Australian Car Seats/Booster Seats

Hi All - great forum, thank you for being here, now I need your help.

We are moving from the USA to Australia next June and I have been reading that our car seats will not be legal in Aust, they need to have the "Australian Standards" sticker on them. I have also read that Australia has the strictest standards when it comes to car seat safety, but I see that none of there seats have the chest clip on the harness, something that I really like. Anyway, the help I need is what seat should I get???

My daughter will be 4 when we move (she is currently about 35lbs) and I was thinking of getting a booster seat for her, but have no clue as to which one?? The other thing I am confused about with the boosters is some have the belt clip in the seat and I can't see how these work (see the link) http://childrestraints.com.au/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=30

Here is a link to a page with booster seats http://childrestraints.com.au/store/cart.php?m=product_list&c=4

I have been looking at the maxi rider 2 by safe n sound (britax) for my son. It is a convertible that will be good from 8 to 26kgs (or approx 17-58lbs) He currently weighs 22lbs and will be 2 when we move. Anyone have any thoughts on this seat?

here is a link to a page with convertible seats http://childrestraints.com.au/store/cart.php?m=product_list&c=9

Any help, advice, or suggestions would be so appreciated. I am really confused. Thank you for your help.
Natalie

There is a tech who posts here that I believe is familiar with Australia seats and laws. Her user name is "CRS" without the quotes. There's a link in her siggy to her website.

At your ds's age and weight, he will be safest rf'ing still, so you should take that into account when looking for a seat. (What seat is he riding in right now?) I have read that the seat you mentioned is a harnessed seat that converts to a booster, and IIRC the harness portion itself is only good until 18kg's - I'm sure that CRS will know the weight limit for sure though.

As for the no chest clips, the harness geometry of seats in Europe is quite different than those in the US. The buckle is often longer coming up higher on the child, and the straps have longer pads on them that are somewhat grippy to help keep them in position. Chest clips themselves don't actually serve a purpose in a crash - their job is to keep the harness in the proper position on the child. In a crash, the chest clip will either break open or slide down the harness. Because of the function they serve, they serve the role of a pre-crash positioner and nothing more.

I prefer to not look at any country as having superior crash test standards because they all are so different and one country may have stricter requirements in one area and lower requirements in another area. It's great that you're doing your research on carseats now so you have plenty of time to prepare.

If you have any questions about the seats you're currently using or keeping your ds rf'ing, feel free to start a new thread in the main car seat safety forum. There are lots of links around about the benefits of erf'ing and the increased safety it provides. I'm not sure how your ds rides at the moment, but I'd encourage you to research rf'ing and consider turning him back around if he's ff'ing at the moment.

This is one of my favorite links: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psmUWg7QrC8

p.s. You'll need to register in order to reply to this thread. Registration is free and only takes a minute. Otherwise you'll need to start new threads to answer any questions asked in threads.

Natalie,

I am an American who has lived in Au for the past 10 yrs and I do not follow the laws here for many reasons.

You will be surprised at how many kids 3 and older who do not use a car seat or booster and only use a seat belt or ride in the front seat w/ an air bag.

I would buy a higher weight limit harnessed seat in the states and bring it w/ you here. I have a Britax Blvd, Regent and Radian 65. I also just gave away 2 Graco Cargo's and I have 2 Graco High Back Boosters.

My 7.5 y/o uses the Regent and my 4 y/o uses the Blvd & Radian. I am looking at getting dd a Britax Monarch sent over next year.

I live in Queensland and once a child reaches the age of 1, their is no law about using a car seat it is only reccomeneded.

The Maxi rider is only harnessed to 18 kilo (40lbs) then you must use a protecta harness or a seatbelt. I just got off the phone w/ Britax here about sales people miss use of selling this seat. The cost of a Maxi rider here is $340.00 Au then another $50.00 au for the extra harness, you buy 2 Regents for that price. Plus the maxi rider is not very tall.

The Boosters here only go to 26 kilo (57.20lbs). They may release the Graco Air Booster her next year which will cost $219.00 Au.

The clip in the middle is called a anti-subnarine clip which is great because it helps the child not to go under the seat belt, but the seat only goes to 57lbs which I think is a waste. They may be bringing out higher weight booster seats next yr but the Britax (safe n sound) rep could not tell me for sure.

If you really want to use a booster then I would bring a booster w/ you like the Britax ones because they have a higher weight limit.

You are allowed to use your seat her FF is they are 5 point harness and have a Top teather. However you will not beable to use them RF because they do not have the Anti rebound bar.
But many of my american friends still used their american seats rf w/ out the bar.

Please fell free to pm me w/ any questions!

The baby selection and products here is nothing compared to the states. If you like playtex sippy cups, stock up on them they cost $15.00 per cup here and that's if you can find them. Advent cups are about the same price.

What state will you be moving to?

Unregistered said:

My daughter will be 4 when we move (she is currently about 35lbs) and I was thinking of getting a booster seat for her, but have no clue as to which one?? The other thing I am confused about with the boosters is some have the belt clip in the seat and I can't see how these work (see the link) http://childrestraints.com.au/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=30

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Maxi Rider II is what i recommend. There are no seats in AU that harness above 40lb (18kgs) So you use a booster after this. The Maxi rider II is a full back seat, and can be used with the protecta harness to 26kgs (57 or so lb), and then the harness on its own.

I have been looking at the maxi rider 2 by safe n sound (britax) for my son. It is a convertible that will be good from 8 to 26kgs (or approx 17-58lbs) He currently weighs 22lbs and will be 2 when we move. Anyone have any thoughts on this seat?

Click to expand...

Buy it for both


Or as above bring the US seats and use the top tether. AU has less seat choice than we do here in New Zealand. We can use much more and have higher harnessing seats arriving in early 2008 for the first time. So it may even be cheaper for you to ship one over from NZ to AU (but they will not be AU standard).

And stock up on the cool US brands. Gerber, Playtex etc as AU is limited. NZ has a similar range, and then some

snowbird25ca said:

I prefer to not look at any country as having superior crash test standards because they all are so different and one country may have stricter requirements in one area and lower requirements in another area.

Click to expand...

Totally agree with this statement. All seats in Australia harness till only 18kg Forward-facing. However, there are some exceptions and other options if you wish to harness for longer here: http://www.childrestraintsafety.com/extended-harnessing.html

The seat you're looking at here http://childrestraints.com.au/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=30when you say the "belt clip" I assume you mean the thing between the legs? The seatbelt slips under it to keep it nice and low on the hips and to stop kiddo sliding under the belt. It's a nice booster seat but keep in mind it's not plastic, it's comprised entirely of EPS (Expanded Polystyrene Foam).

The Maxi Rider II certainly might be an option for your then two year old, as always though you'd need to try it in your car before you buy it. I saw someone else mentioned about keeping him rearfacing. You probably could if you wanted (I noted he was 22lbs, 10kg) however seats in Australia only rear-face up to a maximum of 12kg and the harness straps for rear-facing are very very low so you probably wouldn't have much luck practising extended rear-facing a two year old in Australia.

If you need some more help/advice just flick me an email via my website