buying a car seat

supercat92

If you know the history of it and it's not been in any accidents or was bought second-hand by your friend then I'd go for it.

pigpen

I wouldn't risk it.

straps get worn and become unsafe, other plastic parts may crack and not be seen until it is too late..

I'm all for extended rear facing too.. check out the research/data .. the seats are extortionate but how much is your child worth?

I think there are many ways to save money.. second hand clothing, used pushchairs but a car seat will save the life of your child in an accident it is worth every single penny to buy new.

Also, they should not be used if over 5 years old due to changes in safety regs and degradation of perishable materials.

dizziblonde

pigpen wrote: »

I'm all for extended rear facing too.. check out the research/data .. the seats are extortionate but how much is your child worth?

How utterly utterly vile!

Don't get me wrong - I fully appreciate the benefits of ERF seats - but when people chuck comments like THAT into the mix (especially considering the prices) and basically start accusing that if you can't pull £300 out of nowhere you don't care about, value or love your kids - it just makes the whole ERF support look pretty despicable and takes away from the points actually trying to be made.

nw_mum

As someone said before , wear and tear , straps can become worn . I would buy new and have bought new , twice

ellie27

Extended rear-facing is the way forward but unfortunately most stores do not stock these erf seats and do not know much about them!

There is a new seat on the uk market, sold in Babysrus/toysrus called the Joie Stages seat. It is rear-facing to 18kg, which could be around age 4!!! It then turns to forward facing. It is priced £129 at the moment........
http://www.toysrus.co.uk/Babies-R-Us/Travel-and-Pushchairs/Car-Seats-and-Boosters/Group-0-1-and-2/Joie-Stages-Carseat-in-Midnight(0100430)?searchPosition=4

2 weeks ago Toysrus had a further 20% off code so I got one for £104 which is a bargain for an erf seat. My daughter is in the Maxi Cosi Mobi and was planning just getting a 2nd one for my son, but at £245 when I found out about the Joie Stages seat I had to have a look!!

If you do go and have a look at it, make sure it is the new Joie Stages seat, in a white box, and rear-facing til 18kg, it was previously in a brown box, rf to 13kg - thats the old model!! I am surprised they have not put the price up for this seat, given it is now erf.

kernewek

ellie27 wrote: »

Extended rear-facing is the way forward but unfortunately most stores do not stock these erf seats and do not know much about them!

There is a new seat on the uk market, sold in Babysrus/toysrus called the Joie Stages seat. It is rear-facing to 18kg, which could be around age 4!!! It then turns to forward facing. It is priced £129 at the moment........
http://www.toysrus.co.uk/Babies-R-Us/Travel-and-Pushchairs/Car-Seats-and-Boosters/Group-0-1-and-2/Joie-Stages-Carseat-in-Midnight(0100430)?searchPosition=4

2 weeks ago Toysrus had a further 20% off code so I got one for £104 which is a bargain for an erf seat. My daughter is in the Maxi Cosi Mobi and was planning just getting a 2nd one for my son, but at £245 when I found out about the Joie Stages seat I had to have a look!!

If you do go and have a look at it, make sure it is the new Joie Stages seat, in a white box, and rear-facing til 18kg, it was previously in a brown box, rf to 13kg - thats the old model!! I am surprised they have not put the price up for this seat, given it is now erf.

This has just been given the Which Don't Buy as it had very poor crash test scores in group 0.
Buy a new seat as materials degrade over time and infant carriers should be replaced every 5 years.
With regard to ERF in frontal crashes there is no question it is safer but there is quite a bit of debate about performance in side on crashes. In this case the seats by BeSafe and Cybex are proven in the UK market. I wouldn't use any other brand.
An alternative to ERF is impact shield seats by the likes of Kiddy and Cybex with numerous other brands starting to employ this technology. Don't be put off by Britax's "Safety Alert" this is just a marketing exercise and their methods are questionable to say the least.

TheHoneyBadger

If ERF is something you're interested in but can't afford the FF kiddy carseats with the impact cushion is apparently the next safest option, the have very good test records amd I think mothercare do their own for around £100.
As for second had carseats you must bear in mind that they all have an expirey date soIta worth checking most I think is 5 years. So if you go for a seat that will last over 5 years especiall ERF you will probably hace to replace eventually anyway.

artisan1998

I had a similar offer recently while looking for a new car seat and decided against the second hand option, even though I knew the person selling very well, mainly for the extended use before replacing a brand new model. I think it all depends on how long you'll need a car seat for (along with safety concerns, naturally)

Cate1976

I'd rather get a car seat from someone I know well than buy the cheapest from Argos. Reason being that if you can get a car seat which has done well in the crash tests from family/friends, it'll cope better in an accident than a cheap £45 one from Argos or similar. Better to pay £50 for a second hand seat which has done well in crash tests than £50 on a new one which got very low scores in the crash tests.

There's 2 ways to find out if a car seat has been in an accident:

1) Put the seat on the floor, put your knee on the front and give the shoulder straps a sharp tug. They should 'lock' just like 3 point seat belts do. If they do then:

2) Remove the covers and check carefully for any visible damage to the plastic.

Someone I know got these by using Google.

Sagaris

You cannot tell if a seat has been in a crash or not - the straps will not 'lock', they are a finite length so will not pull out like a seat belt. The shell could have been weakened but there is no way of telling until it's in a second collision - and then it's too late. RoSPA advise against second hand car seats, and they only have a life span of 5 years anyway.