Car seat for newborn- do I need a new one?

[Bugaboom]

My brother gave us his children's car seat for my DS when he was born 2.5 years ago. It had been used for his 2 children, never been in any accidents or damaged. We bought a compatible isofix. Now we are getting ready for baby number 2 and dug the car seat out of the loft. I've just read the instructions and it states that the car seat shouldn't be used 5 years after manufacture. It's about 6.5 years old.

Now I'm not sure what to do? It's not been in any accidents or damaged, but now that I've read this, I think we should just get a new one. I'm a couple of days overdue so we're a bit late sorting this out! WWYD?

[stargirl1701]

There may be cracking because you have stored it in the loft. The extremes of temp can weaken and warp the plastic shell.

[Brandysnapper]

Buy a new one, this one is out of date. No brainer really.

[ChippingInLovesChristmasLights]

I wouldn't use it. The plastic might not be strong enough in an accident.

It's annoying, but they aren't too expensive to replace.

Also, when you buy a car seat new, you should check the date on it. If it's already a year old you've lost a years use, even though it hasn't been used.

[WhyOWhyWouldYou]

Id replace it.

Its because the polystyrene used in car seats can degrade over time - even if it appears OK on the outside it can be weakened and breakdown too easily in a crash. The same thing applies to helmets for motorbikes and horse riding where people have died through using an out of date one, that looked OK but couldn't take the impact of an accident.

[CoolCat2014]

We had the exact same situation - given a 6 year old seat from SIL, knew it hadn't been in an accident etc, but we got a new one, the risk just isn't worth it. If the plastic is weakened you'd never know it.

[Bugaboom]

Thanks for the replies. Going to get a new one. Hopefully baby will stay put another day so I can get sorted

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

Britax dont have expiry dates, so if it is a Britax it should still be suitable.

[Bugaboom]

No its mamas and papas. Going to get a Britax as compatible with pushchair.

[Brandysnapper]

Does being made by Britax mean the polystyrene never degrades?

[middlings]

I thought it was that the manfacturers hadn't tested the plastic when it was older than six years at high speed so they couldn't guarantee it's integrity. Not sure that Britax are different!!

Right decision OP, I'd get a new one too if I were you.