Baby is fond of the breech position, in which he is currently residing. It's extremely uncomfortable for me because it means I'm constantly being kicked in the lower regions. When he does turn (becoming more infrequent as the days go by) it is a very odd and uncomfortable feeling. I'm hoping that he will at least turn once more, and then stay down.
I finally got through to Britax on the phone. Apparently my seat is fine, but European Safety Standards are not recognised in the US or Canada, and vice versa. The guy said it's insane because they're all basically the same, and flying over a bit of water is not going to change anything. The problem is though, he explained, if you use a British car seat here, or one from here, there, and you get into an accident....you risk invalidating your insurance and you risk being sued. Bum.
I then rang the Canadian CAA to verify this and got some very stupid woman on the phone who told me that the seats have to be MADE in Canada. Finally got her to read her literature & concede that this is not the case (knowing that most of the brands in stores here are US made and the same as you can buy there!) but regardless, they do have to be Canadian approved. Apparently the 'standard' here is different again to the US.
Suspect from what the Britax geezer said, the standard everywhere is actually identical but unless they have a specific sticker on for the country, you are nobbled if you don't use them. Which makes me wonder what happens if I want to drive into the US? Sigh.
Posted by katie at May 4, 2004 10:06 AMYou are so good. I now feel really guilty about using old car seats!!! Thank goodness my children have now reached 16 14 and 13 and hope they won't take it that I don't care (I won't tell them if you don't) I thiknk it gets easier. Good luck
Posted by: Laura at May 4, 2004 12:29 PMI'd be very surprised if you couldn't use a Canadian-approved car seat during a trip to the U.S. After all, there are a few car makes/models which are available only in one country or the other, and our safety standards for cars themselves are slightly different from theirs, yet you can drive a Canadian licensed and approved car into the U.S. and vice versa.
Posted by: Steve at May 4, 2004 03:53 PMErrr......... and you moved there why again??!?
What a palava, i am with you Laura - stick them in whatever you have got and get on with it!
My Rock-a-tot (delux!!) has had 4 different kids in it now, and i am sure i will pass it on to someone else soon.
The thing is, as Steve mentioned in an earlier comment, the likelihood of being sued here is much greater. In the UK if I brought a seat from here over and used it, nobody would notice / care. Here, using a UK seat and any accident I got into, the chances of my being in enormous shite for using something not 'approved' are much much higher.
Steve - the CAA woman said that unless a seat has a sticker on it saying approved for use in Canada - it's no good. Same goes in the USA. Hopefully these seats will have both on -- I see absolutely no logical reason why they shouldn't given that they are USA Made anyways!
Posted by: katie at May 5, 2004 12:18 PMI get what you are saying katie, I think that it is just daft, but then that seems to be the way of things over there!
I hope that (a) you get a seat that you are happy with and one which has the approprate stickers [can they not be peeled off and stuck on your one?!?] and (b) you dont get into an accident!
Posted by: Boo at May 5, 2004 03:16 PMYup it is a bit daft, although the geezer at Britax said that the same applies in reverse.... i.e. if you were to bring a US Car Seat to the UK.
I hope I get the 'right' seats too! Gonna have to get 2 I think as well, which sucks, but I don't fancy moving one between cars every other day.....
Posted by: katie at May 5, 2004 04:28 PMWe did that in the end, only with Xanders seat tho because Immie was still little and went in her rock-a-tot so that was easy enough to move about cause it is only a bucket. I had the good one in my car and 'he' had the other one. I am just about to get ANOTHER seat for x (his 4th!) after we move down so that immie can go into his current one. Talk about musical chairs, except in this game, i keep adding them!
It is a bugger, esp if you have them closer in age like my 2 cause then the seats are almost the same and it seems such a waste of money. Someone really cottoned onto this idea and are making a mint!
Posted by: Boo at May 5, 2004 08:00 PM