IMPORTANT expiry of child car seats

[nikim]

does anyone here know about the fact that car seats should be replaced after 6 years as the plastic shell will start to deteriorate


http://babyproducts.about.com/b/2006...ats-expire.htm

which means that i will need to replace all of my car seats soon which is going to work out very expensive

[sonia ann]

.....I have three car seats that have expired then!!!

[Cazz]

No I didn't know about this

My mum has a car seat in her car to use for my dd which had been up in the loft and previously used by one of my twins - they're 12 now!

We've changed our car since then and it didn't fit very well otherwise we may have used it on a daily basis ourselves (the seat is absolutely perfect).

In this case could anyone tell me of a car seat (harness type not lap belt) which fits well in a Zafira and is not ridiculously expensive?

Thanks for the info nikim.

[nikim]

ive just worked out roughly how old mine are they were given to me by my friend 1x stage 0 and 2 x stage 1, and her eldest will be 6 in july so i have a few months to sort things out , but i definatley wont be buying expensive ones , what i want to know is why then is it possible to buy seats suitable for 1-12 years and manufacturers use this as a selling point !!!!

[Hebs]

Never heard of that before!

[jumpinjen]

Like the article says, check the manufacturer's labels and check the specific dates that they put, and contact them... a few phonecalls are cheaper than new seats..... although they are likely to advise you to buy new ones as it makes them money!!

most imporatntly, on UK car seats, the straps WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO BREAK THROUGH, as the straps link together at the back of the seat through a metal bracket, so even if the plastic fractured, the straps would hold the child in the seat.

If the collision was big enough, the seat would break up a bit anyway, as it would be absorbing massive shock, and seats are there to save life, they don't promise to prevent all injuries. it is most important to ensure correct fitting, and secure straps on the child.

The article is about American style seats so i don't think everyone needs to panic about it....

jen

[nikim]

britax import seat to america ,and graco is american and i would assume that even if the seats were made in america or anywhere else that they would use the same methods and plastics etc as they use here , i have emailed britax to ask for their response ,

[Jules12Wed]

No I've never heard of that before but just been watching the you tube clips. It also says that children should be in rear facing car seats until at least 2 but safer until 4 doesn't matter that their legs are half way up the chair!!

http://www.youtube.com/user/kcmiller.../0/kvyIv9QVRBE

[youarewhatyoueat]

I can understand this being a recommendation but I would like to see it written as legislation before I get rid of perfectly good seats.
Along with many things that manufacturers recommend it does not mean we have to replace things it just means they haven't been tested to that limit.
I wouldn't use a seat that was older than 10 years but 6 years seems a bit premature. I may start asking parents to supply a new seat!!!

[TheBTeam]

No I've never heard of that before but just been watching the you tube clips. It also says that children should be in rear facing car seats until at least 2 but safer until 4 doesn't matter that their legs are half way up the chair!!

http://www.youtube.com/user/kcmiller.../0/kvyIv9QVRBE

They make rear facing seats that go up to 4 and they have a bar in front of the legs, they are popular in america.

[dobby]

they are better but sadly much more expensive and take up more space - not easy from a chilminding perspective if looking at fitting several children in your car

[Heaven Scent]

I'm sure if this was the case surely it would be public knowledge that thread on whatever forum it was on was from 2008 surely it would have become public knowledge by now? Does anyone know where we could find out for a fact what is advised here in the UK - I'd imagine if the constant change in temp and the sun shining on the plasic through car windows in winter and summber is the cause of this decay in the plastic then surely a car seat that is stored indoors should be just fine.

[Mickey Mouse Clubhouse]

I have a carseat that I use that was my daughters and she is nearly 11 years old and to be honest there is nothing wrong with it at all.

My other ones are ok at the moment. x

[Pudding Girl]

Let me get this right, first they say plastic takes 1000s years to deteriorate, and now the manufactueres of said carseats say its 6yrs?

hmmmmm......

[FizzysFriends]

Britax says in answer if it is safe to use an old seat:

This depends on the condition of the seat. If you bought the child seat yourself and you know its history, nothing speaks against a further use, but please ensure the seat fulfils the current standard for child safety systems (at least ECE R 44/03, new 44/04).

So no mention of expiry

[Trouble]

My hubby just made a good point what happens if the car seat is part of the actual seat??????

[TheBTeam]

I have just been reading the faqs on the britax sight and another thing i never realised is that it is better not to have thicker coats or clothing on children. They advise removing winter coats.

[Cazz]

I have just been reading the faqs on the britax sight and another thing i never realised is that it is better not to have thicker coats or clothing on children. They advise removing winter coats.

I can understand that - I've got a Britax King Plus for my daughter and if she has thick clothes on (or on the odd occasion a coat), when you pull the strap it tightens on the shoulders but is too loose further down. No amount of pulling will make it any tighter.

To be honest I'm not going to worry too much about it - my seat only gets used occasionally in my mum's car and we bought it from new and know that it's never been dropped or in a car crash - it's immaculate.

I need to get another car seat for my mindees and will obviously buy a new one so there will be no concerns there.