Tell me about car seats - for over 12kg (post capsule) - and a Britax/Safe N Sound Q?

[*Efjay*]

Yeah Unfortunately there is no seat in Australia that accommodates rear facing beyond 12kg. I have been luck that my kids have not hit 12 kgs until well over 12 months. I also contacted the maker of my seat who said that testing goes beyond 12kg but our standards don't. So I was happy to leave them a bit longer over the 12 kg mark.
Also, Im not sure if you had a seat from overseas that didn't comply with AUS standard that you would have any insurance cover if you happened to be involved in an accident with that seat in use.
I often wonder this as you see overseas seats listed on ebay & such but I didn't think it was legal to actually use them in the car here?

eta - thanks Mel, you answered my post while I was posting

[buliej]

I've done a fair bit of research since my post this morning and it is unfortunate that there is no Aussie rear facing seat that will take you beyond 12kg as apparently it is much safer. And it is technically correct that using a non-Aussie car seat is illegal here. However, if it is indeed much safer, that may be a risk I am willing to take - what's a fine compared to safety???

What I find interesting is that Australia seems to be very strick in terms of the mechanics of the car seat (meaning the requirements in terms of the build and installation are top requirements) but in terms of usage requirements (only allowing the sale of rear facing up until 12kgs), Australia seems to be behind.