Back height comparison | Extended rear facing car seats up to 125cm

[@CherylStevens-g8k]

He looks very comfortable in his car seats. Good boy for rear facing. His mom did the right thing letting him sit in toddler seats.

[@sadiedodds2331]

Thankyou!! I have been looking for this information forever.

[@RearFacingToddlers]

Ahh, I’m so glad I could help!

[@Wacked]

Finally some decent testing. But most of the videos actually lack how it impacts passengers, how it would fit with a kid in the passenger seat(belted, not isofix) etc

[@RearFacingToddlers]

I am 1.70m (5’7”) myself and have no problem fitting in the front passenger seat in most cars with one of these seats installed behind me. Taller people are fine in a lot of cars too, but I do tend to install these seats behind the passenger most of the time, so that a tall driver has enough room to move the seat back.

[@lilalaune909]

Which seat leaves the most space for the front passenger?

[@RearFacingToddlers]

Out of the ones featured in this video, definitely the Avionaut Sky 2.0. But do bear in mind that the more legroom the passenger has, the less the child will have.

[@kevderkani4168]

Thank you for this video. Iam an salesperson for carseats in Germany and this video helps me :)

[@RearFacingToddlers]

I'm so glad you found it helpful. :)

[@MissJames20]

This video is what I was looking for. I am in the hunt for a rear facing car seat for my baby and I want it to last as long as she can fit. I was thinking of the minikid 4 but was told it would be a stretch inside my toyota yaris 2021 and was recommended the avionaut but I think that one sits too high and my toddler would hit her head against the roof. Would be movekid fot better than the minikid in this car? It would great if you shed some light before I can make this important purchase. Thank you!

[@RearFacingToddlers]

Hi, A child's head will never touch the ceiling when they're in their car seat, don't worry. But the Sky is higher and smaller than the others and won't last as long. It's a lovely seat though, good for behind tall drivers. The Minikid 4 and Movekid are the same shape and size, the Minikid is just a bit more fancy, but they fit in the car in the same way. How well a seat fits into a car largely depends on the height of the adult in the front. The best thing to do to check whether a seat will fit is to measure the depth in the back seat at headrest height. Move the front (passenger) seat as far forward and as upright as is comfortably possible for the tallest person and then measure the depth between the two headrests. Most seats up to 125cm or 25/36kg take up about 80-85cm. The Yaris is not as small on the inside as the outside might make you think, car seats usually fit very well.

[@MissJames20]

@ this has been the best response. Thank you so much for taking your time. I will be measuring my car. Thankfully (I think) we are not very tall people and the passenger side is always empty as I travel in the back. My baby is my priority so I want her to have the space as she grows. x

[@aquarysa1791]

Hi! thank you for these measurments! i know you double down on the 125cm from the standard, du hasn't the seat been tester with the 135cm dummy? Also some shops like carseats se indicate a 135 to 140 limit on the product page?

[@RearFacingToddlers]

I know that some of these seats have been tested with larger dummies, and that some (Swedish) retailers say that it's ok to use the seats for as long as they fit, and that that can be as long as 135 or even 140cm. But we have to be strict about the R129 regulation's guidelines, and they state a 125cm stature height limit, so I cannot recommend exceeding that limit, even if the child still fits.

[@JadeJennings-j9j]

Do you know the back length of the older axkid minkid 2?

[@RearFacingToddlers]

It's the same. The back height has never changed, but the previous version (2.0) did have a chunkier headrest which came down to the shoulders more, so that reduced the back height slightly. This has been corrected in the latest 22/23 version which is the one I used in this video.

[@JadeJennings-j9j]

@@RearFacingToddlers thank you for the quick reply.

[@RearFacingToddlers]

You’re very welcome

[@EmmaJ2302]

Axkid recommended when released that the 2022 model had an extra 2cm backlength than the original Minikid 2.

[@RearFacingToddlers]

That is because of the change in headrest shape as I explained in the previous comment. I measured all these seats’ backs from the highest harness height down to the bottom. There is no difference in the older Minikid’s harness height and this one, but this one has a shorter headrest which gives the shoulders a bit more room.

[@laurensvandriest]

Which rear facing seat would you recommend for a smaller car? We are looking at getting a bit smaller car but the seat we now use wont fit behind the driver. It would be for a small girl who is now 2 for at least another 2 years

[@RearFacingToddlers]

Which car is it and how tall are you and your wife? How well a seat fits mostly depends on the height of the adults in the front. Which seat do you have at the moment? And if it doesn't fit behind the driver, can't it go on the other side? It's best to put it behind the shortest adult.

[@laurensvandriest]

Thanks for your reply. Its the mercedes b class. Im 1.76 and she is 1.73. We will have another baby soon and wanted to to put the baby behind the passenger seat since that seems to be the safest place. But maybe we should change that up and the baby seat will take less space.

[@RearFacingToddlers]

You're both quite tall. The best thing to do to check whether a seat will fit is to measure the depth in the back seat at headrest height. Move the front (passenger) seat as far forward and as upright as is comfortably possible for the tallest person and then measure the depth between the two headrests. Most seats up to 125cm or 25kg take up about 80-85cm. The Avionaut Sky and Britax Safe-Way M take up less than 80. Generally speaking the bigger seats are better behind the shortest adult. Who sits where makes little to no difference in terms of safety as long as they are both strapped in correctly in a suitable car seat.

[@EmmaJ2302]

Some Mercedes have chunky seatbelts which can be a pain/even impossible to get through the holes for install. I'd advise going to a store with a showroom or booking in for a specialist to come out so you can try a few options out.

[@RearFacingToddlers]

According to Axkid's website, all their seats fit in all Mercedes models.

[@pippascott3647]

Hay, iv tried to research only but can’t see anything anywhere, Iv tried my son in axkid minikid 2 the top of his head sticks out of the top of the shell from close to eye brow level one the headrest comes down with the straps. My question is, is this safe? We did manually slightly higher the headrest so it looked more protected but then it left less growing room in the seat for his shoulders as the head rest maybe only had 1 or 2 clicks left before it was out grown. I really like the minikid 2 but thinking I might have to go for the movekid instead as it has a longer shell? Thank you for any advice.

[@RearFacingToddlers]

The Movekid definitely has a longer shell, but is still outgrown at 125cm even if the child still fits. www.rearfacingtoddlers.com/blogs/blog/why-your-childs-weight-and-height-percentiles-matter Seats like the Minikid is outgrown by height when the eyes are level the top of the headrest, not the shell. I don't think that I have ever heard of a child's eyes reaching the top of the headrest before the shoulders no longer fitted. So yes, it's totally safe like that.

[@georgianaalina4423]

Very nice and informative. Thank you! 🥰

[@pippascott3647]

Hay, other then the sky, what one of these seats is the next most compact out of these seats please? My sons 104cm and almost 18kg, I’m looking at the axkid minikid 2 or the britax pro?

[@RearFacingToddlers]

The Max-Safe Pro is a bit bigger, but I don't think there's much in it.

[@Lachlansmummy]

Not me over here in NZ with my 49kg 141cm 8 year old. I often wonder what the EU does with kids who are taller/heavier.

[@RearFacingToddlers]

There's not much you can do... Some kids are just big, and car seats are outgrown by height and weight, not age, so sadly kids who are big for their age need to go into a high back booster sooner.

[@Lachlansmummy]

Oh no I'm aware. I have wondered though, I'm yet to see a High back booster in the EU standard that has a higher weight limit. I'm aware of the R129 to 150cm, however they seem to still state the 36kg upper limit. Do you know of any with higher weight limits? @@RearFacingToddlers

[@RearFacingToddlers]

Under R129 high back boosters are not supposed to have a weight limit at all, so I’m not sure why some of them still say 36kg. It’s a question I’ve been meaning to ask actually…

[@RearFacingToddlers]

Actually, the Avionaut Maxspace Comfort System + says 50kg.