Understanding Car Seat Expirations

Iamamother2

Mon, Jan 16 2017, 4:24 pm

Just curious if most mothers run out to buy a new car seat when their old one expires. Most infant car seats have a best before date of 6-7 years (I think...correct me if I'm wrong). I just want to understand if it's something that is a must or a recommendation and whether the majority does it or not and why.

water_bear88

Mon, Jan 16 2017, 4:53 pm

The plastic will get brittle with time, especially if the carseat is often left in a hot or sunny car. The expiration date means that by that point, the plastic may have deteriorated to the point it won't provide the structural support needed to protect your child in a car accident, chas veshalom. I wouldn't take the risk with an infant or convertible seat- at most with a booster for an older child who just needs it so the seat belt hits them correctly, but then those are the cheapest to replace so maybe not even then.

cnc

Mon, Jan 16 2017, 5:16 pm

Iamamother2 wrote:

I do not use expired car seats.
They may not hold up in an accident Chas vshalom .

ra_mom

Mon, Jan 16 2017, 5:31 pm

Same as cnc and Hashem Yaazor.
My children are more than 6 years apart and I threw out a practically brand new infant seat before the second was born, even though it was wrapped and stored in the meantime and looked great.
Thanks Hashem Yaazor and bnm for your help back then! Wink

flowerpower

Mon, Jan 16 2017, 5:47 pm

What makes a car seat expire? Mine is a few years old and in great condition. Nothing is broken or even scratched. Why is a new one better over that? I am just wondering... Also, where do I find the expiration date?

MommyM

Mon, Jan 16 2017, 5:53 pm

flowerpower wrote:

The expiration date should be on the back/bottom.

Hashem_Yaazor

Mon, Jan 16 2017, 6:04 pm

Each manufacturer and model is different in terms of how long a seat is known to preserve its integrity. After that, the manufacturer cannot guarantee it will hold up in a crash as the plastic breaks down over time, hence the expiration date. It may still be fine, but there is no way to know.

All seats should have a sticker or it stamped into the plastic somewhere. Some have date of manufacture and not expiration, and then you have to look at the manual or google to find out the window of time that seat is good enough for.

I have gone through many seats over the past 11.5 years. I don't spend money on extremely expensive ones, and I'd much prefer a little less bells and whistles (perfectly safe still and hopefully suiting my needs in terms of space, etc) and then I won't regret needing to stop using them as much. I had an infant seat I loved that expired and it's no longer manufactured, that I do miss Sad

But it's not worth it for me to be putting my baby in a car seat that I know isn't necessarily going to stay solid in a crash, the main reason my baby is in a car seat!

ra_mom

Mon, Jan 16 2017, 6:09 pm

flowerpower wrote:

The plastic seat that holds the straps, the plastic base that holds the seat, the straps that hold the baby, etc all break down with age. Doesn't matter if the car seat is still brand new in a box that was never opened. The breaking down of materials will not be visible to the eye until the seat is very old.
Once the materials break down the seat will not hold a baby back in a car crash chas vishalom.

ra_mom

Mon, Jan 16 2017, 6:48 pm

flowerpower wrote:

Ok. Thanks! I didn't find any expiration date anywhere. I guess I will look into a new one iyh.

Google for pictures of where to look on your car seat for expiration date.
https://www.google.com/search?.....GHnOA

seeker

Mon, Jan 16 2017, 8:35 pm

Curious how this applies to booster seats, though. They have similar expiration ranges but they basically just serve to position the belt correctly, they don't need to hold the child the way baby car seats do.

I have one that was sitting in my mother's cool dark closet and expired a little under 2 years ago... I don't feel very wrong using it, though I am looking into getting a new one as well - but even then I plan to keep this one in the house so in case we go anywhere not in our own car we don't have to first go get the booster.

amother

Navy

Tue, Jan 17 2017, 1:31 pm

Booster seats are the same - the plastic and other materials degrade with time. What would happen chas v'shalom if a part that held the seat belt in correctly was deteriorating and came off in a crash? Not only would your chlid not be protected, but a misaligned seat belt on a chlid can cause serious injury.

Please don't use expired car seats. Why take the chance that your child's life could be at risk?

seeker

Tue, Jan 17 2017, 2:00 pm

Point taken but the parts holding the seat belts correctly feel mighty strong to me.
I just threw out one that expired in 2013 but the plastic on it looked stronger and healthier than the brand new one I just bought, which I need to return because DD says it's too uncomfortable (I thought the kind with a back would be more comfortable because of the soft headrest and the armrests, but it seemed more squishy instead. So we switched back to the 2015 harmony booster and I'm going to order a new Harmony one since she seems to like that and it must be OK if they're still selling them all the time...)

ra_mom

Tue, Jan 17 2017, 3:02 pm

seeker wrote:

If you're using the back part of the booster that holds the strap, you should not be using an expired one. The deterioration of materials is not visible.
If you're just using the bottom part to lift the child up higher and the seat belt does not go through the car seat pieces, that might be a different scenario.

amother

Navy

Tue, Jan 17 2017, 3:05 pm

Yes, it's not whether it feels strong, it's about whether ir can stay strong during the impact of a crash - not detectable at all without doing crash tests. It's like a bone in your body - feels super strong, but can totally crumble under high impact.

water_bear88

Tue, Jan 17 2017, 3:25 pm

ra_mom wrote:

Yes, I meant the backless ones when I said I'd consider using them past the expiration date. I'd be happy to be convinced otherwise if someone can explain which parts would be under stress in a crash- I don't have one on hand to look at. (My oldest is still in a convertible.)

amother

Navy

Tue, Jan 17 2017, 3:36 pm

water_bear88 wrote:

Actually, basically all the parts are under stress in a crash. Any place in the booster that is in contact with anything else undergoes tremendous impact and stress during a crash - these places include where it touches the the seat belt, the seat of the car, and your child.