new born car seat help!?!?!?

Question

we have our first baby coming in may and my mother-in-law gave us a used car seat from a garage sale made in 04, we honestly dont like it and u can tell its been used! then her sister gave us a travel system from graco even flow made in 10-02-01 car seat and stroller. my mother wants to get us a new one but his mom insists she already gave us some. i dont want the baby having so many hand me downs when hes just a newborn!! i feel so bad. are those car seats too old to be used in 2007. how long can a car seat be used? i just cant stop thinking about this. were a young couple and i dont want to be walking around with old stuff, ill only keep it if its okay to be used and theres a way to clean them. thanks for all the answers!

Answer 1

The plastic on car seats does expire. We found this out when I gave my sister my old car seats. If an accident were to occur, the plastic may not hold up as well as a new (or newer) one. There should be a toll free # on the car seat that you can call to find out. I think the most we found was a 4 or 5 year time frame that car seats were ok to use. You are also not suppose to use a car seat that has been in an accident. By buying it from a garage sale, you have no clue if it was or not. Just a thought!

Answer 2

graco makes great carseats. it is not recommended to use a car seat older than 5 years but I think one made at the end of '01 would be fine. If you got it from a relative just make sure it has been properly maintained and that nothing is broken. Do not use the one that was bought at a garage sale no matter when it was made. You have no idea what could have happened to it. If it was in a wreck it is no longer safe for use, period. It's like a motorcycle helmet, it's very safe but only good for one wreck. Besides you don't know if their dog's been chewing on the safety belt or if they've kept in in their rat infested garage for years or what.
They can be cleaned with normal fabric cleaner and most seats you can take off the cover and throw them in the wash.
And if you don't want the seat just politely decline and buy your own. Just know that the baby could care less if she's in hand-me-downs and that all this baby stuff gets expensive, so take as much freebies as you can get but don't get forced into things that you don't want. Everyone will understand that you need some new things too, baby shopping is so fun!

Answer 3

You need to first check and see if there have been recalls on either of the items, which you can do at this website: http://www.carseat.org/Recalls/recall.shtml . Its generally not recommended to use a used carseat unless it comes from a friend or family member that you can verify has not been involved in a car accident. But if you can't afford a new one, then a used one is better than nothing. If you can afford a new one, then a carseat is probably the number 1 baby item to buy new.

Personally, there's not a great reason not to use used baby items in most cases. Things like swings, bouncers, and jumpers get used for so little time that the cost of buying new isn't really justified, and there are plenty of used items out there in like-new condition for much less money.

I used my stroller a ton, so I was definitely able to justify paying a high price for it. Also, if you're a runner, you'll want a high quality jogging stroller.

Answer 4

you should NEVER use used carseats when you don't know the history (if they've been in an accident), when it doesn't have its manual or labels, or if they're expired. most carseats have a date of manufacture on a label on one side, in the plastic. some actually have an expiration date. for those without the expiration date, look in the manual, it'll say how long the seat is valid for. of course, without the manual or labels, you can't find this out. and unless you know where/whom the seat comes from, you won't know if its been in an accident.

based on this, if the graco came from someone you actually know, i'd keep it and use it. some babies outgrow the infant carrier at around 6 months, which would be in nov. you could use the graco until oct, and buy a convertible seat then (one that rear-faces, then forward-faces).

if you have more questions, i'd suggest checking out www.car-seat.org. there is a forum with child passenger safety technicians who will answer any/all questions & they'll be able to help you out. hth!

Answer 5

When the car seat was made isn't terribly important as long as it was fairly recent. However unless you know the person they came from and know for sure it was never in an accident it shouldn't be used. If you know it wasn't in an accident than it is safe to use as long as it hasn't been recalled, which you can look up. Car seats can also definitely be washed. Many have detachable covers. Look up whether the car seats have been recalled or not.

Here's some information about car seat safety
http://www.aap.org/family/carseatguide.htm

Also here's where you can find someone to maker sure whatever car seat you get it installed properly.
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/childps/contacts/


Bottom line: Just being used won't hurt a thing but if you aren't positive about the history of the car seat get a new one.

Answer 6

I would get a new one. I read in an article in a baby magazine that said an old car seat is no good. The straps can be weakened by spit up, formula and food over a period of time. If you choose to use the old one at least try and buy new straps. Me personally with my first I wanted him to have new stuff. I got some things from people, but not something so important. Better safe than sorry. Good luck with the new baby.

Answer 7

*IF* you know that the seat has never been in an accident, and on this I would only trust it if someone you know used the seat THEN car seats are good for 10 years if they are stored inside out of direct sunlight.

I used a second-hand seat from a cousin and I am glad I did because my son outgrew it by 4 months.

My suggestion is if you feel that one of the used ones is safe to keep it around in case you need an extra seat one day. Extra seats are always nice, though with infant seats you generally have the seat in the house and it can be installed without the base. But JIC.

Particularly if you are planning on having more than one child I would get your mom to buy you a new seat. You will more than get your money's worth out of it.

I also recommend that you get an infant seat that is rated for 30lbs. There are only a few. The 20lbs ones get outgrown so fast. You may also consider a convertable seat right off the bat, though the infant ones are convenient for getting babies in and out of cars, particularly before they have good neck control.

Good luck!

Answer 8

You should never buy a second hand car seat even if you are sure it has never been in an accident. This is basic safety advice. New legislation has been passed in just the last year that upgraded all car seats from birth to 12 years, so to be in line with the new laws (and as safe as you can be) I'd say you should buy a new one, and get is professionally fitted as well.

There are many second hand bargains to be had, but car seats and mattresses are two things that should always be bought new as the risks to baby of a used item is just too high.

I hope that helps. Happy shopping!

Answer 9

We had this problem also and did not want to offend our mother in law but the car seat was used but not old. They say that 6 years old is too old because of all the advances and recalls. We found an easy way to handle the situation. When they are dismissing you from the hospital thay will do a carseat check and will tell you which ones not to use. If your hospital doesn't do this then consider going for an official carseat test before baby is born. They will tell you which one is old and not up to date. Then you can say sorry it wasn't up to code and I definately want it to be. That's what we did.

Answer 10

It is recommended that if you do not know the history of a car seat, it should not be used. Period. So by buying used car seats from total strangers, you have no idea of the true condition of the car seat (i.e. if it was ever in a car accident, etc.) I would definitley get a new one, not just because the others "look old" but because your baby's safety could depend on it, and that is what is most important.