why do car seats expire?

[ImaC]

I wonder why they do. I can understand that it makes sense to have a date on them in case they are resold used.

But, I think it is sort of off that they expire.

For example, let's pretend I bought a convertible car seat when APB was born. Let's say it was an Evenflo with a 5 pt harness and was on the pricy side of reasonable, about $80 in 1997.

That seat would expire in Dec. of 2002. This yr.

BUT it was never involved in an accident, it has never been recalled, and it is in great shape. It was made before the stickers stating the expiration date were put on carseats.

Would you replace it? I do not know that I would for sure....

I would be in this predicament but some jackass stole the car seat!!:lol

Further, some car seats are sold well past the manufacture date, meaning the seat would expire after less than five yrs...

I am wondering if this isn't mighty convenient for the manufacturers, esp now that more and more states are requiring older kids to be in carseats.

If your child moved to a booster at age 2 and still weighed less than 60-80lbs at age 7 you would need to buy a carseat at age 7 to use for the last yr of carseat use.

Wacky.

[Devils Advocate]

Because the federal safety standards change and an old carseat might not meet the current standards. For example, the tether is new and the LATCH system even newer (is that a word?).

[griffin]

I think it is to reflect the constantly changing requirements and improvements in carseat design.

[luvmaboyz]

Car seats expire??? About the only reason I could think of is the manufacturer could no longer guarantee their effectiveness after 5 years due to aging of materials and general wear and tear? I mean, even it is only used a couple of times, the threads in the harness are not going to be as useful as they age, if that makes sense, and by stating a date 5 years post manufacture they are absolving themselves of responsibility.

I don't think it matters when you buy the seat in relation to the date of manufacture, as it would be the condition of the materials in question, not the amount of times it has been used.

[KristiD]

:hello I Know! I Know!

It is because plastic rots with time and after the expiration date they are no longer safe- they could crumble in a crash.

[luvmaboyz]

Hmm, kinda what I said in a not so long winded way KristiD. How do you do that?

[ImaC]

Newsflash, the tether isn't new. My brother's seat was tethered in 1980.:lol
The concept is old. The seat in question was tethered. Also, the LATCH system is pretty useless currently. Unless you have a new car.

Can LATCH be installed in older cars? Like my toyota is a 2001. Could we get it put in?

I wonder how much the regs change. It would be interesting to see that. It makes sense that they might improve things within 5 yrs, but I wonder if they actually do....

[Diz]

In canada the car seats are good for 10 years by law.

Go figure.

[ImaC]

It is because plastic rots with time and after the expiration date they are no longer safe- they could crumble in a crash.


That can't be true. My grandma has tupperware from 1950. I can still serve a salad in it.

Plastic is a strong strong substance and can be made to last for years. Are they using crappy plastic on purpose?

:lol


blahblahblah economy blahblahblah profit blahblahblah blahblah can not make a product TOO good or you'll put yourself out of business and ppl out of jobs and then we'll all go bust.

[ImaC]

Canadians aren't as gullible as Americans, apparently.:lol

[Nine Inch Nips]

Ah, yes, but could Tumi roll over your grandma's tupperware in her ATV and have it still bounce back in shape? Yes, the carseat may look ok, but structurally not be as sound. Plastic does get stiffer and less flexible over time. Now why they don't just make them out of something else, I don't know.

Sidenote: I sure wish they made stroller parts out of all metal. Our Graco tandem stroller broke off a wheel the other day, right above the wheel on the plastic "leg", right after we left the store with 3 bags of groceries and 3 kids. Argh.

[ImaC]

Ah, yes, but could Tumi roll over your grandma's tupperware in her ATV and have it still bounce back in shape?

LMAO at NIN!

I dunno, but if it didn't I could return it bc it has a lifetime warranty!:lol

Tupperware is abetter investment than that damned carseat. Bwahahaha.

All of you call your Tupperwhore today.:hello

[KristiD]

Easy Luvmaboyz-

Just stick a baby on your right boob and try to type with your left hand when you are right handed - it makes you come to the point really really quick! ;)

[Devils Advocate]

They do make all metal strollers--I have one that I bought with ds. It weighs about 30 lbs folded and I got so sick of swinging it into the trunk! With dd I bought the lightest stroller they had at Babies R Us, I don't think it has a single metal piece on it.

[Alluvus]

Originally posted by KristiD

Just stick a baby on your right boob and try to type with your left hand when you are right handed - it makes you come to the point really really quick! ;)
I completely understand!

[Burly]

I dunno, but if it didn't I could return it bc it has a lifetime warranty

Right, but you couldn't get the EXACT SAME item as a replacement - you'd have to get a newer, better version of same. Because the OLD stuff is in crappy shape and they can't even guarantee that it would survive the shipping process. Which is why I'm pissed with Tupperware - both my favorite collander and my syrup pitcher are broken but they don't HAVE replacements for them.

[Pudin]

Why not just put your baby in your grammas 50 year old tupperware then?

Plastics break down over time. The joints and clips wear out.

Just buy a new fucking seat. If this is such a struggle for people why do they continue to have more kids.

I am not talking about an "oops" pregnancy, I am talking about planning more kids when a car seat isn't even in the budget, or filling your nasty stinky quiver or whatever the term is.

:love Pudin

[Twinklestars]

The plastic in car seats is exposed to insane heat in your car in the summer. Not to mention the cold some of you have in the winter. It is really hard on the plastic and makes it break easier.

[Tigerlilly]

the difference is simple to understand if you really think about it. old tupperware is pliable. it's a totally different kind of plastic than carseats, and they're each made with different materials and a different process. have you seen any old plastic toys? they tend to get spidery and are very brittle. plasticville buildings and accessories are a good example. they're closer to the plastic used in carseats.

the body of a carseat must be pretty rigid to absorb the impact and force in an accident, and hard plastic just isn't as durable as softer plastics. the temp extremes speed up the process of becoming brittle, so seats are only expected to have a finite period of use. it's probably like food expiration dates, where the item is good for a while after the official date it expires, but it's just not worth taking a chance that the seat could fail in a crash.

[ImaC]

Why not just put your baby in your grammas 50 year old tupperware then?

Now why didn't I think of that?:lol

I still think it is bullshit. I refuse to believe that Canadians are less concerned about safety than americans. They had the tethers required or easily available looong before we did.

The plastic thing is bogus. Go visit a landfill.

Personally I think this is all a conspiracy of the car seat co. to force you to buy as much and as many of their products as possible to keep them in business. I'll bet they lobbied pretty hard for the 5 yr expiration in the US.

Since I am a baby product addict I will bow to their wily ways and purchase new carseats with an alarming frequency.

I am not talking about ppl who can't afford to buy things.

And if you have a quiverfull thang going on, chances are you don't get out to often. It is hard to cram all 20 kids into the Buick 88.

[Ali]

My son's convertable carseat will not be used for my dd. It just did not feel as sturdy as when we bought it. It was more "bendy"

[Christina]

related question....

Ihave a Britax SE, which I bought because it will go to 8 and 80 lbs. Do Ihave to buy a new one in 5 years, whichwould defeat my purpose in buying it?

[ImaC]

Not if you move to Canada!;)

See, THAT"S what I'm talkin' about!

[Diz]

REason why I know it is 10 in canada is because I phoned Even flow about our old car seat. Her first question what what country are you calling from then she proceeded to tell me the details.

In Canada my seat was good for 10 years and the tether was recalled and if I was going to use it I needed to order the replacement parts.

I asked her what about the USA. She told me She was not allowed to tell me this.

So I begged and pleaded, and said that the seat would expire 5 yrs from manufacutre date in the USA and they had no listing for the recall. (which could be because of the Canadian serial number on it)

For the record I will not be using this seat because it has a sheild. Actually someone I know that cannot afford a seat has asked me for it, and I told them why I would not use it, and they said that it was newer and better than they had.

[Pudin]

See Diz, this is what I don't understand. Here in the states, there are car seat programs with freebies everywhere!

[Pudin]

http://www.carseat.org/Technical/brokencs.htm

[todolist]

I know I know. And this has nothing to do with all the other info I know about carseats.

I know this answer because my husband makes plastic crap. Yippee for me. This isn't about me.

They have an EXP date because plastic over time when exposed to the weather extremes in cars breaks down. I know. It doesn't seem this is true because you can't see it.

Extremes of heat make plastic Even the hard stuff pliable. So the seat expands and is made soft by the extreme heat cars can and do reach in the summer.

Extremes of cold make even soft plastics hard. It contracts and makes the plastic brittle. When plastic becomes brittle it breaks apart.

So over time, while plastic does not rot, it changes. These extremes cause fissures in the structure of the seat and make it more likely to crack in a crash.

Also the tension on the plastic from the belts and other weird things that happen to seats weakens the mechanisms.

And to add just a little more perspective. My DH was adamant about not buying a plastic car seat for my child when he was born. He was so against a baby bucket, if you look all the latching systems are plastic. He did not want his new baby in something that could break during a crash.

[Nine Inch Nips]

How about they start making wooden carseats? :lol

[Christina]

Todolist,

If this is a known fact that the plastic is indeed affected, then how is it that Cosco markets the Alpha Omega as a booster and car seat, and Britax has the SE which goes from 22-80 lbs? When I got my SE, I didn't see an expiration date on it.


:lol@ NIN. They could make Titanium car seats, but they would be ultra expensive, like poshtots expensive. :lol

[todolist]

They market them, because people will buy them. Same reason you still see shield seats.

They don't always print the EXP date. Sometimes they print the Date Of Manufacture. The seat still expires 5 years from this date, in the US.

Most likely your childs seat will expire before your childs out grows it and you will need to buy a new seat.

And not all babies are of average size. So if you have a large baby you may need a seat that will accomodate the size.

They could Die Cast seats but they would get pretty fucking hot. And metal is a little more expensive.

[Jane Q. Public]

*ahem* Not playing fair, pudin. That picture is to illustrate how the child was FORWARD FACING with the straps NOT in the highest position and the lower two strap positions did not have the steel inforcements that the top one does. Which is why they say that when you put them facing forward the straps should be through the top position OR have a carseat that is reinforced with steel in the lower positions (like britax and safe embrace are, for instance). That is NOT to show how plastic gets old and breaks like that just because it's old.

:hiya Play fair, dammit. :lol

[todolist]

Other questions I've asked DH regarding seats.

Did he think that in the event of a crash the seat needed to be replaced. His answer. Depends on the crash. Use your head.

I've heard of Ins companies wanting letters from Carseat makers that the seat needed to be replaced. One woman couldn't get that letter from Britax, because there was no frame damage to her car. According to the guy from britax if the crash did not effect the frame of the car it wasn't hard enough to cause damage to the seat. She called back, a week later, and got a different person and that person sent the letter.

So it all depends on who you ask.

NHTSA says any crash that causes damage to the car you need to replace the carseat.

If this is a known fact

I'm not so sure it's a known fact. I don't think I could get you any links backing this up.

DH will tell you that a lot of the stuff they say is bunk. Most likely the seat is okay to use after 5 years. But the manufacture has to save their own asses. So if you choose to use the seat and the seat malfunctions it's not their fault and you have no recourse.

We will replace seats often, because my DH is paranoid about them being plastic.

[Diz]

Pud, this lady does not qualify for a free seat program. She wants the seat, and I have told her everything I know why it should not be used. (and becasue it is still valid in Canada) my main thing was the sheild. But her other seat is also a sheild. My seat is 6 years old this fall and hers has hit the 10yr limit.

I would think that my old seat would be an improvement. No? They have 4 kids and live in a 2 bedroom house, it is about money. Her husband was laid off from a really good job a few years ago and they are only bouncing back now.

[Pudin]

How could she not qualify? In the states there are twice a year on the radio ads for car seats free to anyone no questions asked as long as you take a safety course. You canucks suck!:lol

Although what really makes me ill is when I hear of wealthy people using these programs.
:mad

[Diz]

In reality pud (and I may get slammed for this) She is of the wrong race. If she were First Nations and made the same money and had the same everything. She would have gotten car seats, cribs, highchairs, and much more.

Sad but true. And the government cannot figure out why racism is so high here.

[Mommyofalmost2]

I am not sure why its being said that car seats have an expire date of 10 years in Canada?!!....I bought my daughters "Eddie Bauer" car seat in 2005 & it expires in Jan. 2010. ....so it would make it "5" years...not "10"

[CarolinaMama]

Some car seat manufacturers have different expiration dates for their seats. Some say 5 years and some say 6 and there are even a few 10 year seats. Really depends on the maker.


Btw: HI! I'm new here:hello

[ImaC]

this thread is only 6 years YOUNG!!!!

we should throw it a party!