Would you use this car seat?

catchthewind · Aug 26, 2009

My sister-in-law has offered us the use of her infant car seat if we want it. It seems to be in good shape and has never been in an accident (she's had it since it was brand new), but it's old (she used it for two kids), and expires in Dec 2010. Our baby is due early March 2010, so would be around 9 months old when it expired. We switched our current daughter to a Marathon at eight months, so it seems that 9 months would be long enough for us, but I guess I'm worried about the age of the seat. I forgot to ask her if she's ever washed it too, since I know most people don't realize you shouldn't. (I washed our first car seat and didn't find out until after we weren't using it anymore that it's a nono!) My current daughter will be three and a half by then and if she keeps following the growth chart she'll likely be just outgrowing or have outgrown the Marathon rearfacing anyway, so the timing would be good and we could get her a convertible booster and put the baby in her Marathon.

Anyway, I can't see the seat because she's in Alberta and we're in BC, but my dad can bring it out here for us in September and I may get him to bring it up anyway so I can check it out, though if we should just avoid it altogether I won't bother as it would be a bit of a hassle for him. (He's happy to do it if it's worth it though.) What else should I find out from her before deciding whether it's worth a look? And once we get it out here, what should I look for?

simplychels · Aug 26, 2009

I'm a little weary about pushing a seat to its absolute limit. I personally wouldn't use it unless I wasn't financially able to go purchase a new seat (I like my stuff brand spankin new).

And like you said, some people dont think about things like washing a seat incorrectly so i'd be weary of anything second hand regardless of if I knew who it was coming from.

TheNimpsGirl · Aug 26, 2009

If you trust your SIL with your child's life and trust she is being honest about the car seat and it's history (no accident, straps haven't been washed, has all of it's parts, etc) then I don't see anything wrong with using the seat. As you already know car seats can be used up until till they expire, just not after. I'm not a tech but I've never read anything about not using a seat the few months before it expires, perhaps one can chime in one way or the other.

I would just check a few things like what kind of harness is it? A 3pt or a 5pt? Is it an up front adjuster? Can you install it without the base? These are more issues of preference than safety (an arguement of course can be made about the 3pt vs 5pt) but it could help you make your final decision.

Also just make sure to check the seat for a recall. You'll need the model number off the base and the seat.

Judi · Aug 26, 2009

Check in to make the straps haven't been washed and there are no recalls. I would use it.

catchthewind · Aug 26, 2009

simplychels said:
I'm a little weary about pushing a seat to its absolute limit. I personally wouldn't use it unless I wasn't financially able to go purchase a new seat (I like my stuff brand spankin new).

And like you said, some people dont think about things like washing a seat incorrectly so i'd be weary of anything second hand regardless of if I knew who it was coming from.

We can afford a new seat, but she can't find anywhere to recycle it and was just going to throw it out. It seems silly for me to spend $100-$200 for a new seat that I will use for 8-9 months when I could use hers and save the money and not have an extra seat out in circulation that I will then either have to find someone willing to use it or it just gets recycled/thrown out, you know?

I trust her implicitly. We're actually really good friends and I know she wouldn't lie or exaggerate about anything, especially since she's giving it to me for free and was just going to throw it out anyway. I asked her about the straps and I'll get the model number for it and check out any recalls too.

TheNimpsGirl, Thank you, those are some good things to think about. I know it's not a Graco, because that's what we had before and I know hers was different, but she hasn't got back to me with the actual make/model yet.

Thank you!

simplychels · Aug 26, 2009

Your reasoning makes sense. Sorry if my post came off as if I was implying something financially, I wasn't. Just stating my personal opinion as to why I wont use a used seat. Especially after learning all about the very common mistakes that can be made in regards to seats, im overly cautious now. If you trust her, and do your due diligence then by all means use it up.

I also think that Britax (i think it was britax anyways) cash test on the expired seat scared me, the seat was barely expired and the crash test made my gut cringe.

Judi · Aug 26, 2009

simplychels said:
I also think that Britax (i think it was britax anyways) cash test on the expired seat scared me, the seat was barely expired and the crash test made my gut cringe.

As far as I remember, the seat was 10 years old. All seats will fail at 10 years old.

simplychels · Aug 26, 2009

oh yes you are right, I only saw the 6 year part (where it states they expire at 6yo), not where they said "this seat is 10 years old"

abemom2 · Aug 27, 2009

Why not? You can save $200 or so, and put that towards a good convertible, or some cute baby stuff!

My Graco infant, I had washed the harness before knowing it's not allowed, so I bought a new harness when I gave the seat to my sister to use for her baby. You can always buy an extra part or two and still save $$$.

You can use it for 6 months, if you don't want to go until the last day.

mommycat · Aug 27, 2009

I wouldn't hesitate to use a seat up to the very last day of expiry, assuming it had no significant lack of "modern" safety features. What I mean is, I wouldn't use an overhead shield or a 3pt infant seat or something of that nature. I would avoid a rear adjust harness but only for convenience. As long as you trust her, as has already been discussed, and the seat appears to be in good working order, I would probably use it.

catchthewind · Aug 27, 2009

simplychels said:
Your reasoning makes sense. Sorry if my post came off as if I was implying something financially, I wasn't. Just stating my personal opinion as to why I wont use a used seat. Especially after learning all about the very common mistakes that can be made in regards to seats, im overly cautious now. If you trust her, and do your due diligence then by all means use it up.

I also think that Britax (i think it was britax anyways) cash test on the expired seat scared me, the seat was barely expired and the crash test made my gut cringe.

No don't worry, I wasn't offended or anything at all. Just wanted to explain there is more to it for me than money. We try to be really eco-friendly. But I appreciate the dissenting opinions as much as the assenting ones, regardless of which way we go. Especially where my childrens' safety is concerned.

She just got back to me and she has never washed the straps but may have washed the cover once (she can't remember). Is the cover a problem? It is EvenFlo model Portabout 5 #5751292CP1.

catchthewind · Aug 27, 2009

Looks like it was involved in a recall but if I'm not mistaken it's an easy fix (if my sister-in-law hasn't fixed it herself already): http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=17817

April · Aug 27, 2009

Hmm... Pretty sure the Evenflo seats have to have the handle down and 1.5 inches of clearance between the handle and the vehicle seat. At least the Embrace does, not sure about the Portabout. So that might factor in depending on which vehicle its going to be in and how tall the driver and front passenger are. I'm betting its rear adjust as well. So although its likely safe, it could be missing some pretty big convenience factors.

catchthewind · Aug 27, 2009

Where would I find all that out? It got an A rating for ease of use here: http://pediatrics.about.com/od/carseats/l/bl_inf_rtgs.htm but I don't know if that means anything. We'll be borrowing my dad's car when the baby comes (which is a Grand Prix or something similar), but soon afterwards will likely be getting my husband's parents' Honda Odyssey, so I don't think space will be an issue. If we don't end up getting the Odyssey we'll likely buy a station wagon. It's a bit up in the air right now as we sold our last car because it was too small for two kids and will get my dad's car for six months, so we're not even really looking into cars right now.

momto2boysinOnt · Aug 27, 2009

catchthewind said:
She just got back to me and she has never washed the straps but may have washed the cover once (she can't remember). Is the cover a problem? It is EvenFlo model Portabout 5 #5751292CP1.

I hear 'ya on the eco-sensitivity. Washing the cover should not be a problem. I'd be in real trouble if carseat covers couldn't be washed. DS has a bladder condition that results in more accidents in the carseat than I care to think about. I would download the instructions if they are available online and give them a good read-through, but I don't see why it wouldn't be safe to use until the expiry date.

catchthewind · Aug 27, 2009

If my dad brings it out here and we bring it to a car seat clinic, would CPS techs be willing/able to have a quick look over it and make sure there's nothing that jumps out at them that I would want to be cautious of with a used seat? It is rear adjust and the handle has to be behind it, but I think we'll get my dad to bring it out and try it out in his car and see what we think. If the rear adjust is annoying or the seat has to be too far forward with it rear-facing we'll just buy a new one. We loved our SafeSeat, I'm sad it was in a car accident. At least out here I'm pretty sure there's a place that will recycle used car seats, my sister-in-law can't find anything where she is. We'll have to see too if the Evenflo and Britax will fit with one in the middle with them both rear-facing. I'm thinking probably not, so I guess it's good we'll be getting a new car shortly after the baby is born. We were considering buying a Radian for the new baby since I've heard newborns fit well in them, but I'd really like to skip having to buy a second convertible since the timing will work out so well with moving our current daughter into a convertible booster.

April · Aug 27, 2009

catchthewind said:
If my dad brings it out here and we bring it to a car seat clinic, would CPS techs be willing/able to have a quick look over it and make sure there's nothing that jumps out at them that I would want to be cautious of with a used seat?

Where exactly are you located? There are quite a few of us on this board who live in BC.

catchthewind · Aug 27, 2009

I'm in Victoria.

April · Aug 27, 2009

catchthewind said:
I'm in Victoria.

Most of us are in the lower mainland. Nicole might know someone on the island though. I'll send her a pm and direct her to respond to this thread. If you ever happen to come over to the mainland, I'm sure one of us could meet up with you to check your seat.

catchthewind · Aug 27, 2009

Thanks so much April! We are actually on the mainland every few months, since I have a lot of family there. I'm sure we'll be there at some point before baby. My family is actually mostly in Langley even. If I can't find someone here I'll definitely post again when we know when we'll be over.

I was actually just reading the thread about the Complete Air coming to Canada and didn't realize we had seats here that go to 40 pounds rf! A lot has changed in two years since I last did a lot of car seat research. I'm rethinking turning my daughter at 3 1/2. Our Marathon only goes to 30 pounds. I knew there were a few that went to 33 but didn't plan to buy another convertible for 3 pounds. 10 pounds could easily sway me though.

Though a newborn wouldn't fit in the Marathon or the Complete Air anyway so we'd still likely use the bucket until he/she fit if we decide it's safe. My daughter is tall for her age, but most of the height is in her legs not her torso so I don't think it would be a problem.

Would you use this car seat?

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