Question CAR SEATS IN AFRICA?

U

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For work, I'll be traveling frequently with my two children age 14 months and 30 months to different places in urban and rural Africa. Please forgo judgement of the situation itself (which is non-negotiable) and I'm trying my best to keep them as safe as possible during the travel. I would appreciate any positive feedback/help.

We are likely to be transported by vans and cars that are certainly not going to have a latch system or equivalent (circa 1995? if lucky...). I do expect them to have seatbelts, but not much more. I want to keep my children as safe as possible, and we will be bringing out own carseats. I do not expect to be able to rent carseats there. I actually haven't seen a child in a carseat before in the places that we'll be traveling to.

I was thinking rear facing bucket car seat for the baby for now. Is there any benefit to bringing that heavy base, or is the safety equal with me just hooking the seatbelt into the little slit on the bucket seat itself? Whenever I've borrowed from airlines in more developed countries (including the USA) they only give me the seat without the base, so I was wondering if its considered just as safe? Separately, would there be any benefit to getting a non-bucket seat?

For the older one- I guess I can't tether the top of a regular convertible car seat. Is there a work-around if the car doesn't have a tether system to attach it up top? I'm thinking about my kid buckled into a heavy car seat and flying forward- this would perhaps be more momentum than if the child was just in a regular seat belt when they hit their head? But then there wouldn't be that 5 point harness, which is a definite plus. When I google, there is just tons of info on how dangerous it is to be in a non-tethered forward facing carseat. I don't want to do more harm than good. thoughts?

Of course, recommendations for the lightest/lowest-maintenance-to-install carseats given the in-and-out of different vehicles would be most appreciated.

Thanks for your help.
 
ADS

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
Rear facing both of them would be the easiest answer. How tall and heavy are they? It's unlikely your 14 month old will fit in a rear facing only seat for a long time. How long would you be there?

For you when you're traveling, try to have a shoulder belt and a headrest. They may be hard to come by, but those are important for your safety.

The good news is that all US seats with a harness, save one, are aircraft approved, so you'll have no issue using them on board.

Wendy
 

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