Something I saw at the grocery store tonight...is this okay?

toothfairymama

New member
I'm pretty sure it's not but I'm not a tech and I just wanted to ask. There was a woman putting her 2 girls into the middle seat of a minivan and she had the kind that you can turn the chairs rear-facing. So her younger daughter was getting into a convertible car seat that was installed in a rear-facing seat, therefore the car seat was facing the rear of the vehicle. I'm almost positive car seat manuals say not to install car seats in rear-facing vehicle seats...don't they?

But this made me think of something else...would kids not in car seats (like 10 yo+ kids who are no longer in boosters) be safer in those rear-facing captains chairs?
 
ADS

DahliaRW

New member
You are correct, they cannot be installed on rfing seats. Every car seat manual says that and I would bet the van's manual does as well.
 

Jonah Baby

New member
The woman must have really thought this through.

Everything I have heard says NO - you just really shouldn't do that.

I wonder if it was parental laziness regarding seat installs? FFing seats are often easier than installing RFing.


Don't try it at home.
 

Maedze

New member
I'm pretty sure it's not but I'm not a tech and I just wanted to ask. There was a woman putting her 2 girls into the middle seat of a minivan and she had the kind that you can turn the chairs rear-facing. So her younger daughter was getting into a convertible car seat that was installed in a rear-facing seat, therefore the car seat was facing the rear of the vehicle. I'm almost positive car seat manuals say not to install car seats in rear-facing vehicle seats...don't they?

But this made me think of something else...would kids not in car seats (like 10 yo+ kids who are no longer in boosters) be safer in those rear-facing captains chairs?

1. No, the seat cannot be installed on a rear facing vehicle seat. (Although it would be great if they were tested that way!)

2. Yes, for older kids not in child restraints, those rear facing seats are great!
 

joyride

Member
I think all european group 1 seats (20-40lbs) are allowed to be used on rear-facing van seats.
It is interessting that it is not allowed for the US seats.
Joy
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
I think all european group 1 seats (20-40lbs) are allowed to be used on rear-facing van seats.
It is interessting that it is not allowed for the US seats.
Joy

Yeah, it is interesting. Probably based on nothing but fear of the unknown and a rigid set of testing standards (we have one type of crash bench, a lap belt or LATCH, it's forward facing, and seats have to be tested on that at a certain speed). Not that I'm saying we should go against the manuals here in the US, of course....
 

NannyMom

Well-known member
The woman must have really thought this through.

Everything I have heard says NO - you just really shouldn't do that.

I wonder if it was parental laziness regarding seat installs? FFing seats are often easier than installing RFing.


Don't try it at home.

I think it's the opposite. Mom thinks the kids are big enough and should be FF. But the kids think it's fun to ride backwards, that's a nice benefit of the van. They turn backwards, so why not use it. Before I knew better, I probobly would have done the same thing.

But now I know better. And I never will. Though a child that can pass the 5 step test, or an adult...that's another story :)
 

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