Is it ever ok to buy a second hand car seat

[WarriorsComeOutToPlayaaay]

My husband and I do not have a car but will require a car seat for the journey for the hospital to our home after I have given birth.

We live in the town centre and use public transport (we are really lucky to have excellent public transport hence not having a car even though we have driving licences). Therefore I am really reluctant to pay over £100 for a car seat for one journey (though of course I will want to keep my baby safe).

Is it ok to buy a second hand car seat or is it an absolute no no?

Can you borrow a seat from a friend with an older kid? Friend of fried is fine too if you trust their judgement either buying or borrowing.

It's fine if you're confident it's never been in an accident and it's not very old.

Do you not have any friends or family you could borrow one from?

The risk with buying second hand is if it’s been in an accident and is now defective. So lots of people do buy them second hand but personally I wouldn’t unless you’re buying from someone you know and can therefore be confident the seat hasn’t been used in an accident.

Can you get friends and family to ask around people they know to see if they have one you can borrow?

Lots of people I know have been in this situation (we live in London so not everyone has cars)

They have either;

Borrowed a car seat for the journey from a friend

Or

Got an all stage seat that fits into a car with the seatbelt so they could use it as and when needed but it fitted the child for much longer.

Is it not possible to try to book a taxi with a car seat? That's how we got baby home the hospital.

When I donated mine the organisation I donated it to simply required it to be under 8 years old. So I presume if you get one second hand make sure the model/product is under 5 years? to be safe. The seat will actually have the year of production printed on the label somewhere. This could be under the cushion if you cant find it on the bottom or backside. Also make sure it has the newborn insert which is crucial

Joie juva infant carrier is about £50

Joie juva is about £50 infant seat
joie stages is £120 which will last until about 7

Using a car seat from anyone you don’t trust is a bad idea. I got one second hand from my sister because I know that she follows all car seat safety protocols. I would never trust a car seat from a stranger, a car service, or a rental company, because you have no way of knowing the history of the seat.

I thought you could travel in a taxi with a baby without a car seat?? Or is this someone else's car?

Thanks everyone, all the comments/recommendations are really helpful. I think the Joie looks like a winner!

I wanted to add, the more expensive seats often come with features that make them easier to install or adjust. The less expensive seats are still perfectly safe. I have purchased both price point extremes and used them for my child.

Sorry I should have said we will be getting a lift rather than a taxi but I will check the rules on this, thanks (though the thought of no car seat at all scares me!).

@Ponderingwindow ah thank you, that makes sense

Honestly OP it’s quite helpful to have one plus if possible the clips to stick it onto a pram base. Then everytime you take baby somewhere on a trip involving public transport and then a bit of car (taxi or lift) you’re sorted. - so if you take the train out of the city and family pick you up from the station, if you go on holiday by train or plane you can use a taxi safely at the other end. If you live in the city you might only need this feature half an dozen times but it will make those half a dozen trips enormously less stressful.

Apart from you're not actually supposed to leave babies in car seats for prolonged periods of time.

I’ve seen it suggested on here before that you get a black cab and wheel the pram into it, including the baby. Not tried it myself though.

I really can't see for the very limited second hand value who on earth would sell one from an accident. Of course it's a small risk and one you don't want so if possible find someone you know or a friend of a friend.

I've given away all of mine. They can see evidence that I have a child and that the next size up is now sat in my car outside. I'd have needed to have an accident at the exact time I needed to upgrade and then have chosen to waste my time by posting the old one on the village selling pages and arranging to be in while it was collected (rather than just binning it).

My husband delivered our group 0 to someone who didn't drive and just wanted it to go out occasionally in her mum's car. Common sense dictates someone will only do that to prevent waste and help someone out, not to offload something that's been damaged.

They will also often come as part of a travel system which as suggested may be easier for you.
Ask your contacts so you have some reassurance.

Yes, obviously you don’t leave the baby in the carseat for hours at a time. With this set up it’s best to have a baby carrier with you too. But being able to carry the carseat+ Any other bags on the pushchair frame and just have the baby in the carrier is so much easier than trying to schlep the carseat around with you somehow. I think the carseat clips are actually most useful for people without their own car or for people who have to park a considerable distance from their house/flat for this reason.