Car seats and expiration dates. Did you know this?
I saw that some people did not know that car seats exprie so I thought I would post this for those who don’t know.
yes, car seats do expire. In fact, most car seats have an expiration date on one of the manufacturer labels that can be found on the sides or bottom of the car seat.
The rule of thumb, if no expiration date is given on the seat, is that car seats expire six years from the date of manufacture. Assuming that your car seat was manufactured in 1999, when you purchased it, yes, it is expired. A few car seat manufacturers allow 10 years of life for their car seats, but unless you have specific directions from the manufacturer, the car seat label or the manual that state otherwise, you should stop using a car seat after 6 years. Expired car seats should be destroyed so that no one picks the seat up thinking that it is still safe to use. Good ways to destroy car seats include cutting up the cover, cutting the harness straps, and using a saw or large hammer to break the shell. If you can actually watch the car seat go into a garbage truck and watch it be crushed, this is a good option, too.
While I can understand the frustration of throwing away something that still looks good, it’s important to understand that the breakdown of a car seat is not something that can always be seen with the naked eye. Car seats are made of plastics. Consider what happens to a plastic toy if it is left outside for some time. The plastic becomes brittle and can develop cracks when stressed. Car seats are subjected to extreme heat and extreme cold while sitting in your vehicle, so the plastics eventually react just like that toy left in the sun.
Video of a car seat that expired in a crash:
For a Question: DId you know that car seats expire?
14 Responses
ketchupklf
08 Feb 2010
Lina’s Mom
08 Feb 2010
Yes my daughter’s convertible car seat expires in 2013 so I might be able to use it for my newest LO still. That’s why when people ask about buying used I tell them to check to see if it’s still within it’s expiration date.
jen
08 Feb 2010
Yes, I did know that, but I don’t think everyone does. Mine has the expiration date printed on the bottom of it. I’m off to see the video now!
Connor’s M
08 Feb 2010
I didn’t know this until we went to have my 3d ultrasound and the lady doing the ultrasound told me that they expire.
We were all amazed at this. It makes sense though.
Famous
08 Feb 2010
wow. thanks i had no idea
Terri
08 Feb 2010
Yes- I was aware that car seats expire. You provided a great, detailed explanation of why they expire and even how to destroy a carseat. Even though I knew they expired, I hadn’t really thought about destroying them to prevent someone else from using it. Thanks for the info and suggestions!
Brayden’s
08 Feb 2010
oh goodness. i did not know that. only had our for a year though so we are good lol.. but thank you for letting me know. guess instead of good willing it when he grows out of it. i will throw it away.
hannah the crunc
08 Feb 2010
I did know that. I hate that on craigslist people put car seats up without including information on the date that it was manufactured or the expiration date. not that anyone should buy a used car seat, but still…
Not a breastfeed
08 Feb 2010
Yes, I knew this.
I always thought it was common knowledge, and I was surprised that man people didn’t know.
lt27
08 Feb 2010
Thank you so much for posting this. I really didn’t know they had an expiration date on them. I just went hunting my expiration date and sure enough it is on there. December of 2010…luckily my little guy will be out of it by then…thanks again…
Danyelle
08 Feb 2010
I didn’t know until after I had my daughter. We bought her a new car seat so it wasn’t a big deal, as hers hadn’t expired. A lady in the NICU came and checked my daughters car seat, it was good for another 5 years! Apparently, it had been on the shelf a little while! 
Jeremiah’s
08 Feb 2010
Yeah, I knew they expire. My MIL bought me a convertible car seat from a yard sale. It’s in great condition, but has an expiration date of 1995. I won’t be using it because of this.
rainwriterm
08 Feb 2010
Yes, I did know that car seats expire. We have a convertible seat that expires December of this year. So, when my son learned how to unlatch the chest clip last year, we just decided to get him a front facing harness/booster seat to replace it. We’d need to get him a new seat before he’d be ready for an actual booster anyhow, so we did it then. We still have the convertible seat that we use occasionally when washing the cover on the other seat. He also likes to use it as a recliner in the house, so we might hold onto it for a while.
Thanks for the video, though. It’s really interesting to see just how dangerous a used and expired seat can be.
Rj :) is back
08 Feb 2010
No, I did not know that. Thanks!
Yes… I found out that and so much more when I went looking for solid info when my #2 was born.
There is 7 yrs between the two of them and I was looking for replacement parts for my son’s ‘backup’ seat… when they told me they wouldn’t sell them to me because the seat was expired I felt it was just a marketing ploy. I still wanted to use his ‘good’ seat and went looking for evidence that it was fine as it seemed to be. As you can imagine when I had my evidence gathered I trashed the seat!!
This is my favorite site for basic carseat info that so many parents don’t know: http://www.cpsafety.com/default.aspx
I learned so much about keeping my child as safe as possible in the car. My seats will never again be one of the 80+% that are found to be used or installed incorrectly. (The numbers vary, some reports put errors over 90%)