Expired seats question

[samandel]

We have a chicco keyfit infant seat that says it expires in Sept 2013. We have a new baby due (#3) in August 2012. So, this baby should get a full year in the infant seat before it expires, and we then have a Britax Boulevard waiting for him/her.
My question is - what are the reasons for the expiration date? I would never use it past that date, but is it worth getting a new infant seat anyway? I know there is newer technology out there since we got the seat in 2008, and this seat has already been through 2 kids and MANY bumpy car trips (we drive A LOT), and has been checked on an airplane a few times and roughed around. It also gets transferred between cars often - we never bought another base for my husbands or parents car, we just move the whole thing whenever we travel there.
All the straps and connections still work fine - it clicks into place and pulls tight. But, I wonder if internally it is still okay to use? We like the idea of having an infant seat over something like a cocorro because our children historically are really bad at transferring while asleep - and it is nice the few times we can carry them inside in the seat asleep. We will probably have a 4th child at some point down the road, so if we got a new infant seat it would most likely be used again.
Thoughts? Thanks so much in advance for your help!

 

[T4K]

If it's been checked, I'd get a new one. No telling how it was treated. :-( sorry.

Good news is infant seats are often found for good deals. I'd check on www.nobetterdeal.com or watch the Swap section of this forum.

ETA:

Seats break down over time just like anything else. The plastic, the harness, as possibly even the flame retardants effectiveness diminish. The seat won't burst in flames at the expiration date but manufacturers use it as a guide.

 

[MaKoski]

I would personally get a new one. Those infant seats take a beating, so better safe than sorry. You've got some time watch for clearenced ones when they switch seasons/color/patterns at the stores.

 

[samandel]

I was leaning towards getting a new one also. However, if we aren't using our used one, I don't really want someone else's used one either - so we'll shop for a new one. I'll be on the look out for clearance sales since we don't really care about the pattern.

Which seat do you recommend? We had and were very pleased with the Chicco Keyfit - we are leaning towards just getting another one of those. We very rarely use a stroller, I much prefer babywearing, but if we wanted to a few times, it would be nice that it fit in the one we already have. But, I've seen new seats that have a rebound bar or tether - are those safer in your opinion? Like the Britax infant seat models? Those weren't around in 2008 when we got our original Chicco.

Thanks so much!

 

[monica-m]

The reasons behind the expiration date are as follows:

Technology changes and seats get safer. Having a current seat helps you have current technology

Seats get recalled.

Instruction manuals get lost and seat parts can get lost over time.

Plastic can break down and become brittle causing it to break or preform poorly in a crash.


As far as the seat being checked on an airplane, that alone would make me want to get a new seat. Baggage handlers are not always cautious and seats get thrown and dropped. When in the baggage hold, things can shift and fall on your child's seat causing damage that is not visible. The risk is just not worth it.


ETA: As far as which seat to get, go to a big baby store and play with seats. Look for features that you like and if the store will let you, try the seat in your vehicle to see if you like the way it fits.

 

[Brigala]

Did you check the base or just the car seat? You might want to get another Keyfit so you can continue using your current base as the "extra." Assuming of course that the new Keyfit is compatible with the old base (there are a couple of different models available). Just a thought.

If your car seat hadn't been checked on a plane, I would be comfortable using it right up to the expiration date. I am pretty comfortable with gate checking if necessary, but not with the luggage.

 

[samandel]

Did you check the base or just the car seat? You might want to get another Keyfit so you can continue using your current base as the "extra." Assuming of course that the new Keyfit is compatible with the old base (there are a couple of different models available). Just a thought.

If your car seat hadn't been checked on a plane, I would be comfortable using it right up to the expiration date. I am pretty comfortable with gate checking if necessary, but not with the luggage.

We know now to never check the seat! We haven't flown in awhile but I remember the few times we did we just didn't want to carry it through the airport, but needed it on the other end. We did check the base as well, so we will just dump the whole thing. Would you still recommend the keyfit over some of the other models available - I see some with tethers and bars - are those safer?