Expired car seats-is this a scam?

indianamom5

Wed, May 26 2010, 7:17 pm

I know that car seat have an expiration date on them, but really, all of the sudden they are no good? I am curious if this is just a money-making scheme from the car seat manufacturers. Does anyone have any reasons that they know of that this is really true? (the reason I am asking is because I have an infant carseat that I want to use iy"h when I give birth that "expired". I used it for my 8 year old and down-4 kids, and it is in fine condition.)
Thanks!

mamommommy

Wed, May 26 2010, 7:25 pm

I also thought that the fact that a carseat "expires" sounded ridiculous as well, but the fact is that many of the materials used in a carseat (eg. plastic) degrades naturally over time and even more quickly when exposed to extreme temperatures. Even if it looks like it's in perfect condition, the integrity of the carseat has been weakened. I would guess that this breakdown probably doesn't happen within the 6 years that most manufacturers give for their carseats, but I personally wouldn't want to test the theory.

chaylizi

Wed, May 26 2010, 7:48 pm

there was a link on the page I linked that showed an expired car seat crash test. I don't know if you saw it. the car seat fell apart on impact (at the same speed they test the new ones.)

unameit

Wed, May 26 2010, 8:48 pm

The plastic gets brittle over time. Last year I was sitting with my friend at a simcha and she got a call that so and so was in a car accident. the baby was in an expired infant carseat. the base cracked in half on impact and the carseat flew through the window. B"H the baby did not fall out and he was fine. but I would not want to try it.

Another friend once called graco because she wanted to replace the fabric on her carseat and they told her (atleast for an infant carseat) that they are safe for use of three children ot 6 years which ever is first. She ended up buying a new carseat.

There is also a problem with insurance coverage if chas v'shalom someone is in an accident with a carseat that is expired.

It's called a saftey seat. lets keep our children safe.

shanie5

Wed, May 26 2010, 11:40 pm

Thank you for this thread. My 'baby' is 9, and I am expecting. I knew car seats expire, but was unclear why, and was debating whether or not to use her old car seat.

Now I know I wont!!

Hashem_Yaazor

Thu, May 27 2010, 9:41 am

B'shaah Tova Smile

I also feel like it's worth it to mention that besides the fact that the plastic isn't reliable in a collision, baby carseats from so long ago probably aren't as safe as they are now...5 point harnesses weren't the norm then, for example.

ChavieK

Thu, May 27 2010, 10:30 am

My youngest is 5 & my granddaughter is 2 1/2 . Sometime in between them they upgraded the foam. My son's carseat was still safe but we got the baby a new, better one anyway.

preempservices

Thu, May 27 2010, 10:39 am

Thank you for the thread. When my youngest was born, I bought a new baby car seat. He had been in the NICU, so they wouldn't even discharge him in our old one.
When he needed a regular car seat I got an unexpired one, and use that in my car.
When he goes in someone elses (about once a week) I send the old one because it was a hassle to remove the good one. I will get a booster for a spare now!

SivanMom

Thu, May 27 2010, 10:40 am

I'm glad your doing research on this before deciding to use an old one. It always bothers me when people compromise one their children's safety simply because they can't be bothered to find out why something is the way it is. For example, my SIL's oldest is 18 years old. She is still using his carseat for her youngest, because "it is in perfectly good condition." Never mind that it doesn't have a 5 point harness, or any of the other technologies they have now. Now this same SIL recently did a $.5 million renovation on her house, buys the most expensive clothes for her kids, but can't be bothered to pay $90 or so for a new carseat. It bothers me to know end. I can understand if someone has little funds and uses a carseat a couple of years after it expires, fine, I see where they're coming from. But at some point...
Oh, and something else that bothers me, some of the carseat gemachs provide carseats that have been expired for years. I understand that it's a gemach, and they have limited funds, but they still should not be providing those carseats.

yo'ma

Thu, May 27 2010, 10:44 am

chillax wrote:

How long does it stay good for? I have a 2 year old and am expecting in July. Would I need to get a new one already?

6 years or as someone mentioned, or 3 kids, whichever comes first.

chillax

Thu, May 27 2010, 10:45 am

yo'ma wrote:

chillax wrote:

How long does it stay good for? I have a 2 year old and am expecting in July. Would I need to get a new one already?

6 years or as someone mentioned, or 3 kids, whichever comes first.

Oh ok great. So I don't need to buy a new one yet. This is for infant carseats? Or the convertibale kind or all?

5S5Sr7z3

Thu, May 27 2010, 11:01 am

chillax wrote:

yo'ma wrote:

chillax wrote:

How long does it stay good for? I have a 2 year old and am expecting in July. Would I need to get a new one already?

6 years or as someone mentioned, or 3 kids, whichever comes first.

Oh ok great. So I don't need to buy a new one yet. This is for infant carseats? Or the convertibale kind or all?

For all carseats. There should be an expiration stamped into the plastic on the back of the seat somewhere.

Twizzlers

Thu, May 27 2010, 11:23 am

unameit wrote:

that they are safe for use of three children ot 6 years which ever is first. She ended up buying a new carseat.

why would using a car seat for more than 3 children make a car seat unsafe anymore? a frum jew could easily have 4-5 kids in 6 years...whats the difference?

Hashem_Yaazor

Thu, May 27 2010, 11:36 am

preempservices wrote:

How old is he? Boosters are really only appropriate for 5 or so and up.

Hashem_Yaazor

Thu, May 27 2010, 11:38 am

I have NEVER heard the 3 kids rule. Makes no sense to me. Some use their infant seats for 4 months, some for 15 months per kid. It's not about amount used, but how old the plastic is.
BTW, some brands go up to 7 years...

And it doesn't go by date of purchase; when you buy a carseat in a store, it might be a year old already, so check on the seat itself what the DOM or expiration date is.

estibesty

Thu, May 27 2010, 2:31 pm

I used to buy old car seats then I read up how if it was in a car accident its not good anymore so I now just bought a new graco and I think its worth lotsa $$$ to have the utmost best for the safety of your kid!

chaylizi

Thu, May 27 2010, 2:37 pm

yo'ma wrote:

chillax wrote:

How long does it stay good for? I have a 2 year old and am expecting in July. Would I need to get a new one already?

6 years or as someone mentioned, or 3 kids, whichever comes first.

6 years, unless the manufacturer sticker says otherwise. Some seats last longer. I believe the Britax Frontier (which is like the Graco Nautilus, only $200 more expensive) is good for 8 or 9 years.