Am I the only one who thinks this is odd?

tfarabians

On the jan11 board girls often talk about how you shouldn't put a convertible carseat on your registry because if you get one for your shower it could be an "older" version by the time you use it.  I always find this interesting because II am planning on using my infant seat from Cruz and figure that by the time the baby needs a convertible carseat that I would just get a booster carseat for Cruz and move the baby into his britex.  Am I wrong in this thinking?  None of our carseats have been in any accidents, is there a reason that they would expire?

jen_and_tom

That seems odd to me.  Maybe they're thinking there could be new product releases or features that they might want to pick from?  Car seats do expire, usually around five or six years.  Each car seat has an expiration date marked on it, usually somewhere on the underside.  You should be fine to reuse Cruz's unless they have expired.

MrsKatie

Usually they have expirations on them, right?  (I honestly don't know, that is why I ask!)  I saw the post below and it says less than 6 years old for recycling so maybe that is a good gauge.

But yes, I think it is odd, and I would be doing the same if I were you!

Also, I was reading the birth stories - is there any word on baby Seamus?

Mama_v2.0

Car seats can become brittle and the foam can break down.

I pass car seats down the line for my kids. The oldest car seat I have is under 5 years.

Most of the ladies on the Nov 11 board are probably first time moms. So many of them probably plan to have another child or two. So if they bought a convertible just to sit it in the garage a year, that is one less year they can use it later. Also new car seats, technology, and weight limits keep coming out. So waiting a year might just make a difference. (I have an '06 Evenflo Triumph and while I love the seat it only goes up to 30lbs rear facing unlike the new ones that go to at least 40lbs.) 

BriAndSean

I could see wanting to wait since there are always new features and products coming out. Most carseats do expire at 5-6 years, although the new Britax we just got for K is good for 9 years. Since most kids outgrow their infant seat by a year, they will be moving up to a convertible before they know it. What do they think people with convertibles do... buy a new one every year?

Seattle_JiLLn

Car seats do expire. But it seems weird that they'd worry about an extra six months. But you probably will want a second car seat. I'm no where near putting Ben in a booster. His car seat goes to 55 pounds. They are much safer in a five point harness than a seat belt booster. And the boosters that are also five point harnesses cost almost as much as a car seat and are big so I just got a second car seat and will wait to go to a $30 booster when he's really ready for that step.