When do Chicco car seats expire?
If you want to know when Chicco car seats expire, check this ultimate guide. We summarize everything about the car seat expiry dates for the most popular Chicco car seats available on the market (it’s not as more as Graco).
Very similar to the Britax, Chicco also has the expiry date imprinted on the white sticker you can find on the car seat or base. Unlike the Britax, the expiry dates of Chicco car seats (including the manufacture date) do not contain the exact date. It gives the exact year and month, no date.
It seems that the expiration date should be expiration month. However, this does not change much for the final expiry date anyway. The discrepancy does not go over 30 days. That’s a very very short period compared to the six or eight years of useful time.
When a Chicco car seat expires depends much on the car seat type. Infant, convertible, or booster seats may have a different expiry date, you can click on the icon below to view the details.
Infant
Chicco Infant Car Seats Expiry Date
Convertible
Chicco Convertible Car Seats Expiry Date
Booster
Chicco Booster Seats Expirty Date
What Do Car Seat Expiry Dates Mean?
Parents won’t feed their kiddie expired food, but many of them are unintentionally transporting their child in an expired car seat that no longer meet safety standards. They don’t even know what exactly it means for a car seat to expire.
Car seat expiry date estimates the usage time that a purchased car seat will completely protect your child in case of a crash. It’s given by the manufacturer based on the crash tests they’ve conducted. It’s not changeable.
However, a car seat expiry date does not mean that the car seat turns useless once it reaches that date or month (for Chicco). As a matter of fact, it’s not illegal to keep using a car seat after it expires.
NOT illegal at least by the laws, as the car seat laws in the United States do not require the manufacturers to have an expiry date on their products.
But the majority of car seat brands do include the manufacture date and expiration date so that the parents could know this information and use the car sat in that specific period of time.
How Long Are Chicco Car Seats Good For?
Typically, the Chicco car seats are good for between 6 and 10 years after the date of manufacture (DOM). A car seat’s expiration date varies by the type of seat. The Chicco infant, convertible, all-in-one, and booster seats have different lifespans. It's important to check the manufacture date and expiry date when you get a Chicco car seat. This allows you to know how long it will serve you, even if you know that it's not changeable.
Why Do Car Seats Expire?
If you are thinking that manufacturers give their car seats an expiry date in order to increase sales, you’re totally wrong. Your Graco car seats expire due to various reasons:
Recalls
Recalls happen when the manufacturers find a faulty car seat. Sometimes, the faulty is found in specific models; sometimes a series of models manufactured during a specific time.
It’s STRONGLY recommended to register your car seat with the manufacturer (via the warranty card or online contact) when you get it the very first time. Then you can get updates if any recall happens on your model.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator (NHTSA for short) makes a list of the car seats (including make and model number) that were recalled in the past 10 years.
Improved techniques
You can’t expect a phone from 10 years ago to work like the one you just got this year. So does the child safety seat. New features and technologies are applied in newer models that are more competitive than old car seats.
For example, Chicco only applies the zip-off feature for newer premium models, like the NextFit Zip and its siblings.
Newer car seats will have enhancements that testing has proven to save kiddies’ lives in case of any incidents. Manufacturers frequently conduct crash tests for new features that ensure a child’s survival rate during accidents is increased.
Damage
Car seat standards and requirements may change. That will result in previous models being unfit for continued use. A typical example is that the local laws on car seats changed.
A few states updated their regulations on the age for rear-facing, increasing from 1 year old to 2 years old. This rule causes parents to change to a car seat with extendable rear-facing, instead of an infant car seat.
If your car seat has been used in a crash, no matter if it’s damaged or not, you should not continue to use it. This will discontinue a car seat before its expiry date.
Wear and tear
Your Chicco car seat degrades along with the long-term use. They endure various environmental conditions like heat, UV rays, cold, etc. All these have the potential to affect the materials and the integrity of the seat.
For example, plastic parts may be contracted and expanded by extreme cold or heat. Metal parts may turn rusty under humid weather conditions like rainy.
These will eventually affect the car seat negatively.
When Do Chicco Car Seats Expire -Infant
According to Chicco, their infant car seats expire 6 years after the date of manufacture.
The expiry date of Chicco infant car seats can be easily found on the white sticker on the underside of the car seat or on the car seat base. You’ll find only year and month displayed following the word “DO NOT USE AFTER:”
Besides the manufacture date and expiry date, the white manufacturer label also includes the model name, number, code, and other car seat information like origin.
To make it simple, we have listed the most popular Chicco infant car seats and their expiry date.
3 Chicco Infant Car Seats Expiry Date
| Model | Expiry Date | Location of Expiry Date | Online User Manual |
|---|---|---|---|
| KeyFit 30 Infant Car Seat | 6 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on bottom of infant seat | User Manual |
| KeyFit 35 Infant Car Seat | 6 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on bottom of infant seat | User Manual |
| Fit2 Infant & Toddler Car Seat | 6 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on bottom of infant seat | User Manual |
It’s understandable that Chicco infant car seats have the shortest 6-year useful time, they are designed for newborns and infants. The best is for toddlers younger than 24 months old. That’s not a long riding time, especially since babies won’t drink or play in an infant car seat.
When Do Chicco Car Seats Expire - Convertible
Chicco convertible car seats (excluding all-in-one) will last a bit longer than infant car seats. They expire 8 years after the date of manufacture, for example, the Chicco NextFit Zip.
From this point, Chicco was beaten by Graco and Britax. Convertible car seats from both brands have a longer use time of 10 years.
The all-in-one convertible car seats perform better. They have a long-lasting up to 10 years. That means a Chicco all-in-one car seat expires 10 years after the date of manufacturer. For example, the Chicco Fit4 all-in-one car seat.
10 Chicco Convertible and All-in-one Car Seats Expiry Date
| Model | Expiry Date | Location of Expiry Date | Online User Manual |
|---|---|---|---|
| NextFit Zip convertible car seat | 8 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on bottom of car seat | User Manual |
| NextFit Zip Air Convertible Car Seat | 8 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on bottom of car seat | User Manual |
| NextFit iX Zip Convertible Car Seat | 8 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on bottom of car seat | User Manual |
| NextFit Sport Convertible Car Seat | 8 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on bottom of car seat | User Manual |
| NextFit iX Zip Air+ Convertible Car Seat | 8 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on bottom of car seat | User Manual |
| Fit4 All-in-One Convertible Car Seat | 10 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on bottom of car seat | User Manual |
| NextFit Zip Air Convertible Car Seat | 8 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on bottom of car seat | User Manual |
When Do Chicco Car Seats Expire -Booster
The Chicco booster seats have the same long lifespan as the convertible car seats. They expire 8 years after the date of manufacturer, including the harness-2-booster seats, such as the MyFit.
We also make a list of expiry dates of Chicco booster seats for your reference, including the user manual of every Chicco booster.
8 Chicco Booster Seats Expiry Date
| Model | Expiry Date | Location of Expiry Date | Online User Manual |
|---|---|---|---|
| MyFit Harness + Booster Car Seat | 8 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on back of car seat | User Manual |
| MyFit LE Harness + Booster Car Seat | 8 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on back of car seat | User Manual |
| KidFit 2-in-1 Belt Positioning Booster Car Seat | 8 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on back of car seat | User Manual |
| KidFit Zip 2-in-1 Belt-Positioning Booster Car Seat | 8 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on back of car seat | User Manual |
| GoFit Backless Booster Car Seat | 8 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on back of car seat | User Manual |
| KidFit Zip Air 2-in-1 Belt-Positioning Booster Car Seat | 8 years after the date of manufacture. | Label on back of car seat | User Manual |
How do I know If my Chicco car seat is expired?
Where to find the expiration date for Chicco car seats? The expiry date for your Chicco car seat is printed on an adhesive manufacturer label that is located on the bottom of the car seat.
So it’s better for you to check the expiry date the very first time when you get a Chicco car seat. After installing it in the vehicle, it’s a bit difficult to see this expiration date.
More than the manufacture date and expiry date, the company provides other information on the white sticker, like the model name, number, and code.
The country of origin can be found on the sticker as well. It seems Chicco car seats are all made in China, even if it’s a US car seat brand.
What to Do with Your Chicco Car Seat When It Expires
Donate the Expired Seat
After your Chicco car seat is expired, you should not give it to a friend or a family member who needs a car seat. It probably puts another child’s life at risk if he or she uses that expired car seat.
You can donate it to the Child Passenger Safety Technicians (CPSTs), who can use the expired car seat in the training classes. Different car seats from different makes have differences in installation. The CPSTs can use the expired car seat to demonstrate the harnessing procedures and installation tips.
Before tossing the expired car seat into the trash, find some CPSTs to see if they need to use that expired car seat or not.
Trade in the Expired Car Seat
You can also trade a car seat in when it is expired. The most welcomed trade-in program comes from Target, which starts the car seat Trade-in Event twice every year – one in the first half of the year and the other in the second half.
The upcoming Target Trade-in Event in 2022 will happen in September, from Sunday, September 11, 2022, through Saturday, September 24, 2022.
During the Target Trade-in Event, you can bring an expired car seat to a Target store. Near the Guest Services, you can find drop-off boxes for used or expired car seats.
After registering, you’ll get a 20% off coupon for a new car seat or any baby home gear.
If you missed the 2022 Target Trade-in Event, you can bookmark this website to get updates on the next Target Trade-in Event in 2023.
Walmart’s trade-in program ended in 2019. At that time, they provided a $30 gift card.
Recycle Your Expired or Used Car Seat
There are some useable parts in an expired car seat that can be recycled. If you have an expired car seat, you can check around to see if a near recycling program would accept an expired car seat or what parts they would like to recycle.
Some recycling companies want you to dismantle the car seat to remove any unrecyclable materials before you bring them to them. They just want the plastic but no metal, fabric, or padded foam.
You can also try to find an online recycling company to check if they accept an expired car seats. The TerraCycle that has cooperated with Walmart for the 2019 trade-in program provides online service and you can contact them to confirm.
Trash Your Expired Car Seat
If you don’t have a plan to donate, trade in, or recycle your expired car seat, you can simply trash it as well.
However, before tossing the expired car seat in the trash, you’d better dismantle it first, avoiding someone would ‘rescue’ it and use it for another child.
You can also mark ‘expired’ or ‘unsafe’ on the expired car seat to remind others not to use it for another child and put that child at risk.
Buy A New Car Seat (Optional)
If your Chicco car seat expires but your kiddie still needs to stay in a child restraint system, it’s better to buy another car seat for him or her.
If you’re loyal to the Chicco brand, you may want to get another Chicco car seat. Or Britax and Graco are also good options.
Does Chicco Car Seat Base Expire
Yes, Chicco car seat bases expire 6 years after the date of manufacture.
There is an expiration date listed on all car seats and bases. The expiration date is printed on the white sticker on the bottom of the base. It’s the same as the Chicco car seats.
Before using the base with your child, always check for its expiration date.
Is it legal to use an expired Chicco car seat?
It’s best NOT to use a Chicco car seat when it expires. Even no laws in the United States have a statement on expired car seat usage. You won’t be stopped by traffic police on the road to check if the car seat is expired or not.
But it’s not safe to use an expired car seat. You’ll put your little one at risk if doing so. It’s parents to decide whether to use an expired Chicco car seat or not. But as a good parent, you’d better NOT use a car seat that expires.
If you find that your car seat reaches its expiration date, you may follow the above advice to deal with it.
How to maximize a Chicco Car Seat Use Time before Expiry Date
The expiry date is given by the manufacturer. It’s not changeable. But this does not mean that the car seat suddenly becomes useless once it gets that day.
What parents can do is maximize the service time before their Chicco car seats expire. The best practice is to use the car seat following the instructions in the user manual:
- Install the car seat properly with the LATCH or seat belt.
- Inspect the seat regularly for checking for missing or loose parts.
- Clean the seat regularly to keep the car seat clean and comfortable.
- Stick to the size limit for rear-facing, forward-facing, or booster, or LATCH (commonly the harness limit).