Good morning all. I am wondering what to do with an old car seat (Carrier and Base)? Do you just throw them away? I know any reputable place shouldn't accept them as there is no telling if something is wrong with them or not? I was just curious if that is what most people do?
If it's not expired and never been in an accident you should think about bringing it to a women's shelter.
If your seat has expired, or been in an accident what we did was took everything apart, staps and cover then we painted BAD UNSAFE on the seat and threw it out at the curb, the straps and hardware went into another bag and we cut them up so they could not be used. This makes it impossable for someone to use it. If the seat is "safe" then a womens shelter is a great idea. or a friend to use as a g-parent seat for their car or just an extra.
I would give it to goodwill or the salvation army. As long as they haven't been in a wreck, they should still be safe. There are plenty of people in this economy who could use one. Also, you could contact a local church. I'd bet they'd have a parent in need to gift it too. That way you'd know it'd likely go directly to the recipient.
Most places will not accept a car seat because they have no way of knowing if it was involved in an accident and that's a huge liability. And they shouldn't accept it if it's expired either. The expiration date is easily found on the underside of the seat.
You can check to see if they can be recycled in your area and if not then you cut the straps and toss it.
We also always trade ours in to Babies R Us when they have their Great Trade In Event.
take it apart....take the seat belts out and throw them in the trash then the fabric cover then the seat itself. this deters others from trying to take it. throw these three things in the trash seperately like different trash weeks possibly. if the plastic park says its a 1 or 2 recyclable then put it in the blue trash can/nearby recycling facility.
thrift stores around me won't take them no matter their age...strollers either.
I have always kept mine until Toys R Us or Babies R Us offer the trade in day. This way I get a discount on the new seat and I know that the seat is disposed of properly.
Babies R Us has a trade in event several times a year (carseat doesn't have to be in working condition) and you get 20 or 25% off any new baby item. I hold onto mine for that.
Goodwill or Salvation Army. If they are bad, they will deal with them.
Good luck to you and yours.
Hey. I just moved here from Dallas and the St. Vincent DePaul group took carseats. Not sure if they exist here, but they are a Christian organization that has different divisions including one for Moms that need help with Prego related things. Look for that or a women's shelter. I purged everything and the look on the ladies face was so immensely grateful that I knew I did the right thing. It made it easier to purge things that to me still meant something to me.
You might also try a local hospital - sometimes parents either haven't been able to afford a carseat or the baby was early and they don't have everything yet. Or, they just might tell you to dispose of them (taking into consideration the expiration/accident factor).
If they are not beyond their expiration date, you can see if anyone you know is in need of one or knows someone in need.
If they are beyond their expiration date, you can recycle the plastic bases as long as you remove all the padding and straps before you drop it at the recycle center.
I believe if it's expired or has been in an accident, you're supposed to cut the straps off and put it in a garbage bag for the trash.
Cut the straps off, remove the cover, and write "DO NOT USE" or EXPIRED on it before throwing it away.
Your other option is to hang on to it until Babies R Us has there next Trade In event where they accept old items (car seats, strollers, cribs, etc) in exchange for a coupon to use on new items. The old things are destroyed professionally.
