new baby = new car seat?

[CharmingChampignon]

Am 34+3 with dc3 and starting to think about there actually being a baby in there...!

I thought i'd heard that carseats have to be replaced after 5 years so have been looking into new ones. However, the manufacturer's website says that their seats don't expire. We have a maxicosi cabriofix and base that have never been in an accident and look good - can we/would you use this?

Dc2 could really do with a new hbb so if we can avoid buying all new at the same time it would ease finances a lot!

[Nowthereistwo]

We've reused everything for dc 2 except a new mattrice for the cot.

[sepa]

If it's not been in an accident then use away. I don't see that it would have a shelf life

[Iammad]

We bought a new one even though my youngest is only 13 months (I'm 33 weeks).
Because he still uses it.

[May09Bump]

The new ones have side impact protection, which is why I have renewed. It is a pain as they cost so much.

[TheSkiingGardener]

I would reuse. I did with mine and would again.

[poocatcherchampion]

We reused everything (inc mattresses as age difference so small and there is some evidence that within families it is OK to do so)

In your case mad I would have moved the older one up into the next size (but still erf) you will probably only get 6months tops out of an infant carrier for both

[TodmordensDog]

We've got a Cabriofix but it's a bit grimy from where it was used so regularly- is there a way to take the covers off to give it a good clean? Or what's the best way to clean it still together?

[Autumn2014]

Slightly off topic but are there new laws about when you can move from the infant carrier to a forward facing car seat? It made me think if wasn't worth saving our group 1 car seat. It's been taking up space in the cupboard under the stairs.

[poocatcherchampion]

Tod - it is possible to take off covers but apparently they are tricky to put on. You tube is your friend or there is a long thread here somewhere about it

Autumn - that applies to buying car seats so ones you already have are exempt and can be used.

[Gobbolinothewitchscat]

I cleaned up our maxi cosi pebble no problem for DC3. We have 3 under 3 so it's not that old and I checked re expiry dates.

I ordered a new hood as ours had a little hole and a new head hugger bit. Both came very quickly. Taking the fivers off is very easy - much easier than for the bigger car seats.

I got a baby toothbrush for cleaning all the little crevices and it looked as good as new.

The only thing that can't be removed are the straps but I got any stains off with a solution of fairy washing powder and hot water. Scrub with the toothbrush and then rinse. The car seat cover came up beautifully in the washing machine.

I was going to dump ours and really pleased I didn't. I'm attaching photos of my handiwork as so proud!

BTW, all of our car seats have a seat protector on them and I do find it eeLky helps to keep them clean!

[Gobbolinothewitchscat]

Two weeks in - still clean!

[imwithspud]

It depends how old the car seat is. If it's just a couple of years old then I would probably still use it. If it's more than say, 5 years old I would probably buy a new one, I read somewhere that the materials in the car seat can deteriorate and weaken over time so even though an old car seat may not have been in a crash, it still may not be strong enough to protect baby in the event of an accident.

[HeadDreamer]

They do have a shelf life as plastic deteriorates. It's only after reading it on here that we started looking! DH has a bike helmet that's 10 years old. We looked after I learned of carseat age and noticed all the hairlike pattern and hardness on the helmet. You can actually see the difference. What I suggest is take the fabric off, and have a good look at the plastics. Compare it to a brand new one. Do you see a significant difference in the appearance? I'm guessing that's as good as you can get to assessing how good the condition the plastic still is. Also check the belts too. Do they look frayed or still very good?

[HeadDreamer]

DH got a new bike helmet after that btw. He told his fellow cyclists at work and many didn't know about that either. Many went and bought new helmets afterwards. Safety is priceless (if you can afford it ofc).

[Brummiegirl15]

Autumn, the new laws from April this year are that babies have to be rear facing until 15 months

Then they can be forward facing

[KatyN]

Hiya, can you point me to that law please,brunmiegirl? This is all I can find on th gov website
www.gov.uk/child-car-seats-the-rules.
But of a panic as I'm about to drop and was planning on using a 4 year old seat that switched to forward facing way before 15 months!

K

[dementedpixie]

That new law only applies to the new I-size car seats and the new law will run alongside the old regulations for quite some time. The existing car seats would be fine to use until all seats are made to I-size standards

[dementedpixie]

www.i-size.org.uk/ - gives more info about the new seats. The new law only applies to these new seats and the old seats that are weight based can still be used in line with the other regulations that run alongside isize regulations

[dementedpixie]

www.which.co.uk/news/2015/04/i-size-car-seat-regulations-come-into-force-399945/ - more info

[VagueIdeas]

You can take the Maxi Cosi seat covers off. I needed a YouTube video to manage it (and to get the bloody thing back on again!) but it looked good as new after going in the washing machine.

[HeadDreamer]

dementedpixie I believe i-size seats are only isofix. That means the old regulation will be running for quite a while.

Also, are all the baby/toddler i-size seat fitted with top tether? I got a new seat for DD2 and noticed all of them have the top tether. I was led to believe that only relatively new cars of the third anchor point.

[HeadDreamer]

Admittedly I didn't look at ones with a base. I already have a infant carrier and am only needing a toddler seat.

[mumblebumble]

charming please could you link me to where maxi cosi say they don't have an expiry date? I've been stressing out about this as our seat is over 5 years old but don't have the cash to replace!

[Iammad]

Poocatcherchamp I don't drive oh does, so I use the carseat for taxis etc as the other size up is one where is fixed in the car.
So that's another reason why I got a new one, would be a nightmare with a big heavy carseat, and the one I have for both is birth to 13kg so will last a while.

[wonkylegs]

From advise.maxi-cosi.com/service/faq.aspx# We develop our car seats for an intensive use of approximately 10 years. However car seats don’t expire and the lifetime is dependent on the real use of a car seat. Car seats involved in an accident should be replaced immediately. We advise to never use a car seat whose history is unknown since it could have been involved in an accident, or have some broken, torn or missing parts. Do not leave the car seat exposed to direct sunlight for long periods and we advise to check the plastic parts regularly for damages or changes in shape or colour. The expanded polystyrene (EPS) parts of your car seat are important to guarantee the best safety performance. We advise to check the expanded polystyrene (EPS) regularly for damages.