stacey and jordan

Hi can any one help. Had my 6 month baby weighed today, and was told by my health visitor that he is to big for his car seat. Have looked online for new car seat. Which then got me thinking we are hoping to get to oz in march next year. Will car rental over there provide car seats for young toddlers, until we can buy one of our own.

Stacey xxx

iPom

Yes, we booked a car through Hertz and they gave us a child seat. Just enquire on booking. They should fit it for you too, although ours fitted it wrong and we did it ourselves later on.

Also, as long as he's sitting up, he could use one of the lightweight polystyrene Super Cruiser ones, which you could take as luggage. Just check it in at the desk - weighs nothing, uses a normal seat belt.

The seats in Aus are a bit different as they have 'capsules' for very young children... but the older ones are pretty much the same as we have. You can get them at ToysRUs and other child places.

There are hire companies for children's equipment in local areas. Flick through the internet or phone book. Usually run by women who've had their babies and have heaps of this stuff.

HTH;.

thebears

Car seats another great expense. We found out that our new ones could not be taken across. Thats 4 x £200 in 12 months down the gurgle.
1 for daddy, 1 for mummy.
Unfortuately we had new car seat in boot when wife wrote off the car. Had just been picked up and was going to be fitted that afternoon!!!!

Do they only take into consideration weight or does height also come in to the equation? Its just our daughter is already well over 98cm in height at 27 months but is still at 75% quartile for weight.

iPom

It's weight, bears. You have to think about velocity at the bottom line.... If they're heavier they need the bigger seat etc...

Why can't you take your new ones? Aren't they Aus approved?

thebears

According to BMW UK and Australia we have to get new seats the European variant dont meet their standards. When we looked at importing our cars the agent also advised us that the car seats would not be allowed in.

iPom

That's pants isn't it!

I've seen some capsule seats in Aus and you wonder how kids are alive. Some of them are terrible.
I've seen new ones last year in ToysRUs and they look just like ours. Such silliness.

Rudi

The difference is that the Australian ones have to be bolted to the car as well as being fitted in with the seatbelt. It is a bummer having to buy new ones over here I agree.

Rudi

iPom

The Hertz one wasn't bolted in. It had a strap which went over the back of the seat and attached with a clip (like a rock climbing type clip) to a bolt in the boot... but yeah, that's a good point... I'd forgotten aobut the bolt.
I guess I'll wait until I'm in Aus before I get a new seat...

stacey and jordan

Hi thank you for your feed back. Just been looking at toys r us in Australia at car seats me and my husband have decided to buy a cheap one here just to get us through until next year, and when we get over there then buy a longer lasting car seat/booster.

thebears

All mine were Istronic or what ever that bolt directly into the chassis.

stevemich

I think you mean the ISOFIX system. We bought a seat with that for our Toyota in the UK, but the only car we could find here with it was the Holden (Vauhall) Zafira (although we may have missed some others?).

Unfortunately they have stopped bringing the Zafira into Oz now, so can only buy 2nd hand.

Anyway, we brought our seat over from the uk and attached the tether to a ready-installed clip in the boot - makes the seat rock solid, does not move a bit!
Our opinion was that as UK/Euro standards are really stingent, and as long as we attached the tether to the car (as is law in Aus), we were happy.

Steve

Rudi

That is the thing I meant - they call it a bolt, but as you say - it's a strap which goes and either attaches to a clip in the boot or on the back parcel shelf (which has been reinforced).

To 'the bears'

That sounds like a really safe system. I guess that it's just a different system over here and that's all they will approve you for.

Rudi

The Johnstons

I'm a bit confused about booster seat for older children. My girls are 8 & 5 (and are both the same height ) and the booster seats I have for them can be bought in Aus (and I mean the exact same design/colour/manufacturer) and as booster seats can't be bolted in, is it ok just to bring ours?
Tracey

Rudi

Booster seats from the UK are fine in Australia. It's only the ones with their own separate harnesses that have to have the bolt system.

Rudi

The Johnstons

Excellent, thankyou .
Tracey