Moving to Canada soon -- how to find out about which seats legal?

dannynyc · Nov 14, 2012

Hi all,
I live in the US but will be moving to Canada next summer. My twins aren't born yet, but they will be about 5-6 months old by the time we go -- right around the time we'd probably get convertible seats. We're planning on buying a 2005-09 Subaru Outback. Where can I find out which convertible seats are legal in Canada and is it possible to buy them in the US?

snowbird25ca · Nov 14, 2012

dannynyc said:
Hi all,
I live in the US but will be moving to Canada next summer. My twins aren't born yet, but they will be about 5-6 months old by the time we go -- right around the time we'd probably get convertible seats. We're planning on buying a 2005-09 Subaru Outback. Where can I find out which convertible seats are legal in Canada and is it possible to buy them in the US?

No convertible seats for sale in the US are legal for use in Canada. Any seat which is sold in Canada is required to have the National Safety Mark (NSM) that indicates it has been certified to Canadian standards, and there are not currently any seats being made in the US which are certified for use in Canada just because our standards have a few parts to them that are very different than the US standards.

I would wait to decide on what type of seats to get for your vehicle until you are close to moving your twins out of their seats just because different kids grow at different rates and what you pick for a seat now may not be the seat you'd choose once the twins are actually ready to move in to them. When the time comes just buy them at a Canadian store and they'll be legal for use.

Hope this helps.

biddyk8 · Nov 14, 2012

Its illegal to use any of the US seats here in Canada, if it is around the time you will need to get them I would wait and buy the convertibles when you get here.

You can keep an eye on the toysr us Canadian seat and snugglebugz.ca and you can see what all seats we have. A lot are similar with weight differences. Like 65lbs instead of 70lbs.

dannynyc · Nov 14, 2012

Thanks. A followup question: is there any way to have Canadian seats shipped to the US so that when I enter they will be legit? I contacted Babies R Us Canada, who say they cannot ship to the US. I've heard that Canadian border guards may even seize US car seats -- how are we supposed to deal with this dilemma if no one will ship the seats to the US?

snowbird25ca said:
No convertible seats for sale in the US are legal for use in Canada. Any seat which is sold in Canada is required to have the National Safety Mark (NSM) that indicates it has been certified to Canadian standards, and there are not currently any seats being made in the US which are certified for use in Canada just because our standards have a few parts to them that are very different than the US standards.

I would wait to decide on what type of seats to get for your vehicle until you are close to moving your twins out of their seats just because different kids grow at different rates and what you pick for a seat now may not be the seat you'd choose once the twins are actually ready to move in to them. When the time comes just buy them at a Canadian store and they'll be legal for use.

Hope this helps.

Pixelated · Nov 14, 2012

dannynyc said:
I've heard that Canadian border guards may even seize US car seats -- how are we supposed to deal with this dilemma if no one will ship the seats to the US?

You are unlikely to have your seats seized at the border if your vehicle has US plates. Technically visitors to Ontario are only exempt from booster laws in a vehicle with non-Ontario plates, but given that you're immigrating and will (presumably) be driving a car plated and insured in the US I would be very surprised if you have a problem. If questioned indicate that you are aware of the law and you have xyz seat picked out and intend to purchase that day or the next day or whatever. It would have to be a very grumpy CBSA guard to give you grief for that.

Seats being seized typically are US seats in Canadian-plated cars, for which there is no legal provision. Good luck with your move!

CDNTech · Nov 14, 2012

When moving between US/Canada, you will have three months once you are living here to have your vehicle/carseats conform to Canadian standards. Those three months will give you time to research/buy Canadian convertible seats.

Mommy! · Nov 14, 2012

Here's a link to Transport Canada's website regarding child passenger safety:

http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/safedrivers-childsafety-index-53.htm

You can browse around and find all sorts of information regarding regulations etc.

And here's a link to Health Canada's page regarding recalls and advisories:

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/advisories-avis/index-eng.php

Moving to Canada soon -- how to find out about which seats legal?

dannynyc

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