Dropped my new car seat!

[NinjaTurtleMikey]

I bought a Joie Tilt for my 7mo on Saturday and only used it for 2x 20 minute journeys. Great, I thought. Should last him to 3.5ish.

Nope.

I dropped the bastard thing today. I held it by the back panel and didn’t realise that comes off, so it fell from about 2ft maybe less. Is there any way to check if it’s safe? Or do I need to replace it.

Thank you

I can’t give you a definitive answer OP, but bear in mind that lots of people fly with car seats that get put in the hold, loaded onto conveyors with baggage etc. I imagine they get a little bashed around.

There's no way to know if there's internal damage or if the polystyrene has been cracked. You could use it but there might be a weakness and therefore you don't know how it will perform in a crash.

Flying with car seats - ideally they should be packed in the original packaging as that will give them the most protection.

I would look to replace it :-(

I'm not certain, but I think I remember reading that the advice nowadays was you don't have to replace the car seat after a minor accident anymore. I should imagine dropping it would be roughly the same impact as a minor car crash. Is there any visible damage?

Personally, I'd contact the manufacturer and see what they recommend.

Ring the in car safety centre in Milton Keynes and ask them. They'll give you good advice

I think I’ve always been set on changing it, it’s a pain but it’s a learning curve - hod the bloody thing properly! Joie said anything over 5mph needs replacing but that there’s no way of knowing

If you know anyone who has done A-level physics, then they could check my calculations, but I think a drop from 60cm would result in it hitting the ground at about 8mph.

Can you call Joie for advice and if you need to replace, use your home insurance?

I don't even think it would cross my mind not to use it. It hasn't been in a traffic accident and you didn't throw it purposefully. Surely they are robust items?

Update: I bought a new one - and insurance!!