STMs - Reusing infant carseat?

anmorgan32 · October 2012

We saved nearly everything from when DS was little, including his infant car seat. He used it until he was probably 8 or 9 months before he got too heavy for it and since then it has been in storage. By time this DS uses it, it will have been sitting unused for over a year and a half. Is that a big deal? Are you buying a new one or reusing the one from your first child?

shajenjen · October 2012

Just make sure you check the expiration date on it & if it hasn't been in any car accidents it should be fine. If you were buying it from a yard sale or something I would definitely say no but since you are the previous owner you know the background of the seat. I think you'll be fine because a car seat has a few years on it before it expires.

jastl32 · October 2012

We are reusing ours. Just check the expiration date and it should be fine.

MTNurse · October 2012

What the PP say!!

anmorgan32 · October 2012

I'm glad I asked, I didn't realize they had expiration dates! I'll have to check it out.

akating · October 2012

I am reusing mine. No crashes and i know it was handled properly.

LaurelBee · October 2012

Definitely reusing ours since it won't expire for another few years.

MrsLean · October 2012

I'm not a STM, but my SIL gave us their DD's old car seat to use. It's not expired and hasn't been in any accidents so we're happy to use it.

A question for any moms who know; how exactly does a car seat "expire"? I know here in Canada the seats expire after 5 years, but I've always wondered what this entails? Or do you think it's a ploy to get people to spend more money? Curious...

sbevmc09 · October 2012

As long as it's not expired (or in any sort of strange conditions, like it got wet or something) it should be safe to use. We are planning to reuse DS's infant seat.

jobiann · October 2012

As long as its not expired why wouldn't you use it?

==N== · October 2012

MrsLean:
I'm not a STM, but my SIL gave us their DD's old car seat to use. It's not expired and hasn't been in any accidents so we're happy to use it.
A question for any moms who know; how exactly does a car seat "expire"? I know here in Canada the seats expire after 5 years, but I've always wondered what this entails? Or do you think it's a ploy to get people to spend more money? Curious...

The plastic degrades over time. Especially since its sitting in your car being exposed to such extreme temperatures.

dinonugget1517 · October 2012

Def. reusing it. It'll have been in storage for a little over a year when baby comes.

Mrs.DeliaMarieP · October 2012

As long as it is not expired, it is fine.

Mrs.DeliaMarieP · October 2012

MrsLean:
I'm not a STM, but my SIL gave us their DD's old car seat to use. It's not expired and hasn't been in any accidents so we're happy to use it.

A question for any moms who know; how exactly does a car seat "expire"? I know here in Canada the seats expire after 5 years, but I've always wondered what this entails? Or do you think it's a ploy to get people to spend more money? Curious...

i think it is a safety precaution because of the differences in heat and cold, plus the wear and tear while it is being used, the latches being pulled, etc. it isn't as if it is suddenly going to stop working properly the day it hits 5 years, but for safety reasons there has to be a cutoff somewhere.

eb1113 · October 2012

I'm planning on reusing the infant seat. DD will be 26 months when this baby is due. I will be checking the date, but I don't see it being a problem.

Ours has been sitting around for about a year as of now, she used it until she was about 10 months.

mtm0109 · October 2012

Definitely reusing ours...DS will be 13months when DD is born!

Check the expiration date and throw all the fabric covers in the wash and let air dry. It will be like new!

jjgal · October 2012

I'm reusing DD's seat.

karen_loy · October 2012

We are reusing ours

landosmommy · October 2012

We are reusing DS's infant car seat. As long as it isn't expired you should be just fine.

pghctwife · October 2012

We are reusing. Our kids will only be 21-22 months apart and carseats are good for 5 yrs!

MangomamaFL · October 2012

MrsLean:
I'm not a STM, but my SIL gave us their DD's old car seat to use. It's not expired and hasn't been in any accidents so we're happy to use it.

A question for any moms who know; how exactly does a car seat "expire"? I know here in Canada the seats expire after 5 years, but I've always wondered what this entails? Or do you think it's a ploy to get people to spend more money? Curious...

I heard the reason is that the plastic ages. Child carseats are expected to be kept in a hot car. Heat can do a job on the plastic.

BigFoot80 · October 2012

We stopped using the seat for DD in April of 2011 and plan to use it for this baby in Jan 2013. as long as it's not past the expiration date, or been in an accident, or stored improperly, it's fine to use.

MintBerryCrunch · October 2012

We're reusing ours. It's a tank of a seat (Britax Chaperone) and DD only used it for 7 months. So it's just been hanging out for a year now. I wish it was a little more colorful/cuter but it's very functional and we know it fits in our cars, so it's going to be used for #2.

qteepie42899 · October 2012

We are reusing...but this will be the last baby to use it. I have always been told/read that it is 6 years. We always have our seat checked by our neighbor who is the "carseat cop" in town. He runs the turn in program for our town and has to stay up to date on all the rules and regs.

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