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So I want to get a new convertible carseat for Jake...dh wants to use the ones we had for Andrew... Andrew is 7... so dont the carseats expire after 7 years? And is it wrong of me to want Jake to have a new seat? I told him I was looking at one (my ride 65) and he asked how much and I said $129.99 at walmart... he thinks thats to much...I told him that was cheap...others cost $200 or more... so whats your opinion?
Check if your car seat has an expiration date printed on one of the labels. If it does, that makes your argument easy. If there's no date, the rule of thumb is six years. Car seats see big swings in temperature that slowly degrade the plastic. That sort of degradation may not show any outward signs.
I say get a new seat. Safety is one of those things that if either me or my DH has doubts, we go ahead and spend the money. We don't ever want to be in a position where something happens, and we blame ourselves for having being cheap.
I say show him the expiration date on the bottom of the car seat and maybe he will understand the importance of getting a new one.
When you get rid of the seat be sure to cut the straps so that it CAN NOT be used by others since it is expired. You don't want someone just grabbing it from your trash when you put it out at the street.
If you don't have the instruction manual to the seat, call the manufacturer and see what you can find out. The expiration date is set based on when the seat was manufactured, not when you received the seat. Plus, most car seats are about 2 years old before they are even purchased. Hope this helps!
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Here's something for him to chew on. My 11 year old is 79 lbs. The MyRide goes to 65 lbs, leaving your LO prossibly staying in that seat untill the end of car seats, or you should be able to go directly from that to a $20 seatbelt booster.
I thought it was only 5yrs, but someone said 6, I'm sure they are right-lol. But either way yep they do, so I say buy a new one. Its not that expensive.
No you're not crazy. I just did some digging online. If you bought it new and it hasn't been in any accidents, then it's probably just as safe now as it was when Andrew used it. The plastics and whatnot don't actually start to degrade until the seat is about 10 years old, but they make the expiration dates much sooner so that they are well before the margin of error so they don't get sued.
HOWEVER....
Most state laws require that a child under the age of 4 be secured in a federally approved car seat. If the safety standards have changed (and they are constantly evolving) since your seat was manufactured and it no longer is in compliance, then you would be violating the law by using it. The fine in most places is the same as if the child wasn't restrained at all. Here in Virgina it's 100$ PLUS you can be prosecuted for child endangerment if it's determined that you willfully ignored the rules (As opposed to being an idiot and just not knowing any better). So I would find out what year your seat was actually manufactured and see if it conforms with all the current federal regs. If it doesn't, 130$ for a brand new seat that will last until he's over the 4 year min. is cheap compared to 100$ ticket and nothing to show for it except a court mandate to produce a new carseat in the next 10 days.
Also I would tell your husband to kiss your butt because 130$ is cheap for a carseat - and even cheaper for the peace of mind it will bring to you to not worry about whether or not your seat will hold up in an accident!
And remind him that it seems expensive to him bc the last time he bought a carseat was 7 years ago. How much did a movie ticket or milk cost 7 years ago? And why oh why are men so stupid?
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My daughter is perfect, but her birth was not. If you or someone you love is struggling to cope with a traumatic childbirth experience, please visit http://www.solaceformothers.org/
NO you're not crazy! I would totally get a new one. The ones we use are over $200, so I think what you're looking at is good! Plus you know its has more recent safety features than your old one.
Also, if you were to use the old seat for Jake until he outgrows it, by that time he would be about 14 years old. While using a 7 year old seat is possibly tolerable, using a 14 year old seat is not. Which means you are going to have to buy a new carseat for him anyway, so why not do it now?
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I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.
The expiration date should be imprinted in the plastic. My 8yo's high back booster just expired, so yours is probably close if not expired already. Many states now require dc to be in some kind of car seat up to 8yo. That said you will need a new one anyway.
And yes while $130 is a lot of money it is cheap in car seat world. Good luck.
Yea for a new seat! My MR65 just came too! I pulled it out of the box last night but haven't tried it in my car either. Let me know how it goes...DH and I might need to switch cars since the seat is large.
What kind of car do you drive? I drive a pontiac g6. Let us know how the installation goes!
I drive a pontiac grand prix gtp... but dh drives a blazer... so I'm going to try it in the blazer first... (since dh has been driving my car the past week anyway, lol)... so I'll let you know how installation goes
Awww he looks like a little Prince on a throne So how did you convince DH?
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My daughter is perfect, but her birth was not. If you or someone you love is struggling to cope with a traumatic childbirth experience, please visit http://www.solaceformothers.org/
Awww he looks like a little Prince on a throne So how did you convince DH?
I just went out and got it, lol... told him when he got home...I told him I would look at Andrew's old seats to check the dates... and I can only find a date on one of them and it's the date it was made (2003)... so looks like we'll still need to get another one for our other vehicle... I don't think this one will fit in my car anyway... it is a little bulky... and I can't do center seating because of Andrew... he's still in his booster (he's only 50 lbs)... so I have to try to find a slimmer seat for my Pontiac, or the passenger will be eating the dashboard, lol...
So how did you convince DH?
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