Why do Child Seats expire? by david hoffman

The infant child seat that you have purchased brand new six years ago for your first baby still looks brand new. You wanted to use it again for your second baby who is due in a month. So you took it to the child seat inspection center and asked them to help you install it properly.

The child seat inspector searched the child seat database, and told you that your child seat has expired. The inspector refused to help you install it in your car. In fact, s/he might have taken the child seat from you all together!

You are frustrated, you are confused, you are angry! That was your child seat and they just took it away. And for what? To destroy it? It was a perfectly fine child seat which had never been in any accident and not in recall. Why?

Child seats do expire

Unfortunately, the child seat inspector was right. A child seat do expire, and most child seats have an expiration date about six years from the manufacturing date (some could be as long as ten years). The expiration date is normally listed as a label or provided in the owner's manual. If not found, you can always call the manufacturer and ask for the expiration date of your child seat model.

The reason is that most child seats are made of plastic (or other materials) which do degrade over time and under the sun. The fact that you cannot see any visible damage or degradation does NOT mean there isn't any. Structurally speaking, the plastic in the child seat becomes more brittle passed the expiration date, and thus could no longer be assured to protect your child in an accident.

So do pay attention to the expiration date on the child seat, and refrain from using an old child seat passed expiration.

http://www.childseatcenter.com

About the Author

A domain expert regarding child seat safety and regulation.