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June 16, 2008, 1:29 am
Flag as Inappropriate english_roses  

I'm not normally a conspiracy theorist, but I do sometimes wonder about all the new "safety" things. One thing that comes to mind is carseats expiring. I can understand why a carseat needs to be replaced if it's in an accident, but I don't understand why you have to replace a perfectly good one. It seems like just a way to make more money.

A carseat has an expiration date? That is something I've never heard of before! I don't see why you would need to change it either. How long is it supposed to be "good for"? I would think that, like you, if you weren't in an accident then why replace it?

George

I just had a baby and i know they told me that the seat had to have been purchased with in the past 5 years. Which it was but i intended on purchasing new covers for my 2 car seats for my next child. Guess i can't wait too long.

The car seat doesn't really expire. It simply means that if you keep a carseat longer than the date, then chances are it will no longer meet government safety guidelines and will probably not be as safe as a newly purchased car seat. My oldest child is 15 and I can assure you that the carseat he had and the carseat my 17 month old was brought home in were very different even though similar in design. Every year there are more and more safety advances made in the car seat industry. Also if the car seat is in continual use (like with a toddler/preschool size seat) there could be a certain amount of "wearing out" to it, such as the plastic frame may become damaged even without being in an accident, as well as the straps may become frayed.

If there was a "consipiracy" they would tell you to get a new car seat every year. I'm not sure how long it is from manufacture to "expiration date" but believe me, a year later the car seats would be better, even if just slightly. This is purely a concession to people who cannot afford to buy new car seats frequently. This date being clearly printed on the seat is a new thing, but for at least the last 10-15 years consumers have been advised to purchase a new car seat after so many years. I would imagine that people were not aware of this, even though its been in the owner's manuals, and the car seat industry or the safety advisors have probably realized that it is not so easy to ignore if it is plainly marked on the seat itself with a date.

I have never heard of this either. I am not a parent but I am a nanny and the car seat the parents provided me for the youngest, who is now 2, was used for their 12 year old as well.

I suppose it is a good idea to replace them after a few years but a lot of people can't afford to do that.

The plastic can also be worn down by fluctuations in temperature: cold to hot, vice versa, and long periods at the extremes. Carseats nowdays have the date of manufacture stamped on them, not the expiration date.

And there are a couple brands coming out now that are steel, not plastic, and will not be subject to the same break down.

That said, I don't think the conspiracy is in the carseat safety suggestions. I think they save those all for telling us that cribs are much safer than co-sleeping. ;) Now THERE's a conspiracy!