How Long Are Car Seats Good

Why Do Car Seats Expire After 7 Years

Most car seats are made of materials that can degrade over time, such as plastics and fabrics. The strength of these materials may decrease over time, which could affect the performance of the car seat in a crash.

And also the technology is changing so rapidly that even if a seat isnt expired, it may not meet the current safety standards. To ensure that your child is always properly protected, it is important to use a car seat that is not expired.

Changing Regulations And Standards

Transportation agencies, professional medical associations , and car seat manufacturers are constantly conducting and evaluating safety and crash tests. This is a good thing for parents everywhere.

Also, technology is forever evolving. This means that car seat safety stats can be improved with as new features, materials, or technologies are introduced.

Say you buy a car seat that is rear-facing and will hold your child up to a certain weight, but then the weight guidelines change for a rear-facing seat. It may not be the law that you have to replace your seat, but the manufacturer may discontinue it and stop making replacement parts not to mention, you no longer have the safest seat possible for your little one.

An expiration date may account for these changes and makes it less likely that youll have a seat thats not up to snuff.

Properly Disposing Of An Expired Car Seat

You dont want anyone else using your expired car seat, so taking it to Goodwill or throwing it in the dumpster as is arent good options.

Most manufacturers recommend cutting the straps, slicing the seat itself, and/or writing on the seat with a permanent marker before disposal.

Truth be told, if you also want to take a baseball bat to your car seat and let out some pent-up aggression in a safe environment we wont tell.

Baby stores and big-box retailers often have car seat recycling or trade-in programs, so keep an eye out or call your local store to ask about their policy.

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Are Manufacturers Required To Give An Expiration Date

No. There is no government regulation that requires an expiration date on car seats in the United States. However, NHTSA does recommend expiration dates due to the possible changes in regulations over time. For instance, for the first almost 10 years, RideSafer vests did not have an expiration date. The manufacturer added an expiration date per NHTSAs request.

Car seat manufacturers decide them based on the expected useful life of their product. Most car seats expire after 6 to 7 years from the date of manufacturer. Note that is not the date of purchase it could have sat on the store shelf for months or longer. RideSafer vests currently have a 10-year expiration date.

Can You Reuse Infant Car Seats

In some very specific cases, you may be able to donate an expired rear facing car seat, not for reuse, but for repurposing. Child Passenger Safety Technicians are professionals. They work at hospitals, community fitting stations, and community centers to teach new parents how to install car seats safely in vehicles. Sometimes these organizations can accept an old infant seat for teaching or demonstration purposes.

Another similar option may be your local middle or high school. Life management or parenting classes sometimes require students to care for pretend infants. This can simulate the demands of parenting. In some curricula, this includes carrying car seats to all of a student’s classes!

In each case, do reach out to your local organizations and community groups. They’ll be your best resources for determining what options are available to you, and how to access them.

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Is There A Way To Prolong The Use Of My Car Seat

Its advisable to follow the expiry date of your car seat. But, if you can extend your car seats life to, lets say, 7 years rather than 6 years, that would be great!

Here are some ways to keep your car seat in good condition:

• Try to minimize the car seats exposure to the sun. If you can consistently park in your garage or covered areas, that would be better!
• Clean your car seat regularly. If there are food and drink spills, dont wait for days before you clean them up.
• Store it properly. Make sure the seat is planted on its base, and no other heavy items are on top of it.

How Long Are Car Seats Good

Car seats are generally good for between six and ten years. For example, per Gracos website, their cars seats are good for seven years if they have a plastic-reinforced belt paths and ten years if they have steel-reinforced belt paths.

For Britax, their expiration dates seem to vary a little more widely. The quickest expiring seats are infant seats. Those car seats are generally good for six years. Their click-tight convertible seats are good for ten years. And of course, they have several other car seat options that expire in between those two.

Chicco gives no generalized guidance on its website about its car seat expiration dates. It solely refers you to the date printed on your seat. Still, for general planning purposes, its probably safe to assume the lifespan of a Chicco car seat is similar to the others already discussed.

Evenflo states on its website that nearly all its car seats expire six years after their expiration. The only exceptions are some of their all-in-one or combination seats, which are good for eight years.

As you can see, its hard to establish a hard-and-fast rule for a car seats expiration. Nevertheless, if you havent settled on a specific model and need to do some general planning, six years is a good rule of thumb.

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Why Do Car Seats Expire At All

Car seats expire because safety features change. Manufacturers are constantly updating the materials and technology they use in car seats. At a certain point, what was once considered a cutting edge, very safe car seat, will become relatively obsolete.

This is true of any technology, but car seats hold our most treasured people during their most dangerous activity.

Aside from the evolution of safety features, theres also the possibility of mechanical breakdown. Car seats may become less effective over time. Their padding may wear down, the straps may weaken, they may crack or corrode, depending on how carefully theyre used, stored, or transported.

There are good reasons these car seats expire. Theyre not safe to use indefinitely.

Uppababy Mesa Safety Ratings And Crash Test Results

Weve said it before: every car seat sold in the U.S. meets the minimum Federal safety standards. BUT, it wont help you if your car seat isnt installed properly. Its unfortunate, but weve seen too many parents install their infant seat incorrectly, thus putting their baby at risk in case of an accident.

Often times, parents install their car seat improperly because they cant tell precisely if its at the right angle with the road.

The UPPAbaby MESA addresses that problem head-on. Just like the Chicco KeyFit 30, its mostly thanks to a simple but very effective and well-designed car seat base.

The MESA base, that comes bundled with the car seat if you purchase it on , has a few special features that will help you safely secure it to your car every time.

It starts with the inclination level indicators. Two small bubble indicators, one on each side of the base, help you see exactly what the proper installation angle should be. Its simple but very effective. We wish all the other infant car seat manufacturers would include something similar on their own base.

In addition, the MESA base also has a tension indicator window to tell you when the LATCH connectors are properly installed. The base will tell you when the LATCH system is sufficiently tight to ensure maximum safety.

Its as simple as that! These two simple features help you make sure that the MESA base is correctly installed every time. No need to think twice or worry about it.

Helpful note

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How Do You Know If The Car Seat Is Expired

It is usually easy to find the expiration date on a car seat. All car seats must have a sticker indicating the date of manufacture. To locate the sticker, you might need to check along the sides or back of the seat, or even flip the seat upside down to see the bottom.

Sometimes, the expiration may be included by a company only. In this situation, a good rule of thumb is to assume that the car seat will be valid for six years from the date it was manufactured. It didn’t matter when the car seat was purchased the countdown starts after the date of Manufacture.

You can check the owner’s manual for the expiration date or call the car seat manufacturer if you are still uncertain.

Warning Signs That Your Car Seat is No Longer Safe to Continue Using

It is crucial to keep in mind that not all car seats will last as long. Car seats subject to extreme weather conditions or have been in collisions might not last past the expiration date.

It is possible to replace your car seat if it shows signs of wear and tear, regardless of the expiration date. These are some warning signs to look out for:

• The car seat starts to rust.
• The harness, straps, and seatbelt are starting to lose their shape and become more elastic.
• Cracks begin to appear along the seat base.
• Different parts of your car seat can start to fall apart.

You can expect your car seat to last for many years, but ignoring warning signs could put your child at serious risk.

How Long Are Infant Car Seats Good For

So how do the top-rated car seats compare, when it comes to longevity? This is an important question especially now that you have a better understanding of car seat expiration, its causes, and your options for safe disposal.

Car seat ratings can be a confusing subject for parents to understand. Car seats can be rated on their safety, affordability, ease of use, compatibility with stroller adapters, and special features.

While this may be overwhelming, know that you’re not alone, and you’re not without resources. Many reputable websites and organizations offer their take on the best car seats on the market.

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Safety Seat Life Cycle

There are multiple reasons why a car seat becomes less reliable the more time pass, but the shortest explanation is material fatigue. Not to get all science, the material in the latches, the harness and the seat itself becomes decomposed on the molecular level or becomes oxidized, making it prone to crumbling or breaking, which becomes most evident when the material is under a lot of stress, like in an accident.

This is why even when the seat may look good and there are no visible tears, it is still unsafe to use. There were multiple crash tests that have proven that using expired safety seats can make them not only useless as a safety precaution but even more dangerous once the seat is left to age for a long time. When determining exactly how long can a car seat last we first need to know about which type of seat are we talking about?

The shortest lifespan of all safety seats is for ones that are used the shortest, meaning the rear-facing car seats for toddlers and infants, as they have the base that starts to crumble quickly after the six-year period has expired. Some manufacturers do offer longer warranties, but judging from the test you should opt to be on the safer side and not to use these seats for too long.

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Three Reasons That Require A Replacement Car Seat:

Most of the time, it is very hard to realize that your car has been expired or not only by looking at it. If your car seat shows visible signs of tear or missing parts, then you will clearly notice that something is not right.

If your seat doesnt show any of these signs, then you should always look at the white sticker placed somewhere on the seat which can provide details regarding the product fabrication date, model number, serial number, and the expiry date.

On the other hand, certain situations can affect how long car seats are good for here are three where you can replace a car seat.

After a major crash: Some safety seats are built to withstand vehicular crashes. But when a car hits the force generated during the car crash can be extreme enough to damage even the most durable models.

Sometimes the cracks on your seats are not visible to the naked eyes. That is why your highway police recommend you to buy a new car seat if your current one is involved in an accident.

You reached the weight limit: Car seat testing takes the weight of the car seat and the passenger in the account. There are some seats which have a weight limit if you exceed that limit then you seat will start to get a tear.

For example, uses a 77 lbs. 10-year old dummy to crash test seat with 65-80 lbs. Limit while seating with a 50-65 lbs. The weight limit is tested using a 62 lbs 6-year-old dummy.

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How Long Do Child Car Seats Last

While it is not unreasonable to think in this new day and age how companies and legislation are only used in the perpetual hunt for your wallet, in this specific case, it is not the truth. We need to throw away the misconception that child car seats can last forever until they tear, as that tearing can come during an accident, which is the exact thing we are trying to prevent.

In fact, the average time one child car seat can safely function is six years. This obviously doesnt mean that it is useless the moment this period passes and there are even seats where the manufacturer guarantees the safety and reliability of the seat up to ten years. However, once you are nearing the end of the seat manufacturer guarantee, you should start thinking about replacing the seat altogether.

If you are a first-time parent, and you have bought a new seat, you will probably never have to check the date on the seat, as your child will outgrow it much faster than the materials inside it start to lose. The problem comes if you have multiple children, of different ages, and you would prefer not to spend the already tight budget on more seats, or you think about getting one second-hand.

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Why Do Infant Car Seats Expire

Infants car seats expire for a similar reason as adult car seats, which is that the materials degrade over time. The expiration date is usually 6 to 10 years from the date of manufacture.

The reason for this is that the car seat goes through a lot of wear and tear, and also there are always new regulations and recalls. So it is important to always use a car seat that is not expired.

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How Long Can You Use An Infant Car Seat

When it comes to the length of use, car seat brands definitely vary. Here’s a general guide below. Remember: always check the specific car seat you’re considering to get the most up-to-date information for your family.

• Britax Car Seat: 6-9 years, depending on whether the car seat is infant or booster

• Chicco: 6 years

• Diono: 8-10 years, depending on whether the car seat is an infant harness or a booster seat

• Evenflo: varies most are 8-10 years, with a few maxing out at 6

• Symphony and Safemax have a longer lifespan

Pro Tips For Determining How Long Car Seats Are Good For

The Drives editors are parents, too. Theyve seen it all. They know car seats backward, forward, and sideways . To help you keep your child safe, here are our pro tips for determining how long car seats are good for.

• You dont have to check your car seat every time you use it, but every year do a visual inspection for cracks, breaks, and cuts.
• Make sure you regularly clean your car seat, as food waste and soiled padding could impact your car seats safety, as well as your childs well-being.
• Check the expiration date of thrift store car seat purchases. That too good to be true deal could be actually too good.

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What To Do With An Expired Car Seat

You shouldnt sell an expired car seat. In fact, many car seat technicians recommend you cut the straps before you dispose of an expired seat to make sure no one else attempts to use it.

A great way to get rid of an expired car seat is to participate in a car seat trade-in event. Over the years, I know Target, Walmart, and Babies R Us have hosted these trade-ins .

You bring in the expired seat and the store will dispose of it, as well as give you a 20% coupon toward the purchase of a new car seat.

It may feel like a drag to get rid of a car seat that still looks perfectly good. However, you really dont want to take chances in this area. A well-appointed, up-to-date car seat is essential to your childs safety in an automobile.