Do you loan out your seats?

Schwa

New member
Do you loan out the seats that you personally own? If you do, what are your criteria? I have a few back-up seats in my garage that I know would be helpful to a few friends, but I know they will not care for it like I do. Just wondering what others do when it comes to loaning, whether asked by someone or just offering.
 
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skipspin

New member
I loaned my infant seat to a close friend. She, of coarse, used it right and I got it back in great condition, but I knew that she would take care of it. We are pretty close since I was there for her whole labor and birth and babysat before "grandma" did. I figured it would save her some money towards a convertible seat and it would just be sitting in my attic anyway.

I would probably loan my Evenflo Chase to someone who needed it, but it would have to be a special person indeed to get my Britax, Recaro, or Radian, especailly for more than a week or so ;-)

In general when I loan anything out I ask myself how I would feel if I NEVER got it back or get it back in unuseable condition. If I would be mad or not want to be their friend anymore, I just won't loan it out. For instance, I loaned my $12 umbrella stroller to our neighbor's 20 yr old daughter when she was babysitting and begged to borrow a stroller. I never saw it again. Sure, I sort of wanted it back, but it's not a big deal- and I got a Zooper Salsa after that since I never really liked it anyway. LOL. Here DH just htought I was being forgiveing...
 
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thepeach80

Senior Community Member
I traded w/ a friend for a few wks this past summer. She's a former tech (she's on here too, lol) so I was o.k. I would probably loan out my Scenera to others, but not my hwh seats.
 

mominabigtruck

New member
I wouldn't loan out one of my main seats unless it was just to switch it with another one of my seats I have in someone else's car. But I do go garage saleing in the summer and I pick up nice, unexpired seats to give to people that I know are in need for whatever reason. My mom used to babysit for alot of kids and hardly any of the kids were restrained properly so I would pick up seats with them in mind and then give them to them. I also keep extras in my closet in case someone I know would need to borrow one and then those are the ones I lend out. Usually only to family or close friends.
 

Michi

Member
We loaned out our infant seat to my SIL ( for our nephew) when she flew to visit us, because she didn't buy a seat for him on the plane and didn't want to bring her own.

Based on that experience - I will NEVER loan out another seat again!

My DN, as it turns out, was a MAJOR puker! ( A fact, SIL didn't mention when I agreed to let her borrow the seat!)
I had to completly disinfect the shell, wash the cover about 20 times and replace the straps....( and SIL didn't offer to pay)

My husband was SO mad!
I know it wasn't poor DN's fault ( he had reflux) but SIL could have warned us!
 
Ditto skaterbabs' post. I once loaned out a very nice infant seat w/ base; we'd bought it new for our 3rd child and were expecting our 4th a mere 15-16 months later. A neighbor across the street with a couple of kiddos had a new baby and a super-junky old nasty seat I wouldn't put a puppy in, let alone a human baby. I was trying to help her out as much as possible, giving her clothes and baby items we didn't need any more, but her place was a STY (and I am NOT a harsh judge of household cleanliness, being that I'm not a great housekeeper myself). Should have been a major tipoff. I *loaned* her the seat in very clear terms, being pregnant myself and knowing I would need it again in 7 or 8 months. We both very well understood that I needed it back, and we were living paycheck to paycheck so I knew it wouldn't be easy to buy another. You can guess that I never saw that seat again. I finally got up the nerve to ask for it back a few weeks before my due date (after not talking to her for several weeks), and she was gone! I guess her hubby left her or something, and she had to move out of the military housing unit fairly quickly. I never saw her, spoke to her, or heard from her again. :rolleyes:

Nowadays I figure that if I loan it out, consider it a gift even if I'd *like* to see it come back to me eventually. If I can't part with it, I won't "loan" it. If someone were in need for a very LIMITED time of use (say, for one day for an unexpected extra child or car trip or something) I would consider it, but it would have to be someone I trust.
 

Patriot201

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
I loaned two seats to a friend sveral years ago. She apparently didn't understand that they were a loan, not a gift. She then passed them on to one of her friends without asking me. It practically took an act of Congress to get the seats back. :rolleyes:
 

tchrgrrl

New member
I would only loan seats to two of my friends because I know they are as freakish about their seats as I am. Obviously I would know if someone I loaned a seat to got in an accident but my fear is that if they dropped the seat and didn't think it was a big deal or washed the straps before returning it, etc.
 

CrabbyBunchX3

New member
I loaned(courtesy of my mother) my 2004 graco snugride to my aunt for her to use while watching her granddaughter. I'm using that as an excuse to get a SS1 for this baby though:p
She should be finished using it now, as I'm sure my cousin has outgrown the carrier, but I don't know what she has done to maintain the seat and if its been in the house with the other kids climbing in it, ect ect.

I gave the Evenflo Titan away lol I couldn't wait to get rid of that seat!
 

SPJ&E

New member
I loaned my Evenflo Triumph to my cousin for her son when he was close to outgrowing his infant seat and her Marathon hadn't arrived yet (yep, I talked her into that one). We don't use it anyway, Pacey is too tall to rear-face in it and Joshua's still in the infant carseat.

My criteria...I showed her (in the house) how to use it first. I buckled her son into it and then she did it so I could see that she knew how to do it correctly. I told her to make sure the straps are flat/not twisted, that they are snug with no slack, and the chestclip is at armpit level. Then I installed it for her. I did the same when she got her Marathon...showed her how to use it and then installed it for her.
 

CrabbyBunchX3

New member
I loaned my Evenflo Triumph to my cousin for her son when he was close to outgrowing his infant seat and her Marathon hadn't arrived yet (yep, I talked her into that one). We don't use it anyway, Pacey is too tall to rear-face in it and Joshua's still in the infant carseat.

My criteria...I showed her (in the house) how to use it first. I buckled her son into it and then she did it so I could see that she knew how to do it correctly. I told her to make sure the straps are flat/not twisted, that they are snug with no slack, and the chestclip is at armpit level. Then I installed it for her. I did the same when she got her Marathon...showed her how to use it and then installed it for her.

I wish I would've had the opportunity to show my Aunt how to properly use the snugride. My mom just decided I would loan it out no probs(same with the swing, a bouncer seat, & pack n play) and took off to Va with it one weekend:rolleyes:
 

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
I haven't loaned out seats but I have given some of our seats to relatives. It gives me another excuse to buy a new seat for us, lol.
 

Haileys_mommy

New member
i don't know if i would, i'm really "bugged" on the whole "loaning' it out.. my grandparents bought DD's Intera and i LOVED it and still do. i just recently bought a cosco one....just so we have an extra and were tight on cash and it was on sale for 38 dollars then it had a 10dollar mail in rebate and being a SAHM DF(fiance) and i are pretty tight on money so i couldnt pass it up. i'm still pretty weird about putting my DN in one of them. i know he is a good kid and all that but ya know its just its Hailey's seat(s) i mean if it was for a quick ride to the sotre or in an emergency i wouldn't have a problem. or if i was babysitting. but i think i would be more mad/pissed off at someone if they borrowed my car seat and wrecked/something happened and they were supposed to replace it and didnt than i would be if I myself did something to it! is that wrong? please tell me thats not wrong.
 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member
I've shared a CarGo with my cousin for a couple years -- her husband has CPSafety training so I trust them to keep it in top condition.... I also have made sure to keep a spare seat for Leila to use in other vehicles -- JIC there's damage, it's just a cheap alternative so I don't have to replace the primary seat!

I have also loaned a Scenera, LapTop & backless booster various times when one of Leila's classmates would otherwise have been carpooled without ANY seat: I have always required that the parent allow me to install the seat (that way I also get my foot in the door to fix the misuse errors on other seats) + I teach them how to correctly use the seat. Since we have to see eachother on a daily basis on school grounds I don't worry about not getting the seat back & I'm not too proud to say that I have played the "I'll call the police" card if they try to avoid accepting my graciousness :rolleyes:
 

LEAW

New member
I've loaned the Scenara out for travel to a close friend or two, and I've put many kids in our spare seats in our cars (family, friends, neighbors), but generally I don't loan stuff out that I don't expect back.

The friends who borrow the Scenara to travel have Britax seats for their kids, and use the Scenara and infant bucket (they both have buckets) for the younger ones that still fit.

The seat almost always comes back to me in cleaner condition. They know not to mess with the straps, but usually they vac out the dog hair and crumbs I left on it!
 

southpawboston

New member
i haven't had to loan out any of our seats yet. i'd probably make sure they understand how it should be used and also that i expect it returned in the same condition!

i'll bet most people (except CPS-conscious types) just see them as appliances with no concept at all of how they really *should* be taken care of... like loaning someone your shovel or wheelbarrow.
 

arly1983

New member
Nope, not anymore....
My aunt called me the day before she was supposed the have baby #6 and said the carseat she just got back from being loaned out didn't seem right. I got over there and couldn't believer my eyes. Someboddy had cut the harness making it into a 3-point harness and serged (sp) the ends up. Talk about ruining a carseat( I ended up ordering a new harness and she used mine till it got here). If you can't tell I have alot of carseat stories. I think in this area the rate of misuse is like 99%
 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member
Oh my! It's just amazing what totally stupid things people do with carseats -- would they have cut a borrowed pair of jeans into shorts? @@ Why mess with someone else's carseat for crying out loud :confused: :( *SIGH*
 

arly1983

New member
I know, it was truly amazing to me too. I was completely floored. I guess what surprized me more is that my aunt,who is not safety conscience at all, even noticed. She was extremely upset that they missed up her cute Eddie Bauer Carseat.
 

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