Growth Spurts, Expiration Dates, and Accidents: How to Know When It’s Time to Replace Your Child’s Car Seat

Kids are expensive, and one of the more expensive purchases you'll have to make as a new parent is a car seat. Unlike clothes, car seats are hard to pass down because most kids need a car seat or booster through the beginning of elementary school. So how do parents know when it's safe to reuse a car seat and when to shell out a few hundred dollars for a new one? We speak with several experts to determine exactly what the safest route would be. Here are the times when you should replace a car seat:

1. Replace the Car Seat When It Expires

Car seats have an expiration date, usually on the right side on a permanent sticker. Some car seats expire after six years, while others can last up to 10 years. Recently, BabyArk created a car seat that doesn't expire at all. All car seats pass federally regulated safety tests that determine the expiration date. The reason expiration dates vary is that car seats are made from different materials, from plastic to steel, and wear differently when exposed to heat, light, and different levels of use.

“Manufacturers do a lot of testing of their car seats — temperature changes, different stresses, repeated installation and uninstallation, “says Melissa Conn, certified Child Passenger Safety Technician and the author of travelcarseatexpert.com. “They can't guarantee that an expired car seat will keep you safe because materials change after all that exposure — foam head pieces break, plastics get brittle, and even the harness can degrade.”

If you're looking to save money by not buying more car seats than you need, opt for a convertible car seat with a longer expiration date, like the Graco 4Ever or the Britax ClickTight Convertible. These should last for the period of time that your child needs a car seat. If you buy a shorter-lasting car seat, be prepared to replace it when the time comes.

“A slightly expired car seat is certainly better than no car seat at all. So if you have no other option, then I would opt to continue using it while you look for a replacement,” says Bluebird Kids Health's Barbara Christakis, MD, FAAP. “However, expiration dates are based on safety testing and durability of materials, so I do not recommend this. Try your best to have a replacement before the car seat passes the expiration date.”

2. Get a New Car Seat If Your Child Outgrows Their Car Seat

For some families who have kids close together or limited space in their car, it may be worthwhile to buy separate infant car seats, toddler car seats, and booster seats that can be more easily moved from one car to the other. But many of these car seats have limits on the height and weight of children that they can safely support.

Infant car seats usually hold children up to about 30 pounds or 30 inches, whichever comes first. At that time, switch your child to a front-facing toddler car seat, which should last until they're approximately 50-60 pounds and 48 inches. Then, you can move your child to a booster seat. Booster seats can be safe for kids from 40 pounds to 120 pounds and from 44 to 57 inches. However, it's ok to stop using a booster seat for your child around age 8 if the seat belt is around their hips and the shoulder belt is below the neck.

For some parents with children who have a larger age gap, this may mean that you can pass down a convertible car seat with a few years left before expiration from an older child to a younger child. You could then purchase a less expensive toddler seat or booster seat for the remaining years that the younger child needs a car seat.

3. Replace Any Car Seat That Has Been in an Accident

After any moderate or major accident, you should replace your car seats. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration lists guidelines for when a crash is not considered serious enough to replace a car seat. Some manufacturers require you to replace a seat after any accident.

“After you are in a moderate to severe car accident in which doors are damaged, airbags are deployed, and/or the car is towed, you must replace the car seat,” Christakis says. “First, you cut the straps so that the car seat cannot be reused. Then you must purchase a replacement. One helpful tip is that your car insurance will often cover the cost of replacement, so take photos to send in to them for reimbursement.”

4. How to Safely Dispose of a Car Seat

Experts recommend cutting the harness straps of any car seat that has expired or been in an accident before disposing of it. You could also disassemble it and dispose of the pieces in different locations so that no one tries to put it together and use it again, says Conn.

To make sure you're being environmentally responsible when disposing of a car seat, take it to a local municipal recycling event or drop it off at a retailer's car seat recycling event. Periodically, Target offers 20% off coupons for dropping off used car seats, and Walmart has offered programs in the past to encourage responsible car seat disposal.

Now that you know how to keep all ages of kids safe in their car seats, it's time to start planning a great family road trip!

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Tomsickova Tatyana/Shutterstock.com