Cars with more than 1 row of seats Babies and children up to 4 years old must not sit in the front seat. Children aged 4 to 7 years can only sit in the front seat if all other seats are occupied by children under 7 years old. Children 7 years and over can sit in the front seat.
Suitable child car restraint
Children aged between 6 months and 4 years must use either a rear-facing child car seat or a forward-facing child car seat with an inbuilt harness. Children aged between 4 and 7 years must use a forward‑facing child car seat with an inbuilt harness or an approved booster seat.
To be safest in a crash, your child needs to be in a booster seat until they are at least 145 cm tall and can pass the five-step safety test (see below). On average, Australian children will not reach a height of 145 cm until about 11 years of age.
Children aged 12 years and under are safest in the rear seat.
Children aged 7 years but less than 16 years old who are too small to use a seatbelt must be restrained in an approved booster seat with a suitable lap and sash type approved seatbelt or an anchored child safety harness. The suggested minimum height of a child for using a seatbelt is 145cm or taller.
Children aged 7 years and over can travel in the front seat. However, research shows that children under 12 years are much safer travelling in the back seat.
Children 4 through 7 years and less than 80 pounds or 57 inches tall require a car seat or booster seat. Adult seat belts are allowed for children at 8 years old; children ages 4 through 7 and more than 80 pounds or 57 inches tall may also use adult seat belts.
All children must be safely fastened in the correct child car seat for their age and size. It is recommended that a booster seat is used until a child is at least 145cm tall, even if they are more than seven years old.
While using a backless booster seat or booster cushion is legal if it met Australian standards at the time it was manufactured, experts strongly advise against them. In Australia, all child restraints and car seats bought, sold or used must meet Australian/New Zealand standard AS/NZS 1754.
There is no limit to the number of passengers you can have in your vehicle. It is recommended, where possible, passengers sit in the back of the vehicle.
In Victoria, children under seven years of age must be restrained in an approved child restraint or approved booster seat when travelling in a motor vehicle. Children over seven years of age and under 16 years must be restrained in a booster seat or adult seatbelt.
But the child must be in a correctly fitted, properly fastened car seat that meets Australian standards. It is recommended that children 12 years and younger do not sit in the front seat of a car.
Children aged between four and seven should not sit in the front seat unless all other seats in the second and third rows are being used by younger children in a suitable child restraint.
Currently booster cushions fall under the Group 2/3 car seat category, meaning they can be used from around 4-years-old. The new extension recommends children use backless boosters once they are 125cm or taller, which is roughly about 7-years-old.
In the long term, modern child restraints and boosters in Australia typically have an expiration date — usually ten years after manufacture. While this isn't enforced by law, it's recommended you replace seats after they expire due to the risk of failure increasing as the materials in the seat degrade over time.
Hi Usha, thank you for your enquiry, the Doona Carseat & Base has a US safety standard rating, therefore, cannot be used in Australia, We hope this helps.
Booster cushions have been deleted from the Australian Standard for child restraints (AS/NZS 1754). Although booster cushions are no longer allowed to be manufactured in Australia, they are still legal to use. A 'dickie seat' is a retro-fitted seat that is usually fitted to the cargo area of a station wagon.
Safety organisations advise against using booster cushions. Some high-backed booster seats have removable backs so that you can convert them to booster cushions, but safety organisations also advise against this.
For a child who is 6-months or older, but under the age of 4-years must be restrained in a suitable and properly fastened and adjusted rearward facing approved child restraint or forward-facing approved child restraint that has an inbuilt harness to it. Breach of this rule attracts a fine of up to $2,200 fine in court.
Children aged 4 years old to less than 7 years old are not permitted to travel in a hire vehicle unless they are secured in an approved forward facing restraint with an inbuilt harness or an approved booster seat.
266—Wearing of seatbelts by passengers under 16 years old
(1) The driver of a motor vehicle (except a bus or motor bike) that is moving, or is stationary but not parked, must ensure that this rule is complied with for each passenger in or on the vehicle who is under 16 years old. Offence provision.
Sometimes it's because they're worried or anxious about something. Other times, they're excited about an event that's coming up soon, like a birthday or a trip to the toy store. They might also be tired or hungry. When kids often have trouble sitting still, hyperactivity is a common cause.
On average, children are able to sit at the table for 2 to 5 minutes per year of life. For example, a 3-year-old can sit still for 6 to 15 minutes, a 5-year-old can sit still for 10 to 25 minutes, and by around age 7, children can sit still for about 15 to 35 minutes.