Infant seat. Is our seat too old?

[TigerMum35]

Curious to know how old is too old for an infant seat? Our DS is nearly 4 and we are finally PG with number 2. The seat (a maxi cosi cabriofix) was given to us before he was born, having been used for a friend's two babies. So, the seat and base are now about 7 years old. They've been stored in the loft, so light won't have degraded the plastic.

Would you buy a new seat/base, or use the existing one? DS only used it for 5.5 months before growing out of it and into his ERF seat.

I don't think you're supposed to use a carseat more than five years old.

Besides the possibility of parts breaking down in that time, guidelines are usually updated every few years and it might not meet current requirements.

Light won't have but temp changes could have done.

Five years max for a car seat so id replace.

Where does the five year recommendation come from and does it depend on the amount of use? Ours will only be 3.5 years old when DC3 arrives but will have had over two years of use.

And sorry to go slightly off topic but is the 5 years for ERF seats too? And from manufacture or first use? Just wondering if I can reuse DD's for a younger sibling as am hoping she will be in it until age 5.

Good point re the ERF seat, we were definitely going to use that for DC2. That seat was in constant use for three years.

Maxi Cosi are the only company to have the 5 year rule I believe, I contacted Britax about a seat and was told that the materials they use have expiry dates.

*DON'T have expiry dates rather.

Could be a ploy to make you feel terrible and guilt you into buying a new seat!

I'm sure the materials don't have expiry dates.

However it's very believable that temperature changes, light exposure, kids pulling/chewing straps, vomit and urine soakings, older kids sitting in them for a joke or by accident ( as it used to be theirs) or getting damp etc can have an affect on the materials or the straps.

Yep, I've had the same info from Britax. I still use a CosyTot infant carrier that was bought 9 years ago, and a First Class Group 0+&1 combination seat that was bought just over 8 years ago. They are fine, the CosyTot has been re-named the BabySafe and given a 5-point harness but is otherwise the same, and the First Class has not changed at all. So I'm satisfied they still meet current safety requirements.

Various manufacturers seem to say different expiry dates. I have a Kiddy seat that says 8 years from date of manufacture.