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Original poster

Taking carseat to Australia

21 replies

Adashaw · 31/01/2005 21:14

Hi - does anyone know if the Jane matrix car seat is OK to use in Australia, we are going there with our 4 month old dd and were going to hire a camper van, but thought it a lot easier just to bring our own - but upon reading some info they have something called a baby capsule and I can't work out if the matrix is within their regulations.

Many thanks

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RTKangaMummy · 31/01/2005 21:17

I dont know about the car seat you are talking about but when we hired a campervan in New Zealand

They had car seats for you to borrow

Could you ask them?

lunavix · 31/01/2005 21:24

I think the baby capsule is just their name for a car seat... but I'm not sure!

Original poster

Adashaw · 31/01/2005 21:32

Hi RTKangaMummy

It was just all the camper vans I have looked/enquired at say they can't put their baby seat in due to restraints - but the particulars say there is a seat belt so ours would fit OK - it also has wheels so isn't a huge hassel to take along, it will also lie both flat and in back facing position, so if we are doing a long run we can have her lying down!

What type of camper did you hire?

A x

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RTKangaMummy · 31/01/2005 21:33

mercedes 7 metres long

RTKangaMummy · 31/01/2005 21:37

here

New Zealand motorhomes

Absolutely brill

personal service

beautiful motorhomes

RTKangaMummy · 31/01/2005 21:40

You organize it in this country and they do it all for you

The motorhomes all have huge windows

Original poster

Adashaw · 31/01/2005 21:50

Wow that looks lovely, I was thinking about hiring a small van like thing, but you might be changing my mind - must ask a few things then how did you organise sleeping - my dd loves to spread out, so I have no probs with her in a single bed, she sleeps in a light weight sleeping bag -so no worries on the covers, just making sure she can't roll out - any suggestions?!

PS will remember to pull the blinds at night

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Original poster

Adashaw · 31/01/2005 21:53

Could you put the baby seat up front?

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stripey · 31/01/2005 21:54

Not sure of the exact regulations there but dh is Australian and we did visit when ds1 was 19 mths. They don't have the 0-9 mth baby seats we have but a rather expensive alternative I think made of solid plastic which may be hired ( as too expensive to buy for most). I know when ds was there the seat we used had to be harnessed throught the boot as well as seatbelted. This was all a few years ago so things may have changed and I presume you would be allowed to use your own car seat if you took it.
I don't have the exact details but remember reading an article /which report that claimed the lie flat baby car seats were not very safe in accidents. Don't want to worry you but perhaps you could check it out may have been an AA report even.

RTKangaMummy · 31/01/2005 21:59

there are only 3 of us and we were upgraded to the biggest one because we had it for so long. {free of charge}

DS slept in the double bed over cab he was 6 years and he loved it

we had king sized bed at the back and the 4 seats with table we had as seats.

How old are yours?

Original poster

Adashaw · 31/01/2005 22:35

Hey Stripey

We have the matrix jane baby seat and apparently it has won loads of awards for safety not only through tests but also being in accidents where the baby fared better than anyone else.

I have seen some lie down seat things and would never let my dd near them, very rubbish looking!

My dd is only 4 months and we plan to leave next week - trying to book it now (very last minute, but dh has suddenly got a month off so we best make the very most of it!) but can't wait!

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SueW · 31/01/2005 22:51

Like stripey, I've seen the extra harness seatbelts in NZ (and Canada). DD was big enough for a booster when we went to Oz plus we didn't own a car anyway. They have an anchor strap which attaches over the back of the back seat iirc to a seatbelt/anchor point. This provides extra protection against the seat tipping forward.

Try here for more info.

Original poster

Adashaw · 01/02/2005 00:58

Will check AA mind you

Thanks

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bobbybob · 01/02/2005 07:55

Baby capsule is one of those plastic car seats with a handle. The main thing about it is that you can take it from car to car (because it has no tether strap) and it is always rear facing. The next one on from that we would call a car seat and then the toddler one we call a booster seat.

If your car seat has a tether strap it is illegal in NZ and Australia not to use it. But it's okay to use your own without if it doesn't have one. We have a UK car seat as a spare in Dh's car for the twice a week he drive a kilometre with Bob in the car and it's fine not tethered.

So if your's doesn't have a tether strap you are okay to use it. Personally I would be worried about the airline wrecking it more that anything.

eidsvold · 01/02/2005 09:21

adashaw - am in Aua - if the matrix seat just straps in with a car seat belt then it is not 'legal' In australia the car seats have to be bolted onto the car ( either back dash or hatch area until the child is 14kgs or more. A capsule looks like

here click on equipment and then capsule and it will show you a pic and the details

eidsvold · 01/02/2005 09:25

the inner 'capsule' is taken out as a carry cot iykwim.

In QLD where I live it is illegal not to have the bolted anchor point seats.... they even make reference to UK and US seats saying that a lot of them do not meet the regulations. It is also illegal to have baby seats up the front of a car/van.

put her in the bed in her sleeping bag.. and just put pillows each side to prevent her going over the side of the bed.

hope that helps.

janinlondon · 01/02/2005 10:08

Eidsvold is right - UK seats do not meet Australian safety criteria. Don't haul the thing half way round the world - you will not be allowed to use it.

janinlondon · 01/02/2005 10:46

Just thought I should add the official link so you know where the info comes from:
www.atsb.gov.au/public/pdf/child_restraints.pdf

eidsvold · 01/02/2005 13:42

you can hire them cheaply ( capsules) from various places. Look into that. When we travelled dd1 had a car seat that converted - so it turned around to be front facing and was from birth to 18kg... the car hire company arranged and fitted it for us - ready to be used when we arrived. It cost us something like $5 extra a day or a week .

We bought dd's car seat here when we emigrated but she is over the size for a bolted seat and is now big enough for a booster. Pain in the butt to lug it around... only reason we did is cause we were moving back to Aus.

Personally - I would leave it at home.

californiagirl · 01/02/2005 19:15

We took our US seat to Australia with a 6 month old last year. However, it's a Britax with a tether. We found that Australian rental cars almost all had seatbelts that you couldn't tighten to our satisfaction, and we were very glad to have the tether. (Not that it made me truly happy about the whole thing.) I would rent an Australian one rather than trying to use a seat that didn't tether.

We use the car seat on the airplane, too (we buy DD a seat, but there are still issues, see www.otoh.org/opal/carseat.html).

Original poster

Adashaw · 01/02/2005 22:42

Thank you all for the info - will not bother taking it, especially if it isn't even ilegal. Seems they are a lot stricker in Australia, which isn't a bad thing at all!

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