Car seat and travel system need advice!

amother

Jade

Wed, Dec 30 2015, 8:45 pm

I am expecting my second set of twins b"h! With my first set I used graco 35 seat and chicco key fit with the city select as a travel system (had adapters for car seats). Now 2 problems I don't know if the seats are expired or not (bought in 2011) and I can't find the head insert for the chicco!

Would you buy 2 new seats and 2 new adapters? I also have the old model of city select, not sure if that makes a difference.

LittleDucky

Wed, Dec 30 2015, 9:18 pm

Car seats (unless the manufacturer says otherwise) usually expire at about 5 years after manufacture. Some companies are making longer-lasting seats, but those are usually convertible seats. Some are meant to last 7 or even 10 years!! If you don't know how old, they advise using the 5 year mark as a guide.

In the Chicco seats, there should be a sticker on the bottom of the child's seat (maybe near the feet?). It should have the expiration date and date of manufacturer and some serial numbers.

If there is no sticker, since they were bought in 2011, they are probably expired or about to be expired since it is 5 years from date of manufacturer... and 2016 is only 2 days away.
Since car seats are not something that will break the bank, it is probably safest to just get new ones. Especially if they were ever in any sort of accident or have been stored in extreme temperatures/weather. Maybe you can get the newer Chicco Key Fit carseat (and don't forget a new base for your car!) to fit your current attachment?