question about Booster expiration....

Baylor · Jan 4, 2011

I get the reason why harnessed seats expire.. I can see the weakening of the seat where the harness threads through that hold the child in. I get that.. However I was thinking about out this today and it occurred to me that really the booster just raises the child, except for the belt guide, There is no contact through the seat.. So really can it be that dangerous for someone to use a booster that is say 1-2 yrs off expiration?

Especially NBB.. I just don't understand the risk involved.

I am not arguing, but trying to understand. I do not have access to studies and information why And am just asking for the information supporting the expiration dates on the boosters especially NBB.

Thanks for the help in understanding this!

carseatcoach · Jan 4, 2011

As you know from your time on this site, one of the main functions of a booster is to properly position the lap belt and keep it low. Booster armrests act as artificial hips to accomplish that. If the plastic degrades or weakens, the booster won't work as it's supposed to. We don't need studies to know this.

MomToEliEm · Jan 4, 2011

I think with boosters, the main reason for them to expire is due to changing regulations and safety standards. Without expiration dates on them, older less-safe boosters may stay on the market for a long time. Shield boosters were very popular a few years ago. Luckily many are starting to expire now so hopefully fewer are being used. If these shield boosters didn't have expiration dates, they could stay on the market for a long time. Studies have proven that they are not the safest booster for the child so they stopped being made. After a recent study from IIHS showing that many booster seats sold today didn't position the lap and shoulder seatbelt correctly on many children, I am hopeful that within the next couple years we will see even safer booster seats on the market. Booster seat/carseat technology is changing each year and it is important to get those older out-dated boosters out of the market.

Boosters may still be affected by plastic degradation. The lapbelt portion of the booster (typically the armrests) need to be strong enough to keep the lapbelt down during a crash. If they were brittle they may break off raising the seatbelt up on the child's belly. The shoulder belt positioned on a seatbelt may also break off if the plastic is brittle causing the seatbelt to not fall correctly on the child at the right time.

rachelandtyke · Jan 4, 2011

Here is a helpful post on that: http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=19134

go to post # 3 where Papooses says:
boosters not only lift kids up for the seatbelt to do most of the work, but they do help absorb some crash force, which is important because kids' hips do not finish developing until puberty.

And here: http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=5505 #13

(I have got to figure out how to post links to direct posts in threads!)

ETA: opps, too slow! Chicka and MtEE posted while I was searching, lol.

Baylor · Jan 4, 2011

MomToEliEm said:
I think with boosters, the main reason for them to expire is due to changing regulations and safety standards. Without expiration dates on them, older less-safe boosters may stay on the market for a long time. Shield boosters were very popular a few years ago. Luckily many are starting to expire now so hopefully fewer are being used. If these shield boosters didn't have expiration dates, they could stay on the market for a long time. Studies have proven that they are not the safest booster for the child so they stopped being made. After a recent study from IIHS showing that many booster seats sold today didn't position the lap and shoulder seatbelt correctly on many children, I am hopefully that within the next couple years we will see even safer booster seats on the market. Booster seat/carseat technology is changing each year and it is important to get those older out-dated boosters out of the market.

Boosters may still be affected by plastic degradation. The lapbelt portion of the booster (typically the armrests) need to be strong enough to keep the lapbelt down during a crash. If they were brittle they may break off raising the seatbelt up on the child's belly. The shoulder belt positioned on a seatbelt may also break off if the plastic is brittle causing the seatbelt to not fall correctly on the child at the right time.

Is there a list of the ones that don't position the belt correctly? Thanks so much for that answer. It makes perfect sense that way. It was just one of those things as I was looking at the booster in my shed this morning crossed my mind. I am just holding onto it for a trade in day at BRU.

Thanks so much.

Baylor · Jan 4, 2011

rachelandtyke said:
Here is a helpful post on that: http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=19134

go to post # 3 where Papooses says:
boosters not only lift kids up for the seatbelt to do most of the work, but they do help absorb some crash force, which is important because kids' hips do not finish developing until puberty.

And here: http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=5505 #13

(I have got to figure out how to post links to direct posts in threads!)

Thanks so much! I love the information. AS a Newbie here I am just trying to gather as much information as I can to apply to my kids car safety. Thanks so much for that link and quote!

MomToEliEm · Jan 4, 2011

Baylor said:
Is there a list of the ones that don't position the belt correctly? Thanks so much for that answer. It makes perfect sense that way. It was just one of those things as I was looking at the booster in my shed this morning crossed my mind. I am just holding onto it for a trade in day at BRU.

IIHS does a yearly study with how a booster fits a standard 6 year old dummy. They make recommendations based on that one fit and put out a yearly list of recommended and not recommended boosters. If your child isn't the size of that 6 year old dummy though, a booster they didn't recommend might fit your child great. It is a good idea to always look at the seatbelt fit on the child to see how well the booster might work.

Here are links to the newest IIHS booster ratings
http://www.iihs.org/research/topics/boosters/default.html
There are tabs on that website which also link to the recommended and not recommended boosters.

question about Booster expiration....

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