expired car seat

[Anonymous]

No! Have you ever seen one of those plastic bins break into sharp pieces?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure, the plastic degrades over time, but it’s like expired food - it doesn’t suddenly go bad on the expiration date. The issue is you don’t know when enough time has passed to cause a problem. So I would say you are ok with a very recently expired car seat, but you should be in the process of acquiring a newer one.

It's not only the plastic, but the styrofoam also degrades, same as the types of foam that is used in car bumpers. That's why nowadays when a bumper has been tapped, that car shops want to replace it all. These materials are designed to withstand a certain amount of pressure and force, but when it's been in an accident or just from age, the material is no longer rated for the same amount of force. Likewise, the straps can no longer sustain the amount of force that it is rated for in holding the infant in the seat.

The materials are constantly aging and the expiration date is when the materials are due to pass the point where they are no longer able to withstand the same force or speed of accidents as they are required by law. So, while it may seem like its the same as it was a month ago, the materials can no longer be guaranteed to provide the same protection as they were a month prior.

Frankly, when it comes to protecting your child, the carseat is very important. There are accidents every year where children are injured or killed when the safety devices like the car seats do not operate as expected. Don't risk it. Look for one of the stores that has a trade-in discount on new car seats and trade in your existing car seat for a 20-25% discount on a current car seat. It's worth it.

link pls to stats that show chid died or injured in expired seat was the sole cause?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure, the plastic degrades over time, but it’s like expired food - it doesn’t suddenly go bad on the expiration date. The issue is you don’t know when enough time has passed to cause a problem. So I would say you are ok with a very recently expired car seat, but you should be in the process of acquiring a newer one.

It's not only the plastic, but the styrofoam also degrades, same as the types of foam that is used in car bumpers. That's why nowadays when a bumper has been tapped, that car shops want to replace it all. These materials are designed to withstand a certain amount of pressure and force, but when it's been in an accident or just from age, the material is no longer rated for the same amount of force. Likewise, the straps can no longer sustain the amount of force that it is rated for in holding the infant in the seat.

The materials are constantly aging and the expiration date is when the materials are due to pass the point where they are no longer able to withstand the same force or speed of accidents as they are required by law. So, while it may seem like its the same as it was a month ago, the materials can no longer be guaranteed to provide the same protection as they were a month prior.

Frankly, when it comes to protecting your child, the carseat is very important. There are accidents every year where children are injured or killed when the safety devices like the car seats do not operate as expected. Don't risk it. Look for one of the stores that has a trade-in discount on new car seats and trade in your existing car seat for a 20-25% discount on a current car seat. It's worth it.

link pls to stats that show chid died or injured in expired seat was the sole cause?

Wow, have people really lost their mind to the point where they demand a peer-review study showing expired car seats are the SOLE CAUSE of a child's death??

We know plastic and styrofoam break down over time. We know that car collisions put extreme amounts of force on car seats. This isn't rocket science.

If you truly can't afford a new car seat, that's one thing (although I'd question that, because even my friends who are in poverty can find the money for a car seat). Otherwise quit being cheap and just get a new seat. It's not worth risking your child's life.

[Anonymous]

How long are car seats good for?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How long are car seats good for?

It differs from car seat to car seat. Check the sticker. It's usually on the bottom of the seat. It will have the manufacturing date, the expiration date, serial number, etc.

[Anonymous]

I think there's probably a good case to be made for the "expiration date" being kind of a scam - first the reasoning was that the sun degrades it, then I guess people started saying "well I keep my car in the garage" and the reasoning shifted to "everything on the planet is in a state of constant decay, do you want to murder your child with old plastic??!"

That said - my thinking is you only buy a car seat with the intent of preventing the worst case scenario. Like, terrible car wreck with your baby in the car, you want baby to be okay. When you plug in the worst case scenario, you want to know you crossed all your t's and dotted all your i's to prevent anything happening to your kid, and one of those t's is making sure the car seat isn't expired. If I'm being scammed out of $100 for the sensation that I've done my best in this regard, so be it.

[Anonymous]

Like other pp have said this is the one place you spend money on a new item. Mmost car insurance companies will not cover injuries received in a car accident if the car seat was expired. So, the chances of that being an issue may be small but still worth investing in a non expired seat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Like other pp have said this is the one place you spend money on a new item. Mmost car insurance companies will not cover injuries received in a car accident if the car seat was expired. So, the chances of that being an issue may be small but still worth investing in a non expired seat.

this is just not true!!!

[Anonymous]

If you can afford a new seat you should probably get it. If it would be a hardship for your family then this seat is far better than no seat or not being able to drive.

[Anonymous]

This is OP. Family member passed down the infant car seat, 2 car seat bases, snap & go stroller(that fits that infant car seat brand) and a city mini stroller with that infant car seat brand adapter as well. It is a graco snugride snuglock 35 infant car seat, expired 1 year ago.

They also give us a convertible car seat that is not expired & in good condition, but we want to take advantage of using infant car seat for the first few months carrying baby around only. It is so convenient to not to get baby in & out of car seat for the first few months.

Will I have problem if I discharge baby out of hospital with an expired car seat, does hospital check?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. Family member passed down the infant car seat, 2 car seat bases, snap & go stroller(that fits that infant car seat brand) and a city mini stroller with that infant car seat brand adapter as well. It is a graco snugride snuglock 35 infant car seat, expired 1 year ago.

They also give us a convertible car seat that is not expired & in good condition, but we want to take advantage of using infant car seat for the first few months carrying baby around only. It is so convenient to not to get baby in & out of car seat for the first few months.

Will I have problem if I discharge baby out of hospital with an expired car seat, does hospital check?

The strollers aren't a problem and the new infant seat will fit in them. Replace the seat and the bases.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. Family member passed down the infant car seat, 2 car seat bases, snap & go stroller(that fits that infant car seat brand) and a city mini stroller with that infant car seat brand adapter as well. It is a graco snugride snuglock 35 infant car seat, expired 1 year ago.

They also give us a convertible car seat that is not expired & in good condition, but we want to take advantage of using infant car seat for the first few months carrying baby around only. It is so convenient to not to get baby in & out of car seat for the first few months.

Will I have problem if I discharge baby out of hospital with an expired car seat, does hospital check?

No

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. Family member passed down the infant car seat, 2 car seat bases, snap & go stroller(that fits that infant car seat brand) and a city mini stroller with that infant car seat brand adapter as well. It is a graco snugride snuglock 35 infant car seat, expired 1 year ago.

They also give us a convertible car seat that is not expired & in good condition, but we want to take advantage of using infant car seat for the first few months carrying baby around only. It is so convenient to not to get baby in & out of car seat for the first few months.

Will I have problem if I discharge baby out of hospital with an expired car seat, does hospital check?

Hospital doesn’t check.

[Anonymous]

Car seat expirations are basically (but not entirely) scams. There is some truth to the idea that materials degrade over time, but car seats expire very quickly and there no real evidence to back up the claim that old car seats are less safe. Does this mean there is clearly no safety difference between new and old car seats? No. But there is nothing magical about the random cutoff they choose and frankly it seems very conservative to me. I would personally be comfortable using an expired seat.

https://www.mother.ly/parenting/safety/car-seat-safety/do-car-seats-really-expire/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Car seat expirations are basically (but not entirely) scams. There is some truth to the idea that materials degrade over time, but car seats expire very quickly and there no real evidence to back up the claim that old car seats are less safe. Does this mean there is clearly no safety difference between new and old car seats? No. But there is nothing magical about the random cutoff they choose and frankly it seems very conservative to me. I would personally be comfortable using an expired seat.

https://www.mother.ly/parenting/safety/car-seat-safety/do-car-seats-really-expire/

What’s your definition of “quickly”?! Most expire within 5-7 years.