Nope, don't use it. An expired seat is an expired seat, no matter how long ago the date has passed. Here is a great video showing a crash test of an expired Britax seats. Expiration dates are there for a great reason

 

I wouldn't chance it. There could be internal damage that you're not seeing. I would either get a Scenera or Radian and skip the bucket, see if a friend or relative has a safe bucket you can borrow for awhile, or just purchase a new inexpensive one, such as the baby trend flex loc.

 

Don't use it. Expired=not safe.

 

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Originally Posted by alysmommy2004 I would either get a Scenera or Radian and skip the bucket, see if a friend or relative has a safe bucket you can borrow for awhile, or just purchase a new inexpensive one, such as the baby trend flex loc.

A convertible just won't work,they are too wide. Even most of the buckets are probably going to be too wide. We bought this bucket because it was one of the narrowest available. DS swam in the first one we had and DD was skinnier that he was.

*sigh* I guess I'm just feeling frustrated and even a bit punished for taking so long to get pregnant this time around.

(... apparently I am having some issues.)

 

Are you doing three across?

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThreeBeans Are you doing three across?

Yes, if at all possible.

 

Ahhh I see.

If you can get a primo viaggio in there, you can get a Radian in there

 

Yep, the Radian is the most narrow convertible, so most likely what you'd be moving to after the bucket anyway if you want to keep three across. Plus, the slots are low enough for a newborn to use it.

If you do want a bucket though, the Baby Trend one is one of the most narrow on the market so that might be an option (plus, it's pretty inexpensive). I have a Keyfit 22, which is also pretty narrow, I can get it in the same small spaces I can get my Radian.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by an_aurora Nope, don't use it. An expired seat is an expired seat, no matter how long ago the date has passed. Here is a great video showing a crash test of an expired Britax seats. Expiration dates are there for a great reason

Thanks for that video! I sent it to my family to get the message through better.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThreeBeans Ahhh I see. If you can get a primo viaggio in there, you can get a Radian in there

The problem isn't so much the external width, we can work with that. The problem is that my babies are skinny and even in a five-point harness their bottoms slide sideways in most carseats- I don't know if that makes any sense. What I need is an interior that is narrow.

 

I understand what you are saying

. In a correctly tightened harness that shouldn't happen even with the skinniest of skinny babies

However Sunshine Kids' makes a GREAT infant insert that really cradles the baby in the Radian

 

Can someone tell me where they post the expiration date on the Britax roundabouts? I have a newborn coming that I thought I would use the seat with but it is at least 4 years old. (Still using it with ds) I want to get a new seat for him but am wondering if I need to get 2 ordered...

Thanks!

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by naturegirl Can someone tell me where they post the expiration date on the Britax roundabouts? I have a newborn coming that I thought I would use the seat with but it is at least 4 years old. (Still using it with ds) I want to get a new seat for him but am wondering if I need to get 2 ordered... Thanks!

Hi Cheryl

The Roundabout label will be in one of two places. The newer models have them on the outer shell of the seat, near the child's left ear. Older versions will be underneath the cover, in the actual seat area. I'm guessing that yours will be the later, since that is where the label is on my 4 yr old Roundabout. It was pretty bad design, since with any sippy cup spills or leaky diapers the label gets wet and the ink runs. One word of caution, though: the Roundabouts (or any Britax convertible, for that manner) is not usually suitable for newborns. For rear-facing, the baby's shoulder must be within an inch of the bottom slot. Most average-sized babies don't fit properly until around 2 months or so.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThreeBeans I understand what you are saying . In a correctly tightened harness that shouldn't happen even with the skinniest of skinny babies However Sunshine Kids' makes a GREAT infant insert that really cradles the baby in the Radian

Have to agree w/ ThreeBeans. We got the Radian65 for DS when he was about 3mo old b/c we needed to move DD up to her Regent. We also bought the Sunshine Kids infant insert and are still using it for DS and it really cradles him nicely and gets him in the right spot when we put him in his seat.

And if there is ANY concern about external width, let me say that the Radian enabled us to get 3 carseats across the back of our Jeep Grand Cherokee, 2 Regents and the RFin Radian65.

 

OP - No! They do not disintegrate. I would use that carseat. Good luck!

 

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Originally Posted by vbactivist OP - No! They do not disintegrate. I would use that carseat. Good luck!

While I would slightly agree if you needed the seat tomorrow for a week or whatever, seeing that your siggie says you're pg, I'm imagining it will be a few weeks before you need it. And if you plan on using it for "a few months" (let's say 4), that would put you about 6 months past the expiration by the time you move your babe into a convertible.

Personally, I would NOT be comfortable w/ that. BUT, as a parent, you need to make that decision. The manufacturers give expiration dates for a reason. There is no way of knowing if the temp changes while being in storage could have affected the plastic or webbing or foam. There's no way of saying for sure your seat could safely restrain your child.

Not to mention the fact that, if you were in an accident, and the seat was installed properly, and the child was properly restrained, but the seat still failed, the manufacturer would have NO responsibility b/c you were using an expired seat.

 

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Originally Posted by vbactivist OP - No! They do not disintegrate. I would use that carseat. Good luck!

Check out the video. They DO disintegrate. But not usually until there's sufficient force applied... such as in an accident. Maybe it's still safe the day after, or the month after... but you can't test it.

 

The thing with these car seats is that you you feel hustled by the manufacturers. Make a car seat that lasts, damn it. Or make built in car seats an option on new vehicles.

Whatever. Don't take any chances. Get a new seat.

 

PP has a 5 yr expiration..sorry. If you were talking like a few days, even weeks past the expiration..but MONTHS? just too big a risk, and not worth it. It's really too bad you have a PV, all the pother infant seats on the market have a 6 yr expiration.

however, you can put a rolled up receiving blanket on either side of the baby to keep the baby planted firmly in the middle of the seat, even in a large convertible seat.
here is a pic of what i am talking about. It is a graco convertible, with a 1 week old newborn in it
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t...0_182125AA.jpg

and like a pp said, in a correctly snug 5-pt harness, it really wont matter how thin or small your child is. Even though you migth *feel* better about your child have soft cushy padding around them, in a collsion, its the harness taht is going to keep your child safe. And regardless, as has been pointed out, lots of carseats have special infant inserts these days, which will "cradle" your infant even if they are quite small.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by vbactivist OP - No! They do not disintegrate. I would use that carseat. Good luck!

You would be breaking the law (in most states) and putting a child at risk of ejection in a crash situation.

It would be *better*, IMO, if they did disintegrate -- then the internal damage and deterioration would be visible. Since they do not disintegrate, people use them or advise other people to use them, and that's dangerous.

 

You would be breaking the law (in most states) and putting a child at risk of ejection in a crash situation.

QUOTE]

It is NOT against the law to use "expired" carseats. I'd love to see a source, please.

 

They may not disappear in a cloud of dust but we know they degrade over time. After X amount of time the seat WILL be completely useless in a car accident.

Some advice is being offered by people who have expressed opinions that are basically counter to everything we know about physics and car accidents, so it should definitely be taken into account that these people may not care particularly about your child's safety.

 

Chickabiddy is correct. Many if not most states have a 'proper use' clause. Meaning if you use a seat against the manufacture's recommendations you can be cited and if your child is injured you can be criminally charged.

 

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Originally Posted by ThreeBeans Chickabiddy is correct. Many if not most states have a 'proper use' clause. Meaning if you use a seat against the manufacture's recommendations you can be cited and if your child is injured you can be criminally charged.

source please.

 

You can google them as easily as I can. If you were really interested in being educated, I would help you out. But I'm not wasting time with someone who just wants to antagonize and offend.

 

Why risk it. I would buy a new infant seat and when I am done, sell it on Craigslist. You and I might not buy a used seat, but lots of people do and as long as you know it hasnt been in a crash you can feel fine about it. I sold one there a few months ago.