Would you use Australian booster past weight limit?

Just wondering since for reasons of space (trying to fit 3 across) we have had to get rid of our American Parkway SG and swap it for the old version of the Australian Hi-Liner (same as Parkway) without the armrests.
The problem is, this seat is for my ODS who is 9 and is probably pretty close to the weight limit of the seat. Here they are only good until 57 lbs. But, it is the EXACT SAME seat. So, basically my only other option would be to have him in no seat at all which isn't going to happen because he is a shorty.

So, is this a terrible thing to do or can I assume that since it's the exact same seat that I can continue using it safely until the 100 lb mark?

None of us will advise you to use any child restraint against manufacturers' instructions (other than numerical height limitations for rear-facing, mind you).. But I personally do find myself perplexed at the upper weight limits of booster seats, considering they are a positioning device and are not loaded in a crash. The seatbelt itself is the restraining device when using a booster seat. I'm going to assume that your child does not exceed the seatbelt weight limit

I would love if someone could come up with a logical argument for obeying the upper weight limit of a booster seat... I, however, can only think of reasons why you might want to ignore a booster's upper weight limit in order to keep a child in a booster longer. When my oldest was younger, the maximum weight on most boosters was 80 and both of my older children needed a booster well past 80lbs.

-Nicole.

Thanks Nicole.
Yes, I know "legally" you can't advise me to use it but I guess I am feeling fairly confident that it is going to be ok. There is talk of them raising the limit of the boosters here to 36 kg to accomodate all the "FAT" kids. While I like the idea of raising the limit, them saying that the kids are too fat is ridiculous. Jake is 9 and is nowhere near the height limit to be in a seatbelt alone but is already almost too heavy for the current limits on the boosters and he is skin and bone.....so stupid.

I have just today purchased the new Safe N sound Hi-liner SG and i was wondering this exact thing..my friend also ask the same question...now i have an answer for her.thanks

I phoned Britax here in NZ about the Hi-liner SG a couple of weeks ago & asked if it had been tested beyond 26kgs & it appears it might have been. She kind of hummed & giggled when I asked if it had been tested with the 32kg dummy but gently reminded me that the manual says 26kgs.

We are still at least a month from getting it here but would love to hear what anyone thinks of it who has bought one in Australia & how much it is selling for as we don't have a price set for here yet.

I got mine for $180 AUD at our local baby store.most retailers are selling for $189.00...i did find it online at babyzone for $151.00 but postage to me would have been more than what i paid.

I have just bought the preotecta harness (34.99AUD)to use with it also- awaiting its arrival in the mail in the next few days.
It has more padding than the vario booster which rated #1 in the tests done not long ago...and it has the slide guard..which i love!!
Im a little nervous using a booster for my eldest , as hes used to being in his regent ALL the time but i got this seat for him so we could do 3 across for our holiday to Syd next week.

Ill post some pics of it once i recieve the harness.

Hi there,

Lena from Dennmark has put my onto this thread fro manother forum we are both members of.

I am an australian mother who has used the Hiliner passed its 26kg weight limit. Here are my circumstances and logic:

(1) Hiliner is tested with a 32kg dummy (confirmed this by ringing the Aus Britax customer info line)
(2)I beleive that, in Aus, there is a weight limit because the the standards stipulates there must be a limit. The standards was written along time ago and the 26kg standard weight was based on the weight a child should be when they reached a numerical age considered ok to ride boosterless. Obviously this age has been revised upwards... but the standards is taking longer to alter.
(3) the two information sources who's advice I respect (the technicians at Britax, and the restraint advice service at Kidsafe WA) both suggested (without specifically saying so for legal reasons) that height was the better criteria to use when deciding when to remove the booster.
(4) I personally decided that so long as I wasnt exceeding the 32kg "test" weight limit of the hiliner then I could continue to use it tethered in my Australian car.
(5) I also accepted that I could also continue to use it UNTETHERED in my Australian car beyond 32kg but personally did not feel comfortable with this.

(6) DD reached 26kg when she was still very short, about 125cm.
(7) I continued to use the seat until she was 30kg and then removed it. I allowed for a 2kg buffer for clothed weight etc.
(8)At that weight she was 130cm and could sit straight on the seat with her knee's crooked over the edge and I have been using an Autosafe Seatbelt height adjuster to position the sash portion of the belt correctly.

(9) my back up plain, should she not be tall enough to go boosterless when she hit my acceptable 30kg limit, was to continue to use the Hiliner untethered, or to investigate Eu ISOFIX booster seats (my car has ISOFIX).

Hope this helps.

Milly

The Hi Liner was tested to 32kgs here in Australia - so the manufacturer knows they work to that weight - it is our Australian Standards Board who have set the 26kgs weight limit.

Althought I can't tell you what is best for you and your child as its a personal parenting choice - I can tell you what I have choosen to do and why.

I have an 8 yo who uses the BabyLove Ezy Up seat. Its similar in design to the Hi Liner. About 2 years ago I decided that if the time came when my children out grew booster seats by their weight according to Australian Standards then I would decide if they fit in a normal seat based on their height and leg lenght.

I did some research and found that if a child can't bend their knees correctly at the edge of the seat or if the seat belt doesn't fit on the shoulder properly then the child is simply too small to use an adult seat belt only. I also like to consider the childs behavior when making these type of choices, for example do they sit properly, do they like to nap etc).

I made the decison to ignore the upper weight limits because I personally believe my child is too small to sit with just a seat belt and in the event of an accident he may be hurt by an ill fitting seat belt!

I also decided that since I am not using the booster with any harness and it is just the seat belt that is securing my child that the chance of him being hurt from being in a booster that he was "too heavy" for was probably not a concern.

At this point I am still using the BabyLove beyond its weight and I intend to for as long as it takes for my child to behave correctly in the car and for him to be big enough (or too tall) for the seat.

Having said that - remember I am talking about a booster with no inbuilt harness. I would never use a child restraint with an inbuilt harness above the weight limit.

Good luck with your decision!