Children's car seats and booster cushions: How long are they safe?

2008
ISBN: 978-0-662-05668-3
Cat. No.: H128-1/08-53
HC Pub.: 4443

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All children's car seats and booster cushions now sold in Canada have an expiry or useful life date on them. Manufacturers do this to warn buyers not to use them too long. People using children's car seats and booster cushions past their expiry or useful life date, do so at their own risk.

Manufacturers give an expiry or useful life date because over time:

• frequent use and exposure to sunlight can damage plastic;
• labels on the products fade or become hard to read;
• safety instructions have likely been lost;
• food, cleaners, drinks and other materials that have been spilled or used on webbing, buckles, adjusters and other parts may prevent them from working safely;
• the history or condition of the car seat or booster cushion becomes hard to check (was it in an accident, was it stored in a place or in a way that caused damage to parts, etc.?);
• safety regulations and standards may have changed, so safer products may now be on the market; and
• second or third hand owners may not get product recall notices if safety problems arise.

In Canada, all provinces and territories require infants and toddlers to be buckled up in the appropriate car seat. Several provinces also require booster cushions for children who have outgrown a child car seat but are too small for a regular seat belt. The provincial and territorial laws also say that the children's car seats and booster cushions must be certified to Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and must be used according to the manufacturer's instructions. If you do not, or if you use them past their expiry or useful life dates - you may be found guilty of breaking the law.

Listed below, in alphabetical order, are the manufacturers who sell car seats and/or booster cushions in Canada, the brand name and the useful life period of their products. Depending on the make or model, they can be used safely for five to eight years. Transport Canada strongly advises parents and caregivers to follow all of the manufacturer's instructions and respect the expiry or useful life dates.

Adapted from the Transport Canada Consumer Information Notice Children's car seats and booster cushions: How long are they safe? - December 2007

Manufacturer	Brand Name(s)	Product Type1	Useful Life Length
Britax Child Safety, Inc.	Britax	I/C, B	6 years
Combi USA, Inc.	Combi	I, B	7 years
Dorel Juvenile Group, Inc.	Cosco, Eddie Bauer, Safety 1st	I, I/C, C/B, B	6 years
		I/C/B	8 years
Evenflo Company Inc.	Evenflo	I, I/C, C/B, B	6 years
Graco Children's Products	Graco, Century	I, I/C, C/B, B2	6 years
Learning Curve Brands, Inc.	Compass, The First Years	B	7 years
Magna Aftermarket Inc.	Clek	B	7 years
Peg Perego S.p.A.	Peg-Pérego	I	5 years
Sunshine Kids Juvenile Products, LLC	Sunshine Kids	I/C	8 years