# What Are Your Thoughts About Used Convertible Car Seats & the 6 Year Expiration Date Rule?



## ncmama1 (Feb 8, 2009)

My baby is about to outgrow her Graco Snugride infant car seat, and I have been researching convertible car seats. From what I have read, Britax is a great manufacturer.

Here's a safety/ economics/ landfill question though: if convertible car seats can potentially be utilized until a child reaches age 5 or 6 depending on weight/ height, and if the car seat safety gurus say that car seats can only be used for 6 years from the manufacture date and then they "expire", doesn't that mean that virtually every convertible car seat should technically end up in a landfill after just one kid has used them?

I'm not opposed to buying a used car seat from a trustworthy seller, but this 6 year issue has me confused. There must be moms with big families whose little ones end up using older siblings' hand-me-down car seats, right? Help me out here moms--what are your thoughts? Picturing a giant mound of "disposable" car seats in a landfill seems wasteful to me







:. Does a car seat really deteriorate so much in 6 years that it's no longer useful??? Or is this just a way for the manufacturers to sell more products?

Thanks for your thoughts.


----------



## MacKinnon (Jun 15, 2004)

I encourage parents to think about the plastics in their carseats like Tupperware. You heat and cool, heat and cool, heat and cool, and eventually you press on it to snap the lid down and it cracks. Will your seat turn into a puddle of plastic goo at 6.5 years? No. but have you seen the crash test videos of the harness pulling right out of a 10 year old Britax seat? Search for it...

I don't think car seat manufacturers need a reason to sell more products. Car seats are the only baby product required by law. And very few car seats could truly last 6 years, so most could be handed down to a sibling, friend or relative no problem.


----------



## Ruthie's momma (May 2, 2008)

I too understand the concern over ever growing landfills. But, if there is anything that should be disposed of w/i a timely fashion it is an expired car seat.

I like ilovemyavery's Tupperware-car seat analogy. That is a great way to illustrate how plastics deteriorate.


----------



## Lisa1970 (Jan 18, 2009)

Britax really is not superior to the other brands. They just have very good advertising. Plus, they have a lower slot height so they really do not last to 6-7 yrs old. From my experience too, most people are not still having babies that long after the first. I know people who do, and I certainly am, but it is not common. I kind of stand out. Most people I know with teens do not have grade schoolers and so on.


----------



## syd'smom (Sep 23, 2008)

Radians are nice b/c they have an 8 year life and higher top slots. I can see where you are coming from with the disposable products thinking (as I discovered after 2 broken fridges ;( ), but I would not think twice about destroying and throwing away an expired carseat.


----------



## jakesmama (May 9, 2005)

There are some places where, every once and awhile, they have car seat recycling. Our IKEA in Renton did it last Fall. I really hope they do it again because I have some seats to get rid of!


----------



## Eris (Sep 11, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jakesmama* 
There are some places where, every once and awhile, they have car seat recycling. Our IKEA in Renton did it last Fall. I really hope they do it again because I have some seats to get rid of!

You're in luck! April 29, 9am-1pm. A Wednesday, so perhaps not the most convenient for everyone, but there it is, with carseat inspections and recycling.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/store/seattle/activities


----------



## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Eris* 
You're in luck! April 29, 9am-1pm. A Wednesday, so perhaps not the most convenient for everyone, but there it is, with carseat inspections and recycling.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/store/seattle/activities

And for any Seattle area moms on this board, I'm going with a couple of expired seats. So if you have one you want taken, I can take it for you if you get it to me by then. Just pm.


----------



## Ironica (Sep 11, 2005)

For clarification, it's not "the car seat gurus" who say that the seats expire, it's the manufacturers. Six years is the most common span, but some last 5, 7, 8, or 9 years. The lifespan depends on the types of plastics used in the construction, and how well they maintain their properties under conditions common in cars over time. If your car is almost always in a climate-controlled indoor parking area, then maybe the seat would last longer... but it's a lot to stake on a "maybe".

Most seats don't last children until 5-6 years of age, either. The TrueFit is the first convertible I've seen that I really could see fitting a child from birth to age 5 or 6, and it has a 7-year lifespan. The Frontier, which is an FF-only seat, might suit a child for as much as six years, but has a nine-year lifespan. And baby buckets are often outgrown by midway through the first year, so they are frequently passed down, loaned out, or even *cringe* sold. There's definitely some re-use happening in the world of carseats!


----------



## Drummer's Wife (Jun 5, 2005)

well, we have a Britax Marathon that has been passed down among 3 siblings. We bought it when my 2nd child was a year old, and my 4th child uses it now -- he just turned 2.

But, it expires come Oct. and I will most definitely be replacing it. FWIW, my kids outgrew it by height around 4 years of age; which didn't really matter in my situation because my kids are 2 yrs apart --so there was a sibling to pass it down to before that point anyhow.

Our next seat will be a True Fit and the 7 yr lifespan apeals to me (that and it can be used with a newborn).


----------



## 1ColoradoMomma (Jun 1, 2004)

OK, I feel like the radical mama here. Has anyone read Freakonomics? He has a section in the book that speaks about the car seat laws and ties it to the desire to make $$ more than about lives actually being saved. His argument is that being in the back seat is actually what saves the lives of kids, not car seats. That being said, I do use car seats. I'm just throwing this out there because I am a MAJOR







: and this deserves some examination.


----------



## jeminijad (Mar 27, 2009)

I did read Freakonomics when it first came out, and vaguely remember the carseat bit.
No doubt some carseats go to the landfill that could still protect a child in a crash... and the back seat certainly saves lives... but I am not going to be the one to find out on my baby!


----------



## goodheartedmama (Feb 1, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *1ColoradoMomma* 
OK, I feel like the radical mama here. Has anyone read Freakonomics? He has a section in the book that speaks about the car seat laws and ties it to the desire to make $$ more than about lives actually being saved. His argument is that being in the back seat is actually what saves the lives of kids, not car seats. That being said, I do use car seats. I'm just throwing this out there because I am a MAJOR







: and this deserves some examination.

I don't buy that at all. I don't think you'll find many people on this board that will agree with that theory.


----------



## beru (Nov 19, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *1ColoradoMomma* 
OK, I feel like the radical mama here. Has anyone read Freakonomics? He has a section in the book that speaks about the car seat laws and ties it to the desire to make $$ more than about lives actually being saved. His argument is that being in the back seat is actually what saves the lives of kids, not car seats. That being said, I do use car seats. I'm just throwing this out there because I am a MAJOR







: and this deserves some examination.


I am not a fan of that freakonomics argument. I believe he did not take into account minor injuries (which are also worth preventing). Also, his argument was mostly based on the prevention of death, not the prevention of injury. His argument was carseats don't prevent death more than sitting in the back with a seatbelt. Even if that were true there would be a lot more injured children around.

However, even that supposition is wrong:
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/mi...TE=Jun+5,+2006


----------



## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

The study that he based his onfo on was flawed. They failed to take into account the fact that many of the children who were in seatbelts and died as a result were not counted, since they were ejected from the vehicle and thus counted as "unrestrained" in the study. That gave the seatbelt-only group a huge bias.


----------



## Equuskia (Dec 16, 2006)

I'm a 5'3", 164 lb woman and the seatbeat cuts into my neck. I'm a full grown adult, I don't see how a seatbelt would fit properly on my skinny 3 year old who's only 32 lbs and 37" tall. So like other pp I dont buy that freakanomics theory at all.


----------



## 1ColoradoMomma (Jun 1, 2004)

I'm glad to read these replies. I was freaked out (pun intended) when I flew to visit my parents this past year, and Dad picked us up at the airport w/o car seats. He read the book and thought it was no big deal (even though I had arranged the car seat situation w Mom ahead of time). I'll have to let him know what you have said. Thanks!


----------



## pinky (Nov 21, 2001)

I'm curious about whether or not the expiration date depends on the seat being in continuous use. My dd#2 is currently riding in a car seat that I purchased for her older sister about 5 years ago, but for about 3 of those years it was sitting in a closet in our house. I would think that this would extend the life of the seat, since it wasn't going through the temperature changes that would happen in a car.


----------



## labdogs42 (Jan 21, 2009)

I think the Evenflo Triumph carseats are a great alternative to the Britax seats. I had a Britax Marathon and an Evenflo Triumph 5 for my DS and they were both great seats. The Evenflo was about $100 cheaper and it was easier to adjust than the Britax. The Evenflos now have a higher weight limit than mine did. They are really great seats. After they outgrow the evenflo, go for a Graco Nautilus!


----------



## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *pinky* 
I'm curious about whether or not the expiration date depends on the seat being in continuous use. My dd#2 is currently riding in a car seat that I purchased for her older sister about 5 years ago, but for about 3 of those years it was sitting in a closet in our house. I would think that this would extend the life of the seat, since it wasn't going through the temperature changes that would happen in a car.

No, it does not. They expire 6 years from the date of manufacture (generally; some manufacturers have different lifespans for their seats).


----------



## Devaskyla (Oct 5, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *an_aurora* 
No, it does not. They expire 6 years from the date of manufacture (generally; some manufacturers have different lifespans for their seats).

Yeah, but the expiry date is based on the assumption the seat with be left in the car & exposed to the changes in temperature for that whole time. Seats that are inside/unused for many years would presumably have plastic that lasts longer. Too bad there's no way to test it. My seats have been sitting in my spare bedroom since they were bought, except for the extremely rare occasion when my mom drove us somewhere.


----------



## Julia24 (Jun 28, 2004)

I also wouldn't say that MAGICALLY the day after the expiry date that it's no good. Certainly the manufacturers have worked in some CYA time, yk? Both of my original seats are expiring right now, but I'm going to continue to use them for a few more months (in the hopes that I get the new baby/carseat situation worked out - and maybe the new Graco with 40lb rf will be available!) They're only secondary seats anyhow - no munckins are in them very often.

But, yes - I totally buy the 'old tupperware' analogy. And, frankly, I'm not willing to test the theory out on MY child, yk? So, maybe I'm duped, don't care!


----------



## Jwebbal (May 31, 2004)

The reasons why I love Britax so much has nothing to do with advertising. It's simple ease of use. If you have a Britax, and then use someone else's seat you know what I mean. I so annoyed with twisted straps, difficult to use latch tethers, etc. Not to mention my son's Marathon was so much more comfortable than any other seat available at the time. He could sleep in it easily and comfortably. I loved that seat. His Regent is a bit harder to install but I did get the hang of it, and again, it's just so comfortable for him. And yes, to handing seats down. We have a four year old Marathon that hopefully will get used for our next child, and my almost expired Marathon has seen many children in it, we use it all the time for friends and it was passed to my friend when her infant was big enough for it.


----------

