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Would you buy a secondhand car seat?

51 replies

94hpg · 19/04/2022 19:56

Generally advice is obviously not to buy them secondhand but so many are sold on FB marketplace etc. I'm curious, would you personally buy one or not?

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TokenGinger · 19/04/2022 21:36

I bought one for my mum's car, second hand, but I chose carefully.

My thought process around it was, if somebody cares enough about car seat safety to have bought a Swedish plus tested extended rear facing seat in the first place, they'll care enough only to sell on if it's in the correct condition to continued being used.

The person I bought from seemed as passionate about car seat safety as I did, and I trusted that it hadn't been in any accidents because of that.

I spent £700 on the two car seats for our cars, so I really couldn't stretch to the cost of a third, so this was my solution.

transformandriseup · 19/04/2022 21:37

I have one for sale now and there are lots for sale in my area.

RedWingBoots · 19/04/2022 21:38

Nope.

I did hand my baby's car seat over to someone I know though with lots of my baby stuff.

My current car seat I got it half price as I did a survey over about a period of a year and I got lots of vouchers plus there was an offer on.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

carefullycourageous · 19/04/2022 21:40

No

RewildingAmbridge · 19/04/2022 21:42

No, I did give DS' to my cousin though, she knows I would never give it to her if it had been in any kind of accident, so I understand it from her POV

Amichelle84 · 19/04/2022 21:43

I bid to because we could afford a new one, but if I couldn't I'd rather have a second hand one that not one at all.

Frazzled2207 · 19/04/2022 21:44

@Anna783426

We have done - carefully researched and in very good condition. It really worries me how much stuff is bought for babies only to chucked into landfill after their relatively short period of use. I wish manufacturers would take more responsibility for ensuring the longevity of them, or send them off for checks or recycling etc.
Agree - also manufactures have IMO entirely made up the “you must buy new” message to help their sales. Really easy to prey on new mothers about doing the right thing for their child’s safety.

Far too much goes to landfill these days.

alwaysmovingforwards · 19/04/2022 21:46

Would you buy a secondhand car?
If yea then it’s no different to buying a secondhand car seat.

Because ultimately you don’t know the full life history of either and have to trust what you’re told and what you see in front of you.

Lemondrop2 · 19/04/2022 21:47

Does anyone know what we are supposed to do with car seats when they are outgrown.

I have one that we no longer use … how do I dispose of it?

Howmuchwood · 19/04/2022 21:49

Its an absolute shocking waste to put a car seat into landfill instead of try to pass it on to someone else that can use it. Our infant car seat did my 2 DC and their cousin (convenient age gap between each DC!) I am now giving it away as its got at least 2 years of life left in itand cost over £300 new so seems crazy to take it to the dump.

Wish car seat manufacturers had a recycling scheme like electrical goods manufacturers do.

Frazzled2207 · 19/04/2022 21:50

@Lemondrop2

Does anyone know what we are supposed to do with car seats when they are outgrown.

I have one that we no longer use … how do I dispose of it?

On Facebook. If you post it for free someone will be along same day. If in good condition I think £20-30 is reasonable.
jeepjeep4 · 19/04/2022 21:52

This thread has got me thinking so advice appreciated - I have my DS first car seat stored away for next baby. Is this a bad idea? Obviously every drive in it so far has been by me in my car so I know the full history but if we don't have another child for a few years does this make it unsafe?

LeavesOnTrees · 19/04/2022 21:52

Yes I didn't think it was a problem. Bought second hand for both my DC.
I try to get as much stuff as possible 2nd hand.
I don't like the thought of all those car seats filling up landfills

Dipsydoodlenoodle · 19/04/2022 21:52

I did, but I got it from my neighbour so I know the history and (rough) age. I don't think I'd buy one from elsewhere, as I wouldn't know the history

RandomQuest · 19/04/2022 21:53

Would you trust the person you are buying the seat from with your child's life. If not then that answers your question
100% this.

I accepted a second hand seat from a close friend when I wanted a second belted one for travel. I trust her completely. However, I wouldn’t dream of buying one from internet stranger or charity shop because there’s no way you can tell if it’s safe and has never been in a crash.

As an aside, does anyone know if you can recycle old seats in the U.K.? When I lived in the US you could recycle them at Target and get a coupon towards a new one but I’ve yet to come across anything similar here.

Sortilege · 19/04/2022 21:53

No, but now I’m thinking about it, that is a huge car seat mountain out there in landfill, so I hope someone has a plan to reuse or recycle them safely. Can they be reconditioned?

NewBrownMouse · 19/04/2022 21:57

No, nearly everything for my babies was been secondhand but car seats are not worth the risk, you never know if a seller is geniune when they say no accidents.

BertieBotts · 19/04/2022 21:59

I would if I needed to, but I would be very very picky. My preference would go:

New high quality seat
Second hand decent seat from someone I trust
New cheaper but OK seat
Second hand decent seat from a stranger
New absolute cheap crap seat

You absolutely need to be aware of the risks inherent with doing this.

It's true that most people would not pass on a crashed seat in bad faith, but after even quite a bad accident most car seats don't show obvious signs of damage. I've heard of people getting the replacement seat through insurance and then thinking Oh I bet this one is absolutely fine, might as well sell it on. I'm sure that's rare but it must be tempting especially if you're struggling for cash and it was a good brand. These were specialist, ERF seats as well - the presumption is often that people who've cared enough about car seat safety to research and source an ERF seat would never do this yet that's exactly who has done it in the examples I'm aware of.

You also have to take into account:
People not knowing that you are supposed to replace them after a crash, not thinking to mention it and then reflexively lying when put on the spot (if you even ask).
People thinking it doesn't count if the child wasn't in the seat, or the impact was on the other side of the car (I've heard both of these).
People thinking it doesn't count if it's under a certain speed.
People in general having a different perception of "accident" to you.
People thinking that the idea of replacing it is just ridiculous overcautiousness and of course it will be fine since it looks fine, not mentioning it in case you the buyer is "overcautious" and it puts you off.
Someone having bought or received the seat second hand themselves and not being aware that it was crashed by the previous owner.

Then there are other issues with second hand seats, not just the crash issue.

There are loads of old, outdated models on Marketplace. People keep car seats for decades and then suddenly decide they need a clear out. You might not at first glance know the difference between a couple of years old model vs a 20 year old model, especially if you're not familiar with car seat innovation and developments. Whereas you 100% know that a new seat conforms to current safety regulations and there are improvements in designs, regulations made all the time. It's a good idea to be familiar with a model you're buying second hand and work out whether it's still on sale and if not, why/how long ago it stopped being sold. Also check for recalls with that model - this isn't that easy to do in the UK as there is no central database.

They might be old in terms of wear and tear. People are not always honest about the amount of use something has had or may not remember, or it might have been passed on to them originally and they don't know. Car seats aren't designed to keep being used again and again for 10+ years - the components like the safety harness will wear down with repeated use and affect the effectiveness. Dirt and debris can get into the mechanisms/moving parts and prevent them working properly. Long periods with lack of use can also affect mechanical parts. There is probably a maximum number of times the cover should be washed before it will start to lose its shape and the cover usually does form part of the safety features. Older children climbing in and out of the seat can damage the polystyrene parts. Baby seats that can be carried tend to get a bit bashed about in normal use. In the EU/UK car seats don't expire, the regulations do instead, but it's not really a good idea to keep using them past about 10-12 years, max. Some people say more like 5-7 years - I think that's a bit overly conservative, but it probably is best to err on the side of caution, especially if you plan to continue using the seat for several more years yourself.

I don't personally buy the "materials break down after 5 years" claim - I think that's highly unlikely - maybe there's truth in it. IMO there are enough good reasons not to use a seat that is too old.

Second hand seats have a history, pieces get lost or damaged over time, parts like strap covers, inserts for younger children, the part to convert it from one stage to another, also pieces can be removed for instance when cleaning or converting from one stage to another, and put back into place wrong. This can be highly dangerous if you don't notice. I've seen seats on marketplace with the straps completely routed into the wrong slots. That kind of thing is obvious, so you'd probably see, but I bet there are instances where it looks absolutely fine but something is not in the right place and that could cause the seat to fail or perform differently to intended. People often own multiple car seats and pushchairs at the same time, and it's common for accessories to get mixed up between them - you often see one seat being sold with a completely different seat's insert because it's been a while since they used it and they have forgotten which goes with which. Someone may have attempted a DIY repair, compromising integrity of parts, or parts may be replaced with third party versions, which is not a good idea as even seemingly inconsequential things such as the cover or pads for the straps have built in safety features and form part of the design. It's quite rare to get an instruction manual with a second hand seat. That's not necessarily the end of the world, you can usually download them, but if you do not know that you can do this then the risk of installing or using the seat wrongly is increased and that is a risk to your child.

If you are looking at a second hand seat, this is what I'd do:

Know the seat, know the brand, know the model. Know what it's supposed to come with and what it's supposed to look like.
Inspect it carefully for signs of fraying, stress marks, hairline cracks, misshaping on the cover. Test all the moving parts (spin, headrest, tethers, 5 point harness).
Think about how long/often you plan to use vs the given age/condition of the seat. (Wear and tear).
Compare with a cheaper new model.
Don't be afraid to ask questions of the seller - be honest with yourself and if you're likely to avoid voicing a concern for fear of upsetting someone, maybe don't buy second hand.
See if the person will let you try the seat in your car.
Download the manual, watch the fitting videos.

BertieBotts · 19/04/2022 22:01

Recycling is a problem. I highly recommend writing to your car seat's manufacturer when you've finished with a seat and asking them about recycling schemes! The more pressure on them the better.

OhRiRi · 19/04/2022 22:03

No, but I have sold them on, safe in the knowledge that they have been stored properly, never dropped, involved in an accident or damaged in any way, with full instructions and well within their expiry date.

EliyanahM · 19/04/2022 22:05

I'm sat here sucking a milkshake through a soggy paper straw, when there are thousands of people chucking entire carseats into landfill?Hmm

Frazzled2207 · 19/04/2022 22:16

@jeepjeep4

This thread has got me thinking so advice appreciated - I have my DS first car seat stored away for next baby. Is this a bad idea? Obviously every drive in it so far has been by me in my car so I know the full history but if we don't have another child for a few years does this make it unsafe?
Manufacturers will tell you otherwise but the vast majority of parents will keep seats for younger siblings to use.
BertieBotts · 19/04/2022 22:17

It's not the same as a second hand car, cars are not single use items and have to pass a yearly inspection. Nobody is inspecting car seats to see whether or not they are still safe.

Of course you can keep your own car seat for a few years between children, that's perfectly safe. It's not the fact a car seat has been used before that makes it unsafe, it's the fact that it may have been misused or may be at the end of its useful lifespan.

I don't think manufacturers are making it up or wouldn't they say it about everything? Besides, it is what is advised by safety organisations as well.

BertieBotts · 19/04/2022 22:21

I do think the idea that a car seat "expires" after 5 years when it has been used by one child and a careful parent is completely ridiculous. Use common sense. Car seats never had expiry periods until people imported this idea from America (where they are in place partly due to litigation risks but partly because the second hand market is very different there).

But personally I wouldn't use a car seat that's more than 2 regulations old. Currently you can legally use seats confirming to R129, R44.04 and R44.03. But if you have any R44.03 seats knocking around I'd get rid of them, and don't use one if you see it for sale second hand. They are so far behind the current standard of safety.

lovescaca · 19/04/2022 22:24

Wouldn't buy second hand anything tbh