When Should You Replace a Car Seat?

Car seats are a great way to protect your babies and young children in the car. Laws vary by state for how long children must remain in one sort of car seat or another, but the simple truth is that the longer you wait to switch them to a car seat, the safer they are, up to age 8 or the height of 4 feet 9 inches.

When you have more than one child it can be tempting to reuse a car seat you already own. But before you do, make sure that it's safe to do so.

Consider the Age of the Car Seat

The estimates vary, but I've been told that car seats anywhere from 6 to 10 years old should be replaced simply due to age. Parts can wear down, plastic can crack, but sometimes the damage due to aging of the car seat just isn't that visible.

This is the situation my family faced with our third child. The car seats that were fine for the older two were about 7 years old as she reached each one. Maybe all right for use, maybe not. But why take that chance? We took advantage of a Toys R Us trade in offer and bought a new one.

Check for Recalls

If you filled out the card and sent it into the manufacturer when you bought the car seat, you should have been notified of any recalls on it. But if you didn't or if you just want to be certain you haven't missed anything, check the NHTSA site for any recalls on the car seats you're thinking about reusing.

Recalls aren't always a big deal in terms of absolute safety. While browsing through them, I found one recall that was simply for a wrong phone number to the NHTSA. Having the right number is something the manufacturer is required to label the car seat with, but it's not going to harm your child in a crash to have it wrong. So don't panic just because you see a recall on your seat. Make sure it's something that matters and see if it can be fixed.

Has the Car Seat Been in Any Moderate to Severe Accidents?

The NHTSA says not to worry about car seats in minor crashes, but any moderate to severe crash warrants replacing the car seat. Your insurance company will often do this for you after a crash, and will likely have you send in the old seat to ensure that it is not reused.

Damage is not always visible after a crash, so do not assume that you can tell just by looking at the car seat. Better to be safe than sorry, and replace the car seat.

Is the Car Seat Age and Weight Appropriate?

Finally, replace car seats as your child grows out of them. When this happens depends on the type of car seats.

You may have to switch car seats as your baby turns one year old and is over 20 pounds, for example. That's when you're allowed to switch to forward facing, although babies are safer remaining backward facing for longer. Check what your model allows so that you stay within the limits your baby's car seat is designed for.

A combination seat may simply need to be turned around when your child is big enough to go forward facing. But if the car seat is for infants only, you will need to buy a forward facing seat to replace it.

The next step comes at 4 years/40 pounds. It's best to go by weight on these things, but you may be allowed to go by age instead if you prefer. This is the point at which your child can be switched to a booster seat that allows him or her to be buckled in with the regular seat belt.

Make sure you know the laws for the area you live in with regards to car seats. How long you use them can vary from state to state. Also be sure to know the limits of your particular car seat. There are reasons for the weight and height limits each seat states.

Resources

NHTSA site for car seat recalls
NHTSA site for when to replace a car seat after an accident