they pass the upper shoulder height markers.
When your child is in a 2004 standard child restraint (weight and age based standard); there are no height markers and as the sign your child has outgrown the restraint is when their shoulders have passed the upper harness slot for rear facing use.
When selecting a rear facing carseat, consider factors such as ease of installation and compatibility with your vehicle.
Investing in a high-quality rear facing carseat can make a significant difference in your child’s safety during travel.
Types of Rear Facing child restraints
Should you have a baby capsule; it is recommended to move to a convertible child restraint in rear facing mode.
There are a number of different rear facing child restraints, these are indicated by their child restraint Type.
A rear facing car seat can be
- Type A1 = small capsule for 6-9 months, e.g. maxi cosi mico plus
- A2 for children up to 12 months old (e.g. Britax b-pod Capsule Hire) &
- A4 (extended rear facing car seat) for children up to 30 months
Many families feel more confident turning a rear facing carseat to forward facing. The main reason is that the seat is close to the cars seat and it is harder to move. If you are uncertain as to your abilities to fit the baby car seat in a forward facing position contact Travelsafe baby seat installation (0420 516 587).
References
- transport.wa.gov
- vicroads.gov.au