To buy this so far in advance?

[Sparksi]

I’m due in a few months time with our first baby. We have an infant car seat but it’s up to 75cm in height and baby is predicted to be big.

There is a great half price offer currently on a reputable ERF car seat, which will last baby and be a good fit from 6 months - 7 years.
We will need two of these seats eventually as both DH and I will need to do childcare drop offs and pick ups when I’m back at work. At full price, this would be coming close to £1000.

WIBU to buy one of the ERF seats now and keep it in its box in our house until next spring? We would be saving £200. I don’t know if car seats have an expiry as such, but keen to reduce any massive financial outlay when we have less money coming in on maternity leave.

I would!

If you've got the room for it, seems sensible to me! I'd obviously check all the bits are there and then reseal it.

A lot of brands of car seats have expiration dates, check how long it can be used for. It’s usually about 6 years but it could still be worth buying now whilst they are on offer and you would probably be able to use it to around age 5 which IMO would be ok to forward face anyway.

They do have an expiry date, but there prity long (more a thing to check if you passing them down to siblings) and you'd be buying it within a year anyway.

I'll probably receive criticism for this but we got our car seats second hand from trusted friends (no car accidents etc). They either have them away or accepted a small cash amount.

I did similar. Spreads the cost like you say.

If you have somewhere to store it, seems sensible. And also - be sceptical of any advice your baby will be big. Everyone I know who’s been told that, their baby hasn’t been big. And it’s meant they’ve felt pressured to have unnecessary intervention in their birth

I think it’s fine if you have space to store it although we noticed a lot ’offers’ always came back around. 6 months will fly by once your baby is here though!

Absolutely - we bought our second stage seats when they were on offer at 50% off and stored them safely in one of the bedrooms until it was time to swap DTwins from their infant carriers ;which was just a few weeks before their 2nd birthday and only because DT2 vomited all over his seat one day and I needed to take them out the following day so I set the new seats up.

When you have to buy 2 (or more) car seats, along with all the other paraphernalia needed for a new arrival, you have to take the savings where you can!!

I wouldn’t but that’s because these things usually always come on offer. I’d rather not have to store it for the next 6 months, I’d just get it closer to the time when needed

Totally do it, but get a fit check of the seat in your car first, and while doing this, most retailers will have some kind of weighted doll you can try out the seat with as well. You don't want to get to the date that you want to move DC over, find there is some incompatability and now it's too late to return it.

European car seats don't expire, only American ones. There are recommended max use periods but this doesn't apply when it's sitting in a box, especially not for the 6-12 months or so that you're thinking of keeping it. Really no issue at all, as long as it is protected from moisture, mould, vermin etc.