AUTOMOTIVE
Kids in Cars
New rotating car seats make driving with a toddler (slightly) easier while keeping them safe.
By Matt Bubbers | Illustration by Tom Froese
TRYING TO GET my two-and-a-half-year-old daughter into her car seat can sometimes feel like trying to wrangle a raccoon into a party dress. On those occasions, when, for reasons known only to my daughter, she doesn’t want to get into the car — maybe she had other plans? — she’ll suddenly become wriggly, squiggly, ferociously loud and surprisingly strong for someone who is only three feet tall. There are two things that help. One, her swiveling car seat that rotates to face the open door. Two, a bribe of some sort. I’m ashamed of resorting to bribes, but proud to extol the virtues of this magical car seat.
“When buying any car seat, ensure it has a National Safety Mark.”
Swiveling or rotating child seats are still relatively new on the Canadian market. Their main benefit: while the seat base remains stationary and securely fastened to the vehicle, the chair (or shell) can rotate. Temper tantrum or not, it makes getting a child into the car and fastening their harness much easier. There’s less lunging and bending at awkward angles — your lower back will thank you — and it’s easy to ensure the harness is properly fastened. These seats install in the same manner as conventional child seats, using the LATCH system or seatbelts. The added convenience comes at a hefty price, though. Rotating seats can be hundreds of dollars more than non-rotating models, and are often heavier and taller, too. When it comes to safety, several rotating seats receive top ratings in independent tests by Consumer Reports. Child seats, when properly installed and used correctly, can reduce the risk of fatal injury for infants under the age of one by 71 percent, according to CAA National.
The Canadian Paediatric Society recommends children ride in rear-facing child seats as long as possible, until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by the seat manufacturer. After that, children should ride in front-facing safety seats until they’ve outgrown those, then move to a booster seat. Some swivelling seats will grow with your child, transitioning from back- to forward-facing. Given the extra costs, this helps you get more value over the life of the seat.
When buying any car seat, ensure it has a National Safety Mark. This is a round label with a maple leaf in the centre and it indicates that the seat is certified for use in Canada. Also, check the particular regulations in your province or territory. And if you choose to go with a rotating seat, welcome to a better way. AMA
