Okay moms, question? My son's car seat was given to us by a friend- it is in good condition, has never been in an accident, my son likes it (he hates the other one and always cries) and I like the way it straps, tightens and releases. However, it is expiring Monday (his birthday)- who knew car seats expired like food? My question is- would you buy a new car seat? The one that is like it, only newer is like $200. Is it worth it to buy a new car seat for upgraded technology- is this old one safe???
Any thoughts would be much appreciated!
We decided to get a new seat- we are taking our time picking out the right one and have them narrowed down to 3. I am actually going to try and take my son to the store and sit him in them to see which one looks more comfortable. Thanks moms!
If you and your friend both kept it in the garage (out of the sun), I wouldn't sweat it - if you're going to worry, I'd replace it.
S.
I saw your post and googled the words car seat expiration. The first hit I got was this and thought it was pretty interesting: http://www.epinions.com/content_###-###-####
Bottom line, it sounds like you're now in the market for a new car seat. Sounds like the one you have is a Britax perhaps or one of the higher end car seats. I purchased a Marathon a few months back and, as I'm sure you've found, it was well worth the price tag. Yeah it cost more, but it is so much better put together and I think my son is a lot more comfortable. I think car seats are just too important to skimp on. Save a few $$ on their clothes or toys, but not on something as important as a car seat.
I think we should never think twice about our childrens' safety. You should buy the new one, chances are the one you have now is way past the lifespan of a carseat eitherway. And you really have to think about the what if's? What if you get into an accident? (heaven forbid) Is this car seat good enough as is right now? I have learned that thinking about the worse case senario helps with alot with good decision making in our household!! Good luck to you and your car seat search!!
My personal opinion is that I would never skimp on my son's safety. We upgraded to a Britax Regent. My DH griped about the price, but I told him that our son is worth a heck of a lot more than an expensive car seat.
You might have actually used it longer then you should have. Caresat companies put a date of usually 7 years but here in TX carseat safety experts say 5 years because of our extremely hot summers. Small fractures or fizures in the plastic can make a carseat malfunction in an accident, so... for sure you need to uy a new one and distroy that one, so now one else will use it.
Good luck!
