Q. How long can my child seat be used or when does it "expire"?
A. Please refer to the user guide that came with your child seat to determine its recommended useful life. Britax recommends that the use of a child seat be discontinued after a certain number of years from date of manufacture, depending on the seat, or if the seat has been involved in a severe crash. Expiration dates are recommended for various reasons: technology has changed, components degrade from the environment (depending on how and where stored), parts get lost or installed incorrectly, or instructions and labels may not be available or not legible. After a child seat has met its expiration date, Britax recommends that the child seat be destroyed.
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Q. The base of the Chaperone infant car seat hangs over the edge of the seat when installed in my vehicle. Is this safe?
A. Historically, Child Passenger Safety curriculum has referenced an “80/20 rule of thumb” – which suggests that at least 80% of the child restraint’s base should be in contact with the vehicle seat.
Whereas this rule of thumb is a good starting point, changes in product design and materials among manufacturers have resulted in products that defy this guideline in both directions. Some products require 100% of the restraint’s base be in contact with the vehicle seat, while other products may allow for less than 80%. If limitations to standard installations exist – it should be well documented in the user guide.
Britax has extensively tested the Chaperone Infant Car Seat under all configurations possible within the FMVSS-213 standard – with each result far exceeding the required standards.
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