Rearward facing car seat beyond 12kgs?

[Life is Good]

We are looking at getting a second car seat for our boy and I was wondering if anyone knows of a car seat that a baby can remain rearward-facing in beyond them weighing 12kgs? I have been doing some research and the car seats available all seem to have a limit of 12kgs for the rearward position. Our boy is only 6 months old but already weighs 10.2kgs so he doesn't have much time!

I desperately want to keep him rearward-facing for as long as possible, but unless I can find a seat to accommodate his weight I may not have a choice but to front-face him. This is stressing me out and I really hope I can find a solution - he is just too little to be facing the front

Thanks a lot.

[Saffi]

Could you still face him rearwards in the existing convertible seats even if he is 12kgs or greater? I suppose his length in addition to his weight might also determine if he can sit comfortably while still facing backwards.

[Life is Good]

Thanks for your response, Saffi. As it happens he is also in the 99th percetile for height, but that is not really my concern. Kids in Scandinavia remain rearward-facing until the age of four. They just fold their legs and deal with it! My concern is, instead, that if I leave him rearward facing when the seat specifies a 12kg limit that I will be compromising his safety in another way - perhaps they have not been designed to support additional weight in that position etc. So if I cannot locate a seat with a higher weight-limit then I will have to start calling the companies and asking those kinds of questions. Hopefully someone here will have encountered a similar issue and can advise me instead

[suse]

Australian seats are not designed for extended rear facing and should not be used past the recommended weight limit. The Swedish seats, which do support extended rear facing, are not approved for use in Australia because they use a different tethering system and Australian standards require all seats to be bolt tethered. Many European seats (including ERF seats) use the Isofix latching system which is actually safer, ironically enough. This system is available in many cars sold in Australia, particularly those of European make, but cannot be legally used.

Don't get me started...

Short answer is, no, you cannot legally rear-face your child once he/she reaches twelve kg in weight.

However, if you can get a doctor to authorise the use of a non-standard ERF seat under medical grounds, then it can legally be done. A doctor may provide such authorisation. Usually this is for the opposite reason, a baby younger or smaller than the minimum age will be allowed to sit forward facing, usually if severe reflux is an issue and aspiration a legitimate concern. There is no precedent (as far as I am aware) for medical authority to be used as a loophole to allow extended rear facing. But even though your son is very young, he is still older than the minimum legal age for forward facing, so a doctor may not find that there are medical grounds sufficient to warrant this unless he has a specific medical condition making forward facing unsafe.

[Life is Good]

Suse, thanks for such a definitive answer - even if it wasn't the one I wanted I am really scared to turn him - it is so annoying that Australia hasn't cottoned-on to such a major safety risk! As for medical grounds, we would be hard-pressed to find a reason as he is perfectly healthy and a very big, strong boy - so not really an option. I guess that all we can do is try and find the safest front-facing seat out there and hope and pray for the best You have been so helpful, thanks again

[suse]

My pleasure, even if it wasn't the answer you'd hoped for. Perhaps talk to your GP, find out if they are sympathetic. Can't hurt to try!