OT: Expired Carseats?? really?

[abcboys]

Elmo--Just a question and I don't mean to sound snotty. If you were afraid something would happen to the used carseat why did you sell it to someone else?

 

[Merriwind]

I think that it would be a good idea to get a new carseat if it is past the expiration date. I have to say, about a week, ago I would have probably said it would be fine to use, but my DSIL sent me a link of a video on You Tube about a 3 year boy who was killed when his seatbelt failed and his booster flew out of the car. The point of the video is to let parents know how much safer 5 pts harnesses seats tethered to the seat are that booster seat.

Sorry if this is a little OT, but after I watched the video, I felt horrible for switching my daughter to booster so that her brother could use the carseat. I could never live with myself if something happened to her because I was trying to save a few hundred dollars. We are going to get her the Britax Regent now and I am sure she won't be happy to give up her "big girl" booster, but she will be safer and that is most important.

Anyway, to get back on track to the original topic...most likely nothing bad would happen when using an expired seat, but I think it is better to be safe that sorry when it comes to a childs safety.

I am going to try to post a link to the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azgBhZfcqaQ

Sorry to hijack, but I saw this video too and it really scared me. DD8 has been in a booster for a few years now. After seeing this though, I thought maybe I should go back to a 5-point. (One of her classmates is in the Britax Regent.) I looked into it, but it says that the height limit is 53". DD is tall--54.5", but only 64 or 65 pounds. Is there a carseat for taller kids, or is a booster all I've got now? TIA!

 

[all4fun]

I agree that borrowing from a friend you know and trust would be a good option. Or you could just use the convertible from the start (barring the lowest straps aren't too high.) You could keep the infant seat you have in the cargo hold and use it when you go out ie in the restaurant, etc. Nothing wrong with using it outside the car...

Also, I thought I would mention that the new Graco Safeseat Step 1 goes up to 30lbs and should last at least a year, barring your baby is really tall and outgrows it by height (once the head is less than an inch from the top of the seat shell). This is from carseatsite.com

Features: 5-30 lbs.; 5-point harness with front adjuster; both lap and shoulder straps adjust in length; adjustable base that stays in the car; built-in lockoff on base; EPS foam; some models have memory foam; canopy that rotates 180°; handle can remain upright in vehicle

Drawbacks: weight of seat; marketing*

*Graco markets this seat to be used until age 1, then the SafeSeat Step 2 forward-facing only seat is used for ages 1-4. It is my opinion, and the opinion of other child passenger safety experts and the American Academy of Pediatrics, that children should remain rear-facing for as long as possible after their first birthdays. This may mean that your child fits in the Step 1 seat past his/her first birthday (there's at least 1" of plastic shell above the child's head AND child is below maximum weight limit of 30 lbs.) or you should consider a convertible seat that can accommodate your child in the safer rear-facing position for longer.

Hth.

 

[fakereadhed]

Sorry to hijack, but I saw this video too and it really scared me. DD8 has been in a booster for a few years now. After seeing this though, I thought maybe I should go back to a 5-point. (One of her classmates is in the Britax Regent.) I looked into it, but it says that the height limit is 53". DD is tall--54.5", but only 64 or 65 pounds. Is there a carseat for taller kids, or is a booster all I've got now? TIA!

all4fun is very helpful- she will have the answer.

I am thinking that the seatbelt failure is something that you can't do much about unless you check your car's safety record and buy a different one. The problem is that the LATCH anchors only go up to a certain weight(I think 45#, but check your car manual)and then you have to rely on a seatbelt anyway. Is this correct?

Although the video made me cry, I also think it could be seen in the wrong way and make people think they shouldn't use boosters at all which scares me.

 

[all4fun]

Sorry to hijack, but I saw this video too and it really scared me. DD8 has been in a booster for a few years now. After seeing this though, I thought maybe I should go back to a 5-point. (One of her classmates is in the Britax Regent.) I looked into it, but it says that the height limit is 53". DD is tall--54.5", but only 64 or 65 pounds. Is there a carseat for taller kids, or is a booster all I've got now? TIA!

That video has caused quite a buzz on some of the message boards I frequent. I'm not poo-pooing the video's message at all because a 5-pt harness is safer for smaller/younger kids, but, IMO an eight year old should be fine in a bpb...kudo's to you that she's still in one, btw! I think that she's prbly too tall for the Regent now. What is her torso height" (sitting down, from bum to top of shoulder)? If it's over 20" then the Regent is out. If you really want her in a 5-pt harness again the RideSafer Vest might be an option - it uses the top tether too... But honestly as tragic as that accident was, I would not rush out to buy a Regent for an 8 yr old, (unless she were a really small 8yr old that had plenty of growing room...maybe). Seatbelts can fail unfortunately...from the reading I've done it's more common in side impacts and rollovers, which are statistically less common (at least we have that on our side!). There's been some news about Gen 3 seat belts in Chrysler vehicles (not sure what the maker of that video was driving at the time tho)... do a search on Gen3 and Seatbelt Failure and you should find info about it. Jmho. hth.

 

[all4fun]

all4fun is very helpful- she will have the answer.

I am thinking that the seatbelt failure is something that you can't do much about unless you check your car's safety record and buy a different one. The problem is that the LATCH anchors only go up to a certain weight(I think 45#, but check your car manual)and then you have to rely on a seatbelt anyway. Is this correct?

Although the video made me cry, I also think it could be seen in the wrong way and make people think they shouldn't use boosters at all which scares me.

Why thank you!

ETA:I believe you're supposed to stop using LATCH after 48lbs unless your car mfg stipulates otherwise. I'd go to www.car-seat.org to verify that (or talk to a CPST if you know one....I am not. I've just done a lot of reading on the subject.) I haven't been too concerned about it up to this point because my ds is still only about 33lbs and has been gaining very slowly so I'm sure we have a few years before it becomes an issue for us.

I agree with your last statement. The other thing that scares me is that some people will see that and then go and install their seats with LATCH and with the seatbelt, which is a big no no (could stress the seat too much in an accident and cause it to fail). I've seen lots of posts from people on the BBC car safety board about that recently. And those are the people that are at least asking about it. You know there will be some people who just react to what they see and don't really research it to make sure it's ok. OTOH, there's been a lot of people who have decided to put their 3-4yr olds back into harnessed car seats so that is a very good thing.

 

[bengalbelle]

Sorry to hijack, but I saw this video too and it really scared me. DD8 has been in a booster for a few years now. After seeing this though, I thought maybe I should go back to a 5-point. (One of her classmates is in the Britax Regent.) I looked into it, but it says that the height limit is 53". DD is tall--54.5", but only 64 or 65 pounds. Is there a carseat for taller kids, or is a booster all I've got now? TIA!

The only one I know of is a Britax. http://www.britaxusa.net/products/detail_regent.aspx

If it's like the Husky, which I assume this replaced, it's pretty expensive.

 

[Elmo888]

Elmo--Just a question and I don't mean to sound snotty. If you were afraid something would happen to the used carseat why did you sell it to someone else?

abcboys - Your question isn't snotty...I just think that I was unclear! I sold my DD6's infant seat shortly after she outgrew it (so maybe it was between 1 and 2 years old). I had to buy a brand new infant seat for DD2 (they are 4 years, 9 months apart). It was my DD6's convertible seat that was expired and stored in a closet, and I considered using this expired convertible for my DD2 when she outgrew the infant seat. When I decided to get a new convertible seat for DD2, I actually destroyed the expired one and put it in the trash a piece at a time so someone couldn't pick it up out of the trash. DH thought that I was nuts, but, again, I would hate to be responsible if the seat failed in an accident.

I hope that clears things up!

 

[Tinklvr]

Sorry to hijack, but I saw this video too and it really scared me. DD8 has been in a booster for a few years now. After seeing this though, I thought maybe I should go back to a 5-point. (One of her classmates is in the Britax Regent.) I looked into it, but it says that the height limit is 53". DD is tall--54.5", but only 64 or 65 pounds. Is there a carseat for taller kids, or is a booster all I've got now? TIA!

I don't think that there is a carseat for your daughter's height. The only other one I found other than the Britax was the Sunshine Radian 80, and it has a max height of 48".

I am confused now because I read that you can't use the top tether for children over 40lbs. If a seat belt did fail, the carseat would still most likely be ejected from the car. After reading comments on this thread about not using the tether and carseat togther, I really think the video is somewhat misleading. I am still going to put my daughter back into a 5pt harness, but I am so glad that I read this thread b/c I may have used the top tether and she is almost 40lbs. Thanks for all the information!

 

[MSSANDRA]

This is such a good thread. We are many years past the car seat stage but have a new baby in the family that we will be keeping a lot and were looking at seats the other day. We have a 2 year old, high end model that we recieved from our pastor's family that we will be using. The baby's young mom ,however choose her seat because of the color/design of the cover and it is a much lower price seat. Are they truly all equaly safe as long as they are used according to the guidelines??? I was looking at the 200.00 ones and DS (14) was like why buy that one when this one is 40.00. So is he right??? Not sure she would switch anyway but just wondering.

Mssandra

 

[kathi29]

All of the seats have to pass the same federal guidelines, so technically they are all equally safe. The difference in price from one seat to the next is often a matter of bells and whistles - padding, cup holders, etc.

The big difference with the Britax seats is that they are tested above and beyond the federal requirement. Britax is the only company that has their own test sleds, and they test in frontal, rear, side impact and rollover (federal requirement is frontal testing only).

The Cosco Scenera is a good basic seat. It's reasonably priced and has a high RF limit. The Alpha Omega seats are way too hyped up - they are often outgrown by height long before weight, and most people don't realize that the top slot of the height adjustment is for booster use only. It's important to realize the limitations of any seat you might consider; making the investment thinking you will get 4 years of use and then having a tall 2 year old outgrow the seat is definitely not cost effective.

The most important thing with whatever seat you choose is that it can be installed properly in your car, and you can use it correctly each and every time.

 

[all4fun]

This is such a good thread. We are many years past the car seat stage but have a new baby in the family that we will be keeping a lot and were looking at seats the other day. We have a 2 year old, high end model that we recieved from our pastor's family that we will be using. The baby's young mom ,however choose her seat because of the color/design of the cover and it is a much lower price seat. Are they truly all equaly safe as long as they are used according to the guidelines??? I was looking at the 200.00 ones and DS (14) was like why buy that one when this one is 40.00. So is he right??? Not sure she would switch anyway but just wondering.

Mssandra

All seats have to pass the same standards so I think the properly installed and used $40 seat is just as safe as the $200 seat, however the lower priced seat probably won't last as long, assuming the $200 seat you're talking about is one that harnesses past 40lbs. Most 40lbs limit convertibles have pretty low top harness slots, so even if your child isn't really heavy but is tall and/or long torso'd, that 40lb limit seat could easily be outgrown by height well before they are 4yrs old. (Seats are outgrown heightwise forward facing when the tops of the shoulders go past the top harness slots or the tips of the ears go past the top of the seat shell).

And if by $40 seat you're talking about the Cosco Scenera 5-pt I recommend that seat to people all the time! My ds used it's predicessor the Touriva until he outgrew it at 34mos (by height only) but I really liked that seat a lot and was a little sad when I had to get him a combo seat to replace it (because it has taller top harness slots). Unfortunately the Scenera/Touriva has pretty low top harness slots but it does r/f to 35lbs so it's a great choice for an interim seat and if it's outgrown before age four at least you didn't spend a ton of money on it.

 

[momathome]

I think you would feel horrible if something happened and you could have avoided it. If something happens beyond your control that is different, but you are aware now of the danger and would feel awful if you didnt prevent it.