Expiration info for skeptics

jennzee · Jun 9, 2010

I'm sure there are probably threads about this, but I wasn't sure what to search for to find them. Feel free to just link me.

What kind of info do you share with skeptics regarding carseat expiration? My neighbor is one of those who is completely convinced that the sole purpose of expiration is for the manufacturer to make more money. He's certain that any research out there was done by manufacturers and is done to scare parents into buying new seats.

On a good note, they just moved their 14 month old to a convertible and plan to keep her RF for as long as possible. That's one battle won...now I just need to convince him that there is a good reason for carseats expiring.

JerseyGirl'sMama · Jun 9, 2010

There are many reasons carseats expire. Something we considered safe 6, 7, 8 years ago, may no longer be. And after being used for said years carseats loose their original parts, or the webbing (harness) gets compromised from improper cleaning (like in a washing machine) or the plastic shell degrades and may become brittle causing the harness to pull right out of the shell in an accident, like this video shows:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvCRz7BRAM0"]YouTube- Car seat expiration[/ame]

Unless they are currently using an expired seat, I would lay off this subject. It's great that they are keeping their little one rear-facing and you don't want to sour them from your advice.

MomToEliEm · Jun 9, 2010

Here is some info I typed up previously that I post when someone questions expiration dates on carseats.

-------------------------

Many people think that carseat expiration is just a ploy to get people to buy more carseats, but I think carseat expiration is due to several reasons, not just plastic degrading. Here are my reasons on why I think carseat expiration dates are valid.

1. Plastic does degrade over time. It doesn't magically happen at 5-8 years, but it is a good date guideline, especially if a carseat has been used in a hot car or stored in a hot garage. Here is a youtube video of a 10 year old carseat: YouTube- Car seat expiration

2. Manufacturers make safety upgrades to seats all the time. They want to get older seats that might not meet the new safety guidelines out of the market. Seats made 10 years ago, often had a 20-22 pound rear facing limit on them (this was for convertible seats, not just infant seats). Now, those convertible seats rear face to 30-35 pounds, and are much safer. Older seats used 3 point harnesses or shields to protect a child, and now more seats are using safer 5 point harnesses on seats.

3. After a certain period of time, seats lose manuals, stickers wear off, harnesses get frayed. It is hard to get replacement parts for older carseats. Without good working parts or a good manual, carseats may not be used correctly.

gsdguenter · Jun 9, 2010

How is it possible that some European seats don't have expiration dates? Aren't they made out of plastic too? I still wouldn't use an expired seat (cause I'm not a rule breaker) but, it just doesn't make sense that some do and some don't IMHO.

jennzee · Jun 9, 2010

JerseyGirl'sMama said:
There are many reasons carseats expire. Something we considered safe 6, 7, 8 years ago, may no longer be. And after being used for said years carseats loose their original parts, or the webbing (harness) gets compromised from improper cleaning (like in a washing machine) or the plastic shell degrades and may become brittle causing the harness to pull right out of the shell in an accident, like this video shows:

Unless they are currently using an expired seat, I would lay off this subject. It's great that they are keeping their little one rear-facing and you don't want to sour them from your advice.

I mentioned every one of those reasons and suggested he look at the video on you tube. He just laughed. He needs hard and fast evidence, not just the neighborhood carseat crazy suggesting what he do

I personally have never questioned expirations, so I've never had a need to look up any specific research done on it.

Currently, they aren't using an expired seat, but they have another baby on the way and were given a seat by a family member that expires this year.

Evolily · Jun 9, 2010

Carseats expire because
1.) technology changes- just like cars are safer today than they were 2 decades ago, car seats are safer today than they use to be
2.) Parts become worn, broken, and lost overtime
3.) Plastic looses some of its integrity overtime, especially after 10 years.

I, personally, am skeptical about what caused the failure in that britax video. My understanding, based on what people in the industry have said, is that plastics are usually good for at least 10 years.

jennzee · Jun 10, 2010

So, is there is no hard and fast research evidence to show all these things (the plastic in particular....technology changing seems to be a pretty easy one for people to be on board with)? It's one thing to say all of those things--I've said them many times to people in carseat conversations--it's another to say "Look, here's some research done by various groups showing XYZ".

kattale · Jun 10, 2010

This topic always ends with me feeling discouraged, and the other parent feeling triumphant that they "won" their point. I usually end up by pointing out - I don't win anything from this discussion - I have absolutely NO prize that I win for convincing you, except the safety of your own child, what other motivation could I have for this conversation except that? I won't argue with you if it's that important to you to be right. It is not my decision in the end, it's yours - it is your choice if you would like to use your beautiful child as the crash test dummy to find out which one of us is right.

jennzee · Jun 10, 2010

kattale said:
This topic always ends with me feeling discouraged, and the other parent feeling triumphant that they "won" their point. I usually end up by pointing out - I don't win anything from this discussion - I have absolutely NO prize that I win for convincing you, except the safety of your own child, what other motivation could I have for this conversation except that? I won't argue with you if it's that important to you to be right. It is not my decision in the end, it's yours - it is your choice if you would like to use your beautiful child as the crash test dummy to find out which one of us is right.

I suppose that's the big reason I'd love to know of any studies done so that rather than arguing, I can just say end the conversation with "Here's some great info that might answer some of your questions" and then leave it at that.

I've been on the other end before with certain carseat things....people would argue in one ear and out the other and while some of it might have made sense to me, until I sat down and actually did my own research, I wasn't ready to commit. Being able to offer someone a place to start might push them in the direction of doing some research themselves rather than just feeling like they are being preached to.

morninglori · Jun 10, 2010

I found this post from Britax on their FB page regarding expiration. Perhaps from someone "official" like a carseat manufacture would be more convincing, even if what Britax says is identical to what MomToEliEm posted.

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=440384403101

BRITAX: I see that there are a lot of questions about car seat expiration dates; maybe this can provide more clarification:

Why do car seats have expiration dates?

There are several reasons why car seats have expiration dates:...

1. The materials that compose the seat (plastics, fabrics, webbing, etc.) all degrade over a period of time due to environmental factors, such as sunlight and heat.

2. Car seat manufacturers have the ability to perform “life cycle testing” in an environmental chamber. This chamber allows us to perform tests replicating an expected life span of the seat. Several factors come into play during this life span testing, including the materials the seat is made from, the process by which the seat was made, the design of the seat, and the size and weight of the child using the seat. Without an expiration date, a car seat would be good forever; however, it would be impossible for a car seat manufacturer to test a seat and guarantee that it will work forever.

3. A car seat has to meet government standards that are in place at the time the seat is manufactured. These safety standards are constantly changing as new research is conducted and new technologies are developed – in fact, they’ve changed multiple times in the past few years. Therefore, a seat that was manufactured 10 years ago and met the government’s requirements 10 years ago may not meet the safety standards that we have in place today. A car seat that is manufactured with reasonably current technology will provide the best level of safety available.

Why do different car seats have different expiration dates?

The type of materials used in a car seat not only affect the seat’s expiration date, they also affect how the seat will perform in a crash. Depending on factors such as the type of car seat, the design of the seat, how the seat will be installed, and the weight capacity of the seat, different materials will perform better than others during a crash test. At Britax, our goal is to keep your child as safe as possible during a crash – this means that some of our seats are constructed with different materials that have different expiration dates. During our product development process, the materials used to create the seat are adjusted to achieve the best crash test performance possible for that particular seat.

May 5 at 1:47pm · Flag

Expiration info for skeptics

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