carseats....how Old Is Too Old

If you trust the person who gave you the car seat that it has not been in an accident then no worries. There should be an expiration date for the plastic of the seat on the backside of the seat. We used a hand me down infant seat for my first son from my cousin who I trust. It expired before my second son was born so we bought a new one for him. 7 years is the lifetime on car seat plastic.

Hi I know you proberly got a lot of good advice...But so you know in the future most carseat come with a date. (some are on the bottom some are on the back and is usally in the coroners and some are anywhere) saying do not use after a certain month and year. For example I had one that said Do not use after December 2007. and if it does not say anything then it is too old. The most you can have a careat depends on the brand is 4 to 6 yrs. Hope this helps you in the future.

D. Burnett a Mother of three Childern

Get new... Safety should not be compromised. Car seats are like bike helmets - one accident and they should be replaced.

Personally, I wouldn't use a car seat without the LATCH feature. You can research the model number online and the "Do not use after..." date is clearly printed on the bottom of the seat. Investigate a little. :)

Hi S., the last information, Child care Licensing sent us providers is they must at least be in a booster seat untul 6 years and 60 pounds, and this came in the begining of the last school year. J.

most have an expiration date stamped in the plastic, check for that to be on the safe side!

carseats are usually good for 6 years. after that there is the possibility that the strength of the plastic will begin to deteriorate. go online and check if it has been recalled. if it's an infant seat, you will only use it for a little over a year and then switch to a toddler carseat, so it would be okay. if it's a toddler carseat/booster, you'll be using it for at least another 3-4 years, so it'd be a good idea to buy a new one.

most are 5 years. but you shouldnt use hand me down car seats unless you know that they havent been envolved in a car accident or have been recalled.

Hi! If you are asking how old is too old for the car seat to be, it's 6 years from the date of manufacturer. If you are asking how old your child should be, it's not really an age, but how they fit in the seat belt without a booster seat. Usually this is when the child is about 4'9" and all of these things occur: They can sit all the way back in the vehicle seat and their knees bend over the edge of it, their feet touch the floor of the car, the shoulder belt fits them across the chest, the lap belt fits them low on the hips and they can ride that way the entire trip. If any of those things DON'T happen, the child needs to be in a booster still. Shelli - CPS Tech and Instructor

Good advice so far.
Also, those car seats are 4 years old you said.. .now, think, hypothetically- you will be using a car seat for at least 4 years...so add that together and that is 8 years all together (since that hand me down seat is 4 years old).

I would just get a new car seat, that you can pick out yourself. That way, you can be assured that it is new, intact, safe, and never been in a car accident, etc. A car seat is an investment, long term.

Good luck,
Susan

Check to see if they have been recalled. Newer ones will have updated safety features that the old on may not have had. If any of them were in a car that crash, do not use them. I used the same carseat for my kids though about 3 years apart.

Check the dates on the seats. They usually have a "Do not use after" date on them.

Turn it over and you'll find an expiration date. I believe most are 6 years. As long as you know the history (NO ACCIDENTS) you may be OK to use it but check it out and also check to make sure there aren't any recalls on it.

M.