What do you do with your outgrown carseats?

[pepperrabbit]

We've never had an accident so they're quite safe, and I don't particularly want any money for them, the local community store don't need them and it seems a real waste just to take them to the dump.
We have lots as my family used to help ferry the kids around while I was at work and it was more convenient just to buy one for everyone - now the boys are bigger we have about 3/4 spares....

[meep]

Women's Aid should take them

[PandaG]

passed mine on to friends and family - had them all from new and knew they had never been in an accident.

[aswellasyou]

You could either give them to Women's Aid or put them on Freegle/Freecycle.

[pepperrabbit]

Thanks, I'll look up Womens Aid.

[TruthSweet]

It depends how old they are TBH. If they are 5 or more years old I couldn't in good conscience give them to someone as they might fail in an accident.

All my car seats that are 5 years old have been stripped, harness cut off and tipped. One of the seats had been used very infrequently as it was a spare baby carrier, and stored indoors, never been dropped or in an accident but still had white/pale blue stress marks on the navy plastic shell (and was just under 5 years old!) so you can't be too careful.

If they are under 5 years then giving them away on Freecycle/Women's Aid would be a lovely thing to do

[EldonAve]

they are usually ok for 10 years

[TruthSweet]

Maxi Cosi state (see page 18 point 3) that you mustn't use their seats for more than 5 years.

Seats in other countries have expiry dates/do no use after dates stamped on seats but for some reason the EU/UK don't have any other ruling than a seat must meet ECE R44.03 (brought in in 1997!) to be legal to use.

Depending on the construction of the seat the do not use date might be 5 years from date of manufacture or it might be as much as 9 years for a steel framed seat.

Britax USA has this to say about expiry dates.

Sunshine Kids also have an expiry date that you must not use past see page 7 near bottom. In this seat's case it is 8 years as it has a steel alloy frame (SK Radian 65).

There is lots more info on expiry dates for car seats on Car Seat Questions board on BabyCenter US here

I don't believe the seats in the UK are made of such different materials that they are impervious to degradation of plastic or fraying of harnesses.

[LittlePushka]

Expiry date on a car seat? it is not the car seat that degrades but the H & S standards that change, surely?

Has anyones harness frayed dangerously in 5 years? Has anyones plastic seat withered away? I mean, really?

Were it mine I would advertise "for free" in local community hall or surestart or charity shop. Would download fitting instructions to go in an envelope with it if you don't have them.

Sounds like a wheeze to up sales to me (like advising on shampoo bottles to wash twice with the product when once is fine).

[EldonAve]

well previously britax were good for 8 - 10 years but I can't find a link to back this up and that possibly only applied to UK/Aus seats

Let's face it if you live somewhere in the US with extreme temps your seat plastic would probably degrade faster

Or maybe they think US people are more likely to sue them

Britax UK site doesn't mention age of seat on the FAQ when discussing using 2nd hand seats

www.britax.co.uk/customer-service/faq

only that "Seats with the ECE 44 01 or 02 standard are prohibited since April 2008."

[LawrieMarlow]

The thing that puzzles me about a 5 year limit is that seats

[bagelmonkey]

If there wasn't and expiry date, people would keep using them and they wouldn't sell as many new ones.

[mousymouse]

pushka sadly not. the plastic becomes brittle over time and could just break apart without obvious prior damage.
I did a sweet said, cut the strips to make it unusable and brought it to the recycling centre.

[LawrieMarlow]

The thing that puzzles me about a 5 year limit is that seats that are intended for use from 9 months to 11 years.

[LawrieMarlow]

Somehow got a bit disjointed there

[aswellasyou]

The group 1/2/3 seats confuse me too. I emailed Kiddy to ask them how long they expected their seats to be sutiable for in terms of degrading, but they never emailed me back.

[TruthSweet]

I've had a look at Dorel's US site (they make Maxi Cosi/Bebe Confort/Quinny in Europe) and they have this on their FAQs. This means that their famed 3-in-1 seats - 'the only seat you'll ever need' that rf then ff then booster often expire before the child is even big enough to be out of a car seat (plus the fact that they are rubbish seats anyway!) and don't last the birth to 11 years they promise (especially if you got it in the sale as it could already be 2 years old by then).

Usually seats that 'do' for a wide age range are pretty poor for at least one of the stages they cover, e.g. I would never use a TWE as a high back booster but it makes a great rf and a good extended harnessed seat ffing.

[pepperrabbit]

Just to update you - Women's Aid don't accept carseats! Very polite email saying thanks for thinking of them, but they can't take them.

[wheresthepimms]

I wonder about our Recarro one then it is made of aluminium no plastic on it anywhere that would be structural, so would that last longer than 5 years?

In the US the main issue with car seats is that from state to state the laws change, don't think they have to have a expiry date on ill all states, certainly not in Oklahoma, but then you can put the kids in the back of your pick up truck in Oklahoma and drive down the interstate

I have managed to get rid of my old ones through friends of friends etc, could try the Lions shop but I don't think they are allowed to take them either as they can't confirm that it hasn't had an accident, but they may take you no if they get someone asking

[TruthSweet]

wheresthepimms - is the back panel where the harness threads through aluminium too? I'm just asking as I have no experience of Recaros and all the seats I have seen (mainly Britax, Nania, Renolux) have plastic shells so the harness slots/back panel is plastic and it would be really interesting if Recaro were different. I might be tempted to buy one next time we need a new seat.

[thisisyesterday]

i am trying to think of something to use my infant carrier for.
it seems like such a waste to just dump it...

maybe the children will play with it
or i can use it as a flower pot lol

[littleducks]

I sold mine on, though I did destroy as decribed above the one baby carrier I had that had been in an accident.

My seats were Maxi Cosi and £££ at the time, they sold quite cheaply at a car boot sale and people were buying car seats that by design were easily ten or more years old so I didn't feel guilty/concerned about it at all, I felt sure my seats were the safest on sale that day,as I would have continued using them for my own children or for guests if they had been the right age and weight.

[pepperrabbit]

Actually I might try the local childminders network to see if anyone wants one.

[wheresthepimms]

Truth sweet, its a high back booster and the car seat belt threads through a plastic mount on the side but they do sell replacement ones if yours becomes worn (very cheap) that is the only plastic bit of any real concern. A lot of the German seats are made from Aluminium frames (we got our in Germany 8 years ago) and we still use it in DHs car, yes 4DCs and 8 car seats in this family as changing them between cars is such a hassle. Eldest doesn't need a seat anymore and DS is nearly at the point of not needing one so soon will have spare seats.

[malinois]

Strange how everyone worries about child seats 'expiring', but no-one worries about driving around in a car with 5+ year old seats and seatbelts.

[aswellasyou]

Seats in cars aren't made from plastic are they? Absolutely willing to be told they are by the way. Assuming they aren't, they won't degrade in the way child car seats do.
Pimms, which Recaro seat do you have?