Freecycle

Victorious4

Senior Community Member
I haven't checked our local Freecycle list-serve in a few weeks & just noticed someone offered & someone else received 2 lap shield boosters & 2 other carseats, all advertised as "worn out but plenty of life" :eek: :( OMG -- sent an email to the original owner (because I don't know who the new owner is) explaining the dangers, with links....

This isn't the 1st time: I "rescued" an extremely rusted T-shield from the side of the road after a Freecycle offer just last month, too. So, if no one has heard of it yet, I urge the CPSAdvocates & CPSTechnicians to check out the link below for your local Freecycle & sign up to keep an eye out for possible dangerous carseat offers!

http://www.freecycle.org/

Snag 'em up quick & destroy ... hopefully, also keep offering good safe advice, too ;)
 
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ADS

scatterbunny

New member
I'm a member of four different freecycle groups, they're all located within 2ish hours of me, and I email people who offer obviously bad seats. It's hard to tell, though, with no pictures, and most don't offer much information, either.

I also keep a close eye on the local CraigsList. Just in the past few days I've managed to get two sellers to remove shield boosters for sale. :D Still, there are about four more for sale, all posted within the last week or so. :( So I made my own posting about shield boosters, just an informative post, sort of shaming the sellers who refused to remove the listings, even after my emailing them. I got an email from one mom who had been using a shield booster for her dd because they only have lapbelts, she thought the shield booster was the only solution! I linked her to CPSafety's shield booster page, and the alternatives for lapbelt-only spots, and she said she's getting the EZOn+RideRyte!

I also posted an informational thing about expiration dates because there are a lot of expired seats, especially Britax, offered on CL. I got an email from someone who has an expired seat, who didn't know what to do with it. I told her the standard thing (cut straps, damage seat, etc.), but she didn't want to add to the landfill, so I told her to call ACTS Oregon/Child Safety Seat Resource Center and they gave her the name of a recycling company who will take carseats. She emailed me back with the information of the company so I can pass it on to anyone else in our area who might like to do that instead of throwing it out with the trash.
 

Dreaming_of_Speed

Senior Community Member
She was worried about adding one car seat to a landfill? Wow. I guess i'm not that earth conscious.

Thats cool that you have managed to get some ppl to open their eyes. Our 'local' freecycle is a few hours away. I joined thinking it would be good to watch out for unsafe baby gear and stuff i needed but i have since changed my mind. I do need to work more at keeping bad seats off the 'market'.

My towns big baptist church is having a consignment sale for the whole congregation to bring stuff to. I've removed 3 shield boosters, 4 expired infant seats, and one broken OHS seat (the bar was broken on one side but 'you can cut the other side off and it would be ok.") There were two seats that were just gross but the sellers wouldnt stop selling them (even though one was expired). I have to go back today and tomorrow since they are selling in 'waves' and no one can see the next waves stuff so i have to go check every few hours. Its annoying but ppl kept telling me when they see me that they are planning on selling tons of baby stuff so i know more is coming (i'm also checking walkers, cribs, and pnp's for dangerous items.) The belly is for once working to my advantage, they all want me to buy their stuff so i get told whats to come so i know what to look for (and they will hold things for me! I have a Tshield seat waiting for me on Sunday! :) Yippee! and "its much easier to use than those ones they sell now with all those straps.")
 

Tara

New member
Ugh! I know it..I'm in a freecycle group as well..but am always too late to snag the car seats. I don't visit the site often enough, or at least just at the wrong times...a smidge too late. But I've been paying attention to those 'offer: car seat' ads I'm sure there are some doozies going out there.
 

SusanMae

Senior Community Member
Ok--what do you do when it's too far away for you to get it? I just found a 6 yr old SnugRide, but it's too far away. I think I'm just going to email them and hope they destroy it.

Susan
 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member
My letter to the Freecycle Administrators

To whom it concerns:

I am a local Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does not recommend the use of used carseats. I hope you will take my request seriously….

• In upstate NY the average rate of misuse is 97%
• 4 out of 5 parents/caregivers make an average of 3 fatal mistakes with each carseat
• Car crashes are the leading cause of death for kids, surpassing all illnesses combined

These stats are based on inspections for loving, intelligent parents & caregivers (not the illiterate nor the neglectful/abusive) – these are the parents who thought they did everything right! The most common forms of misuse are:

• Carseat suffered a crash (cracks only visible with Xray)
• Expired (6 years from Date of Manufacture)
• Wrong belt path
• Both LATCH & seatbelt
• Not locking the seat in
• More than 1" movement in any direction at the belt path
• Harness straps twisted
• Harness straps too loose
• Harness in the wrong slots
• Harness has been laundered/ironed
• Chest clip too low
• Improper recline rear facing
• Infant's head within 1" of the seat shell
• Using add on products
• Wrong carseat for the child's weight/height/age
• Installing in a position not approved by the vehicle manufacturer

Please prohibit the trading of used carseats, or at least post the New York State used carseat checklist & Child Passenger Safety Technician locator (http://safeny.org/sesa-chk.htm & http://www.seatcheck.org) in the Links, then create a File document sent as a monthly reminder due to the volume of carseat offers/requests I have counted here, urging people to give used carseats directly to local Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians for training purposes.

Thank you for your urgent attention to this dangerous matter!
I would appreciate a timely response….
 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member
Just sent it to our local Freecycle.

If they don't respond I plan to send it every week until they do, LOL
 
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Victorious4

Senior Community Member
Update

I did get a reply ... they of course decide to allow it for "creative reasons" -- people might use the pieces for other projects. I responded again:

Thank you for the promt response & for posting the links! I hope the members see them & USE them =/ CPSTechs like me sift through Freecycle, eBay, yardslaes, etc. trying to pull used seats because of the urgent danger they pose to unsuspecting parents. It is extremely rare that anyone uses a carseat or it's parts for anything other than for a child to ride in a moving vehicle -- the ones I have grabbed up locally were a frightful sight =( Hopefully, I catch more before one makes the news....

At least now the links are there, I guess *SIGH*
 

Dreaming_of_Speed

Senior Community Member
What other creative uses are there? I use mine at movies and restaurants occasionally but other than that i cant think of anything. Maybe so abstract artist uses them? Or a weird collector collects locking clips and buckle tongs? (sorry just amusing myself)
 

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