Question by kaytacorinne: Opinions on buying a used convertible carseat?
I know you should buy new…so I don’t need a lecture on that. We are planning on getting a new one in July or August. We are very tight on our budget just this month and our 5 month old little man just grew over the height limit of his carseat. I found people selling used convertible carseats on Craiglist for a decent price that I can afford right now…do you think it’s too risky to buy used? Serious opinions only please.
Best answer:
Answer by Baby #1 Due 20thDec!!
if i were you i would borrow money off family/friends and get a new one…better to be safe than sorry
What do you think? Answer below!
April 29, 2011 at 11:00 pm
I would, you can wash the cover. Not everyone is rich, I’m certainly not, I have alot of second hand things.
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April 29, 2011 at 11:10 pm
I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but I wouldn’t buy used unless you know the people you’re buying it from, and you can be sure it hasn’t been in a wreck. There could be broken pieces that would affect its stability.
My son passed up the height limit on his infant car seat at around 5 months, but was way below the weight limit. We were told that as long as his head was at least an inch from the top of the carseat, we could keep him in it. Every kid grows differently, so the height limit can be different from child to child. The weight limit is certain, though. This bought us an extra six weeks or so in the infant seat, since he’s all leg.
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April 29, 2011 at 11:38 pm
You’d need to first of all make sure they still meet current safety standards and second of all (if possible) you need to make sure they haven’t been in a car accident previously as any carseat that’s been in a car where a window has been smashed is no longer considered to meet the safety standards (a little known fact, I only found that out when a friend had a car broken into with a car seat in it). After that it’s your call, I personally bought mine new and even if you get everything else 2nd hand I don’t think it’s worth the risk on a car seat as they are just too important, but like I said that’s just me.
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April 30, 2011 at 12:22 am
Before purchasing it make sure that the car seat isn’t expired. Yes car seats do expire. They have a life span of 4-5 years depending on where you live.
“To answer your first question, yes, car seats do expire. In fact, most car seats have an expiration date on one of the manufacturer labels that can be found on the sides or bottom of the car seat. To find out if a car seat is expired, you should look for that expiration date label first. If there’s no expiration date listed, use the date of manufacture and consult the car seat owners’ manual. Many manufacturers give a maximum car seat life in the manual. If not, call the manufacturer and ask. “
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April 30, 2011 at 1:21 am
have you considered hiring one till you can save for the new one alot of places do it and they are reutable companies
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April 30, 2011 at 1:35 am
I don’t think that it’s necessarily risky, but it is only rarely a good deal. Car seats ‘expire,’ and most people’s used car convertible car seats have a few years on them already, so they have to be _very_ cheap to make it worthwhile as the life span is so limited. Shop carefully.
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April 30, 2011 at 1:50 am
I would recommend rather than buying one on craigslist that you ask on freecycle for one for free or to borrow. I know that most people would not sell a car seat on craigslist that they wouldn’t use on their own children BUT some people would -not even necessarily because they are bad people they get stuck and need the money so they convince themself the seat is good enough.
But someone that is lending or giving the seat away isn’t getting any benefit, only the PITA of arranging to have people pick it up (I give away things on freecycle and sometimes it really sucks). Some people on freecycle will also lend things and if its something someone intends to use again then you’re pretty safe -of course then you have to take good care of it and return it the way you got it.
Your other option I guess is to pay a bit more and get the seat at some place that you qualify for the “no interest, no payment” loans and then pay it off during that time. Watch for administration fees, and remember if you don’t pay it off by the end of the no interest period you will be billed for all the interest retroactive to the day you bought it. But I understand that is unattractive and you usually end up paying a bit more at stores with no payment plans.
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April 30, 2011 at 2:28 am
Just make sure you ask these questions and that you feel they are being honest.
1. have you been in a car accident with this car seat in the car?
2. when did you purchase it?
And also in the back of the seat you’ll find an expiration date that is on all car seats make sure you’re still within the exp. date.
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April 30, 2011 at 2:50 am
We freecycled our “baby bucket” when my son outgrew it. I mean, I think you have to use your judgment. We described the history of it (new–>my sister–>me) and the woman evaluated when she came over. I mean, obviously the vast majority of car seats haven’t been in an accident.
The one concern I would have is that with an infant car seat, the baby outgrows it very quickly. So 2-3 owners of one of those is easily within the lifespan of the seat. But as most people use a convertible car seat for several years, I’d want to make sure it was still up to safety standards and I’d want to know when they bought it and why they were getting rid of it.
I guess I’d also like to pick it up in person and sort of get a feel for the person giving it to me. Just use my personal radar about whether or not they seemed like someone who would sell a faulty car seat. Not infallible, of course, but I think people instincts can be pretty useful.
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April 30, 2011 at 3:44 am
Yes I think it is to risky. I wouldn’t do it. The money is tight for everyone you don’t know if they could be selling a bad car seat for money. People are sick.
Go to target they have cheap ones there. If you still can’t afford it and you need it now call family or friends to loan you the money until you can afford it. They will understand this is a priorty and for the safety of your child!
My son is going to need a convertible car seat soon. Blah. I wish I put that on my baby shower list. Lol.
Good luck!
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April 30, 2011 at 4:18 am
i wouldn’t buy a used one..it’s just too risky. carseats and baby stuff gets recalled all the time, so make sure whichever one you decide on isn’t in that list. try to get a seat with all the pieces and directions so that if you need a replacement part you can call the manufacturer directly. clean the entire seat with bleach or lysol and wash the cover in hot water. you might want to try a 2nd hand kids shop fort your careseat because i think they inspect them before they’d accept it to sell. one more suggestion: call your hospital, fire dept. or social service dept. because they might be able to get you a free or really cheap new car seat or direct you to a place where you could get one. that way, you’d be set and not have to buy another one in july. i personally wouldn’t feel right about putting my baby in a used care seat especially if i didn’t know the person.
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