carseats-what is lifespan?!

[kittypants]

what i mean in stupid title is-we have carseats used for dd and ds,almost 7 and 6,never been in accidents or anything but can we still use them for ds ?or do they stop 'working' after a while.im tired and my brains not letting me think of right words!

no they will be fine. as long as they fit in teh car you have now. Not all seats fit in all cars

have you looked them up on the net to see how they rate in recent safety tests?

no but great idea!

i read somewhere they are iffy after 5 years. tis due to the polystyrene going brittle and so not as safe. Can't remember where though sorry.

ohh!dont know where to look for info.if i phone someone like halfords theyll want to sell me a new one.

kittypants, you should only use a car seat for one child, then replace it for the next, moving car seats in and out of cars, storing them and obviously regular use can weaken the seats, also if they are poly-resin or poly-styrene the materials deteriorate.

i would always advise to replace the seats. Always better to be safe than sorry- remeber the only way to check if a seat is safe is to put your child in a life or death situation and take the chance!

sorry- serious head on!! we had a tragic accident a few miles from here a little while back where the little girl was killed because the seat just wasn't up to the job!

oh god!i will defiantly replace seat!i assumed as i knew it had not been in any accidents that it would be ok.thankyou!