'Best before date' on car seat

ncmc

Hi all, my sister recently gave me her used MaxiCosi car seat. I had no problems taking a hand me down, because I knew it had never been in an accident or damaged in any way. However I recently read that car seats are only gauranteed to be safe up to a certain length of time (think it is 7 years). This car seat has been used for three children and has been pretty much in constant use for 5.5 years. I am wondering if there is much truth to the 'best before' thing and would I be overcautious in getting a new one. Then on the other hand, it's such an important thing, you don't want to scrimp in case the worst happens. I was delighted to get it as they are so expensive, but now I'm not so sure.

Weyhey

I contacted Maxicosi a few months ago about the same issue and this was there reply :

Good morning,

Thank you for your enquiry.

There is no expiry date on Maxi-Cosi products however we do recommend car seats are replaced when they reach around five years old due to the natural degradation of the plastics and polystyrenes involved in making them safe for use. Please note that this is purely a recommendation and does not apply to our range of booster seats as booster seats do not have an integral harness.

The manufacture date can be found on the orange & white sticker on your seat.
I hope this helps.

I think the plastic can degrade a lot quicker if in direct sunlight a lot too. As a result we decided to buy a new car seat and a second hand buggy and cot (but a new mattress).

ncmc

Thanks Weyhey, this has a manufacturers date of 2008 on it, so it probably would be safer to change. It's probably be fine, but god forbid there was an accident, you don't want to live to regret not spending €200

ComfortKid

That sounds unbelievable. I'd say it's just bull to get you to buy another one of their seats.

lazygal

Car seats and bases are one of the few things I'd always buy new. Three children on one base and/or seat for several years has to cause wear and tear. I wouldn't compromise on safety for car seats.

ncmc

I went down to Tony Kealy on my lunch break, I spoke to two seperate staff members, neither seemed totally convinced that there would be a safety issue with it. One suggested that I take off the cover and if the polystyrene is complete and I know it has never been in a collision, then it should be fine. It's an interesting one, I've spoken to lots of parents and they had never heard of this. You could be forgiven for thinking it's a marketing ploy to sell more seats. Or maybe an ass covering exercise in case of litigation.

Weyhey

Its's got to do with changing technology and the possibility of the plastic degrading. Goolge it and you will see people have been discussing it for years.

http://baby.about.com/od/healthandsafety/f/car_seat_expiration.htm

http://thecarseatlady.com/used-and-borrowed-car-seats/

I personally wouldn't risk it.

Anyway the RSA say 3 out of 4 car seats are fitted incorrectly so you could have a brand new seat and it may not be fitted correctly.
If anyone is interested the RSA have a Check if it fits service in various towns around Ireland.

http://www.rsa.ie/checkitfits

Chocolate fiend

I would get a new one, although it is probably fine but, it's not worth the risk. From what I recall it is much more relevant in countries like Australia or Canada that have extremes of temperature, but, still not worth it because inside cars even in Ireland gets very hot in a warm day in summer and a cold day in winter.

ariana`

Has it been in the car all that time? Mine is 5 years old and i'm about to use it for the 3rd child. It's been used for 2 children for about 10/11 months each so of that 5 years it's spent less than 2 year in the car and 3+ years in the attic! I believe its the sun that causes the degradation or part of it anyhow so i'm not going to replace it for that amount of use.

pwurple

I don't think it's a marketing ploy. We have two carseats, one for a van, and one for a car, used for the same children, over the same period of time (4 yrs). There is a visible difference between them.

In the car, we have tinted rear windows, so no direct light really.
In the van, carseat was in the front seat, massive windows, loads of light on it.

I took the covers off both of them recently, as they were to get passed on, and the polystyrene in one has shrunk slightly, and feels a bit brittle. I won't pass that one on.