17 Convertible Car Seats With Extended Rear Facing

The American Academy of Pediatrics now advises parents to keep toddlers in rear-facing car seats until age two, or until they exceed the height and weight limit for the car seat, which may be well past the second birthday. The reason for the new guidelines? Rear-facing is five times safer than facing forward.

Most convertible car seats let kids stay rear-facing up to 35 pounds, which will take many kids through the age-2 guideline (check the back of the seat for the specific weight and height limits of your model), but if you want to rear-face longer, you’ll need to choose the right seat. We’ve rounded up car seats with extended rear-facing capability up to 40-45 pounds.

But, the upper weight limit isn’t the only factor to consider. Seated height (where the child’s bottom sits to the top of the car seat) is also important, because kids should have at least one inch of room between the top of their head and the top of the car seat when rear-facing. And because some kids will shoot past the height limit long before they surpass the weight limit, we’ve also included a few suggestions for car seats that offer more room to grow in seated height, although they have a rear-facing weight limit of 35 pounds.

Plus:
New AAP Car Seat Safety Guidelines
Your Rear-Facing Car Seat Questions, Answered
Car Seat Mistakes You May Be Making
5 Tips for Buying a Booster Seat