After what number kid ordid you replace your infant car seat

amother

Crimson

Tue, Dec 19 2017, 8:46 am

Our money covers our basic expenses but I'm thinking about car seats now I have seen many people walking around with the new doona car seat They have older children so tbey must of had a diffrent carseat before that. according to regulations I'm supposed to buy a car seat every 3 years. my car seat was in good condition, never been in a crash so I didn't. now I'm expecting a baby early summer. I told dh I want to be on the lookout for carseats on sale dh thinks we will have alot of expenses than give up my dream by now the carseat is showing wear I washed the fabric seat once or twice a year when I brought a new baby home and pesach with older baby, I also lost the hood. what do you think what would u do?

amother

Hotpink

Tue, Dec 19 2017, 8:51 am

amother wrote:

We buy about every 6 years as per regulations and per the manufacturer's date stamped onto the bottom of the car seat.

SixOfWands

Tue, Dec 19 2017, 8:53 am

amother wrote:

Plastic degrades over time, particularly when subjected to temperature extremes as a car seat does. I believe that they usually last 6 years, but check it.

You don't need a Doona, or a Britax, or whatever the latest is. Your baby honestly doesn't care. You need something safe.

B'shaa tova.

yehudis1056

Tue, Dec 19 2017, 9:42 am

I got a new one with my third which was also 6 years aprox after my first and it was expired. You don’t need a doona just because you need a new car seat. There are many safe ones that are much less.

lfab

Tue, Dec 19 2017, 9:52 am

I got a new one for my 4th. I could have still used it as it was only 5 1/2 years old at the time. However I wanted one that we could adjust the strap from the front as it's much easier. More important than which number child to replace for is how old the seat is. As far as I know they need to be replaced every 5 to 9 years depending on the model. There should be a sticker on the seat saying when it expires. If you're not sure call the manufacturer.

gibberish

Tue, Dec 19 2017, 10:33 am

We got a new one for #4 even though it wasn't expired, since the old car seat had stress marks and we felt it was no longer safe. No need to get a new one every 3 years.

amother

Crimson

Wed, Dec 20 2017, 9:07 am

This is Op thanks for all repy. My car seat will be exactly 6 yrs. I'm not looking for a fact carseat but the I wish to get a new graco to fit my base. I am just noticing people walking with the doona. And it occured to me these people used the graco like me. I wanted to know if it needex to be replaced.

bargainlover

Wed, Dec 20 2017, 9:12 am

amother wrote:

Most likely needs to be replaced. Check the expiration on the bottom if the seat or call graco if you can't find it.

olivia262

Thu, Feb 22 2018, 11:26 pm

The last I bought was 5 years- after last one expired. The first one was very expensive, you know, the first child. But this time I`ve chosen a pretty budget variant [link removed] . The same quality and safety standards

clowny

Fri, Feb 23 2018, 5:43 am

I will be replacing mine when child #7 is born in about 2 months iy”h. Used for 6 kids. I haven’t checked the expiration date but I’m assuming it expired - it was purchased 14 1/2 years ago.

Fri, Feb 23 2018, 7:40 am

Fyi babies r us is having a trade in event. So you can bring your expired car seat in, and they'll give you 25% off a new one.

Look on the car seat. It should say an expiration date somewhere.

loveit

Fri, Feb 23 2018, 1:39 pm

amother wrote:

Can someone enlighten me why a carseat needs an expiration date?

Sweet I see a got the color babypink. Expecting a baby girl.

The plastic breaks down over time so the safety can’t be guaranteed after 5-6 years or if it’s been in an accident. Not something to mess around with, you can get them cheap enough. The cheapest is just as safe as the most expensive-they have all passed the same federal safety tests just some might be easier to use/install/adjust/lighter etc

I’ve heard of people that qualify for government programs can sometimes get them for free

shanie5

Sat, Feb 24 2018, 8:41 pm

What about the base? Can you replace the car seat and not the base? (My instinct says no, but I haven't looked it up).
Asking as a friend recently mentioned this idea and I didn't think it was a good one.

shanie5

Sat, Feb 24 2018, 8:42 pm

clowny wrote:

I will be replacing mine when child #7 is born in about 2 months iy”h. Used for 6 kids. I haven’t checked the expiration date but I’m assuming it expired - it was purchased 14 1/2 years ago.

It definitely expired probably 2 or 3 children ago.