Can I donate my car seat?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's always the free stuff section of Craigslist. The NICU where my daughter stayed always seemed to have a few in the back room for families who could afford to buy one (and the one's I saw them give away were old and probably expired), so if you are feeling energetic you could call around and see if a NICU wants it.

What hospital was this?? This sounds very unlikely--they could be held liable if a baby goes home in an expired car seat the hospital gave them. I know of an area hospital that will not let a baby go home in expired car seats unless the parents sign a waiver.

Many hospitals offer this, especially for preemies. Obviously they are not expired seats (nor did PP say they were). "Used seat" is not the same as "expired seat" (especially in the case of infant seats!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's always the free stuff section of Craigslist. The NICU where my daughter stayed always seemed to have a few in the back room for families who could afford to buy one (and the one's I saw them give away were old and probably expired), so if you are feeling energetic you could call around and see if a NICU wants it.

What hospital was this?? This sounds very unlikely--they could be held liable if a baby goes home in an expired car seat the hospital gave them. I know of an area hospital that will not let a baby go home in expired car seats unless the parents sign a waiver.

This was at Mercy in Baltimore. Family was very poor, non-English speaking (and believe me, not blowing their money on a stroller or anything else). Didn't understand that they needed a seat/why they needed a seat to leave the hospital. They were told that the baby wasn't going to leave the hospital because there was not carseat-at which point I was crying, and maybe you need to spend a few months in the NICU with your baby to understand that response. I had just told the nurse that if they couldn't find a seat, we would bring ours in and they could have it, when they dug out a seat that I don't know was expired, but which looked really old. You would think that any NICU in Baltimore would have extra carseats for exactly this sort of situation, but I was told that Hopkins is the only hospital in the city with an official program

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP again--I never understood why people are so cheap about the carseat. Accidental death by car is one of the leading killers of children from birth to age 18.

Spend more on the carseat than the dern stroller.

The point of donating something to the NICU for it to be given it to those who literally can't afford it. Not for those who are cheap. Some people simply can't afford a carseat (especially the ridiculous $200-300 monstrosities out there).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's always the free stuff section of Craigslist. The NICU where my daughter stayed always seemed to have a few in the back room for families who could afford to buy one (and the one's I saw them give away were old and probably expired), so if you are feeling energetic you could call around and see if a NICU wants it.

What hospital was this?? This sounds very unlikely--they could be held liable if a baby goes home in an expired car seat the hospital gave them. I know of an area hospital that will not let a baby go home in expired car seats unless the parents sign a waiver.

Do hospitals really have the authority to hold babies hostage like this? (I'm not challenging you, I truly don't know and am very curious to know because that seems like such an overkill police state mentality.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP again--I never understood why people are so cheap about the carseat. Accidental death by car is one of the leading killers of children from birth to age 18.

Spend more on the carseat than the dern stroller.

Cheap is one thing (and I'm sure some people are just that), but some people simply cannot afford to buy a brand new one. Nothing wrong with unexpired used ones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's always the free stuff section of Craigslist. The NICU where my daughter stayed always seemed to have a few in the back room for families who could afford to buy one (and the one's I saw them give away were old and probably expired), so if you are feeling energetic you could call around and see if a NICU wants it.

What hospital was this?? This sounds very unlikely--they could be held liable if a baby goes home in an expired car seat the hospital gave them. I know of an area hospital that will not let a baby go home in expired car seats unless the parents sign a waiver.

Do hospitals really have the authority to hold babies hostage like this? (I'm not challenging you, I truly don't know and am very curious to know because that seems like such an overkill police state mentality.)

If going home in a car they have to be in carseat. Not only is that state law, but its also safer.

I'm not sure if they allow babies who are not riding in cars home to go without a carseat. I'm assuming so.

[Anonymous]

Oh how incredibly successful the carseat makers have been at lobbying. Not only have they got everyone obessesed by them (and the Freakenomics team have it so right - seatbelts with a lower point of gravity (the over shoulder strap coming out lower in the seat) would be so much safer) BUT they have also persuaded the slightly ignorant that the things have a use-by date so you need to buy another. Like lettuce - you use it for a while and then you need a new one. It goes off! It's brilliant. I am a lobbyist. I am awed by these guys. They have made a fairly useless device the "angst fret over" thing of an entire generation of parents. I'm just sorry they didn't hire me. Quick question: other than the fact the industry wants you to buy a new one: why would you need a new carseat? Have you looked at the figures regarding how long plastic takes to biodegrade. I'll give you a clue. There are more than 4 zeros at the end of it.

The rear-facing thing for little ones is absolutely essential because of neck strength (vunlerability). You're a moron if you don't use one. But for toddlers - it's a rort.

If you have bought into this whole stupid concept then please be my guest and look at how much the industry has spent lobbying for laws/rules/regulations that support their commercial/business model. I'll try to find a link. And next time when you're addressing a question like this, how about reflecting about how is paying whom to influence your opinion. If you know, this whole thread reads like a manual on how to push personal buttons to alter public opinion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh how incredibly successful the carseat makers have been at lobbying. Not only have they got everyone obessesed by them (and the Freakenomics team have it so right - seatbelts with a lower point of gravity (the over shoulder strap coming out lower in the seat) would be so much safer) BUT they have also persuaded the slightly ignorant that the things have a use-by date so you need to buy another. Like lettuce - you use it for a while and then you need a new one. It goes off! It's brilliant. I am a lobbyist. I am awed by these guys. They have made a fairly useless device the "angst fret over" thing of an entire generation of parents. I'm just sorry they didn't hire me. Quick question: other than the fact the industry wants you to buy a new one: why would you need a new carseat? Have you looked at the figures regarding how long plastic takes to biodegrade. I'll give you a clue. There are more than 4 zeros at the end of it.

The rear-facing thing for little ones is absolutely essential because of neck strength (vunlerability). You're a moron if you don't use one. But for toddlers - it's a rort.

If you have bought into this whole stupid concept then please be my guest and look at how much the industry has spent lobbying for laws/rules/regulations that support their commercial/business model. I'll try to find a link. And next time when you're addressing a question like this, how about reflecting about how is paying whom to influence your opinion. If you know, this whole thread reads like a manual on how to push personal buttons to alter public opinion.

Interesting stuff. I didn't know some of that. I have always been suspicious of the "plastic degrades so car seat must be replaced" thing though.

[Anonymous]

I'm totally intrigued by the lobbyist above! Really enjoyed freakonomics and it's interesting to hear you've seen data on RF for toddlers being over-the-top.

[Anonymous]

interesting. I have always been skeptical of the carseats expire theory. That being said- I thought the claim was that the straps wear out- not that the plastic itself degrades.

[Anonymous]

A wider circle in Silver Spring would love it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I gave mine to some poor single mom who just had a baby in SE. It was 5 years old, so technically expired, but it works!

The only way you know if a carseat "works" is if it's in an accident. I wouldn't use an expired carseat, and wouldn't donate one either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh how incredibly successful the carseat makers have been at lobbying. Not only have they got everyone obessesed by them (and the Freakenomics team have it so right - seatbelts with a lower point of gravity (the over shoulder strap coming out lower in the seat) would be so much safer) BUT they have also persuaded the slightly ignorant that the things have a use-by date so you need to buy another. Like lettuce - you use it for a while and then you need a new one. It goes off! It's brilliant. I am a lobbyist. I am awed by these guys. They have made a fairly useless device the "angst fret over" thing of an entire generation of parents. I'm just sorry they didn't hire me. Quick question: other than the fact the industry wants you to buy a new one: why would you need a new carseat? Have you looked at the figures regarding how long plastic takes to biodegrade. I'll give you a clue. There are more than 4 zeros at the end of it.

The rear-facing thing for little ones is absolutely essential because of neck strength (vunlerability). You're a moron if you don't use one. But for toddlers - it's a rort.

If you have bought into this whole stupid concept then please be my guest and look at how much the industry has spent lobbying for laws/rules/regulations that support their commercial/business model. I'll try to find a link. And next time when you're addressing a question like this, how about reflecting about how is paying whom to influence your opinion. If you know, this whole thread reads like a manual on how to push personal buttons to alter public opinion.

Interesting stuff. I didn't know some of that. I have always been suspicious of the "plastic degrades so car seat must be replaced" thing though.

Part of me thinks it makes sense. Carseats are subjected to extreme temperatures and temperature changes. Carseats also change - carseats now are different then they were when I was a kid.

Wasn't there some crash tests with expired seats?

6 years is long enough to use a seat for as long as it is needed (and even pass it down to a sibling or friend/family member). We used to the same infant seat for all 3 kids and by that point it was pretty run down.

As for toddlers - they still need to be in carseats. They aren't big enough to use a seatbelt. That's common sense. We also know that an incorrectly placed seatbelt can cause severe injuries in preschoolers/children, which is why they have booster seats.

[Anonymous]

Expiration dates are often based on when manufacturers start to see the seats failing, so it's a CYA move. If it fails after then, you're SOL. But really? I'm not gonna test it out with my kid to see if I can push the limit. If you want to, go for it.

The reason for rear-facing a toddler with head control is because vertebrae do not fully fuse until close to age three (or beyond in some cases). So they're being held together by cartilage, rather than by bone as with an adult. If you've ever been punched in the nose, you probably know that cartilage is not that hard to snap. Vertebrae protect the spinal cord, and rear-facing seats reduce the risk of damage to them in a crash. So, yeah, there are sound medical reasons for the AAP's recommendation. Again, if you want to experiment with your kid to see how it pans out, go for it.

[Anonymous]

OP If you are anywhere near Silver Spring I will take your carseat!!


My partner and I are in the process of adopting an infant and have saved up for all the fees/costs involved.
We are trying to save money now on baby stuff so we have money later for swimming lessons, gym classe and stuff like that.
We have been given a crib and some other items but really need an infant carseat and a pack and play still.

I can come get it if that would work for you.

pls email me at [e-mail]

I also think a lot of the carseat info we have been fed by the manufacturers are overly exaggerated. I had a carseat once ( I was a nanny) that was past exp and the fire dept wouldnt install it for me because of the plastic cracking in the heat/cold. I told them it has been in a closet for 3 years with no major temp changes and they still wouldnt do it.
Its more important its installed correctly than being a few years old.