iainandsam

What do you do about car seats in taxis when stopping over singapore? We are not planning on taking ours as not able to use in Oz but have a 20 month old.

goatherder

well our 18 month old sat on my lap. Basically i put the seatbelt on and held her.

Other than that take the MRT if you're not comfortable with the on the lap approach. Its not illegal for a child to travel this way in taxi - private car is illegal however.

Other option I've seen is a "Joey Safe" from Mothercare. Its a harness that attaches to the car seat belt.

bigAPE

Same as you would do anywhere else in the world, including in a taxi the UK... hold them firmly in your lap

Al

Safin

Not sure how true it is but I was told ....

if you have to hold them on your lap best to put them betwen your legs sitting on the seat itself and put your arms over their shoulders and hold the insides of their thighs.

Your head is less likely to nod down and smack them on the top of the head in an accident. Your legs act as side impact. Also if they are flung out of your arms they are less likely to go over/between front seats.


If they are bigger (eg 3/4 yrs) you could try those harnesses that strap around the car seat belt and hold the diagonal bit lower than normal so it goes over their shoulder not across their face or neck. I bought one in Halfords and baby shops sell them.


PLEASE DON'T STRAP THEM IN WITH YOU. In an accident your body will crush them badly against the strap causing massive internal injuries to them. Seat belts need to be on bony bits not soft squishy tummies.

BAY

What do you mean you can't use it in Oz ?

We took our UK car seat for our 10 month old daughter. It worked perfectly well in an Aussie car

.... and yes before you get started I do know it technically doesn't meet aussie standards but it still held her securely in the car and would have protected her from any accidents ... which by the way we haven't had ... and the police weren't holding roadblocks checking for car seats that didn't conform to Aussie standards ... I think they have better things to do like catching criminals etc etc.

Taking a car seat worked for us because we could a) use it on the plane b) use it in taxis c) use it in Oz until we needed to purchase the next size up car seat.

PS the car seat we bought in Oz cost over $300

Geelong Gent

Well there ya go

Never driving again


OP You will be fine in Singapore, we spend alot of time there with our daughters (from 7 months) and have never had any issues.

Pollyana

It may fit in an Aussie car, but as is well documented in threads on here the use of UK car seats here just isn't allowed.

If there is an accident then use of a UK car seat may invalidate the insurance, as it isn't legal.

From RACQ
All child restraints sold in Australia must meet the same Australian Standard AS 1754.

BAY

Yes Yes I know.

But hands up, on your 1st day in Oz how many people have time to go and buy a car seat, so for just a short time use the UK seat ... its just that people seem to think that they are suddenly going to have a serious car accident because the car seat doesn't conform to Aussie standards and if they do have an accident the car seat will crumple and not protect the child ... the car seat works perfectly well in the UK and will also work perfectly well in Oz.

Also just before we came to OZ I had my car written off by someone coming out of a side road. I had my two children in the car, both in car seats. I claimed on both my insurance and the other guys insurance ... both for the car and personal injuries to the 3 of us (nothing too serious by the way). Not once did either insurance company ask about the type/brand of car seat. Just wanted to know that they were in one.

The Bloke

Who cares what the UK insurance companies care about, that was in the UK where the UK standard seats ARE LEGAL. In Australia, if there is an accicdent were someone is injured/killed, police will usually investigate, and if their report says that you were using a UK (non-Australian standard compliant) car-seat, and the person that was injured was in it, the insurance companies WILL NOT PAY,and you may find yourself having some attention from the police. It is not the point of the seat absorbing the impact, but rather the difference in the anchor points, therefore not providing the same standard of security.

Safin

Baby seats have different anchor points. The booster style have no anchor points but are restrained by the seatbelt itself.

Like all things people have to choose for themselves if they are going to take the risk of breaking the law and the consequences of such!

At least they care about restraining the kids in the first place - still see loads of people not bothering at all!!!!

eve209

Does any one know of the or any requirements for an older child, We have a 7 yr old who uses a booster in the UK?

Amazulu

Actually they don't. Aussie police are basically revenue collectors for the state government. They are more interested in collecting speeding taxes (sorry, fines) than they are in catching criminals.

Get an Aussie seat.

Safin

Just about to check that myself. Think different states have different rules. In QLD it was only til they were about 3 yrs but I think that's gone up to 7 yrs very recently. I still make my 8 yr old sit on a booster though he hates it when he sees 3 year old locals sat in the main seat with the belt across their necks!!!!!

Get back to you in a mo

Safin

Taken from QLD gov transport website .........

Seatbelt laws
Babies aged under one must be protected in an approved child restraint (for example, a baby capsule) that is properly fastened and adjusted.

Children over one and under 16 should be restrained by an appropriate Standards-Australia-approved child restraint (for example, a child seat, booster seat or child safety harness) or seatbelt that is properly fastened and adjusted.

There are different restraints for children of different sizes. If a child is large enough, the normal seatbelt must be used.

The driver's responsibility
The driver is responsible and risks a fine of A$225 and three demerit points for ignoring these laws. The only exemptions are:

taxis and private hire vehicles where no restraint is supplied
on medical grounds where a certificate is provided by a doctor.
If more than one seat belt offence occurs within a 12-month period, an additional three demerit points will apply. The additional demerit point penalty will apply to driver-related offences for seatbelts, and rider-related offences for helmets.







Last updated 21 April 2008

Kooky.

It may be illegal in a private car but many's the time I've seen kids jumping around in the back of the car, or between the front seats, or in the front, etc.

OP - if you have a buggy, the MRT is a much easier form of transport, although don't expect people to give you space or help you get on and off it.