Car Seat Fitting Cost

What is safest Rear Facing or Forward facing

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. The height marker to turn a child around indicates the minimum torso length; the child to turn around a rear facing car seat to forward facing. The height markers must have measured at the shoulders.

Child Restraint standards

Right 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 your child is are they comfortable and not squashed into the restraint, does the child fit into the inbuilt harness

Legal Age for Rear Facing car seat

From 6 months of age; childcen can be turned around; from rear facing position to forward facing; however the generally agreed minimum is that the child should stay rear facing until they reach at least the first height marker, with many experts recommending that you do rot move your child to forward facing until they pass the upper should 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.

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

References
transport.wa.gov

vicroads.gov.au