Experts call for booster seats to be...

CRS wrote: Paws wrote: I just want to say a big YAY!! For having you here Bonnie! You are a total wealth of knowledge and I've heard you spoken of highly before....great to have you contributing to us here!! Have you really? How interesting! LOL

I have indeed! Kind of freaks out you to be known though huh? But I can assure you that it's all good things I've heard.

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I am at odds with my in laws and booster seats at the moment. They seem to think that as Andrew is tall (just over 1 metre) and is now 3 he should be in a booster. I want him to stay in his car seat for as long as possible as it is safer for him. Going by the height thing alone he wouldn't be in one for long but the age thing would do it for me. I'm trying myself to kep him in a caseat for as long as possible just for my peace of mind (not being able to undone the buckle is the biggest thing for me, after watching him undo the seatbelt while in the booster ) at the moment.

Ugh, Maya lets herself out of the booster seat AND the five point harness, she's an evil wench I've managed to bribe her that unless she stays in the seatbelt I'll put the harness back on her seat 'like a baby', but on the way back from Hamilton yesterday she proudly informs me "them is awake"(them is the babies who are in the row behind her), so I look in the rear view mirror and she is still in the seatbelt but twisted right around over the backseat

Mum was telling me last week that in Australia child restraints are only compulsory up to 12 months, apparently it was in the Sydney Morning Herald, I'll have a hunt thru their website and see if I can find the article.

Maya wrote: Got it! Exercise Restraint And this from page 4: "...the law that requires children to remain in approved restraints only for 12 months." That is shocking! An interesting article overall, they suggest that children should be kept rear facing until after age 3, and that this is now common practise in Sweden. I'm not entirely sure how that would work tho? Wouldn't their legs be too long? Hmmmmm....

Yup! Currently the law is child restraints up to 12 months then after that just a seatbelt is perfectly legal (EEK!).

As for the Swedish seats.. funny you mention.. I actually imported one of those seats for my son. He's just about two and rear-facing now. That's after he was forward-facing for 8 months (until I could afford and source this seat) and he doesn't mind a bit! You can actually (for when he gets to be about 3ish and we get another, bigger car) install it so that it sits quite afar from the back of the rear seats, which gives them more leg room. I might take a picture tonight actually, it's kind of hard to explain. This seat harnesses higher then any seat in the country.

When you think about it, how many kids sit with their legs straight out in front of them? Mine doesn't, even I don't (it hurts my legs!). They naturally bend and cross them. There's a gallery here with a whole lot of kids in the states practising what's termed as "Extended Rear-facing". That is, rear-facing past one year of age, which is the usual age parents turn their kids around. http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum.aspx

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Maya wrote: Interesting stuff! Now I *really* want to come and get you to check Maya's seat - just so I can have a gawk at how the rear facing one works

Any time! (Well almost any time!) I don't mind, just flick me an email if you ever do!

busymum wrote: CRS wrote: busymum wrote: While we're at it, how long before a regular car seat expires? Depends on the brand, what is the brand of your seat? Okay have now been down and checked lol... it's a century car seat (of the plastic variety) and I've just worked out it'll be 10 years old next month..... so now I'm already guessing the negative reply *sigh* money money money!

Oh dear! Does it have a harness or is it a "T-Bar" seat? And if it has a harness, the strap at the crotch, is that a single one or a double one? If it's a single crotch strap, the seat would have had a six year life span, if double, ten. But as you said, it's ten years old next month any way - eek!

If you need any product suggestions just give us a yell.

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busymum wrote: It does up with a 5 point harness, buckle at the crotch, slidey bar at the chest... so I guess that makes it a 10 yr jobbie and you caught us just in time I'm gonna start a new link on prefered brands.

You mean a chest clip? then it's six years - sorry! LOL

busymum wrote: Can you hear the chorus? "Uh-oh........"

LOL!

james wrote: i there i was looking at seats for my son james and i was wondering if the philnteds boster was a good brand it has the 5 point harness or would the milno be a better buy i have a rented carseat for james now but would like a boster to own thank you in adavnce

How old? Weight? Budget? Do you have an anchor bolt fitted in to your car? (don't worry, there is a point to all these questions hehe).

james wrote: james is almost two and last wiegh was 16-17kg hes the size of a 3 year old and under two hunred would be good thanks

Oh, in that case I definitely wouldn't be putting him in to a booster for a couple of years yet, he's the same age as my son too!. $200 is a bit hard to work with (the price of car seats is shocking!) but have a look here: http://www.childrestraintsafety.com/extended-harnessing.html there's a whole lot of product suggestions there, do keep him harnessed for as long as possible :) Ring around, you might be able to find one of those seats (particularly options 1,2 & 3) for a good price.