# Car seat straps **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 17, 2009, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-seat-straps/493465 "2009-04-17T20:29:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quint](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/76d3ee/32.png) [@Quint](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quint)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2009, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-seat-straps/493465/1 "2009-04-17T20:29:22Z")
I have an infant car seat which was used with my first daughter which I’d like to use with my second daughter. The problem is that the straps have been twisted so many times that they no longer have any rigidity and tend to crumple together into more rope- like restraints than strap-like restraints. Does anyone know of a method/product to restore the straps to their former rigid strap-like state, or is replacement the only option? ---
**Author:** ![Stainz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Stainz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stainz)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2009, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-seat-straps/493465/2 "2009-04-17T21:37:17Z")
How old is the car seat? Anything older than 5 years shouldn’t be used. Personally I would buy a new seat, but I am a worrier. 🙂 An infant car seat works by cocooning the baby - it flips up to act as a shell (think turtle) to cover the baby in case of a collission. As long as the straps will hold the baby within that cocoon, I would _guess_ that it would be safe. But again, I would just buy a new seat if you can at all afford it. Or you could contact the car seat manufacturer and ask for replacement straps. ---
**Author:** ![Quint](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/76d3ee/32.png) [@Quint](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quint)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-seat-straps/493465/3 "2009-04-18T19:50:15Z")
Hmm, thanks for the reply **Stainz**. I guess it is just a “car seat” not an infant car seat, as what you describe is what we are currently using which is getting to be too small. Money is not the problem for me, I just hate waste. The idea of that gigantic hunk of plastic winding up cluttering the landfill and me buying yet another giant hunk of plastic which will in turn wind up in the landfill just rankles, yaknow? All that being said, your suggestion to get in touch with the manufacturer is likely the best option, as that way they can tell me if the seat is still useable and sell me new straps. So thanks again! ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2009, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-seat-straps/493465/4 "2009-04-19T03:08:52Z")
Allegedly, sunlight tends to make the plastic shell more brittle, thus lowering it’s ability to protect the child. Could also be a marketing ploy, though. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2009, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-seat-straps/493465/5 "2009-04-19T03:43:47Z")
> [@EJsGirl](#): > > Allegedly, sunlight tends to make the plastic shell more brittle, thus lowering it’s ability to protect the child. > > Could also be a marketing ploy, though. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that UV light degrades plastic. Although, they can add UV resistance to some plastics, but I guess it’s bound to degrade with long-term exposure to UV and extreme temperatures. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2009, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-seat-straps/493465/6 "2009-04-19T11:00:41Z")
> [@Quint](#): > > Money is not the problem for me, I just hate waste. The idea of that gigantic hunk of plastic winding up cluttering the landfill and me buying yet another giant hunk of plastic which will in turn wind up in the landfill just rankles, yaknow? All that being said, your suggestion to get in touch with the manufacturer is likely the best option, as that way they can tell me if the seat is still useable and sell me new straps. You do realise they will _definately_ tell you to get a new carseat, right? Since your “cluttering the landfill” is their “giving us another couple of hundred bucks for a new seat” ---
**Author:** ![jbarro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@jbarro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jbarro)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2009, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-seat-straps/493465/7 "2009-04-19T12:48:45Z")
Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician checking in: What is the name of your seat and how old is it? The link below has a checklist that you could use to evaluate if your seat is still safe. > **[Are Used Car Seats Safe For My Baby? Is It Okay To Buy Them?](https://taxihack.com/used-baby-car-seats/)** > > Some people prefer buying used car seats to save money, but are they safe to be used again? Read my blog to find out all the factors to decide accordingly. If the seat is fine otherwise, it’s pretty easy to order new straps from the manufacturer, and they’ll cost you about $15 - much cheaper than a new seat. As far as car seat expiry dates go, they’re not a conspiracy by the companies. Here are some reasons for them: 1. Plastic does degrade over time. It doesn’t magically happen at 6 years, but it is a good date guideline, especially if a carseat has been used in a hot car or stored in a hot garage. Here is a video of a 10 year old Britax seat: [http://home.comcast.net/~dcbsr/test/](http://home.comcast.net/~dcbsr/test/)…\_old\_seat.mpeg 2. Manufacturers make safety upgrades to seats all the time. They want to get older seats that might not meet the new safety guidelines out of the market. Seats made 10 years ago, often had a 20-22 pound rear facing limit on them (this was for convertible seats, not just infant seats). Now, those convertable seats rear face to 30-35 pounds, and are much safer. Older seats used 3 point harnesses or shields to protect a child, and now more seats are using safer 5 point harnesses on seats. 3. After a certain period of time, seats loose manuals, stickers wear off, harnesses get frayed. It is hard to get replacement parts for older carseats. Without good working parts or a good manual, carseats may not be used correctly. 4. Manufacturers are except from lawsuits from an injury that might happen to a child in an older carseat. If a seat fails after it is expired, you were the one who took the risks of the plastic degrading or possibly having a seat that fails newer safety regulations. You cannot blame the manufacturer for using an expired seat when they told you not to use it. I am against putting needless waste into landfills too, but not where my child’s safety is concerned. If you live near Portland, OR, there’s a place that takes car seats to recycle - the Legacy Hospital. Perhaps if you do some Googling you can find other places too. Please post back if you have any other questions. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2009, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-seat-straps/493465/8 "2009-04-19T14:00:35Z")
> [@jbarro](#): > > Here is a video of a 10 year old Britax seat: [http://home.comcast.net/~dcbsr/test/](http://home.comcast.net/~dcbsr/test/)…\_old\_seat.mpeg Bad link. It looks like you took the string that the board shows in your post and plugged that back in as a URL (looking at the “…” here). ---
**Author:** ![jbarro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@jbarro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jbarro)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2009, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-seat-straps/493465/9 "2009-04-19T16:08:42Z")
Sorry about that. :smack: This link should work. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/wvCRz7BRAM0/hqdefault.jpg "Car seat expiration") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvCRz7BRAM0)