Travel system that meets Australian standards?

nicolejoy

nicolejoy

Registered User
Hey all,

I've been considering getting a travel system (stroller with detachable seat that can be used as car seat) for my baby - and I know that the Maxi Cosi has a lot of fans out here, but unfortunately it doesn't meet Australian regulations. I'd ideally like to get some kind of travel system that I can use both in cabs here, AND in a car back in Australia (no sense in getting two different ones). Do any of the systems that you can get over here meet the crazy Australian rules? Or will I need to get something back in Oz? Any recommendations??

Thanks in advance!!
 
Nicole

We have used both the Maxi Cosi and Britax in Sydney/Perth.
Unless they've changed the rules. That was in 2006/2008.

Will you be renting a car when you're home? If you are, the rental companies usually will lease a car seat too. When we did that, it was always a Britax.

If you find something, let me know. We'll be heading back after bub 2 as soon as everything is fine.

Cheers!
 
I know that people do use the Maxi Cosi in Aus, but I'd rather something that does fit with their regulations - just in case of a crash for insurance purposes...

We bought a car seat there for our first child - we do rent a car when we go back but figured the amount that we go back (usually twice a year for 2 weeks or so each time), it's cheaper to just buy a car seat than to rent each time... Also we would like more children, and we do plan on moving back... although I know that the seats like Maxi Cosi are mainly just for infants so can't be used for AS long...

My friend checked out Babies Galore in Oz for me and found me this one: Babies Galore - but a) I haven't heard anything about it, and b) I would prefer to be able to feel it and test it out, pick it up etc before we buy it... so I'd RATHER get something over here in HK if possible since we don't plan on heading back to Aus before bub is born...
 
How about Graco? Back in Canada and the US, a lot of people use Graco for their travel system. Canada's pretty strict with safety stuff, but not sure how it compares with Aus. How about just buying one quickly in Aus the next time you go back there, after renting one for just a few days? Then maybe your new baby can use your old baby's seat while still in HK.
 
Unfortunately last time I researched this (November last year), Isofix systems are still not legal in Oz even though they have been proven to be far safer than the top tether used in Australian standard seats. Part of the problem supposedly is that the safety board that approves these things is controlled by safe'n'sound which make the most common car seats found in Oz and therefore have a vested interest in keeping maxi-cosi and others out. So if you want to be strictly legal you do need a seat that attaches with a top tether.
 
Hi Nicole

I was looking at the baby pics today of those Ozzie days, we did use the Safe n Sound whenever travel involved a car in the first three months. Personally, I think the Isofix system is much better and stays fixed better in the car.

All the mums in my mothersgroup had a Maxi Cosi (from the beginning) so I never thought that it broke any laws!
 
The other thing is, the isofix base is really heavy which is what stopped us from taking our maxi-cosi to Australia. They aren't as safe when they are just strapped in with the seat belt and certainly wouldn't be anywhere near Australian safety standards then.
 
Every country sells different brands and sometimes different models. Every country just tests and approves the models sold in that particular country so you would have to find a model that is also used in your country and then it's most likely tested. I use US seats, although I am European. When we moved / go back to Europe for a short while I always take my seats. Technically, not approved for the EU market. However, if it was up to the EU market, my children would have been in boosters at age 2 1/2 - 3 yo due to low height/weight limits of harnassed seats in Europe (Group 2). Now my 6 yo is still in a harnassed seat and so are the other two at age 3 1/2 and they still have more time to go. May not be legal (from a technical point of view), but research shows harnassed seats are way safer than boosters, especially at a young (2 / 3 yo) age, that's why the US advises not to use boosters under age 4 AND 40lbs. You have to weigh your battles ... or go to Australia, get a seat and bring back (or have somebody ship one).
 
Hi Nicole

I borrowed a BabyLove car capsule in Australia for 6 weeks, and I would recommend trying before buying. I wasn't a fan and my baby screamed the car down everytime she was in it. The mother I borrowed it from had the same problem with her baby. My baby has never worried with the Maxi Cosi here or also the Safe'N'Sound in Aus so I don't know what the problem was for her with the BabyLove but she sure hated it. I also found it was much harder to get her in and out of the seatbelt than the safensound and in the safensound if I turned around I could see her whereas with the BabyLove I could not see her at all as the sides are very high.
Good Luck I know what a pain it is trying to organise car seats for Aus!!
 
Flack - the Safe'n'sound one, can you still use it in a cab with just a seat belt around it too??

I'm pretty clueless with all of this as I've never used anything like this with my first child - I had a carseat in Aus but nothing that you remove from the car... I was pretty hopeless with the carseat too, kept forgetting to tighten up the top tether strap (so much for safety there!). That's what I get for living in HK!!
 
Nicole... All cab drivers are supposed to carry a babyseat - at least in NSW it was not a problem. So I never had to lug a car seat around. I always called a cab though and requested for one with one.
 
Nicole,

The safensound I borrowed you would be able to put a belt around in a cab, (in the slots where the tether strap goes) there are heaps of safensound models though so not sure if they are all the same. This one had bits similar to the maxi cosi where the belt goes through.
I was pretty hopeless the with the top tether strap too!
 
I mean a cab in HK - we're in cabs over here a lot...

I really hate the top tether strap, with rear facing car seats it makes it so hard to get the baby out! I would always get my daughter's leg caught or something ;) Dumb Aussie laws!!

Can you buy safensound in HK??
 
I think it's pretty hard to get any car seats here that meet Oz, Cdn or US standard even if it's a major brand since they sell different models in Asia. It's probably best of you buy the car seat in Australia and bring it back to HK.
 
Also, one of the problems is that even if your seat meets the standards of a particular country, it technically requires a sticker from the approving authority. I have two car seats of the same model, one purchased in US with a US approval sticker and one purchased in Canada with a Canadian approval sticker. Technically I am only supposed to use the Canadian approved car seat in Canada and the US one in the USA. Pretty ridiculous when it's exactly the same model!!
 
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