SarahJW

Hi everyone,

I haven't posted on this particular forum before, so please be gentle! We are leaving for Sydney at the end of April and are trying to find out if our car seats are legal, as we have heard they need to be 'bolted in', although not too sure exactly what that means.

We have a newborn maxi-cosi car seat which came as part of a 3-in-1 bugaboo travel system. It fits into any seat in the car and is held in with the seat belt. It has no other attachments to the car.

We also have 2 maxi cosi car seats for when they grow out of the first car seat. This is also secured using the seat belt and has no other attachments to the car.

Any advice would be gratefully received.

Thanks in advance,

Sarah

Jacko1

The Aussie Car seats not only secure with the seat belt but also with an additional strap at the top. On older cars the top fixing does not exist. However we brought our car seat over for our youngest and have been using it here. I am not sure of the law on this one, but if you see the way some kids are carted around here I would have thought it is OK

Paul J

Amazulu

I don't think they are. We emailed Hertz before we left & they said that we would not be insured if we used our own seat. Aussie baby seat have an extra strap at the back that clips on a hook on the rear shelf. I don't think Aussie seats are any safer, but you don't want to take any chances. I don't know if this applies to the new Isofix system.

rachelw

Having carted our maxi cosi car seat over to Australia last year, I was informed that they are not legally acceptable and ended up hiring one for the duration of my stay. I would recommend purchasing new seats out there for your little ones, or at least hiring in Aus. The system there seems more secure to me anyway, so was happy to go with that.

Pollyana

I only have a Qld link, the NSW laws may be slightly different, but generally UK seats are not legal here.

http://www.roadsafety.qld.gov.au/qt/...aints_choosing

Alex Hall

Have read on the foum before and in one of my immigration to Oz books that UK car seats are usually not legal in Oz. I'll try and dig out the actual text this evening.

alex

SarahJW

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all your replies, they've been really useful. Sounds like we're going to have to buy new then!

Regards, Sarah

ABCDiamond

Here is a quote and a weblink that may be useful

Car Safety Seats

notes for overseas visitors - from www.bubhub.com.au

All child restraints used in Australia must comply with current Australian standards - one of the main features of which is the use of a rear strap to an anchor point. Australian child restraint standards are some of the most stringent in the world and most overseas child restraints do not comply with these standards and cannot legally be used in Australia - this includes restraints from countries such as the UK and USA. It is advisable to hire a child restraint in Australia from a reputable hire service (see section above) rather than bringing your own from overseas.

bondipom

The tray of the ute seems to be the practical solution here. Why get a namby pamby vehicle with a rear seat?