Car seat dilemma

RLH33

My dd is nearing the time when she will need to go into a forward facing car seat. We have her brother's old Maxi Cosi Priori XP seat in the loft that is now about 6 years old, it's still in good condition, and I was going to use this for her as well.

However my dilemma is that I have read that you shouldn't really use a car seat once it is past a certain age - 5 years? - but me being practical I do wonder whether there is an element of scare mongering about this, everyone I know has re-used their seats but I would never forgive myself if they really do become dangerous after a certain age.

I can't actually afford to buy another Priori XP as they now retail at about £150 but could afford a Britax Prince I have seen on Kiddicare for about £60. Am I safer buying a new, but cheaper seat or keeping with my more expensive but older seat?

Supermom

If it's in good condition and it's not been in an accident, and most importantly fits your car then I can't see why just because it's 5 years old it would not be ok.

Mupette

I think it is scaremongering.

It's your car seat, you know the history of it, no one else.
If it hasn't been used and abused and spent time just collecting dust in the loft then i can't see what should fail on it.

Anyone would think the minute some thing becomes 5 years old it falls apart and rots.

Spendless

Never heard of a 5 year rule. :cool: Wouldn't it mean 5 years of use though? Which it can't have had if your child is 6 and it's in the loft-unless it's been put there recently?

nottslass_2

I've never heard this before.

There are actually car seats designed to fit children age 3 to 12 years,so on that basis alone they must have a "shelf life" of at least 9 years.

go_cat

I also have never heard of a 5 year rule.

The only thing i can think is that in the last 5 years things have advanced where car seats are concerned / colours change sand possibly spec of car seat

To my mind as long as there is no damage / accidents / dents etc then it should be ok

Maybe worth washing the fabric to freshen it

Why don't you ring the manufacturer just to double check - they will tell you if it is safe

lloydlf

The five year rule is fairly recent and apparently relates to degradation of the foam used in the seats after that time.

Kimberley82

There should be an expiry date on it

lloydlf

Just found a better explanation of why they expire

''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. You may not be able to see that the plastic is breaking down, or is more brittle, but that change could be dangerous in a crash when the car seat shell is stressed. It's far safer for parents to buy a new car seat than to take a chance on a car seat that may be too old to function properly in a crash.''

nottslass_2

lloydlf wrote: »

The five year rule is fairly recent and apparently relates to degradation of the foam used in the seats after that time.

Why do manufactureers produce car seats designed to last your child from ages 3 to 12 if this is the case ?

nottslass_2

I've just done a quick "google" and can't find anything from RoSPA that confirms the fact that car seats "expire" after a certain length of time, I also can't find any other official UK guidance confirming that this is current advice and that child car seats are not safe to use after a certain length of time.

As a mum the safety of my children is of up most importance and would be interested if anybody can point me in the direction of any official guidance in regard to not using car seats after 5 years - as my DS has a seat designed to be used from age 3 to 12 and as he's now 8 I don't want to be putting his safety at risk - But I do strongly suspect that the whole thing is scaremongering.