Green Mammy's post in the BR informed me of this and I'm not sure where the original thread is that sparked her post but I was wondering other people's views and didn't want to continue this there.

Carseats, apparently, expire.
When they expire you should get rid of them and buy a new one.
They are given an expiration year based on the idea that after years of use the plastic and other materials will weaken and become more brittle and put your child in more danger.

Here's an aritcle with some details about carseat expireation and general safety. http://www.celebrity-babies.com/2008/04/carseatsafety.html

Here's the direct quote:
Car seats expire. Yes, it's true that car seats expire. Most expire after 6 years. It makes sense when you think about all the use these things get, the extreme hot/cold temps, etc. Just think what a plastic toy would look like if you after 6 years of that much use!

Another article that goes into far deeper: http://babyproducts.about.com/b/2006/07/12/reader-question-do-car-seats-expire.htm

Ok - so let's debate *why* they really expire.

1) Do they truly become death traps because of supposed weakness in the materials?
What about the actual seats and seatbelts in your car the you and your older children use. Do these need to be removed and thrown away as well?

2) Are these concerns backed up factually with studies and so forth - are children who are securely and properly buckled in an old, expired carseat more suseptable to injury than a child buckled properly in a new one? (Nevermind the studies that showed that a lot of carseats aren't designed safe to begin with - lets presume, for the sake of arguement, that yours is top-notch)

3) What happens to all these old, thrown away carseats? Are they recycled? Is there a recycling center or other such method to dispose of them or do they end up in a landfill forever?

4) Liability - do you think that the notion that a seat expires is based more on liability with the carseat company (in an attempt to nullify responsibility in case their seat fails, etc) INSTEAD of true concerns in actual child-safety.

5) Do you care? If you're learning this "fact" for the first time (like i am, now) and didn't know your carseat expired are you going to buy a new one?

6) Money - Do you think the companies are more interested in expiring these carseats for financial gain (with your need to buy new ones, etc) than they are in your child's safety?


I'll reply with my responses and views.

1) Do they truly become death traps because of supposed weakness in the materials?
What about the actual seats and seatbelts in your car the you and your older children use. Do these need to be removed and thrown away as well?

Carseats main material is injection molded plastic, usually HDPE, or High density polyethylene. There are polymers that have a UV resistance, but HDPE isn't one of them. It's the nature of the chemical makeup of HDPE to break down after it's been exposed to the sun (like through a car's windows)..

The actual seats that grown ups sit in are probably/usually a blow molded Polypropylene.. If the resin used has a white tint, it's probably not UV resistant. If it's gray or black, there's probably an additive in it to make it UV resistant..

It's a different manufacturing process, and the plastic have a different chemical makeup.. I'm currently working as a research and development design engineer for Polaris, work with polymers. :wink

idk. i know nothing about all this nonsense, but i'll probably practice better safe than sorry if/when we have kids.

Why don't they make them out of the same material that Chevy Avalanches and other plastic encrusted vehicles are made out of?

Personally, IMO... there's expiration dates on everything to insure the consumer's safety. There's reason or purpose ... there's testing, experiments, scientific data, crash test dummies etc, etc, etc. It's not a question of money making... it's a question of whether or not you are protecting your child.

You wouldn't serve your baby expired fish... why risk using expired carseats?

My seat isn't near expiration because after every child we got rid of things of this nature truly expecting to not have more - and then always had to buy a new one of everything.

But - if a carseat breaks down and gets weak after time then they need to focus on changing that so someone who intends to have multiple children doesn't have to buy a new one every 6 years or whatever.

Now - 6 years is a pretty good long while, though. But they're also expensive and I can understand how people would reuse them - expired or not.

Now - the pessimistic side of me also feels that their choice to knowingly make carseats out of materials that are more known to breakdown and get weak is greed. They know if they continue to do this them they will make more money.

If my car's seats don't breakdown, weaken and need to be replaced every 6 or so years then why can't they use that function and knowledge to build a long-lasting seat that won't be an issue?

Yes, I knew they expired, yes I will replace DD's when it expires. Plastics do break down, but technology and safety standards get better too. 6 years ago the standards were not as high as they are today so today's seats are much safer than 6 years ago. I'm about to buy my DD a Graco Nautilus because I want to keep her in a harness as long as possible (it goes up to 65lbs). This one converts to a high-backed booster and then a backless booster. Once we get to the backless booster (i.e. it's just the cushion thing that she's sitting on) I'm not really so bothered by the expiration because she's only using it for height, the belt does all the work.

I believe car seats can be recycled. I haven't had to do it with one of ours yet.

Yeah, the recycling thing is a big deal for me - I don't like chunking them in the trash but my state is way behind the times.
I'll have to look into that because soon we'll be getting rid of our infant seats (for really real this time, I've been spayed) and right now they're just sitting around as "just in case" seats in the closet :lol

Why don't they make them out of the same material that Chevy Avalanches and other plastic encrusted vehicles are made out of?

It's a different process.. Injection molding and rotomolding of polymers can guarantee a consistently thick wall all the way around. HDPE has a "give" to it, and doesn't shatter.

I'd bet that Chevs plastics are probably a type of fiberglass, or have a glass additive. They're produced from a single sheet of a polymer and put in a hot press to form them, kinda like a waffle maker. They shatter when hit hard. The glass does hold up to UV, but it's density is too fragile. :dunno

Personally, IMO... there's expiration dates on everything to insure the consumer's safety. There's reason or purpose ... there's testing, experiments, scientific data, crash test dummies etc, etc, etc. It's not a question of money making... it's a question of whether or not you are protecting your child.

You wouldn't serve your baby expired fish... why risk using expired carseats?

:agree

This reminds me, I need to check DS' booster seat.

Yes, I will replace with new seats if they expire. It's not worth the risk, IMO. I didn't buy Simon a Marathon b/c it will hold him to 80 pounds, (Or is it 50 I'd have to look, I don't remember :lol) I bought it because he could rear face longer AND be in a 5pt longer.

I had no idea they expired. I checked Baileys and her carrier expires in a freaking month. So we are off to buy a new seat but I will not get a carrier again.

I figure by the time I need a new seat for them (6 years), they won't need the seat anymore anyway. So, no skin off my back. Sure, I love passing the hand me downs to the siblings and I'd love to get more use out of a seat that I paid $250 for, BUT if I can buy one for one child, I feel like I should buy one for any future children... it's just one of those built in expenses of having kids. I'm a Britax lover, will never use anything else. They are spendy but they last the entire duration of their childseat needing days. So, $250 for 6 years ain't bad, if you ask me. That breaks down to like $3.50 per month to ensure they are safe, comfortable and in a seat that I know isn't expired, with a 5 pt harness until they are up to 65-80 lbs. So, I have no complaints about the expiration dates on them.

I see nothing wrong with expiration dates for carseats. Its important for parents to know how long at seat is considered good. My biggest issue is with carseats that hold newborns to like 100 pounds. IMO no 6 year old is going to weigh 100 pounds. I suppose there is the possibility they might be extremely tall and reach the hight limit though. The parents who bought the seat probably bought it thinking they'd never have to buy another seat for that child again. They most likely spent more money on the seat than they would have if they had known they wouldn't get the full use of the seat.

I figure by the time I need a new seat for them (6 years), they won't need the seat anymore anyway. So, no skin off my back. Sure, I love passing the hand me downs to the siblings and I'd love to get more use out of a seat that I paid $250 for, BUT if I can buy one for one child, I feel like I should buy one for any future children... it's just one of those built in expenses of having kids. I'm a Britax lover, will never use anything else. They are spendy but they last the entire duration of their childseat needing days. So, $250 for 6 years ain't bad, if you ask me. That breaks down to like $3.50 per month to ensure they are safe, comfortable and in a seat that I know isn't expired, with a 5 pt harness until they are up to 65-80 lbs. So, I have no complaints about the expiration dates on them.

What she said. Some people choose to buy alcohol,cigarrettes, fancy clothes, etc, I choose to buy nice carseats for my kids. You dont have to spend 250 a seat for much of the same safety features but Britax are sooo nice!

I figure by the time I need a new seat for them (6 years), they won't need the seat anymore anyway. So, no skin off my back. Sure, I love passing the hand me downs to the siblings and I'd love to get more use out of a seat that I paid $250 for, BUT if I can buy one for one child, I feel like I should buy one for any future children... it's just one of those built in expenses of having kids. I'm a Britax lover, will never use anything else. They are spendy but they last the entire duration of their childseat needing days. So, $250 for 6 years ain't bad, if you ask me. That breaks down to like $3.50 per month to ensure they are safe, comfortable and in a seat that I know isn't expired, with a 5 pt harness until they are up to 65-80 lbs. So, I have no complaints about the expiration dates on them.

I'm not sure but I think most states require kids to be in carseat or a booster seat until they 8 years old/80lbs and/or 4 foot 9 inches. I know here in WY they have to be 9. Weight and height don't matter from what I could find. Cory will be 9 in 6 weeks. Hes only 52 pounds and 4' 1". Even though the law wont require him to stay in booster I will. I can't imagine strapping my 9 year old into a 5 point harness though.

I figure by the time I need a new seat for them (6 years), they won't need the seat anymore anyway. So, no skin off my back. Sure, I love passing the hand me downs to the siblings and I'd love to get more use out of a seat that I paid $250 for, BUT if I can buy one for one child, I feel like I should buy one for any future children... it's just one of those built in expenses of having kids. I'm a Britax lover, will never use anything else. They are spendy but they last the entire duration of their childseat needing days. So, $250 for 6 years ain't bad, if you ask me. That breaks down to like $3.50 per month to ensure they are safe, comfortable and in a seat that I know isn't expired, with a 5 pt harness until they are up to 65-80 lbs. So, I have no complaints about the expiration dates on them.

I totally agree with this.

I am a britax lover too. I have Ethan in the regent and I just bought Ashley 1 and she will go into it here in a few months.

I am all for the expiration dates and if my seat hit the expiration date I would trash it and buy a new one. I figure why risk it. I paid 250 for each of the seats (regents) but thats it. By the time Ethans expires he should no longer be in a seat and by the time Ash's expires she can be moved to a booster or whatever. And I am fine with that. The fact I can keep em 5pt harnessed til 80lbs is what sold me. Saftey of my children is #1 and if that means spending to buy carseats as needed then so be it. Thats part of having kiddos

What she said. Some people choose to buy alcohol,cigarrettes, fancy clothes, etc, I choose to buy nice carseats for my kids. You dont have to spend 250 a seat for much of the same safety features but Britax are sooo nice!

:agree

I was actually with my friend Ashley this weekend. She has two kids, who are both under the age of 2. Her youngest has very nice car seat and they are going to be getting their oldest, Carter, the same one with their stimulus check.

I also have 2 Britax Marathons (one for each car). They need to be destroyed at the 6 year expiration mark because studies show they are no longer safe... just no question in my mind that it's the right thing to do. We also had a graco infant seat we used for 4 months with our travel system. When it expires, I will donate it to one of the church daycare centers here because they often use them as seats for feeding bottles in the classroom.

I'm not sure but I think most states require kids to be in carseat or a booster seat until they 8 years old/80lbs and/or 4 foot 9 inches.

In TX, you only have to be 5 & 36in. :no

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/director_staff/public_information/seatbelt.htm

A person commits an offense if the person operates a passenger vehicle, transports a child who is younger than five years of age and less than 36 inches in height, and does not keep the child secured during the operation of the vehicle in a child passenger safety seat system according to the instructions of the manufacturer of the safety seat system.

That is according to the TX DPS website. Even with that, my son is almost 9 & is still in a booster seat. He only has an inch to go before he reaches the height restrictions on his booster. I'm not ready for him to sit in a seatbelt alone permanently, yet! :(

DD is 6 & has a ways to go before she is out of her 5-pt harness.

Both of my kids are in Britax seats. DS in a Parkway. DD in a Husky (Regent).

And I 100% support the expiration of carseats! I would never use an expired or used carseart!

I agree with what Brandi said, for me carseat safety is VERY important and the exp dates are there to keep your children safe. I do not believe it is a money making scam. NO convertible (rear facing to forward facing seat) goes up to 100 lbs. Most only go up to 40 lbs some 45lbs. NOW forward facing only seats CAN be found that go up to 80lbs such as the Britax Regent.

Some boosters go up to 100 lbs Such as one of the Recaro boosters but their youth carseat only goes up to 70 and 80 lbs. (depending on the model)

Personally, IMO... there's expiration dates on everything to insure the consumer's safety. There's reason or purpose ... there's testing, experiments, scientific data, crash test dummies etc, etc, etc. It's not a question of money making... it's a question of whether or not you are protecting your child.

You wouldn't serve your baby expired fish... why risk using expired carseats?


I agree. The plastic breaks down and it's just not as safe. I'd rather be safe than sorry.

I agree with what Brandi said, for me carseat safety is VERY important and the exp dates are there to keep your children safe. I do not believe it is a money making scam. NO convertible (rear facing to forward facing seat) goes up to 100 lbs. Most only go up to 40 lbs some 45lbs. NOW forward facing only seats CAN be found that go up to 80lbs such as the Britax Regent.

Some boosters go up to 100 lbs Such as one of the Recaro boosters but their youth carseat only goes up to 70 and 80 lbs. (depending on the model)


If I'm not mistaken this ones goes from infancy to 100 pounds and even claims it offers "a life long span making it an excellent value."

http://www.elitecarseats.com/Eddie-Bauer-Deluxe-3-n-1.pro

I never knew that car seats/ boosters expired until the threads last week. I am grateful that I read them. I checked both of my Britax Parkways and they were manufactured in April '05... I will destroy both seat by April '11 and purchase a new booster for yds from Britax.

THANK YOU TO THE OP OF THE THREAD THAT I READ LAST WEEK!

If I'm not mistaken this ones goes from infancy to 100 pounds and even claims it offers "a life long span making it an excellent value."

http://www.elitecarseats.com/Eddie-Bauer-Deluxe-3-n-1.pro

It converts to a booster, I said that boosters do go up to 100lbs.

It converts to a booster, I said that boosters do go up to 100lbs.

Boosters do go to 100lbs like Greenmammy said. Its 5 pt harness that normally goes to like 40-45lbs and then converts to booster.

We did our research and decided that since seatbelts can fail and 5pt harness is safer, that we would spend the extra money for regents to keep our kids 5pt harnessed as long as we possibly can. And the regent goes to 80lbs with the 5pt harness. The regent is HUGE. An older child can easily sit in that thing and have room. Heck even I can sit in that thing :lol And not only was it safety issues but comfort issues. Because it is so roomy Ethan is comfy and can get comfy on long carrides. Ash will too because we will switch her into her regent that we bought

Carseat safety is huge with me. I was in a major car accident before I had kids. I was hit head on. And lemme tell you that was no joke. It totaled out my car etc. After having something like that happen I told myself that with my kids I would do the safest thing I could do on my eyes. Which was spend the more money to keep them harnessed longer....

The key is to abide by the manufactuers regulations and advice. They are there for a reason. And make a decision based on what you feel is best. For us it was the britax regent. I have no regrets. Sure its big and it took awhile to get it installed properly. I ended up paying to have a safety inspector install it. But for us we felt it was worth it

Why don't they make them out of the same material that Chevy Avalanches and other plastic encrusted vehicles are made out of?

because I don't know anyone that would pay the amount of money it would cost if they did

I figure by the time I need a new seat for them (6 years), they won't need the seat anymore anyway. So, no skin off my back. Sure, I love passing the hand me downs to the siblings and I'd love to get more use out of a seat that I paid $250 for, BUT if I can buy one for one child, I feel like I should buy one for any future children... it's just one of those built in expenses of having kids. I'm a Britax lover, will never use anything else. They are spendy but they last the entire duration of their childseat needing days. So, $250 for 6 years ain't bad, if you ask me. That breaks down to like $3.50 per month to ensure they are safe, comfortable and in a seat that I know isn't expired, with a 5 pt harness until they are up to 65-80 lbs. So, I have no complaints about the expiration dates on them.

Unfortunately a Britax won't last for my childs whole carseat days...my 2 1/2 year old is almost too tall for it...her head already sticks over the top by about 2 inches when I've tried her in one.

Safety comes first with me.
I have already gotten rid of two of Aleksander's seats that are now expired (his carrier and the convertible infant/toddler seat).
When we have another baby I will be buying all new car seats since the ones we have used with our son will be too old by then.

For me, doing everything I can to keep my child as safe as possible is very important, and I don't mind spending the extra money for new car seats.

Unfortunately a Britax won't last for my childs whole carseat days...my 2 1/2 year old is almost too tall for it...her head already sticks over the top by about 2 inches when I've tried her in one.

The marathon or the regent? There is no way her head is almost above the regent's top b/c my five year old is only using the second level for shoulder straps.... that seat is ENORMOUS :lol The Marathon though is a little bit smaller and shorter :yes

The marathon or the regent? There is no way her head is almost above the regent's top b/c my five year old is only using the second level for shoulder straps.... that seat is ENORMOUS :lol The Marathon though is a little bit smaller and shorter :yes

Yeah I was wondering that too. The regent is HUGE. Ethan at 3.5 has a TON of room to the top

whatever ones we've tried at bru and target

Yeah, I knew they expired, and I won't use them past the expiry date.

BTW, I have a Regent too, and yes, that thing is massive. :giggle

Unfortunately a Britax won't last for my childs whole carseat days...my 2 1/2 year old is almost too tall for it...her head already sticks over the top by about 2 inches when I've tried her in one.

That's odd! My 6 1/2 year old is still in their 5ft harness & is in the Husky(Regent) & no where near the top of it!

I'm thinking you probably tried the Marathon like was mentioned above! You should be able to use a Regent though depending on weight, etc.

whatever ones we've tried at bru and target

Those are the marathons and I definitely wouldn't try to put my older child in it, even though it says up to 65 lbs. It does fit Shelby (she's 3) just fine but I will eventually move her to the regent also, when Jaxon goes to the booster.

The regent though is about double the size and truly is a carseat you can use for a lifetime. I could probably strap myself in there if I really wanted to :lmao

Those are the marathons and I definitely wouldn't try to put my older child in it, even though it says up to 65 lbs. It does fit Shelby (she's 3) just fine but I will eventually move her to the regent also, when Jaxon goes to the booster.

The regent though is about double the size and truly is a carseat you can use for a lifetime. I could probably strap myself in there if I really wanted to :lmao

Oh, I fit in the Regent easily. :lol Haven't tried the straps though.

is there anywhere I can try it out for her???

Regents are hard to find in chain stores. We have an indy baby store in town that sells them I would try calling any indy baby stores in your area.

is there anywhere I can try it out for her???

If you want you can come over and try 1 of ours. Up to you. Just PM me if you do and I will give ya my #

We just got T the nautilus... very nice. :) Much better than the Alpha Omega we had for my son!!