so confused about carseats now :S

[onemummmy]

I was just watching that 9am show on channel 10, & they had a small segment about carseats. Anyhoo, I just got a new one til 18 kilos so I will get ages out of it but what about after that?
I saw they have the booster(maxirider I think?) that hooks into the car, but thats only 2 26 kilos, so then what? What if ur child is still small at 26 kilos? I looked on some websites & all the boosters only go 2 26 kilos:confused:even foam ones.
I really dont know much, only what I have been googling in my search 4 a new baby seat, not 4 boosters. Do u just use the adult belt after 26 kilos? why then is the harness I saw made 2 32 kilos?:confused: also, if anyone knows, are there much differences between the maxirider & explorer? The explorer looks like its skinner so u could maybe squeeze 2 on either side+the babyseat in the middle?(me & sis go places 2gether alot so need 2 fit 3 seats) agggh my brain hurts from this if u can help thanks so much:thumbsup:

[MummaBear03]

Carseats with a 5-point harness can go up to 18kgs then you need to go to another seat that goes up to 26kgs and use the H harness but the H harness can be on its own not with a seat up to 32kgs. Hope that makes sense :)

[onemummmy]

ok so u can use the harness with no booster or anything from 26-32 kilos?

[MummaBear03]

ok so u can use the harness with no booster or anything from 26-32 kilos?
:yes: It can be used with the seat then on its own after the child outgrows the seat. My daughter has been in a Maxi Rider since about 13kgs, she's now just over 16kgs and still in the 5-point harness. When she reached 18kgs I'll get the Ambulance to set it up with the H harness which weaves through the way that the 5 point harness does into the seat and she'll stay in that until 26kgs, then she'll use the harness but come out of the seat. :)

[onemummmy]

what if there 2 short though? Maybe by that time we will have seats like america that go to 32 kilos? do u know anything about the maxirider/explorer sizes?

[MummaBear03]

It goes by height as well as weight, when their eyes are level with the parcel shelf they are too tall for the carseat. We have 2 maxi riders and they are up to 26kgs.

[TeamAwesome]

I have two maxiriders and a safe n sound compaq and we fit all those in a back seat.

As mummabear said it does go by both height and weight. My DS is both tall and heavy-ish he's been sitting at around 20kgs for the last 6months and will be 4 in June and I don't imagine he'll weigh 26 kgs for a couple more years yet but I don't know if hegiht wise he'll still fit it as he really is rather tall. My DD on the other hand is 13.5kgs but very tall for her age in one so height wise she's outgrow it before outgrowing it weight wise.

[Reidymac]

why then is the harness I saw made 2 32 kilos?:confused: also, if anyone knows, are there much differences between the maxirider & explorer? The explorer looks like its skinner so u could maybe squeeze 2 on either side+the baby seat in the middle


do u know anything about the maxirider/explorer sizes?

:wave:Hi Onemummy. You are right about the Explorers being skinner than the Maxirider :thumbsup: They are actually 6 cm thinner and 6cm taller (with an extra row of slots for the shoulder straps to go higher). We have 2 Explorers in our car and a convertible baby seat for the new born. We also have a Maxirider (from before new baby)but just couldn't find a way to make 2x maxiriders fit with the third seat (and its not a small car). We liked the Maxi rider fine but the Explorers are fantastic and we were really happy to see that they rated highest on the 2007 RACV tests :thumbsup:.

As the other posters have said......a H Harness or protecta harness can also be used as the seatbelt for a child who sits in the normal seat of the car. It provides added upper body stability and the normal seats are usually height rated to support an adult height body. The child's weight and eye line are the main considerations for determining what type of seat a child needs to be in.

Good luck with your search. It is confusing but there are much improved seats coming out all the time. I am sure new seats for 26kg and up will be released in the not too distant future.

[onemummmy]

wow thanks Reidymac :) so does the explorer have the same side impact protection as the maxirider? do u mine if I ask what babyseat u have? I have a babylove Royalty that will need 2 fit with either 2 maxis or 2 explorers(sis will be getting new seats now just dont know which ones)

[Reidymac]

wow thanks Reidymac :) so does the explorer have the same side impact protection as the maxirider? do u mine if I ask what babyseat u have? I have a babylove Royalty that will need 2 fit with either 2 maxis or 2 explorers(sis will be getting new seats now just dont know which ones)


:laughing: Our babyseat is a Babylove Royalty. SNAP:laughing: The car we have is a a Mazda Tribute (mid sized 4x4) which is about 145cm across the back seat and the 3 seats sit together great. We did try 2 maxi's with the babylove and it was impossible to close the doors. The babylove seats are pretty generously wide compared to most brands and the maxis are really wide too especially with all the cup holders and such. With the Explorers and the Babylove it does look like a very plush velor Lounge room in the back there but it fits and they are super safe seats:thumbsup:.:p

The Explorer is a different shape to the maxi but the side impact protection is on par if not a little bigger and the S&S get a fantasic rating overall in regard to protection.

Here is a link to some RACV information and seat ratings from 2007 (http://www.racv.com.au/wps/wcm/resources/file/eb37aa4eafc9302/child%20restraint%20evaluation%20program%20results %20(CREP)%20december%202007.pdf) for your interest. The Explore rates very high (in fact higher than the maxis) for as both a forward facing carseat and a booster

[onemummmy]

oh LOL :laughing: well I know they will fit then! They need 2 go in a ford futura but i have no idea what the back seat is in cm? we were using a babyseat, capsule & foam booster but thats all about 2 change. Thanks 4 replying again, will def get sis 2 look at explorers instead of maxiriders:)

[Lyglc]

could you please tell what brand the explorer is?
We have a ford falcon, and have baby #3 due in August. At the moment we have a convertable car seat for ds who is 2.5 years and a maxi rider for dd who is nearly 5. We tried putting a normal foam booster seat in to try to see if it would fit and it wont due to the shape of the seat (it fits at the front of the car seat, but at the back on the side it goes on an angle so the booster seat wont sit back properly with the back of it sitting against the back of the car seat).
Also if we were to have 2 maxi riders fit (which I doubt as they look bigger than the foam booster) how on earth do you fit your hand down the side if using the H harness so that you can click the seat belt in?
Would love it if anyone can help.

Thanks.

[Reidymac]

could you please tell what brand the explorer is?
We have a ford falcon, and have baby #3 due in August. At the moment we have a convertable car seat for ds who is 2.5 years and a maxi rider for dd who is nearly 5. We tried putting a normal foam booster seat in to try to see if it would fit and it wont due to the shape of the seat (it fits at the front of the car seat, but at the back on the side it goes on an angle so the booster seat wont sit back properly with the back of it sitting against the back of the car seat).
Also if we were to have 2 maxi riders fit (which I doubt as they look bigger than the foam booster) how on earth do you fit your hand down the side if using the H harness so that you can click the seat belt in?
Would love it if anyone can help.

Thanks.


The Explorers are a Safe N Sound brand Booster Seat just like the Maxi Riders. You can check them out on the Britax / Safe n Sound web site.

I have heard that some people use the seat belt extension straps to make clicking in the seat belt easier. haven't reached that hurdle yet (all still in the 5 point harnesses) so I'm not so sure.