Guest ramblemum Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 We fly in 4 weeks time and I am just starting to think about the task ahead Cars- In particular car seats- Stan is just under 18kg- what would be the recommended seat for him- (if he needs to be over 18KG for the next one I could fatten him up what are the ok brands to get, what are the brands to avoid? Where would you get them from? How are we going to get from the airport to the centre of Sydney with 3 pre school kids and 100kg of luggage? Would we have to pre book a taxi with seats or can they travel in a taxi without seats? Ok freaking out now thinking about just that- I need a lie down! Thanks xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal2 Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 if you search for car seats, there was a thread that covered all this, someone very helpfully said exactly which seats were needed for what Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaz36 Posted June 28, 2011 Share Posted June 28, 2011 I think each state have different laws, but in qld, it goes by age primarily but also weight, so for 6mths to age 4 and up to 18kg, its a forward facing car seat, but age 4-7 and 14-26kg, its a booster seat. Easier to see here: http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Safety/Driver-guide/Child-restraints/Choosing-a-child-restraint.aspx Apparently you dont need one in a taxi, but cant see how that's safe! If you hire a car, you can hire car seats too. Safe n Sound is the Australian brand made by Britax so very good. I am not too sure of the other Australian makes so I got one of these, and have just got a Maxi Cosi for the new baby which are only just out here. Bear in mind, you cant use british ones, they have to have been made for the Australian market and have the australian safety sticker on them. Australian car seats use an additional anchor point which secures the seat to an anchor point in the boot of the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurls Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 You're going to Sydney and then Canberra aren't you? Have a look at these websites http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety/children/childrestraints/index.html http://www.crep.com.au/crep-results.php Taxis Taxi drivers must ensure: All passengers younger than 12 months must be secured in a child restraint. All passengers aged over 12 months and under 16 years must: occupy a seating position that is fitted with a suitable seatbelt, and not occupy the same seating position as another passenger (whether or not the other passenger is exempt from wearing a seatbelt under rule 267), and wear the seatbelt properly adjusted and fastened. [*]No passenger under four years old is in the front seat and a child four years or older but under seven years may only sit in the front row if all of the other seats in the row or rows behind the front row are occupied by passengers who are also under seven years old. I'd probably contact a taxi firm in advance and speak to them direct about it. I'm sure they can arrange them. I imagine it'd be worth considering pre booking anyway as you'll be tired and won't want to be looking for taxis when you land? We bought ours from Toys r Us in a sale (our 20 month twins are currently in convertible boosters). But you can also get them at Big W, Target, Kmart, Baby Bunting and the like. Also on ebay if you are prepared to go second hand. You could also have a browse through http://www.productreview.com.au/c/booster-car-seats.html to get an idea what other's say about them, but I'd probably use the CREPS site as a basis to go from and then check out the manufacturers site. :biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest shusselmann Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 When we arrived in Sydney with two preschoolers we jumped in a taxi at the airport and travelled to the Eastern Suburbs without car seats, no one (including the taxi driver) told us it was an issue. We've since learnt they should have been in car seats... For friends who have visited since we've been here we have used Silver Service to arrange taxis with car seats. Maybe contact them to organise an airport pickup? Have a safe trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeW Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 Hi RambleM, As Julz says - 'Big W' is good for car seats. I needed a car seat for my 6 year old today. I looked in a few shops (in Canberra), they were all expensive except for one I saw and bought in 'Big W' - around $60 (don't remember exact amount). We landed in Sydney Monday morning with 6 cases and all hand luggage. We stayed in one of the airport hotels, dropped luggage off (shuttle bus) then got a train to Sydney to see the sights. We drove to Canberra the next day - we hired a Budget Car and will drop off in Canberra tomorrow. We just about squeezed the 6 cases in! Good luck, Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest littlel Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 We took our own car seats. Put them in 'Kiddicare' car seat bags in hold then put them in the taxi when we got here. Simple as that (although pain to carry through airport one less thing to worry about) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurls Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 We took our own car seats. Put them in 'Kiddicare' car seat bags in hold then put them in the taxi when we got here. Simple as that (although pain to carry through airport one less thing to worry about) I wouldn't have thought it would be worth carting them over just for one taxi ride though? Bearing in mind that UK seats don't meet Australian standards so you wouldn't want to use them long term here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaz36 Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 We took our own car seats. Put them in 'Kiddicare' car seat bags in hold then put them in the taxi when we got here. Simple as that (although pain to carry through airport one less thing to worry about) as said by Jurls, they're not legal to use here, so if you were thinking of using them in your own car and were involved in an accident, I'd be worried the insurance may be invalidated by using illegal car seats. Also, if stopped by the police, you could be fined and have points on your licence. Not worth it in my opinion. Dont suppose you'd be the one fined etc if you were in a taxi, but a bit too much hassle for one journey when you could pre-book a taxi with car seats in it. I did use a UK car seat for my validation trip out here, as I wanted my 2yr old to be in a car seat on the flight, so did go through that hassle of carrying it around the airport, but it was for the flight out and back and ultimately was taking it back to the UK. It would be no use here if you were to be moving out here permanently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABL275 Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 Taxis have an exemption from having car seats for kids Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurls Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 Taxis have an exemption from having car seats for kids My quote was direct from the FAQ of NSW Transport RTA so I suppose it depends on what your definition of a "suitable seatbelt" is. :eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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