Infant carseat question

[ntburns22]

I am expecting my third child in January. This has me thinking alot these days. My carseat system (carseat, base, stroller) will be 8 years old at that time. I pulled it out of the attic yesterday and everything seems to be in working order. I installed in the the car and everything still locks down tight. Most of my friends are telling me it is still fine to use. But there is a sticker on it that it expired 2-3 years ago. How exactly does a carseat expire and should I just get a new travel system? I really liked the travel system I used it all the time with my other 2 children.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

I would not use it. The foam dries out, the plastic becomes weakened. To me it is worth the investment of a new one. JMHO.

 

[boettj]

I thought the actual time for car seats expiring was 5 years. My DW and I went through the same thing with our DCs. Having said that, safety seems to leap forward in just a short 5 years. Cars now have the staples in for anchoring the car seats. No more shoulder/lap belt or rear tether required. (That is if you have a newer car.)

You can always stop by your local police barracks. They can advise you on whether the seat still meats standards.

We decided to go with a new setup. Expensive , but we did not want to take the risk. I guess you could consider us lemmings.

 

[all4fun]

You should definitely invest in a new seat. Plastic degrades over time and it may not withstand crash forces after such a long time. Also, recalls happen, and safety standards change. For instance in the last several years LATCH became standard on all car seats and 3pt harnesses (and other types of restraints like overhead shield seats) are being phased out as 5pt harnesses are safest.

Here's a video of a 10yr old Britax seat crash test - nothing wrong w/it other than age. The child size dummy pulls the harness right through the shell on impact.

http://home.comcast.net/~dcbsr/test...Child_Facing_Forwards_ten_years_old_seat.mpeg

Even motorcycle helmets are supposed to be replaced after 2-4yrs!

New car seats have anywhere from a 6 to 8 year lifespan depending on the seat and the mfgr.

hth!

 

[boettj]

You should definitely invest in a new seat. Plastic degrades over time and it may not withstand crash forces after such a long time. Also, recalls happen, and safety standards change. For instance in the last several years LATCH became standard on all car seats and 3pt harnesses (and other types of restraints like overhead shield seats) are being phased out as 5pt harnesses are safest.

Here's a video of a 10yr old Britax seat crash test - nothing wrong w/it other than age. The child size dummy pulls the harness right through the shell on impact.

http://home.comcast.net/~dcbsr/test...Child_Facing_Forwards_ten_years_old_seat.mpeg

Even motorcycle helmets are supposed to be replaced after 2-4yrs!

New car seats have anywhere from a 6 to 8 year lifespan depending on the seat and the mfgr.

hth!

Wow!.

 

[all4fun]

I forgot to add, here's a good site that tells what to look for in a good infant seat: http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/infantshop.aspx

and also, congrats on the new baby!

 

[shelly3girls]

BRU had the Graco SafeSeat on clearance last time I looked. It is a great price and fits onto almost any Graco stroller. I personally used the Graco frame (much cheaper and lighter than most strollers) then bought the Maclaren stroller to use later. We also have a Graco stroller that our nanny used with the car seat and she loved it. It is much lighter weight than the strollers that are sold as part of most travel systems.

 

[thepeach80]

My top 2 picks are the Graco Safeseat (what we have for my dd) and the Chicco Keyfit if you're not interested in one that goes to 30#. Chicco does make a 30# model, but it doesn't come w/ the travel system and it's only good for fat babies, not fat/tall babies. Ilana is neither and will be able to use this seat till about 2. The normal Keyfit22 does come in a travel system though and like the pp mentioned, the Safeseat will fit in any Graco stroller. After you choose a seat, be sure to see a local carseat tech to make sure everyone is in the car safe and baby will be safe it's first trip in the car. www.seatcheck.org

 

[all4fun]

Just thought I should also mention: If you're looking at travel systems, you may want to make sure the car seat has a front harness adjuster. Sometimes w/the systems they pair the cheaper rear adjuster seats w/the strollers. I know a lot of people find the rear adjusters to be a big PITB so just thought I'd mention it. You can always buy the stroller and seat seperately since a lot of different car seats are compatible w/different brand strollers.