There are some informative car seat safety facebook groups. It can get pretty militant in there though and people will insist you rear face your child until they're 7+ and get very emotional about it so be prepared for that. I personally am rear facing as long as possible (currently 4.5!) but what other people doesn't affect me.
Highly recommend extended rear facing Facebook group
I also recommend Extended Rear Facing (ERF) Car Seat Safety on Facebook x https://www.facebook.com/share/g/UBJEAk631dGrmZG5/?mibextid=K35XfP
I’ve just purchased a bigger next size up Car seat after shopping I had no clue prior to going. This one it’s from Newborn to 12 years old. Passed all the saftey standards, 360 spin, rear facing and forward facing, 5 point harness , side impact protection, reinforced steel shell ect are some of the features. Top of the range joie one. Most importantly it’s the only one my little girl fit in properly the others were too big and seatbelt didn’t do tight enough and she was too big for newborn insert as she’s 9 months. This one fit her perfectly https://joiebaby.com/uk/i-spin-xl-all-in-one-car-seat?srsltid=AfmBOopFtZpVm0LHpQH9G5OLLYJI8AmBRS9GNWnxRe8yswiwPdpZfXz2#color=23
@Becky 😊 I believe this only rear faces to 18kg though
@Becci yep! We had one very similar to this and recently upgraded to one which rear faces for years longer.
This company are about an hour away from you and can likely help you to choose your next seat 😊 (I’m not affiliated with them, by the way!) Also if you’re on Facebook there are some useful groups run by independent car seat retailers who offer advice and support - have a search for “car seat safety” https://kidsonboard.info/about/