A Question About Booster Seats and Aussie Child Seats

So, recently I came across Isabelle Broadhead's site again. After crying my little eyes out (and realizing that she died EXACTLY 5 years after Erika ) I got a huge question. If Isabelle was 3 yrs and 9 months, how is a 4 year old any safer in a booster seat? I'm assuming that's why her parents said five years old in the video and on the site. Sorry if I missed something.

Also, even though Australia has really strict laws down their and stuff, how come they still haven't made a seat that goes past 40 pounds? H-harness do seem safe, but I doubt some kids are ready for that. I'm not really expecting an 85-90 lb seat, but at least 50-55. Speaking of weight limits, I went on Britax's Aussie website (safensound) and I couldn't find any weight limits on the seats. What's up with that?

Nothing magically happens at 4, but the idea is that maturity plays a huge role in proper booster use, and generally the older the kid, the better able they are to sit properly. A few rare kids could probably sit properly at 2 or 3, but the vast majority will be 4, 5, even 6.

I'm not an expert, but my understanding is that Australia does not have very strict carseat laws at all, and I'm not aware of any particularly fantastic seats originating there. I thought most of their seats are imported from Europe or the US.

LISmama810 said:

Nothing magically happens at 4, but the idea is that maturity plays a huge role in proper booster use, and generally the older the kid, the better able they are to sit properly. A few rare kids could probably sit properly at 2 or 3, but the vast majority will be 4, 5, even 6.

I'm not an expert, but my understanding is that Australia does not have very strict carseat laws at all, and I'm not aware of any particularly fantastic seats originating there. I thought most of their seats are imported from Europe or the US.

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No, it's illegal to use any non-Australian seat in Australia. New Zealand is the one where EU, Australian, or selected approved US seats are legal.

Australia has very strict laws, as well. They are just not in favor of ERF. At all. To the point where all their seats, including rear-facing and high-backed boosters, must have top tethers- but they generally FF between 6 and 9 months old and this is recommended by the government. Also, their seats don't have to have locked belts... Many of them do have a way to do it, but it's not mandated by their standards...

Doh! Do I get credit for being in the same general part of the world? No?

I think you'd better talk to the Aussies and Kiwis to see how much trouble you're in.

I know. I can feel the wrath descending upon me already.

Had to chime in on this one since I'm in New Zealand No offence taken here, I promise We are lucky in NZ to be able to use a slightly wider variety of seats than Australia, but it's still pretty sad in comparison to the US and Europe.
With our daughter 4 years ago we were limited to the Australian Safe and Sound (britax) for convertible options, rf to 12 kg but often outgrown rf by height first, and at that time there was a bit of a carseat mantra in NZ that you turned your child at 12kg or 12months, whichever came first!!! So there were plenty of 8/9 month olds riding ff and sadly there still are. Thankfully the recommendation here now is to rf until at least 2 (but it will take time for people to get that message and we are going to need a wider range of more affordable car seats to make it happen). I think our laws are very relaxed, I spoke to a salesperson at our local baby shop who had just sold a booster (with a harness) to a family to use for their 10 month old. It's a cheap seat, so it's popular, but aside from recommending they use something else and trying to explain the safety concerns of what they were doing, she has no power to prevent them from buying one and using it. The fathers argument was that the baby "was a big boy"...... It seems to me that our laws are more focused on making sure under 5's are in a car seat of any kind as opposed to nothing at all. Sorry to ramble.....

Last time I read your laws, you may legally use any EU seat, but may only use US seats with the NZ approval label added. That's been the case for a while. So people can legally use Australian seats that forward-face a 6 month old with harness, or German seats that are a booster with shield from 9 months (though I hear Germany is supposed to raise the minimum for FF/booster to 15 months soon!)- but they may also use a Swedish seat that is capable of rear-facing children for 4-6 years, or selected US seats that may rear-face for 2 to 5 or so years. The laws haven't really changed (except to allow specially approved US seats, that was pretty recent as I understand it) but the selection is what is changing! Hopefully as selection improves more people are willing to rear-face longer and harness longer in New Zealand. You kind of have the best of all worlds- you can use Australian tethered infant "capsules," Swedish extended rear-facing seats, and US extended harnessing seats, as well as long-lasting European or US boosters, all legally (if you're willing to pay for it.)

I guess that's true, we are lucky in that respect and the selection is definitely changing, like you say. I just wish there was more education here about what type of seat to use for your child at each stage in their development. I have a very good friend with a child only a week older than mine (3y10m) who has him in a seatbelt booster because "it's easier to move the seat between cars". It seems that as long as they are in an approved seat as a newborn, that's the only time anyone is interested in checking carseat suitability, after that, any seat will do.

LISmama810 said:

I know. I can feel the wrath descending upon me already.

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Feel my wrath......

Australian seats are now done by height rather than weight, it's fairly confusing. All seats have a minimum and a maximum height marker on them. It is legal to turn a 6 month old ff and while most combo seats will fit a 4 year old, most 4 year olds are in boosters. The H harnesses don't have a great track record and I think I read that they are super easy to use iincorrectly and cause more harm than they prevent.

As for here in NZ we have a whole lot of countries we can buy seats from, they just cost mega bucks. The scenera is $200, a radian is $550, a Monterrey is $250. You'd be hard pressed to find a Swedish seat under $600. You can however get an Australian seat on special for $200ish and there is a huge market for second hand seats.

finn said:

Feel my wrath......

Australian seats are now done by height rather than weight, it's fairly confusing. All seats have a minimum and a maximum height marker on them. It is legal to turn a 6 month old ff and while most combo seats will fit a 4 year old, most 4 year olds are in boosters. The H harnesses don't have a great track record and I think I read that they are super easy to use iincorrectly and cause more harm than they prevent.

As for here in NZ we have a whole lot of countries we can buy seats from, they just cost mega bucks. The scenera is $200, a radian is $550, a Monterrey is $250. You'd be hard pressed to find a Swedish seat under $600. You can however get an Australian seat on special for $200ish and there is a huge market for second hand seats.

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Holy Moly! It costs that much for a Scenera?! Over here, in the States, it's $40-$50, sometimes even less. Doesn't it go to only like 40 lbs? Sheesh, that's as ridiculous to me as the Britax Diplomat.

So with the height-only-seats that Australia and NZ are doing, it seems like carseat companies are setting themselves up for a giant recall. One child is too light/too large, but the height marker says it's okay, and the kid is horribly injured .

Vicky said:

Holy Moly! It costs that much for a Scenera?! Over here, in the States, it's $40-$50, sometimes even less. Doesn't it go to only like 40 lbs? Sheesh, that's as ridiculous to me as the Britax Diplomat.

So with the height-only-seats that Australia and NZ are doing, it seems like carseat companies are setting themselves up for a giant recall. One child is too light/too large, but the height marker says it's okay, and the kid is horribly injured .

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NZ's not doing it just Australia but yes that was main concern too. I have an older Australian seat, my dd has just hit 12kg which is the rf weight limit so I don't use the seat anymore, my friend has a newer height market seat her son is also 12kg but isn't at the height markers yet so he is still rf in it. I wonder if they have tested them to a higher weight limit?

Yes the scenera only goes to 40lbs so yeah we get ripped off which is why so many people buy second hand seats.