Rear facing in real life
Many parents wonder how the Swedes keep their kids rear facing until age 4 or longer. How does a parent fit one, two, or three rear facing seats in the rear and still have room left in front? Is a large car necessary or will a mid size, or small car, work as well?
The Swedish rear facing seats are unique since they have tall seat shells but still don’t need much room. A regular mid size car will keep a toddler or two rear facing in he back seat until age 4 or longer. Space in the front will still be fine. A good example are the photos below with a DuoLogic and a Britax Hi-Way in a normal VW Golf, a regular mid size car.
This is surprising to most parents, a common myth told by organizations who hate rear facing is that a rear facing seat in the rear means no space left in the front regardless of car. Just yesterday a worried parent emailed asking about using DuoLogic in a Volkswagen Passat, a large family car. She had just spoken to a very well known organization who told her “there is no way it will fit”.
Not only will it fit well in a Passat, there is lots of room in the front seat. DuoLogic and the compact Britax Hi-Way will also fit nicely in much smaller cars, such as a VW Golf. This car is one of the most common in the world, two Swedish rear facing seats in the rear seat with plenty of room in the front is no problem (see photos above, click for larger size).
These incorrect statements by organisations, who know next to nothing about rear facing seats, are of course confusing for parents. Leg space in front seat is an important consideration when choosing a car seat since we want the whole family to be comfortable in the car. If you have questions about how rear facing Swedish car seats fit your car please email us at info@carseat.se and we’ll help you out.
I would like to see photos of actual children in the rear facing seats. I cannot imagine how cramming a 36-48 inch child into that small space can possibly work.
Please consider adding photographs and giving heights foir the shildren in them.
Thanks !
Mary, you an check out lots of older children sitting rear facing in the galler, https://www.carseat.se/gallery
Britax Hi-Way and DuoLogic will keep kids comfortably rear facing to a height of about 44 inches without any “cramming”. Children sit with bent legs which is comfortable for them but not for us adults.
We’ll post some more photos shortly of some older kids sitting rear facing in these seats.
My daughter was right around 120½ cm tall in the latest photos of her en the red and black Two Way Elite and the green/grey Multi-Tech. Sitting there was and still isn´t a problem, which makes anything less a piece of cake.
Adding info on the height of the children depends entirely on the owners´ willingness to share that info.
My oldest rear facing doughter is 4years 4months old 42″ 40pounds and she is very comfy in her Multi Tech and her Radian XTSL. She has a very good view, she is able to inter act with her older siblings and take naps without waking waking up with a sore neck.
befor i new of the great saftey that rear facing provides she was front facing and with that she would cry and complain that her lags and back were hurting and if she fell asleep she would wakeup crying that her neck hurt. She could not see much out the window other than what was moveing so fast by that she would throw up.
Now that she is rear facing there is no leg, back or neck pain no pucking she can see out the back window and be entertained by the older kids.
a photo of her last summer is in the gallery on this site.
Hiya all, These comments are all great and I am well sold but please please please can someone tell me where can i buy a rear facing car seat that will last my son Harry who is 10 months for up until he is 4 year old or more??? Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thankyou Andy….
Hello Andy,
Thanks for your comment. You can have a look in our online store at https://www.carseat.se/store.html for lots of car seats which will fit your needs.
If you have more questions regarding what fits your car, please email us at info@carseat.se
/Håkan
Thankyou so much for your quick responce.I’m looking to buy the Britax hi-way Harry to fit a Vaxhall Astra? Do you deliver to Wales in the United Kingdom?? Thank god for sweeden because the UK are sooo far behind when it comes to child safty. Thanks again, Andy….
I found this website while researching rear facing car seats for my twins (they are now 13 months) and thank you so much for providing all this useful information.
My question is, with 2 rear facing seats installed, does the middle seat become completely useless for passengers? We often need to transport my elderly mother, and sometimes also my father! We have a fairly large car which in theory has 7 seats (Mazda 5). At the moment, it is not too troublesome to remove a baby seat, climb into the middle and reattach the baby seat because we have those car seat bases. But I am concerned that this would be very difficult with the next stage seats which seem to have many ties and attachments.
Thanks!
Sharon, thanks for the kind words. Middle rear seat is still useful but it does of course also depend on how large the car is. My mother in law can easily climb in between our two RF seats in our V70 but she’s quite youthful. My parents would struggle……
It’s not a great solution if the middle rear needs to be used all the time. Deactivating airbag in front seat and using it for one of the seats would be far better (and also as safe or safer). Two adults could then fit nicely in rear seat.
Thanks for the reply! I had not thought of putting one seat in front, that’s a great idea.
I have an Akta Graco DuoLogic setup using ISOFix mounts in an Opel Astra III (Astra H), behind the passenger seat, and I can’t agree that there will be lots of room left in the front. Not unless you’re 5′ 5″ or less. The Graco is quite compact, yet it still needs 90cm in the back to fit without hassle. I wouldn’t recommend it for anything smaller than an Astra/Golf, unless you can switch off the front air bag and mount the seat in the front of the car.
What I can agree with entirely is that the “crammed” argument some front-facing proponents use is nothing but pure nonsense. Kids have plenty of room in RF seats, at least as much as in a FF seat, *AND* they are *MUCH* safer in RF.
I would like to buy a RF seat which can be used in an Audi6, a Ford Mondeo and an older Golf IV (without isofix). Can you please tell me if the Duologic II will be the right choice? Thank you very much for any reply.
Hello Chris,
DuoLogic will fit nicely in all of your cars. Since your Golf doesn’t have Isofix you can install DuoLogic with seat belt instead. If you want to see some photos of how DUoLogic will look in your A6 you can email us at info@carseat.se
/Håkan
Thank you for a great website.
I have twins aged 2 and a daughter aged 4,5 (1.15cm), they all are rearfaced on one row in our Seat Alhambra. Twins on the sides in Duologic and big sister in the middle in a Two Way Elite. Getting big sister in and out involves climbing and it a little hazzle to get her belts tightened, but I wouldn’t do it any other way. She rides in a front faced booster seat in her grandparents car, but doesn’t complain about being rearfaced in our car. So anything is possible. She might just sit rearfaced until twins are turned frontfaced in two years time.
Hi
My daughter is 18 months and sits RF in a Britax Multi-tech in a SAAB 9-3 sport combi. I have plenty of space in the front seat. We love the seat, but have noticed that over the past few months, two tests published in Norwegian media (where we live) have given the Multi-tech a bad safety score, even RF it has been classified as not satisfactory. This worries us a bit. My parents have offered us a trade for their Highway, but we are unsure. Suggestions?
Multi Tech is an excellent and extremely safe car seat. No need to worry or change seat. I personally use a Multi Tech part time for my children if that means anything (also a Hi-Way and a Britax Adventure forward facing seat). Most parents use this seat for rear facing and then buy a high back booster when it’s time for forward facing since these are lighter and easier to handle. Multi Tech is a little bulky forward facing since it’s heavier than other high back boosters. Belt fit, an important factor when forward facing, is very good.
Multi Tech is just as safe as Britax Hi-Way, BeSafe X3, Maxi Cosi Mobi, DuoLogic, etc. There is good reason why we look very little at testing here in Sweden. All tests are done differently and are also very subjective and biases. This is why one seat can get a great score in one test and a low score in another test.
Many of the tests are performed in other countries, and purchased by magazines etc., by organizations/people who have almost no experience with rear facing car seats. It’s also well known by people who work with rear facing car seats that most countries outside of Sweden are very biased against rear facing seats despite the huge safety benefits.
One accident doesn’t prove anything but read this story and you should feel better:-) https://www.carseat.se/britax-multi-tech-saves-a-life/
/Håkan
http://www.carseat.se
Thank you for the quick and good feedback Håkan. I felt I had done good research before buying the Multi Tech, but one always feels uneasy when these tests are presented over several pages in national media. So we will definitely stick with our Multi Tech!
it’s not like they have any vested interest in selling BIGGER and MORE EXPENSIVE carseats by preying on the self-doubting minds of moms and dads in love with their precious children, now is there?
Here are some pics I took of my 33lb, 40 inch tall daughter REAR FACING… and she was uncomfortable and looked ridiculous and DEFINATELY would be experiencing neck issues even if we DIDN’T get into a freak accident.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=228829&id=627540852&l=33185a394c
My .02,
Shannon
Shannon: Sorry but can’t see your photo. There is no “preying on the self-doubting minds of moms and dads in love with their precious children”. We are sharing publicly available research and data. It’s up to parents what to do with the information. This is no doubt that rear facing car seats are 500% safer than forward facing seats since it has time and again been proven by peer reviewed independent research.
Perhaps more importantly, here in Sweden we keep children rear facing until age 4 or longer and fatalities in age 0-6 years are basically zero. We think that’s a great reason to keep kids rear facing.
A 40 inch child has no problem sitting comfortably rear facing in a Swedish rear facing seat. My daughter is 41 inches and almost 4 and still has plenty of room to grown in her Britax Hi-Way. My 6.5 year old boy is sitting forward facing but can also fit nicely in a Britax Multi Tech. He’s 50 inches tall.
If your daughter is uncomfortable already at 40 inches you haven’t found a good seat. Not sure what “neck issues” you are talking about, this is an issue with forward facing seats and doesn’t really exist in rear facing seats.
If you have any general questions about your car seat I would be happy to help you ou. Please feel free to email me at hakan@carseat.se
/Håkan
Hi,
proud dad of a 7 month old girl, who is still sitting in her Britax Companion which I think is one of the best infant car seats.
But time is coming to go to the next level, first I was thinking of Britax Advocate CS, but found your’s website and now considering the Britax Multi Tech, because we live in Croatia, so the shipping should be cheaper.
I have a few questions regarding the Multi Tech:
1. Can you provide some measurements of how much space it takes rearfacing, because we do have a 1997.Jeep Grand Cherokee, and I am 2,00 meters tall, and my wife is a little bit smaller but can still be considered a quite tall woman, and I don’t know if I wil be able to drive the Jeep with Multi Tech installed behind drivers seat. How much space it takes between front and rear back of the seat?
2. Does the Multi Tech have the EUR1 certificate, because the import customs for non EU products are quite high in Croatia.
Thanx in advance
Apologies for the very late reply.
– Multi Tech will need about 60-65 cm or space which means it fits fine in regular mid size cars. It will fit fine in a Cherokee but front seats will not be able to go all the way back. Space in front would normally be fine but since you are tall installation in middel rear might be a beter choice since car seat then partially fits between front seats.
– EUR 1 certificate can be issued but we normally don’t do this since it leads to higher fees for customers regarding VAT.
/Håkan
Hi! We are looking for the next stage car seat for our son who is currently 6 months old. We have been looking at the be safe izi cozy 3. Would this be ok do you think in our Renault Scenic? (it has isofix)Also, some sites say not to buy on line as seats might be damaged in transit and to get seats fitted by an expert. We don’t have this option as we live in quite a remote place – do you think our son will still be safe? Or should we take a trip away to be sure?
Also, are the britax and other makes as safe as the BeSafe? Want our son to be as safe as possible but don’t want to spend more than we need to.
So many question! Thank you
Me again! I am so confused! Is the BeSafe izi combi 3 the same as the BeSafe Izi kid 3? If they are different, which one has won the Plus test, the ‘toughest safety test in the World’! Thank you again
Thanks for your comment Catherine. Izikid X3 Isofix will fit in your Scenic although space will be a little tighter when you use “sleep position” on the seat. SAme thing with Izikid X3, which is the same seat but installed with seat belt.
Needing experts to fit a rear facing seat is a common myth. Swedish RF seats are easy and straight foward to install and fit virtually any car without any extra equipment.
Izikid Combi an also be used forward facing 9-18 g. This seat is not sold in Sweden for safety reasons. We know from experience parents often turn children forward facing way too soon when there is an opportunity to do so. This is the reason why no forward facing seats for young children are sold in Sweden.
Izikid X3, both Isofix and non-Isofix version have both passed the Plus Test.
More expensive car seats don’t automatically mean better safety. Britax Multi Tech, Two-Way, Hi-Way, DuoLogic, and Maxi Cosi Mobi are just as safe as Izikid although prices are lower.
/Håkan
http://www.carseat.se
Just a fast qustion that i would love if someone answered. I am so confused in these pictures they have the children are on the side…supposibly the middle is the most safest then on the side the traffic isnt on (in the us that would be on the right) So is it the most safest? i am so confused on this whole carseat thing…i understand keep your child refacing until 35 pounds but the seating arangement thing still confuses me. Also in the US you cant put your child in the front seat…
Hi- I have a 22 month old who fits very comfortably in his Britax multi-tech. I am very committed to keeping him rear-facing as long as possible. However, recently, he has started to get car sick (=vomit) on each and every trip we take that is longer than 1/2 hour. Car sickness runs in my family- I can’t even sit in the back seat (let alone read or even look at maps). So I feel for him. Friends who are MD’s are strongly recommending flipping the seat to FF, yet I am very reluctant to do this. On the one hand, the vomiting seems guaranteed, while an accident is a rare thing. On the other hand, vomiting is not life threatening while an accident would probably be tragic. But I do not want him to get to the point where he hates getting in the car. What do I do?!?!?!?!
We live in Europe, and I know there I can try the front seat. Is this likely to help? At the moment, though I’m traveling in the US, where putting a car seat in the front seat is illegal. Tomorrow we have a 5 hour drive…..
I would love insight and suggestions.
Thanks in advance!!
Susan
Saydee: We consider all places in the car equally safe, including front seat (deactivated airbag). Comparing rear seats, middle is then theoretically slightly safer but the difference is very small. When looking at all factors in the rear all places are considered equally safe. We try not to install seats behind driver due to space and also because children (and parent) will then need to enter/exit the car with traffic passing by.
Susan: Difficult situation. Children having severe and serious car sickness is very unusual but it does happen. Sounds like your child is very sensitive, puking in the car during every trip is surely no fun.
– Installing seats more upright usually help but Multi Tech is already quite upright.
– Using the front seat may help but it’s not an option in US
– Using a rear facing mirror may help, your child might feel more comfortable.
– Last resort would be to turn FF which may help. We do have some kids who are even more car sick FF so it’s difficult to say. 22 months is quite long rear facing time in US for most parents while we here in Sweden consider it two years too early just as you do:-)
Good luck during your long drive!
/Håkan
http://www.carseat.se
Hi,
I’m just about to buy a car seat for my 18-months old. We live in the UK, but, unfortunately there’s no possibility to try and fit him anywhere near us.
The problem is that we just bought a car and the only car seat we’ve got it’s the little maxi-cosi (up tp 13 kg)we brought him in from the hospital so we can’t even drive him anywhere to get the car seat as he won’t fit in it now.
He’s 90 cm tall,weighs 16 kg weight and looks like a 3-year old really.
The car is Opel Vectra 5-door hatchback (older model).
Which seat would you recommend for him?
Many thanks for any suggestion
NatureMummy: Vectra is a fairly large car so pretty much all seats will fit fine. Your boy is really tall:-) Taller kids and/or those who look for extra long rear facing time normally select Britax Two-Way or Britax Multi Tech. Both these seats have tall seat shells which can usually keep children rear facing until age 5-6 or about 125 cm of height.
Both these seats need relatively little space for their nice capacity and will fit well in mid size cars and fine in your Vectra with space in front seats. Other seats such as Britax Hi-Way or DuoLogic are more compact seats with a little shorter rear facing time. They normally last to 105-110 cm which is how tall a “normal” 4-year old is.
Shipping to your door in UK is normally 3 days. Please let us know if you need more information.
/Håkan
http://www.carseat.se
Hi – delighted to have found your site. Have 15mth twins not yet 11 kg so still in Maxi Cosi 0+. Would like to keep RF but live in Spain = no info available. Have a 2009 VW Touran (7 seater option) – will RF seats reduce driving space as husband is almost 6ft? Recommended seats please? Many many thanks
Anne: Most compact seats are Britax Hi-Way and DuoLogic, they fit well in small to large cars. We have man parents who use these seats in smaller cars such as Ford Fiesta, Renault Clio, VW Polo, Nissan Micra, etc. These seats would both fit well in your Touran.
Hi-Way is installed with seat belt and approved to 25 kg rear facing. DuoLogic is installed with Isofix or seat belt and approved to 18 kg.
Most Touran models have underfloor storage compartments? Do you have these? Car manufacturers sometimes recommend not using a support leg in these type of cars. VW does sell a simple styrofoam piece which is placed in compartment to fill it up. CHeap and easy solution.
It would be good to know how tall and heavy your twins are, have sent you a separate email…:-)
/Håkan
http://www.carseat.se
How do kids fit rear facing
Where do they put their legs??????
I have been looking at your website trying to work out how my just turned 4 y o would possibly fit into a rear facing carseat and found these photos:
http://babyproducts.about.com/od/carseats/ig/Extended-Rear-Facing-Car-Seat/DKM-ERF-1.htm
Seriously? How can this be comfortable? There is no chance that my kids would put up with this position.
Sam Tuner: Thanks for the comment and good question. Bent legs and lack of leg space are two questions often asked. These are the most common rear facing myths. Children sitting with bent legs are both comfortable and safe. Most children, up to age 5 or so, find it far more comfortable to sit rear facing since legs never fall asleep during longer drives.
Children are not like adults who like to sit with straight legs. Look at a child sitting playing on the floor, legs are always bent. Parents are many times worried about rear facing not being comfortable but to this day I have never heard a child complain about legs not being comfortable while rear facing.
Children here in Sweden are relatively tall and they remain rear facing to age 4 or longer since it’s so much safer and also comfortable. If rear facing for toddlers was uncomfortable we would have a big problem in Sweden:-) Your 4-year old would likely be very comfortable if he is less than 125 cm of height (50 inches).
/Håkan
http://www.CarSeat.se
My daughter is 7 months old and is about to grow out of her infant carrier seat, mostly due to height. We live in the US and I'm very interested in ERF but the car seats only go up to 45 lbs. I hear it's illegal to use a car seat that isn't sold in the US? Is that true? If not, do you ship to the US?
First of all, my sinserely congratulations for your great job!! I wonder if you could recommend the most appropriate rear facing seats for a Honda Jazz. Please notice that my daughter is 4 months old with 7 kg weight and 65 cm height. Also, are there any relative photos of this car?? Thanks in advance.
Hi – love your website and all the info (AND the responses to these comments!) We are definitely getting rear facing for our son.
But can you advise which ones can adjust height/angle while the child is still strapped in? eg I think the Besafe seats can be adjusted while the child is seated, and I know the Britax Hi-Way can only be adjusted when the child is out? It'd be nice to be able to start upright on a journey but be able to easily adjust to a flatted position if he's already fallen asleep.
Maybe also to include this information in the product descriptions to save people asking you about this all the time?
Adrian: Thanks for your comment and the kind words. Angle can be adjusted while driving with Maxi Cosi Mobi, Belogic and BeSafe Izikid (both Isofix and non-Isofix). Positon can also easily be adjusted with DuoLogic although the way the handle work make adjustment difficult while driving. It won't require more than a second or two though.
Of the seats above sleep position works by far the best with Mobi. Sleep position with this seat is far better than any other seat. Thanks to the great recline positions it also needs a bit more room in the car so we normally install Mobi in front seat with deactivated airbag. This is practical for space and as safe as the rear.
Second best adjustable sleep postion is found in DuoLogic, then Belogic and last BeSafe
"Sleep position" is a feature often requested by parents but there is in reality not a great need of changing angle often. Parents who use Hi-Way or Two-Way change angle once a year or even less. We install these seats at an angle so that child can sleep well without head slumping forward but still see well though windows while awake. It works very well.
Will update product descriptions with this info. Thanks for the feedback:-)
/Håkan
http://www.carseat.se
Hi,
I would like to buy a rear facing car seat that would fit both our cars: my Mercedes Class A and the family car Peugeot 307. Is the Britax multi-tech chair the right choice?
I live in Lisbon and have a difficult time in finding a store to try out the seat. It seems that only Volvo has this model.
I find your site very informative and helpful. Many thanks.
Cristina
Hello all,
I am so thankful to the carseat safety check I went to last year when my daughter turned one. I was so psyched to turn her around as if it was some sort of "milestone" to look forward too. She was quite tall already and seemed like she was running out of room. I watched one video the seat safety guy had on his laptop and that's all it took! I will forever be a rear-facing advocate. I very quickly got rid of my Combi Cocorro and got a new seat. My daughter is going on 2 now and she loves her Sunshine Kids Radian XLTS. Very safe seat and I believe it rear-faces until 45 pounds. As far as weight limits that would give ERF beyond that I believe one might need a swedish import seat. I am personally not going that route because it IS ILLEGAL to use them and if you are ever in an accident you could face prosecution and would certainly not being reimbursed for injuries and the like. Having a background in insurance I would NOT recommend breaking the law over this. If you want to petition this law I think your child needs a serious medical condition that you would not wish on your child. I figure my daughter is almost 2 now and 26 pounds, she can probably rear face for a while longer in the Radian seat, probably eeking out till 4 since the seat shell is quite tall..
Oh, I have a VW Jetta if that helps!
Hope this is helpful
Hi. I am about to buy a RF car seat for my 9 month old son, but I cant seem to belive it will fit in my car. I own a Jeep Cherokee, and there is not much space in the back seat. The seat I want the most is Maxi Cosi Mobi, but I've heard that it needs more space than other RF car seats. Does that mean I have to find another car seat?
Christina: Multi Tech will fit fine in a 307 but is not a good choice in your smaller A-class. The seat will fit but front seat will go quite a bit forward. I would recommend either Britax Hi-Way or DuoLogic since these seats are more compact and will fit better in your cars. THey will last rear facing to arund 4 years of age and a height of 110 cm.
Deactivating airbag in front passenger seat of your A-class would be a good idea since it's practical for space and also just as safe as the rear.
/Håkan
http://www.carseat.se
Kristi: Using a Swedish RF seat (all certified according to the European ECE R44 standard) in US is technically illegal while it's legal in most other countries in the world. This is not based on safety, the ECE R44 standard is slightly stricter than the US FVMSS 213 standard and the Swedish RF seats are well known for being unbelievably safe.
Parents in US who have been frustrated with the poor rear facing choices and used Swedish seats have been in collisions and gotten seats replaced and there has been no other issues.
Radian is a good and safe seat, glad you like it. It does normally need lots of room, has a lower weight limit and a seat shell which allow shorter rear facing time than the Swedish seats.
/Håkan
http://www.carseat.se
Anette: Maxi Cosi Mobi is a great seat with a great recline/sleep position. THanks to this it does also need a bit more space than some other seats. In cars with less space we normally recommend Britax Hi-Way or DuoLogic since these seats are more compact. Children do sleep nicely in these seats as well:-)
Mobi is often installed in front passenger seat with a deactivated airbag. This is practical for space and as safe as the rear.
/Håkan
http://www.carseat.se
Hi, great website has helped alot. I live in the uk and am looking to buy a rear facing car seat for my 8 month old and would like it to last till she is at least 4 years old. I drive vw mk4 golf and would like to have the carseat in the front passenger seat with airbag turned off, please could you let me know which would be the best car seat for this. Many Thanks Ruth
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Any recommendations for similar carseats available in the US?
Amber: There is no good combination in US of a great rear facing seat with a high weight limit which also needs relatively little space. There are some seats which allow children to rear face quite long but these often need an enormous amount of space making them impractical. The maximum rear facing weight limit in US is alos too low in our opinion.
admin: Up above you say it is fine to put the car seat in the front so that 2 adults may fit in the back. There is even a black/white picture of a baby in a car seat in the front.
While the USA is being spoken down on for FF seats @ 1, we DO NOT ALLOW UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES for a car seat to be in the front, even with airbag turned off. You will be ticketed and before you are allowed to drive off you must move the car seat to the back seat. In fact kids cannt even sit in front until age 13.
How on earth do you feel front seat is ok, just bc the car seat is RF?
You dont have that check box for auto notice of replies, so please email me when you reply. Thanks.
lilkunta: Good questions. Just because US say you can't have a car seat in front seat doesn't mean it's not good idea. Don't forget that US is 30 years behind in car seat safety. The priority of keeping kids safe in the car is simply not there but it might be in the future.
In US the rule of no kids in front seat is thought of protecting children when it's actually the opposite. The safety of front seat has been proven by research and real life experiences long ago. Using a rear facing car seat in the front seat is actually the safest place in the car. When looking at all factors it's even safer than the rear. Not logical for most but a fact.
If you go to web sites of Britax, Volvo, VTi, NTF etc they will all say front seat is as safe as the rear seat. Here in Sweden we are far ahead in car seat safety and we use front seat extensively with airbag deactivated. It's safe and practical for space.
The issue of kids in front seat is often discussed and opinions are almost always incorrect. It's much like harnessing older children, 4 and older. In US there is a belief this is safer when reality is that no research, data or real life experience show this to be true. The greatest experts in the field, the Swedes, actually recommend against using harnessed seats for older children. We use only high back boosters and have an unbelievably safety record to back this up with. Again, just because there is a belief of something being safer doesn't mean that's true.
Traffic accidents is the number one killer in US of young children. In Sweden we basically have zero fatalities in traffic each year for ages 0-6 years. That safety record says a lot.
/Håkan
http://www.carseat.se