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Car seat expiration question. Let's stay calm. :)

LibraryLover
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VeganCupcake

VeganCupcake

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First they tell us a discarded water bottle is going to be around for millenia, and then they tell us a car seat can't last a few years.

 

I'm sure they set the expiration dates to err waaaaay on the safe side. I can't blame them for that, but it probably means the seat is still quite safe.

 

The water bottle isn't going to be whole for millenia; it's the pieces of it that will be around for millenia.

 

I do think the expiration dates are probably generous, and I admit I do take expired Advil sometimes if it's all we have, but after a while, it just doesn't work as well as "fresh" Advil.

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Kathryn

Kathryn

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Posted
First they tell us a discarded water bottle is going to be around for millenia, and then they tell us a car seat can't last a few years.

 

I'm sure they set the expiration dates to err waaaaay on the safe side. I can't blame them for that, but it probably means the seat is still quite safe.

 

That said, here's what I'd do:

 

Give her the seat and tell her that it's expired, but she can use it for a trade-in. Then leave it up to her to decide whether to actually go trade it in or use it for a little while until her eldest is ready for a booster.

 

She's an adult. She's been entrusted by the highest power to look out for this child, issued a license to drive a machine that kills millions of people every year, and apparently thus far passed the great tests of parenthood. She can decide this on her own.

 

And then if she's in a wreck and her child is hurt, she can try to sue you for knowingly giving her an expired seat.

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SKL

SKL

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And then if she's in a wreck and her child is hurt, she can try to sue you for knowingly giving her an expired seat.

 

Well, I guess if I thought she might sue me for a choice she made, I wouldn't be considering giving her anything, expired or not.

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Nestof3

Nestof3

Posted
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It isn't that the plastic will crack against the seat, but that the straps holding the child in will break through the plastic during the stress of a crash. The video linked upthread shows an example.

 

Ah -- that makes sense. We, thankfully, never had a child in an expired card seat by the simple fact that each boy had his own, and he was never in it for several years straight without having to upgrade.

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raceNzanesmom

raceNzanesmom

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The thing with an expired seat is that we simply don't know. The seat could be just fine and perform perfectly in a crash, and it could not be fine and cause injury or worse. Using it is taking a chance with a child's life. If she needed to use it for a very short time until she bought a new seat, that's one thing. But to give it away as a seat to simply use, is another. The risk is too high.

 

The CRS manufacturer's engineer team make a scientific guess to how long a particular seat shell will last without any compromise. This date is decided on after a lot of research, testing, etc.

 

hth.

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Dinsfamily

Dinsfamily

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The thing with an expired seat is that we simply don't know. The seat could be just fine and perform perfectly in a crash, and it could not be fine and cause injury or worse. Using it is taking a chance with a child's life. If she needed to use it for a very short time until she bought a new seat, that's one thing. But to give it away as a seat to simply use, is another. The risk is too high.

 

The CRS manufacturer's engineer team make a scientific guess to how long a particular seat shell will last without any compromise. This date is decided on after a lot of research, testing, etc.

 

hth.

 

This is why I won't use or give away an expired seat. I have no doubt that some carseats are safe after the expiration date, but how do you know? You can't tell by looking at them, so it would be a guess. I wouldn't take the chance with any child.

 

I will have to replace my ds1's RF'ing carseat next month because his is expiring. My plan is to replace it with an inexpensive (but safe) model until he's ready to be FF'ing in a Nautilus.

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Garga

Garga

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Does the other mom currently know it's expired and is still asking for it?

 

If not, you say, "Oh, Rhonda. I got out that carseat for you the other day, but then I noticed it was expired so I had to toss it."

 

It doesn't have to be a big production of, "I had a car seat, but I didn't trust you enough to make the right safety decision, wah, wah, wah."

 

If I'd told someone, "Yeah, I have a bottle of caesar dressing in my cupboard I can give you," but then noticed it was expired, I'd toss it and say, "Sorry--it expired. Can't give it to you after all."

 

It sounds like people are acting like you're trying to "control" this other mom and her decision. You're not. The seat expired, so you had to toss it. End of story. No one has to make a "decision" about anything.

 

And yes, I would think that it being in the basement and not subject to the normal heat/cold stresses of the past few years means it's probably ok, but you just don't know.

 

This scenario is draining your time. Expired? Toss it. Done. You can move on to something else.

 

(All said in a nice tone of voice)

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Julie Smith

Julie Smith

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I might if what she's currently using is even worse. I have a friend that uses old hand-me-down car seats, including one in a style that stopped being manufactured 10 years ago. A 6 month expired Britax would be such an improvement over her current set-up that I would definitely give it to her. I would be upfront with her about the expiration date though.

 

I did this with my SIL who was using a car seat that was so old it looked more like these: http://www.google.ca/imgres?um=1&hl=en&lr=&sa=N&biw=1073&bih=850&tbm=isch&tbnid=-GUGIFbKGB6xkM:&imgrefurl=http://www.adisc.org/forum/adult-baby/63120-old-school-baby-gear-collectables.html&docid=04qW8kx2ge-J4M&imgurl=http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f308/pramrider/1960sCarSeats.jpg&w=800&h=600&ei=Md9LUM65KMTn0QGBzYGYCQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=139&vpy=341&dur=444&hovh=179&hovw=238&tx=125&ty=128&sig=117612830374514051440&page=2&tbnh=150&tbnw=200&start=20&ndsp=26&ved=1t:429,r:21,s:20,i:206 then the typical new style car seat.

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Dinsfamily

Dinsfamily

Posted
Posted

 

EEEK! That must have been one old carseat.

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In the Rain

In the Rain

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Posted

 

Wow! I've never even seen a seat like that. As recently as 2 years ago, I saw the style with the bar that comes down over the front in use. (T bar?). I think they were found to be unsafe before my oldest was born 11 years ago.

 

 

It's all set. We talked. I took off the cover (to sell or give away). She is going to trade it in at Toys R US for 25% off a seat she told me starts with an E. I don't remember. lol I had hoped that light/non-usage, and good storage would factor in (there is no research available, it seems), so I do appreciate the discussion.

 

Everyone wins. No child I know was harmed due to this thread. :)

 

I'm glad it all worked out.

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Lily_Grace

Lily_Grace

Posted
Posted
Look on the plastic on the back of the seat. It will either have a manufacturer's date or an expiration date. If it's the man. date, it expires in 6 years.

 

Not true. The new Britax 70 series (integrated steel bars) are good for 7. The Radians (steel seats) are good for 8. The Graco Smartseat is good for 10.

 

6 is a good rule of thumb, but check the manual ALWAYS. When I'm doing car seat checks I have parents take the manual out of their seat, highlight the expiration timeframe, and write the model number/date on the front of the booklet. That way they have everything at their fingertips and can easily look up the date, weight/height limits, and recalls.

 

I'm glad your friend is getting a new seat, LibraryLover! :001_smile: Now have her skew our statistics by getting it checked and making sure she's in the 15% who are using a seat correctly!

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