Baby Equipment Questions « Back to Group Discussions

[ClumsySugarPlum]

Hi, ladies. I have been in lurk mode. Too tired to really put myself out there to chat, but I could use some advice and I think others might have similar questions. We are having our second baby, and a lot of our equipment has been handed down to us from my seven year old nephew. It seems like I heard somewhere that you should replace some plastic equipment items such as carseats after so many years because the plastic softens over time and is no longer safe. Has anyone else heard this, or better yet, read this somewhere? I guess this is my main question right now, but I'm sure I'll have more equipment questions to come...

Thanks in advance.

[GranolaMama09]

Yes I have. Car seats especially. I'm wiped but I'll try and dig up the info tomorrow.

[maydaymom10]

I think that most car seats have an expiration on them, but I'm not sure where to find it. My guess is that 7 years is past that date. I know that my sister had to get a new car seat with her last one -- her oldest was about 8 at that point. Good luck.

[spughy]

I find it hard to believe that any significant plastic deterioration happens within that time span.  It is VERY thick plastic on the seat we have, which was manufactured in 2006.  We're just using that one. 

Here's a list of WHY car seats expire:

• Frequent use and exposure to sunlight or cold weather can damage and weaken plastic
• Safe-use labels on the products fade or become hard to read
• Instruction manuals have likely been lost
• Food, cleaners, drinks, and other materials that have been spilled or used on webbing, buckles, adjusters and other parts may prevent them from working safely
• The history or condition of the car seat or booster seat becomes hard to check (was it in a collision, was it stored in a place or in a way that caused damage to parts, etc?)
• Safety regulations and standards may have changed, so safer products may now be on the market
• Second or subsequent owners may not get product safety recall notices if problems arise

None of these are applicable to our car seat.  We live on the west coast where there is neither excessive sun nor cold weather.  The labels are all easily readable and we still have the instruction manual (not that we really need it).  There is a small amount of grime on the webbing but it is still completely functional - no fraying threads or anything. 

I think the expiry IS useful if you're buying a second-hand seat, but if you're reusing one that you bought new and know exactly what's happened to it (or not happened to it), you're fine using one you already own.

[ClumsySugarPlum]

Hmmmm. I will check my folks' attic tomorrow where we're keeping our baby stuff from ds. I guess I didn't realize there were expiration dates on the carseat itself. My nephew's family used the carseat when they lived in Iowa and we live in Colorado, so we have had lots of hot/ cold extremes. We bought a couple of new bases after he was born that we might be able to keep, but the carseat itself might have to be replaced. Just trying to figure this all out now since Babies R Us and other stores are having big sales this weekend.

Thanks for the tips.

[Melany]

My theory on the carseats (keep in mind this is a theory, I could be talking out of my backside) also has a lot to do with how they are used. You leave them in the car which in some areas can have some very extreme temperature differences. Think about the warnings of leaving pets or children in hot cars. Your carseat can become baked on a regular basis over the summer, a hot car in the sun in a hot climate can get up to 120-140 degrees. This will bake and soften the plastics. On the other extreme, in cold climates, the plastic can freeze and this will could cause it to become brittle. I think (like I said, not proven) that the 7 year window is based on the guarentee that the plastic will hold up under extreme conditions. We're likely to replace our carseats that our in the garage we purchased new when my 8 (almost 9) year old was a baby. 

On that theory, I'm a little less worried about toys and non-safety items. We have hand-me down toys that are plastic and well over 10 years old. For items that a baby might put in their mouth, we toss, but the non-chewed on toys (like the play kitchen I took to the goodwill in June) we plan to reuse. It's a personal opinion. :) 
 

Honestly, if you don't think a toy is safe, don't keep it. Toys have a way of multiplying on a pretty regular basis, so there will be toys. I swear I let one barbie doll into the house against my wishes and that doll somehow managed to multiply into a bin that we can't put a lid on. I have NEVER bought a barbie doll (kind of hate what they teach little girls).

[LightForest]

I just wanted to second spughy's last two bullet points about changes in safety features on car seats over the years. My DD is only 2 and I'm seeing that the newer car seats have loads more features than those on the market when she was born. I think the most notable newer trend is convertible seats that allow for extended rear facing (and infant seats with higher height/weight limits). But the newer seats also tend to have more side impact protection, and they're often easier to install in your car, and it's easier to adjust the straps/buckles on the seat to fit your baby as s/he grows. It's worth considering these factors when making a choice about a 7 year old seat vs a newer one.

As a baseline, I'd definitely check the expiration date, and I'd check to make sure the seat hasn't been recalled by the manufacturer.

[spughy]

I'm not sure that those loads of features provide a statistically much safer ride.  I think a lot of them go in with good intentions on the manufacturer's part but then are found in actual use (once several years' worth of statistics are tallied up) to provide a very slim benefit or none at all. (I believe Britax's claims of side-impact protection were found to be... exaggerated - they certainly DID protect against side-impact injury, but no more so than other seats.). There is of course the tendency to go for whatever slim benefits you can - it's your BABY after all - and boy wouldn't you hate yourself if you DIDN'T get an absolutely brand spanking new top-of-the-line seat that protected against everything up to alien abduction - but realistically, a decent seat will provide sufficient protection in any survivable situation.  

[LightForest]

Originally Posted by spughy 

I'm not sure that those loads of features provide a statistically much safer ride.  I think a lot of them go in with good intentions on the manufacturer's part but then are found in actual use (once several years' worth of statistics are tallied up) to provide a very slim benefit or none at all. (I believe Britax's claims of side-impact protection were found to be... exaggerated - they certainly DID protect against side-impact injury, but no more so than other seats.). There is of course the tendency to go for whatever slim benefits you can - it's your BABY after all - and boy wouldn't you hate yourself if you DIDN'T get an absolutely brand spanking new top-of-the-line seat that protected against everything up to alien abduction - but realistically, a decent seat will provide sufficient protection in any survivable situation.  

Totally agreed. I'd say that being able to rear face longer (in the same seat that nicely fits a newborn) and being able to install/adjust the seat more easily are the most important reasons to consider buying a new seat, assuming the seat hasn't been in any prior accidents and hasn't been recalled.

[Melany]

We have 3 Britax seats on a shelf in the garage. As far as I can tell, there is no new bells and whistles to the new ones compared to my older ones. I am tempted to reuse my Marathon since we purchased it for my daughter when she grew out of the roundabout. That one is only 4 years old, but the roundabout was the seat my son used when he no longer fit in the convertible seat. He was a little guy and didn't hit the weight or height limit until 12 months old. So, that would mean we bought the roundabout in 2005. The only problem with the BIG Britax seats is they are humongous rear facing. Both my kids rear faced until age 3, so the big seat was fine for that, it just was REALLY tight up front for the grown ups. Now I don't know how we will all fit with 5 of us and the big seat rear facing in the center. When it was on one side, you could push the passenger seat up a bit, but the center seat doesn't have a shoulder strap, so I don't want the older kids there in their booster seats. We really need a car from this century.

[GranolaMama09]

Melany, you put it very well I think! I'm not so concerned about most toys (especially since we allow so very little plastic anyway) but car seats are of concern for us. If I recall correctly there *should* be a sticker or label somewhere on the seat that will tell you it's expiration date. Depending on manufacturer, it tends to be 6-10 years from the date of manufacture. This honestly probably won't come up for us because little Ollie will need a convertible seat before DSD outgrows the one she'll inherit from DD and it will still be within date until DSD moves up to a booster.

[cabbitdancer]

I was informed by a friend recently that BrU does a car seat trade in once or twice a year. You can supposedly take in your old car seat (no matter how old it is) and trade it in for 20% off a new one.  I was hoping to check that out, since my daughter's infant seat supposedly expires by next May.

[akind1]

Trade in is awesome, definitely do that!

[cabbitdancer]

Looks like they do it in February/March and August/September, and the coupon is for 25%. You can also take in used strollers, pack n plays, and a few other things I can't remember, for the same discount on a replacement. My sister in law told me that she took in a broken umbrella stroller and used her 25% off coupon to buy a dual stroller for both her kids.

[GranolaMama09]

I knew they did it in the fall but wasn't sure about spring.  YAY!  I have a stroller I despise, a car seat for DSD that needs to be upgraded soon, and a bouncer/chair thing.  Totally plan on trading all of it in to buy Oliver his car seat/stroller combo, his pack 'n' play, and a new car seat for DSD (or DD and do the switcheroo.).  I'll bet I've got some friends that are done having kids and their eligible items that they might contribute so we can get a few other things at 25% off.  *happy dance*

[babytoes]

Originally Posted by cabbitdancer 

I was informed by a friend recently that BrU does a car seat trade in once or twice a year. You can supposedly take in your old car seat (no matter how old it is) and trade it in for 20% off a new one.  I was hoping to check that out, since my daughter's infant seat supposedly expires by next May.

Wow! Really? I have a britax from 8 years ago, I wonder if they would take it? We need the Chicco Keyfit because my car is so tiny, but they're so expensive. So far we've gotten $55 towards it (from family), so 20% would help out. I'll have to look into that, thanks Cabbit!

[ClumsySugarPlum]

K, y'all. I finally got around to checking our old carseat for an expiration date. We have a hand-me-down Graco Snugride from my nephew who was born in 2005. The expiration date is found on the bottom of the carrier (bucket) part and clearly reads Do not use after December 2010. So... looks like we'll be buying a new carseat. I didn't see anything written on the base, but I'm assuming the expiration applies to the base that came with it as well. The tricky part is that I couldn't find an expiration on either of the additional bases that we bought separately in 2009. Are these okay to use with new Graco Snugrides? Are they even compatable? Is there a website to look up their model and serial numbers and stuff, or do I have to call Graco, or am I at the mercy of a Babies R Us employee who will probably tell me that I have to get all new stuff no matter what? Anyone who can answer these questions gets.... an elaborate emoticon message in return.

Thanks in advance!

[cabbitdancer]

I think Graco's carseats are supposed to be good for 7 6 years, and I'm pretty sure that includes the bases. If it fit the Snugride before, it should fit it now. This is Graco's official site on expiration: http://blog.gracobaby.com/2010/02/11/car-seats-have-expiration-dates-too/ It does not, however, have much to say in regards to bases.

[ClumsySugarPlum]

This looks pretty good. I will call during the week and see if I can get a solid answer on bases.