Tru Fit made in China

The First Years Tru Fit is made in China. I wonder how reliable and safe this seat is. How much lead content does it have?

Obviously the issue of unacceptable levels of lead in products, especially chidlren's products, has become a huge (media?) issue lately. Companies such as Trader Joe's have moved production of items from China back to the United States or to other more ethical producers.. As a result, costs for these items are significantly increased. It's a toss-up--either you buy a product made in China for a relatively low price, or you purchase a (North) American made product for more. Regardless of origin, lead levels are mandated/regulated by Health Canada. It's not just the True Fit that's made in China. Most commercially-available mass-produced baby products are made in Asian countries where quality control can be difficult to maintain.

You can read the Health Canada information about lead:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/contaminants/lead-plomb/index-eng.php

A while back there was this big scare about the off-gassing of toxic chemicals from carseat covers..Does this mean that we should stop putting our children in carseats? Does the potential presence of lead mean we should stop putting children in carseats? Probably not. If the lead issue in China is of health and/or ethical concern for you, you may want to consider a child restraint that was not produced in China.

-Nicole.

All carseats have to pass the same testing to be sold in Canada, regardless of where they are produced. Not only do seats have to pass the standards prior to being sold, there is also ongoing testing to ensure that the seats continue to meet standards.

Any country can have poor quality products.
AND
Any country can have excellent quality products.

It's not about country, it's about design, quality control, manufacturing processes, and standardization.

You would be hard pressed to find any seat that had every single component and every component used to make each component manufactured in North America.

Many if not most seats available for purchase are made in China. Personally speaking, I want to know my seat passes crash testing. I don't plan on feeding my kids their carseats for supper so even if there were trace amounts of lead hiding in a bolt somewhere I don't really care.

Tru Fit, Radian made in China.

Which ones are made in North America?

Unregistered said:

Tru Fit, Radian made in China.

Which ones are made in North America?

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Assembled in North America or every single component from North America?

Britax, Cosco/Dorel (some of the line, I don't think the entire line,) and Evenflo are assembled in the US. All use at least some parts that come from other countries. You'd have to contact the individual companies to find exactly where they source everything from. Harnesses and UAS belts are almost always from IMMI and I think IMMI manufactures in Mexico. IIRC Britax covers are also made in Mexico. As for the nuts and bolts, I have no clue.

Obviously you have something against China, which is fine. However, you are eliminating 2 of the most recommended seats around here off your list due to manufacturing location. You may want to reconsider keeping your options open until you've looked at the seats and evaluated them based on their merits instead of where they were put together.

Being manufactured in North America is no guarantee of quality, and all manufacturers have recalls at some point or another...

Just some food for thought anyways.

Unregistered said:

Tru Fit, Radian made in China.

Which ones are made in North America?

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Would you pls register. There are a few 'unregistered' posters and I often don't know who I talk to. Thx.

Unregistered said:

The First Years Tru Fit is made in China. I wonder how reliable and safe this seat is. How much lead content does it have?

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Lots of products have lead in them. The problem is only those materials where the lead might leech out and then those where it may actually be ingested. The steel in most every product contains lead, but it doesn't readily leech out of the metal. If there was a trace amount of lead in the shell of a carseat, it's unlikely to pose a risk unless you routinely let your child chew on it.

Toys and water bottles are quite different, both in terms of materials and contact with the child.

I am sure many people my age grew up in houses full of lead, they are still alive and kicking! (althouh under that same logic, most people my age didn't have car seats either) But I *think* the lead levels are much lower than they used to be 30 years ago, I think a lot of the concern is blown out of proportion (now I am not saying to go out and eat some lead), but you are bound to come across some lead in your eveyrday life. Everyone needs to take precaution where they feel necessary.

When Graco had their snugride recall a few years back, it was the U.S. ones. The made in China ones weren't affected.

QuassEE said:

chemicals from carseat covers..Does this mean that we should stop putting our children in carseats?

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Evidently for the environment's sake, we should walk more (which also avoids carseats). But when that is not possible...yeah carseats, even those with lead, are safer than none. Better to try and make sure the kid can't chew on the plastic of the seat I suppose. ;-)

Nicole, love the flag/leaves on your kids' pics. ;-)

Fio