HK taxis and child seats

M

metsfan

Registered User
We're moving to Hong Kong this summer with our 3-year-old. We will not have a car, but would like him to be secured in a lightweight safety seat when we take taxis around the city.

I've identified several options, but it would be very helpful to know if Hong Kong taxis are equipped with LATCH (US) or ISOFIX (European) hooks and/or top tether hooks. Both make it easier to install car seats quickly and properly, and the top tether hook is required for some of the lighter weight options.

Also it would be helpful to know how many shoulder seat belts Hong Kong taxis have in the back seat -- just the two on either side with a lap belt in the middle, or also a third shoulder strap in the middle?

Thanks in advance!
 
It could just be my experience, and perhaps I don't know exactly what I am looking for with top tether hooks, but I have NEVER been in a taxi that has ISOFIX and I know exactly what to look for as we use it in our car.

A Taxi would usually have 2 shoulder seat belts and 1 lap belt (if your lucky) in the middle.

At least that has been my experience and 1 of the main reasons we got a car as I really didn't feel that comfortable or safe with my 2 year old in a taxi. But just my opinion and experience.
 
Yeah, taxis don't have isofix and also don't know what a top tether hook is but I doubt it. In my experience it's a lottery as to whether the seatbelts they do have will go round the car seat you have. Some have lap belts in the middle, some don't.

Someone here might have some info about a car seat option that works for a 3 year old but honestly safety just isn't a priority in the world of HK taxis. My baby is much younger than yours and we either use a baby bjorn with the seatbelt between me and the harness or for short hops just have him on my lap - it's a risk but in built up areas cabs don't tend to drive that fast. I think it's something you either come to terms with or get a car as Nic says.
 
I`ve seen some of kind harness here that attaches to seat belts and is for older toddlers and kids, but I`m not sure what it is exactly.
Most taxi drivers here don`t care about safety or if you have a baby on board. I`ve told lots of taxis to slow down or to wait til I got my seat belt on before he zoomed away. Like some others, I keep my baby on my lap with my own seat belt on.
You`re not safe on the buses either here. The drivers have even more apathy for safety. Just yesterday our bus stopped suddenly and I flew out of my seat with my son on my lap. It resulted in a small injury to my foot and I can`t really walk now. Yeah, HK seems to care little about safety for anything, despite what they brag about.
Fiddling with car seats here sounds like a nightmare with these impatient cabs who are often in undesignated pick up zone. If you plan to drive a lot, you might look into getting your own car.
 
agree with all the above. we used the baby carrier when traveling around in taxis, but if you really are concerned with safety then you should buy a car...they're not that expensive (esp compared to singapore) and then you'll have peace of mind every time your child is strapped securely into the car.
 
We use this harness. JoeySafe Freedom Ride Child Safety Harness in HK you can buy it from Baby Central - Hong Kong online baby shop?::?safety & health?::?car safety

I just have my daughter in it before I get a taxi and it is very easy to attach using the middle seat belt. The belt goes behind her and through a strap.

Not sure of the weight of you child but there is another harness for larger kids made by another company. Can't think of what it is called at the moment will see if I can find it and will post later.
 
We borrowed the JoeySafe from a friend to just test out and I found it to be such a pain to figure out...so did my friend who lent it to me who said, if you can figure it out, it's yours. We still have it so will give it a go again.....
 
I just put my 3 year old in the seatbelt with the shoulder strap behind him - not ideal unfortunately. But I am thinking about getting the Trunki booster seat bag (http://www.trunki.co.uk/products/boostapak_9/boostapak_21) as it looks quite useful since it can be used with the regular shoulder belt. This might be an option if your 3 year old is tall enough for a booster seat.
 
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Thanks for all the feedback.

I'm looking at a couple of options. One is something called the Romer Vario (also known as the Britax Laptop), which is an energy-absorbing restraint that sits on top of the child and works very well with a lap belt (or shoulder belt). It's more portable than a car seat and would allow us to put our son in the middle seat, which would be safest, when there's a lap belt there. But they're discontinued in the U.S., and perhaps also in Europe. I see some on sale on German eBay, though.

The other option I've found is the RideSafer Travel Vest. You can see it here. It's similar to the JoeySafe but seems more reliable, with good tests and reviews. But it requires a top tether anchor to be used with a lap belt, so that means we'd have to put the child in the more exposed left or right side seat with the shoulder belt. Still, better than nothing, and for occasional use, probably acceptable.
 
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