Children in car seats

[Antheia]

Inspired by another similar thread in here i thought i would ask this question that has been bugging me for ages.

Kids are suppsoe to be in a booster seat until age 5 right? Well what do you do if your child has out grown the seat but has only turned 4? DD just sits in the car without another seatas she is too tall and too big for the boosters. She is the size and height of an average 6 year old.

DS is only 2 and is fast out growing his car seat too. He is allowed to go into a booster seat at this age?

[zada]

new laws coming in June/july state all children must be restrained in a 5 point built in harness until the age of 4 (so if your child outgrows a baby seat you will need to get a maxi rider or simular). And all children aged from 4-7 must be seated in a booster seat preferably with a H harness aswell.
Theres no laws atm but these are definatly coming in. Have u had a look at some of the bigger booster seats for your almost 4 yr old? Infa vario and sns pegasus come to mind.

[Mak]

Evening ladies,

I had asked for recommendations re booster seats recently as DD1 (almost 3) is 19kg and ~105cm tall. I am interested that there may be laws in regards to the 5 point harness related to age as all the seats on the market seem to recommend that the 5 point harness is no longer used after 18kg (so either the adult belt or H harness). I have also read reports that the H harness is not necessarily safer to use than the adult belt. All very confusing and very difficult to work out the reliability of these pieces of information. I just want the safest option for the longest time possible as she is still only 3!

Interestingly one reply said that the Australian Standards were being revised to include a larger weight range.

If only it were more straightforward!!!

[zada]

Id say if your 3 yr old is over 18kg then your only next safest option would be to use a booster seat with the H harness and an anti submarine clip to technically make a 6 point harness.
A H harness is definatly safer than an adult seat belt

[Mak]

Thanks Zara!

Good to know re 6 point harness....

[alioops]

I spoke to RACQ about restraints today. The new laws are still based on weight, but the limits will be higher. Your children will be less safe if they are too heavy for the restraint, because they are more likely to break in an accident if they have a higher weight load than they have recieved accreditation for.

Antheia, I think she would be fine in a booster with H harness. Are her eyes above the booster seat back? or with a booster cushion are her eyes higher than the car seat back? That is where they need to be for her to be too tall. If they are then maybe take her to a restraint fitting station or the transport department in your state, and ask them what to do.

[mbear]

Kids are suppsoe to be in a booster seat until age 5 right?

.....Isnt it all supposed to do with weight....not age. I know a 9 year old (very skinny) whom is still in a car seat.....

A child should be in a forward facing car seat with a inbuilt harness until age of 4 years.....from 4-7 years (14-26kgs) child must be seated in baby booster seat.


I think the maxi rider really does cover all age groups. We have 3 in our car, and my girls range from 1 (11kgs) ,3,(16kgs) 5.(18kgs).......

[Patooties]

My 7 year old is still in a booster seat - one of the ones which is just the base - we use the harness for her as well. She weighs about 25 kilos. We changed her out of her other booster seat - as her eye level was above the back of the booster.

[Antheia]

Yes her eye level was above the top. She weighs about 22kgs.