The Bubble Bum booster that I have says that it expires four years after the date of purchase, which while preferable to using date of manufacture, I am finding confusing. I'm trying to put all my carseat expiration dates into my calendar so that I don't lose track, and I am baffled about what to do with the bubble bum. Here is why:
The date of manufacture is actually in 2012, a good 2-3 years before I bought the seat. I don't remember the exact date of purchase, but I know that I did not use the seat until after my DD turned 4, in early 2014. We only use the seat for short trips, usually in taxis, so I would estimate that we use this seat about 2-6 times per year total. I have two concerns:
1) I'm not sure of the exact date of purchase, but I do know pretty closely the first date of use (since it was after my DD's fourth birthday, I could use her fourth birthday as the date of purchase, if the main thing to be concerned about is the date it was first used). Does it seem reasonable to use the date of first use as the baseline if I don't remember the date of purchase, or do I need to be super-conservative and back up the expiration date by 6 months or a year prior to first use just to be safe, since I don't remember the date of purchase?
2) It seems like this seat sat around for years in the store before I bought it. Is the four years from date of purchase still reasonable if it sat around in the store for 2-3 years before I bought it? Should I assume that once the seat is more than six years from the date of manufacture that it should no longer be used, even if it is still within the four years since I purchased it? Does Bubble Bum limit how long these seats can sit at the stores before they are sold?
I guess I am a bit baffled by the date of purchase guideline, because it isn't clear to me how Bubble Bum calculated that--it must be based on some date that actually links back to the date of manufacture, shouldn't it? Because the date of purchase is so arbitrary, given how long a car seat can sit at a store? Just looking for some general guidance about what I should pick for the seat expiration date. It's not like these seats are so expensive that it would be the end of the world to have to buy an extra one before my kids outgrow them, but I don't want to dump a perfectly good seat in a landfill either.
I guess I am just driven a bit crazy by the imprecision of it. I wish Bubble Bum would give some rule such as: four years from date of purchase or six years from date of manufacture, whatever comes first; or four years from date of purchase, or six years from date of manufacture if you can't remember when you bought it.
It didn't occur to me to note the date of purchase when I bought it because every other carseat I have encountered always had the expiration date based on the date of manufacture.
Thanks for taking the time to read my post!
The date of manufacture is actually in 2012, a good 2-3 years before I bought the seat. I don't remember the exact date of purchase, but I know that I did not use the seat until after my DD turned 4, in early 2014. We only use the seat for short trips, usually in taxis, so I would estimate that we use this seat about 2-6 times per year total. I have two concerns:
1) I'm not sure of the exact date of purchase, but I do know pretty closely the first date of use (since it was after my DD's fourth birthday, I could use her fourth birthday as the date of purchase, if the main thing to be concerned about is the date it was first used). Does it seem reasonable to use the date of first use as the baseline if I don't remember the date of purchase, or do I need to be super-conservative and back up the expiration date by 6 months or a year prior to first use just to be safe, since I don't remember the date of purchase?
2) It seems like this seat sat around for years in the store before I bought it. Is the four years from date of purchase still reasonable if it sat around in the store for 2-3 years before I bought it? Should I assume that once the seat is more than six years from the date of manufacture that it should no longer be used, even if it is still within the four years since I purchased it? Does Bubble Bum limit how long these seats can sit at the stores before they are sold?
I guess I am a bit baffled by the date of purchase guideline, because it isn't clear to me how Bubble Bum calculated that--it must be based on some date that actually links back to the date of manufacture, shouldn't it? Because the date of purchase is so arbitrary, given how long a car seat can sit at a store? Just looking for some general guidance about what I should pick for the seat expiration date. It's not like these seats are so expensive that it would be the end of the world to have to buy an extra one before my kids outgrow them, but I don't want to dump a perfectly good seat in a landfill either.
I guess I am just driven a bit crazy by the imprecision of it. I wish Bubble Bum would give some rule such as: four years from date of purchase or six years from date of manufacture, whatever comes first; or four years from date of purchase, or six years from date of manufacture if you can't remember when you bought it.
It didn't occur to me to note the date of purchase when I bought it because every other carseat I have encountered always had the expiration date based on the date of manufacture. Thanks for taking the time to read my post!
