And to think I enjoyed my first car ride, back in the seventies, in the safety of my mother's arms

So here's the thing about the car seat. 

Manufacturers and retailers for damn near every product available on the market would like to sell you more of what they make and sell, to their profit.  Macy's says I need Easter dishes, the girl who cuts my hair would like to touch up my roots every six weeks, Fisher Price believes my baby needs both a Jumperoo and an Exersaucer for optimal development, and the company that makes my car would like so much routine maintenance done on it at one of their dealerships only, please, that likely I could never afford to keep up. 

There are guidelines, warnings and expiration dates on practically everything we buy these days, and mostly for a few no-brainer reasons.  As I said above, manufacturers and retailers really do like earning profits, even if it means that I will be left charging my three pack of Organic Cotton Onesies to the ol' Visa card, who also enjoys a good profit, at eighteen percent interest and paying for it over three years.  Furthermore, these creating and selling giants also like to do another thing just as well as earn money - and that is to cover their asses.  This way, in our lawsuit happy society, there is at least some wiggle room for an I TOLD YOU SO when Little Two-Year-Old Johnny ingests a set of tiny 7-AND-UP Legos to his great unhappiness.

My question is, if manufacturers and retailers are covering their own asses, who is covering mine?  Who is making sure I lead a comfortable and safe lifestyle, all while not drowning in Keeping Up With The Joneses-Style credit card debt?  Who is going to give me the financial ability to retire when I am old and tired?

I have to be, that's who.

It's not that I don't want to pay for a new car seat for my baby.  It's not that I have messed up priorities as a mother and that I'll busting through the mall doors five minutes from now to drop that two hundred bucks I saved on a car seat, gleefully purchasing my first pair of Gucci sunglasses.  I don't want new perennials in my front yard more than I want my baby to fare well in the event of a fender bender, and I certainly would never take lightly a decision I make regarding my the safety of my children.  Otherwise, I'd not be writing about this topic.

My intention for my last blog entry was to get a general consensus of what other moms would do with the car seat situation I've got.  Within that, you can believe that I've talked to others about it, and done my reading.  I'm all for replacing the seat if there really is something functionally wrong with it after five years, but if that limit is just a means for Graco, who has no idea how much or little I will use the seat over five years, to avoid a lawsuit, and there really is nothing physically wrong with my seat, then there is no reason to replace it - whether I can afford to or not. 

By this morning I had decided to call our city's Car Seat Inspector at our fire department.  I had already spent infinitely more time than I needed to worrying whether to keep the old seat, fork over the money for a new one, or even buy a used, newer model at a yard sale (though let's face it, then I don't know that seat's history, which may include three car accidents and the fondness for a daily napping spot from an English Mastiff with bladder control issues, and then I might as well have kept my old seat.)

I told the Inspector that our seat had been used for six months per infant, had never been in an accident, and I gave the expiration date.  The inspector explained that it is mandatory that all seats come with an expiration date, and that in our case, where the seat has been stored for four out of the five years, it will be just fine for use with our next baby.  She explained that the manufacturers figure five years for all seats, which takes into account five years of daily wear and tear.  With this seat, however, it has been unused for most of its lifespan, keeping the wear and tear at a minimum.  If I had been asking about a convertible seat for a toddler, however, where it had seen its lifetime of daily use, then most definitely, she would tell me to buy a new seat.  And I would have done just that.

Fabulous. 

I'm going to double check the buckles, straps and chest clip to be sure, but I think I'm keeping what I've got.  Between reading about the dangers of cancer-causing BPA's leaching from plastic baby bottles, and toxic gases being released from previously-used crib mattresses contributing to SIDS deaths, I've got plenty of big fish to continue frying before my baby's birth.

Comments

[Erica]

Holy crap, I am so glad I am done having babies. We should all be dead by now! It's a wonder my kids have made it this far.
You're a good momma and your kids are going to do just fine even if you use a seat that is past it's expiration date;0)!
I can still remember standing up in the front seat of my dad's truck, cruising down the highway, or riding in the back of the truck just cruising along. Yikes!

[debi]

I do believe you made the right choice. I think your call to the inspector was a good idea and your babies are safe. I know I have said it before but, you are THE MOM that I wish I had been. You just get it all done and seem to be so together. I had 5 kids and was always running behind and out of breath.I am much calmer now and make one hell of a grandma. I would like to have been a more organized mom. When ya know better you do better.ah well.

[Hilary]

Okay, Molly, it's time to get off the Internet. Step away from the Internet.
I agree. If the seat had been used for five years, then yes consider it expired. You've still got four years left on that bad boy. (girl)

[Frema]

I'm so glad you were able to talk to an inspector and get the go-ahead to keep using the seat. Hooray for one worry down!

[your mom]

NO,NO,NO! When we had you kids, safety was on our minds, and we never went anywhere without you kids in a car seat or seatbelt. Remember, how I used to tell you guys that the car wouldn't start unless we heard ALL the buckles click. Yeah, recently, Jakie told me he wanted to know for sure one time and unlocked his seatbelt to see if the car would come to an instant STOP if it wasn't fastened!! He found out, but I'm glad to say I think you all wear your seatbelts still...I think!!!!

[Molly]

So you mean to tell me that when no one was riding in car seats, I was riding in a car seat? Thanks for that, and now I know where my obsessing over (hmmm, everything?) comes from.

[Molly]

Also, mother, you're hyper-punctuating again.

;o)

[SJ]

I knew you'd do your research! Glad to hear that it's a keeper. And that you are comfortable with that. I really do have to agree with your decision!

[Michelle Z]

your mom has a lot to say - I think you've sullied her reputation with your title!

You're so resourceful, getting the info on the seat. Glad you can continue to use it guilt free!

[Jenny]

Wow - you were lucky. I KNOW I never rode in a car seat.

[Marilyn]

I'm glad you talked to an inspector. :) And I hope my comment didn't make you feel bad or anything. I think the mere fact that it's a Graco seat gives it some leeway on the whole expiration thing anyhow as those are pretty good infant seats. They hold up really well (we the HECK out of our previous one).

I saw there was some question on the last post about switching out of infant seats at six months (something we've always done as well). There are very good convertible seats that sit rear-facing as well! :) We kept our son rear-facing well past his first birthday in fact, because he was a little on the small side and he seemed comfortable. But now? He LOVES to ride forward. Anyhow. That's my little tangent. :)

I think you made the absolute right decision!

[Erika]

Inquiring minds want to know...do you plan on wrapping the new baby's crib mattress?? We were already going to get a new mattress for baby #2 (since we need the old one for a toddler bed) but now I'm wondering where to get a gas-impermeable cover made from high-grade polyethylene. I'm not kidding.

[Liza]

Erika, TRU is now selling organic crib mattresses. They cost more than "regular" but a LOT less than the tiny niche providers charged 3 years ago. And then you don't have to worry about outgassing.

[BetteJo]

I grew up without bicycle helmets and playing on steel monkey bars on blacktop - so you can imagine my opinion on the subject.
Yes, be safe, but omg not ridiculous. All the stuff I used with my kids - by todays standards should have killed them.
They grew up just fine. Sounds like your judgment is sound.