Guest Lucasusajo Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 Getting scarily close to arrival time now and still trying to plough through the endless to do list! Just wondered what others with young kids did (or are planning to do) about car seats when you arrived? We will be hiring a car ASAP after arrival (another on the to do list!) so not sure if we will pick that up from Perth airport or get a cab. Either way, I won't have car seats for our three kids (1, 4 and 5). Any ideas gratefully received! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jtrd Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 You can hire car seats with hire cars but they are charged by the day! We bought our (when we arrive) 4 year old a BoostApaK which is basically a backpack which converts to a booster seat - it is pretty cool and she loves it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kennmikp Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 You can hire car seats with hire cars but they are charged by the day! We bought our almost 3 year old a BoostApaK which is basically a backpack which converts to a booster seat - it is pretty cool and she loves it! Did you get that in Aus???? If so do you have a link to where you got it from??? Cheers, Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jtrd Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 No the BoostApak (presuming thats what you're asking about) is from the UK, its made by the same people who make the Trunki - you know cute little kids suitcases. If you google it you'll find loads of stockists here. I just did a search for best price or something similar and it was delivered in days. I think some big Sainsburys also stock them. They are fab, our daughter will have this as her carry on and she can fill it with her bits for the flight and as soon as we arrive she'll have a booster seat for the car.:cute: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lucasusajo Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 Are they legal to use in Aus? I thought you had to have seats that tied into the seats in some way - or is that just for the early years? Could be a good temporary fix in any event because I don't fancy hiring 3 car seats by the day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 You can hire car seats with hire cars but they are charged by the day! We bought our almost 3 year old a BoostApaK which is basically a backpack which converts to a booster seat - it is pretty cool and she loves it! I don't think its legal to sit a 3 year old on a sit on booster seat in Aus. From my reading they need to be in a proper car seat fitted with a top tether and seatbelt and then harnessed in with the 5 point harness. I posted an in depth write up on car seats in Aus over on PIA. Although I used the SA blurb the same standards for car seats apply nationwide now. http://www.pomsinadelaide.com/forum/transport-shipping/24721-car-seats-australia-what-you-need-know.html This link contains some info on the type of car seat required for a 2 or 3 year old http://www.bubhub.com.au/info/articles/safety/infant_car_seats_infant_child_restraint_safety.shtml IN it it says Law Change The law relating to child restraints has changed, as of November 9, 2009. The current law is: all children under seven years of age must use a child restraint or booster seat when travelling in a car Children under 6 months must use an approved, properly fastened and adjusted rearward facing restraint Children aged between 6 months and under 4 years must use an approved, properly fastened and adjusted rearward facing child restraint OR a forward facing restraint Children aged between 4 years and under 7 years must use an approved, properly fastened and adjusted forward facing restraint or an approved booster seat which is properly positioned and fastened A child restraint is a rear/rearforward or forward facing seat with it's own belt system. This should be used until your child is at least 4 years old. The last part there refers to the car seat having its own harness to secure the child in the car seat. The car seatbelt is used to secure the car seat. If you are using a sit on booster seat fitted with an adult seatbelt securing the child it is a dangerous thing for a 3 year old in event of any heavy breaking or impact. It also states on the website for it that its for 4 years and upwards (lists weights etc). Honestly, if you could see the damage done to small children due to them being restrained with an adult seatbelt in a booster seat you may want to think again on using one. FWIW many manufactuers no longer make or sell them due to the concerns of injury etc. They are also being phased out in Aus. They are using high back booster seats from 4 upwards fitted with a top tether to secure it. Anyways, either way, travelling in a car in Aus using this seat for a child under 4 will be breaking the law. Just thought this was worth mentioning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 Getting scarily close to arrival time now and still trying to plough through the endless to do list! Just wondered what others with young kids did (or are planning to do) about car seats when you arrived? We will be hiring a car ASAP after arrival (another on the to do list!) so not sure if we will pick that up from Perth airport or get a cab. Either way, I won't have car seats for our three kids (1, 4 and 5). Any ideas gratefully received! I wrote this for PIA but the car seat laws apply nationwide. Have a read, gives you some starting points. http://www.pomsinadelaide.com/forum/transport-shipping/24721-car-seats-australia-what-you-need-know.html You can hire car seats for a few days till you can purchase some new ones. FWIW all 3 of your children will need one. Your older two will need highback booster seats fitted with a top tether and seatbelt and then secured in with a 5 point harness. The youngest will need a car seat much like we use here for that age group till 4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lucasusajo Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 Argh! Thought that might be the case! Looks like I am going to be hiring for a couple of days before I kind find a shop that sells them. Of course finding a car that will sit three car seats on one row ( as we have now) is another issue...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 Are they legal to use in Aus? I thought you had to have seats that tied into the seats in some way - or is that just for the early years? Could be a good temporary fix in any event because I don't fancy hiring 3 car seats by the day! Please don't splash out on those booster seats. They really are not worth it. Far better to hire a few car seats for a few days (its not that expensive) and make it one of your first ports of call to buy new ones to use. Sit on booster seats with the child secured with the adult seatbelt are not at all good in event of breaking, heavy braking or impact (from any angle). They are being phased out in Aus and many car seat makers no longer produce them. A highback booster is the main thing to use between 4-7 in Aus (and also more and more in the UK). In Aus they are fitted with a top tether and seatbelt. I've posted a link above with loads of info but please feel free to drop me a PM re car seats and I am more than happy to help try to point you somewhere to get sorted asap once in Aus. Or at least give you an idea of the type of car seats to be looking for Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 Argh! Thought that might be the case! Looks like I am going to be hiring for a couple of days before I kind find a shop that sells them. Of course finding a car that will sit three car seats on one row ( as we have now) is another issue...... You can fit 2 highback boosters and a car seat in many cars. Don't go to the big stores for car seats. Spend a bit of time before you leave researching local firms with decent fitters etc. I am sure I can ask around for some recommendations in your area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pom diddly om pom Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 Hi, I would definitely recommend bringing your own with you, all the airlines we have asked fly them for free. have you tried vroom vroom vroom for car rentals? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alexdtaylor Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 Hi there. It might be worth checking out Mindarie Car Hire - www.mindariecarhire.com.au - we used them when we validated our visas in April. They have loads of car seats for children. They didn't break the price down for us so not sure if they charged us for the car seat hire but in total their price was the cheapest. Most of the main car hire companies charge per day, like you said, and if you've got 3 little'uns it will soon add up even for a few days. If you're heading to the Northern suburbs they'll come and pick you up from the airport in a people carrier and take you to wherever you're staying and the hire car will be waiting for you - quite useful after a long journey!!! If not they can drop the hire car at the airport for you. Hope this is useful? Good luck, Alex Getting scarily close to arrival time now and still trying to plough through the endless to do list! Just wondered what others with young kids did (or are planning to do) about car seats when you arrived? We will be hiring a car ASAP after arrival (another on the to do list!) so not sure if we will pick that up from Perth airport or get a cab. Either way, I won't have car seats for our three kids (1, 4 and 5). Any ideas gratefully received! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lucasusajo Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 Thanks for all the advice everyone. So many questions so little time! Really useful being able to get some advice from others that have been through or are going through the same crazy process! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest carlj3108 Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Sorry to ask....as not sure if this was answered. But what if you are just going to get a taxi from the airport to your hotel / rental? Whats the situation with children and car seats then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest toffee Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Sorry to ask....as not sure if this was answered.But what if you are just going to get a taxi from the airport to your hotel / rental? Whats the situation with children and car seats then? I asked a taxi firm in Melbourne about this today and they said there is no legal obligation to use seats in the cab. We just travelled to the airport tonight in a Maxi Taxi with our kids aged 20 months, 2 and 4 with no problems. Didn't quite feel right but the kids loved it! Edbull - Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reddebz Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Snifter, Im a bit concerned by your post! My son is coming upto 3 and he weighs 15k and is the height of a 3 half/4 year old. because of this he is already in a high back booster seat with the car seat belt used to keep him in. We will be taking the seat with us for when we get there but now Im worried that we wil be breaking the law! (by the way, my husband is very tall, hence the size of my son!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Snifter, Im a bit concerned by your post! My son is coming upto 3 and he weighs 15k and is the height of a 3 half/4 year old. because of this he is already in a high back booster seat with the car seat belt used to keep him in. We will be taking the seat with us for when we get there but now Im worried that we wil be breaking the law! (by the way, my husband is very tall, hence the size of my son!) You'll be breaking the law in terms of using a non Aussie standards approved car seat if you use your UK one in Aus. They also use a top tether there to secure their seats and the UK do not (for highback boosters the top tether is a good thing IMO). So your highback won't be secured correctly either according to Aussie laws. Odd you son no longer fits his car seat here. They are designed to be used till 4 and/or 18kg. My son is almost 3 1/2 and is tall for his age and still fits his, he weighs 16.5kg last time we checked. We have a headrest that moves upwards and he has room still to grow some more. FWIW I'd still be looking to use a harness in a highback booster for as long as possible for safety reasons. You can buy these and fit them to many highbacks and then install the seat with the seatbelt. Anyways, once you arrive in Aus go to a decent store, not a supermarket type place, and talk with them about your requirements. The weight aspect of car seats in Aus is also chaging to accomodate height also. So when fitting a child for a car seat, you can also clearly see what heights they can be used within also. I've copied the next bit over but it should all be of use to you I'd be inclined, weight and height taken into consideration to go for the Hi Liner if your son is big enough once you arrive. This seat gets 4 stars in the CREP rating and tops it. The specific model is Hi-Liner SG (Safe-N-Sound) Series 4830/A/2004. The other model, the Hi-Liner with ASC (Safe-N-Sound) Series 4820/A/2004 got 4 stars also but one less for ease of use rating. Read the CREP page and reviews on any car seat that interests you. It really comes down to personal choice. For places to purchase and fitters. Contact any of these via email or phone to enquire about car seats and having them fitted. http://www.babylove.com.au/where-to-buy/Where-to-Buy/WA.asp http://www.childcarrestraints.com.au/roadwise/ccr/fitters I wrote a big long post on the subject of car seats in Australia if you've not see it yet, you can find it here http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/transport-shipping/123214-car-seats-australia-what-you-need-know.html Has everything you need to know Feel free to ask here or via PM if you've any more questions or want info on car seats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Roary Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Can I highly recommend anyone with car seat queries to speak with kidsafe wa? They rent carseats but are an independent safety organisation that provides free advice. They will tell you which car seats you require and which are the best makes, recommend ships, and provide a fitting service. We bought our seats at babyroad on the leach highway. They are not cheap but kid safe only recommends. 3 of all the available brands. I can't recommend them highly enough. http://www.kidsafewa.com.au/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Williamsons Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 Thanks very much for this post - very helpful.:biggrin: I had just assumed that we could use what we had here. (boys aged 18 months & 3 &1/2). Both are Isofix - so from your other threads they have not been approved yet (2013?). Plus the older boy is in a high back restrained by the adult seatbelt. Tyical!!! :rolleyes: But thankyou as we would have transported them all the way over to OZ just for the hell of it!!!:notworthy: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 Thanks very much for this post - very helpful.:biggrin: I had just assumed that we could use what we had here. (boys aged 18 months & 3 &1/2). Both are Isofix - so from your other threads they have not been approved yet (2013?). Plus the older boy is in a high back restrained by the adult seatbelt. Tyical!!! :rolleyes: But thankyou as we would have transported them all the way over to OZ just for the hell of it!!!:notworthy: Sadly not, but good you found out before shipping. And yes, Isofix is still in the approval to planning stage and is still a couple of years off at least sadly. If you want some info on what to purchase drop me a PM if you are interested. Will be more than happy to help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest krisp235 Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 we have hired a car from the airport, hubby will go to toys r us, map in hand, 10 mins up the road pick them up, then return to pick us up. :biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest krisp235 Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 Getting scarily close to arrival time now and still trying to plough through the endless to do list! Just wondered what others with young kids did (or are planning to do) about car seats when you arrived? We will be hiring a car ASAP after arrival (another on the to do list!) so not sure if we will pick that up from Perth airport or get a cab. Either way, I won't have car seats for our three kids (1, 4 and 5). Any ideas gratefully received! we have hired a car from the airport, hubby will go to toys r us, map in hand, 10 mins up the road pick them up, then return to pick us up. :biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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