Community› The Bump Month Clubs› April 2019 Moms
April 2019 Moms
New Discussion

Car seat expiration

blueberrymommablueberrymomma member
in April 2019 Moms
So I thought my my infant car seat had one more year (7 year expiration) but when I was cleaning it I noticed it expired February 2019(so it only had a 6 year expiration). DH thinks it’s fine to use since our car seat still looks brand new. But I’m not sold on that idea. What are your thoughts?
Report Reply to Post

Re: Car seat expiration

  • professormamaprofessormama member
    To be honest, I didn’t even check the expiration on mine. 
    Report Reply
  • Loading the player...
  • lyse01lyse01 member
    @blueberrymomma two thoughts:
    1) I find it incredibly Big Carseat Industry that perfectly functional seats have planned obsolescence that force us to buy a new one so frequently. Trade ins don’t cover as much as I’d like.
    2) The technology legitimately gets better over a 6-year span, and this article makes the excellent point that the temperature swings over 6 years of living in a car can cause the plastic to become brittle in a way that isn’t really detectable to our eyes. Also, there could very well be wear and tear in places we’re not checking (eg the underside, the pass-through for belts, the belts and stitching themselves, really any friction point). https://www.washingtonpost.com/cars/yes-car-seats-expire-and-heres-why/2017/02/23/608ce07c-fa05-11e6-aa1e-5f735ee31334_story.html?utm_term=.1e1b9af7f37b
    Report Reply
  • professormamaprofessormama member
    @lyse01 and @blueberrymomma I guess that brings up the question - where has your car seat been? Mine has been stored indoors in a dark closet for the last 2.5 years. So I’m not too worried 
    Report Reply
  • thatbaintforbettythatbaintforbetty member
    @lyse01 beat me to it but since car seats generally stay in the car or spend a lot of time in the car durning varying temperatures the plastic (among other parts) can warp or degrade over time. It’s not always something you can see but Its a huge potential safety issue. So as much as I agree about the annoyance of having to buy a new one it’s one of the things where expiration dates are best followed pretty strictly. 
    this is my backup acct.
    prevously helloblueeyes

    Me:32 DH:33 Married:04/2012 DD:07/2014 
     BFP 8/14/2018 #2 due 4/18/2019
    Lilypie Pregnancy tickers
    Report Reply
  • blueberrymommablueberrymomma member
    professormama said:
    @lyse01 and @blueberrymomma I guess that brings up the question - where has your car seat been? Mine has been stored indoors in a dark closet for the last 2.5 years. So I’m not too worried 
    It’s been on the shelf in the basement with all the other baby stuff. And since it’s the infant carrier it has never been left in a car and subjected to the extreme temps because it always got brought in with baby. 
    Report Reply
  • lyse01lyse01 member
    professormama said:
    @lyse01 and @blueberrymomma I guess that brings up the question - where has your car seat been? Mine has been stored indoors in a dark closet for the last 2.5 years. So I’m not too worried 
    DD is small and I maxed out the specs on it, so for two years it’s been in the car. Prob the first year 80% with DD and the second year 90% in the car. 
    Report Reply
  • thatbaintforbettythatbaintforbetty member
    edited March 2019
    blueberrymomma said:
    professormama said:
    @lyse01 and @blueberrymomma I guess that brings up the question - where has your car seat been? Mine has been stored indoors in a dark closet for the last 2.5 years. So I’m not too worried 
    It’s been on the shelf in the basement with all the other baby stuff. And since it’s the infant carrier it has never been left in a car and subjected to the extreme temps because it always got brought in with baby. 
    If you decide to still use the seat you might want a new base since that does get left in the car. 

    Eta: also any extra bases not bought with the seat would have their own expiration date. 
    this is my backup acct.
    prevously helloblueeyes

    Me:32 DH:33 Married:04/2012 DD:07/2014 
     BFP 8/14/2018 #2 due 4/18/2019
    Lilypie Pregnancy tickers
    Report Reply
  • kaitykinskaitykins member
    It may affect your insurance coverage to use an outdated one. I’d look into that. Also it may be against the law in your state which I’d also check on. 
    Report Reply
  • mermaidcamermaidca member
    At our hospital the nurses check and won't let you leave with a seat that doesn't meet specs.
    Me: 31
    H: 36
    L & N twin girls: 3yo. Born at 30 weeks. 2 month NICU stay
    BFP Aug 2018: EDD April 2019
    Babysizer Cravings Pregnancy Tracker
    Report Reply
  • kaitykinskaitykins member
    mermaidca said:
    At our hospital the nurses check and won't let you leave with a seat that doesn't meet specs.
    At our hospital they don’t inspect for safety as it’s a liability. 
    Report Reply
  • professormamaprofessormama member
    Alright, well thanks to y’all, I pulled down our infant car seat and checked the expiration. I’ve got till July 2020, so I’m good. Woooo. Also, it was probably about time to get that out anyway. Next up: installation. 
    Report Reply
  • blueberrymommablueberrymomma member
    I just ordered a new one. My anxiety over the whole situation helped DH see why we couldn’t use the expired one  
    Report Reply
Sign In or Register to comment.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"