importing seats from other countries

champatlife

New member
Apparrently I have a new obsession (was even dreaming about car seats last night)


I'll read up on something and end up reading something else that makes my "ears" perk up.

I was reading this site http://www.carseat.se/rearfacing/safety-benefits/

and at the bottom it had a link to sweedish car seats with rear facing limits of 55lbs. In my mind I say their standards have surpassed ours, but maybe I'm jumping the gun on it. Can I use on of their seats here "legally" (poor wording choice) to the same specifications they suggest?

(hope that makes sense)
 
ADS

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
Sweden hasn't surpassed us, we have never caught up. They've been rear facing until four years old since the 1960s. We've caught up immensely in the past few years, but we're still years behind.

It's not legal to use a Swedes seat here. And honestly, with 45 pound rear facing seats here, there's less incentive to do it. If you want to, though, feel free. Just know that no, it is not legal.

Wendy
 

champatlife

New member
Thanks. :) I'm quite happy with the 45lb rear facing, but when I ran across it my curiosity really got to me. One of those "ooo, you mean I could have had better?" thoughts crossed through my mind.
 

ProudMommysince09

New member
I think a few members feel very strongly about not importing seats, for different reasons. But I just had to have one honestly, and my Blvd only goes to 35lbs so there wasnt much that would have fit us (car/size of child). What I absolutely love too is the lack of a chest-clip, its so quick to get her in and out. My favorite part though is the extra leg room, my child has most of her length in her legs and started to get fussy in the Blvd. Though granted, the Blvd doesnt have much leg room to begin with. The price is definitely a big turn off, but I saved up for it. With the legality issue Im not really concerned 'to get caught' Im just counting on the lack of carseat knowledge mostly, and my backseat has a very dark tint. I did call my insurance though and they put it in my file that they said as long as I use it according to the manuals instructions they wont care where it came from and we will be covered. I think the installation wasnt hard at all, the manual is easy to understand and the website has an installation video also.
So is it necessary to have one, no there are great seats here too, but to feed an obsession what can you do LOL..
 

icnee

New member
I Got my Muti Tech when the hiest rfing weight was 40lbs and my dd2 was 41lbs. Of all my seats this one is by far my favoriet it installs eisier than my other seats and does not move grab it any whear it will not move (not that ares are unsafe cause they bounce at the top) my Daughter would complain when she was front facing that her legs back and butt hurt since she has been in this seat i have not heard one tcry or seen one tear, I got her a Raidian too she likes it but prefers her MT.
I am very happy that I imported mine I have never had one regret I just wish I could afford 2 more.
I dont have any recent of her in it and I cant find any of her but here is my youngest. All My kids love this seat the three youngest are alll rfing. When I first got It mu 8yo was sad that he couldnt ride in it cause he wanted to be safer too.
 
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Evolily

New member
We're catching up :thumbsup: . We do harness forward facing longer than they do in Sweden, though.

The 45 lb radian will accommodate the majority of kids to 4 y/o. The My Ride and Complete Air also accommodate many kids. It would be nice if seats would max out their weights (as in, get approved to the highest weight a child could feasibly fit the seat) so all we had to worry about was height. We have tall enough seats, the weight limits just need to catch up.
 

InternationalMama

New member
I have two Swedish seats from carseat.se (the owner is a poster here) back in Europe. I don't have the Multi-Tech like the other two poster have. I am interested to see how long the seats I have will last my son. I don't think it will be anywhere close to the 55 lbs limit. (The Hi-Way has the same shell as the US Roundabout.)

That said, I do like both seats better than my American seats, especially the Duologic with its rigid latch. That genuinely is an almost idiot-proof install. I like the installation of both seats better because of the support foot and tethers, but I also prefer the design of the seats and how they install because they are both RF-only seats. I think you compromise something in the installation when you make a convertible.

Also, because American seats can only last to one inch below the shell RF they have to be really huge to accommodate older kids, but Swedish seats can be used to the top of the ears RF and also only need to be 10 degrees reclined so they can be much smaller/more compact and fit smaller cars better.

I don't have any of the ERF to 40-45 lbs seats that are now available in the US to compare my Swedish seats too, but I do think that if my child was using the seat at the max of its weight limit I would feel more comfortable having something like a support leg to help prevent over-rotation. I'm not a carseat engineer or anything, but that's my opinion.
 

InternationalMama

New member
To answer the question in the OP, it is not legal to use a Swedish (or other non-US) seat in the US.

I think Wendy already covered that. :) I understood the OP as also wanting to have a conversation about whether Swedish standards "surpass" ours, but maybe that's just a conversation I and the other posters wanted to have.
 

twinsmom

New member
I have two Swedish seats from carseat.se (the owner is a poster here) back in Europe. I don't have the Multi-Tech like the other two poster have. I am interested to see how long the seats I have will last my son. I don't think it will be anywhere close to the 55 lbs limit. (The Hi-Way has the same shell as the US Roundabout.)

That said, I do like both seats better than my American seats, especially the Duologic with its rigid latch. That genuinely is an almost idiot-proof install. I like the installation of both seats better because of the support foot and tethers, but I also prefer the design of the seats and how they install because they are both RF-only seats. I think you compromise something in the installation when you make a convertible.

Also, because American seats can only last to one inch below the shell RF they have to be really huge to accommodate older kids, but Swedish seats can be used to the top of the ears RF and also only need to be 10 degrees reclined so they can be much smaller/more compact and fit smaller cars better.

I don't have any of the ERF to 40-45 lbs seats that are now available in the US to compare my Swedish seats too, but I do think that if my child was using the seat at the max of its weight limit I would feel more comfortable having something like a support leg to help prevent over-rotation. I'm not a carseat engineer or anything, but that's my opinion.


Just to chime in, as mentioned above - the 55lb weight limit is not the only thing that allows these seats to RF longer. They definitely fit height-wise for longer as well. Case in point, my 5 yr olds are still RF with room to spare, and they are tall kids. I also feel the foot prop is an added safety advantage, especially with older/bigger kids. That being said, I would not tell you one way or another what you should do regarding importing a Swedish seat. That is up to each parent to decide for themselves. Just know the possible consequences, and feel comfortable in your decision.:thumbsup:
 

christineka

New member
I like the leg room on the Swedish seats. I think that more North Americans would be willing to rf their kids longer if there was leg room. That's my dh's one complaint about erfing. My dd rfed to age 5. She's pretty small, but she was uncomfortable at the end due to having her legs all scrunched up.

I find importing to be cost prohibitive, but if those Swedish seats were comparable in price to a sale radian or true fit, I would consider importing.
 

yetanotherjen

CPST Instructor
I have two Swedish seats from carseat.se (the owner is a poster here) back in Europe. I don't have the Multi-Tech like the other two poster have. I am interested to see how long the seats I have will last my son. I don't think it will be anywhere close to the 55 lbs limit. (The Hi-Way has the same shell as the US Roundabout.)

That said, I do like both seats better than my American seats, especially the Duologic with its rigid latch. That genuinely is an almost idiot-proof install. I like the installation of both seats better because of the support foot and tethers, but I also prefer the design of the seats and how they install because they are both RF-only seats. I think you compromise something in the installation when you make a convertible.

Also, because American seats can only last to one inch below the shell RF they have to be really huge to accommodate older kids, but Swedish seats can be used to the top of the ears RF and also only need to be 10 degrees reclined so they can be much smaller/more compact and fit smaller cars better.

I don't have any of the ERF to 40-45 lbs seats that are now available in the US to compare my Swedish seats too, but I do think that if my child was using the seat at the max of its weight limit I would feel more comfortable having something like a support leg to help prevent over-rotation. I'm not a carseat engineer or anything, but that's my opinion.

I feel the same way. I know that the SKR's were tested and passed for the 45lb limit but I don't think I would feel comfortable using it to a full 45lbs, that is just my personal opinion.
 

champatlife

New member
Thanks for all the imput and information.

Let's say for theoretics if by chance they found out you were using an illegal seat. The most I assume they would do is just give you a citation for improperly restraining your child? (same as if you had a little out of car seat in general/ or child not in a booster seat that still should be? Maybe make you take a class on car seat safety? Would they take the seat?

Also:
Any of you use the seats on newborns? If I'm remembering correctly it said most said it could be used 0-55 lbs?

My husband thought the purchase of the radian xtsl was astronomical (even though all the different seats we have been through throughout the years has surpassed what the radian costs (and my daughter is only 30lbs) So, I'd say my chances of getting an approved yes to purchase slim to none, but it's nice to look at and at least hear peoples opinions on it.
 

twinsmom

New member
Thanks for all the imput and information.

Let's say for theoretics if by chance they found out you were using an illegal seat. The most I assume they would do is just give you a citation for improperly restraining your child? (same as if you had a little out of car seat in general/ or child not in a booster seat that still should be? Maybe make you take a class on car seat safety? Would they take the seat?

Also:
Any of you use the seats on newborns? If I'm remembering correctly it said most said it could be used 0-55 lbs?

My husband thought the purchase of the radian xtsl was astronomical (even though all the different seats we have been through throughout the years has surpassed what the radian costs (and my daughter is only 30lbs) So, I'd say my chances of getting an approved yes to purchase slim to none, but it's nice to look at and at least hear peoples opinions on it.




There is a lot of speculation about what could happen. Yes, they can take the seat. This has been discussed before on this site, and many people feel most police officers wouldn't know the difference between a Swedish seat and an American one, but you never know who you will come across. You can't take it to a seat check, that's for sure!:p

Some people are worried that insurance won't cover injuries if you are in an accident and using an illegal seat. I don't believe this is the case. I have checked with my own insurance company and was told that there is coverage no matter what seat they are in (or not in). Which brings me to my other point - when parents have their children unrestrained, or in expired seats, they are not denied coverage.

There is much speculation about what will or will not happen. For me, I weighed the possible risks and decided it was worth it.
 
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InternationalMama

New member
oh... what are the usual shelf lifes on them? 5,6,8 years?

Some have expirations dates and some don't, it depends on the seat. Britax says their Swedish seats can be used for 10 years from the date of purchase, according to Adventure Dad (the owner of carseat.se). I'm not sure about the others. I think someone told me my Graco is good for 6 years, but I haven't checked myself. ETA: Adventure Dad is a good resource for this type of info.

As far as fitting a newborn, it depends on the seat. My Hi-Way is rated from birth, but like I said it is the same shell as the Roundabout and I can't imagine using it for a newborn. Not only are the top slots very high (which isn't disallowed by the manual, I just think the fit would be very bad), but I think it would be extremely challenging to get it reclined enough for a newborn and I probably wouldn't be comfortable doing that install without professional help. I personally would feel okay about using the seat starting around 9 months. The two most popular Britax seats for export, at least on this board, the Multi-Tech and Two-Way, can be used starting at 9kg (about 20 lbs).

Alternatively, the Duologic would fit a newborn great! But may not last as long for older kids.

You can check out the Canadian and International forum for more info on these seats. They get discussed a lot over there. :)
 

Carrie_R

Ambassador - CPS Technician
I don't have any of the ERF to 40-45 lbs seats that are now available in the US to compare my Swedish seats too, but I do think that if my child was using the seat at the max of its weight limit I would feel more comfortable having something like a support leg to help prevent over-rotation. I'm not a carseat engineer or anything, but that's my opinion.

I feel the same way. I know that the SKR's were tested and passed for the 45lb limit but I don't think I would feel comfortable using it to a full 45lbs, that is just my personal opinion.

Not picking on anyone in the least, but I wanted to chime in here (since the OP is new) and say that I *am* comfortable using my Radian to its full 45lbs. I do greatly prefer to have it braced -- I prefer that of all my RF seats actually -- but I would rather RF a 44lb child in a Radian without bracing than FF that same child, assuming they are of a young enough age to get significant benefit out of it.

OP, the nice thing is, at your child's size (she's 30lbs at 4, right?) you won't ever even need the 45lbs we have available here now, let alone a Swedish seat. I watched a little girl that size, and she could still RF in a Scenera! :thumbsup: It was awesome to be able to plop her in any seat that was available, lol.
 

Maedze

New member
There is absolutely no reason not use a Radian to 45 lbs rear facing. It passes all applicable standards for a rear facing seat at that weight. It's perfectly safe.
 

HappyMommy

New member
I completely agree with Maezde. There is no reason not to use a radian RF to 45lbs. It has passed tests at that weight RF. Plus, it can be braced and tethered RF. IMO, there is no reason to import a Swedish seat when you can have your child RF in a radian to 45lbs.
 

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