Yes Virginia, car seats do expire!

A friend of mine asked me about car seat expiration recently. He didn't know that they expire. It was the same question I asked when I first found out while I was researching for a car seat that I will buy for my first-born child. I came upon a site that talked about car seat safety and it was mentioned that yes, car seats do expire! So, there you go. It was an "aha" moment for me. Sometimes, you just don't think about this fact because your mind is set up and thinks that a car seat is just another regular seat. Is there a chair that has an expiration date? The first time I heard that car seat can expire, I said to myself, "Really, they expire??" You can probably imagine me having the clueless look of a first-time parent. But, if you think about, it somehow makes sense as the materials they use for car seats are usually made of plastic and plastic can crack or chip due to age and usage. So this is something that parents or caregiver have to keep in mind. I think it is wise for parents to always do a visual check of the car seat to check for wear and tear from time to time even if it isn't nearing the expiration date.

What about used car seat?
Knowing that a car seat has an expiration date brings us to question the wisdom of buying a second hand car seat or getting hand me down car seats from friends or relatives. First, I don't personally recommend buying second hand car seats. You might be tempted to buy a used car seat at Craigslist or EBay but think first about who used it before. Did it expire already? Has it been involved in a car accident? Manufacturers and safety experts recommend that you should never use a car seat that was involved in a car accident. Never! Nadah! No and no. It's not just wise to use it again. When you buy a second hand car seat, you never really know how it was used by the previous owner. No matter what they say. Don't believe them as sometimes people do lie about things. They might lie just to be able to make a sale. It's a sad fact but it does happen. Now, we go to hand-me downs. Recently, a friend of ours who was "on the way", (the baby is coming out this April) have this really annoying aunt who wanted to give them a car seat that was used by a neighbor of her. Her aunt is totally (and annoyingly) persistent and wouldn't budge even though she doesn't know a thing about car seat safety. All she care about is the savings. To be honest, if you don't know who used the car seat before, don't get it. It's not worth saving a few bucks. But, how do you handle the persistent aunt? I know that for some people, it is hard to say 'no'. But, it's your child's safety that's on the line. Just tell her to look up the internet and almost all safety experts agree and they all don't recommend the use of a used car seat that came from previous owners that you don't know.

How do you check the expiration date of a car seat?
Typically, expiration dates are four to five years after the manufacturing date. After buying a car seat, check it out and make a note of it. To look for them, turn them around. It's usually located at the back of the seat. If you plan to use your seat on your next child then take good care of it and make sure that the usage is before the expiration date. So, parents planning a next child in one to three years after the current child should definitely look into the date and make sure that they purchased a recently manufactured unit. If it's already 3 years after the manufacture date then just return it to the store as some might have been in the retailer's warehouse for awhile. You have to remember that older car seats can develop cracks in the plastic or the plastic itself can deteriorate in time making it less safe. It makes sense and I don't think its a gimmick by the manufacturer just so that you buy from them a new one again.

In summary, don't try to cut corner by getting a second hand or used car seat. Before you buy, check the car seat's expiration date. The safety of our child and especially of infants should be paramount. Buy wisely and in truth, safety should always be the biggest concern for parents when they buy a car seat for their child.