If you have a car seat your child has outgrown or one that’s been sitting in the garage, your options depend almost entirely on its condition. A seat that’s still within its expiration window and undamaged can be donated, resold, or passed along. One that’s expired, recalled, or been in a crash needs to be disposed of responsibly so no one else uses it. Here’s how to figure out which category yours falls into and what to do next.
Check the Expiration Date First
Every car seat expires, typically 6 to 10 years after its manufacturing date. The exact date is printed or stamped somewhere on the seat itself, usually on the bottom or back of the shell. Some models with steel reinforcements last longer, but the manufacturer always sets a specific cutoff.
The reason for expiration isn’t arbitrary. The plastic shell, fabric, webbing, and padding all degrade over time from temperature swings, UV exposure, and regular wear. These materials are engineered to absorb and distribute crash forces in very specific ways, and weakened components can fail when it matters most. If your seat is past its date, it should not be used by anyone, period.
Determine if the Seat Is Still Safe to Pass Along
A car seat is only safe to reuse if all of the following are true:
- It has not passed its expiration date
- It has never been in a moderate or severe crash
- It has no broken or missing parts
- It has not been recalled
You can check for recalls through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Search by the seat’s brand, model name, and manufacture date to see if any safety notices have been issued. If the seat has been recalled and the manufacturer offered a fix you completed, it may still be usable, but check the recall notice carefully.
What Counts as a Crash?
NHTSA considers a crash “minor” only when every single one of these conditions is met: the vehicle could be driven away from the scene, the door nearest the car seat wasn’t damaged, no passengers were injured, no airbags deployed, and there’s no visible damage to the seat. If even one of those criteria isn’t met, the crash is considered moderate or severe and the seat should be replaced and not reused.
Donate or Give It to Someone You Know
If the seat passes all the safety checks above, another family can absolutely use it. Handing it down to a friend or family member is the simplest option. Include the original manual if you have it, or direct them to the manufacturer’s website for installation instructions specific to that model.
For broader donation, some local shelters, thrift stores, and consignment shops accept car seats, but policies vary widely. Always call ahead. Many organizations have strict condition requirements and will turn away seats without a visible expiration date or missing components. Some consignment platforms specialize in baby gear and professionally inspect every seat before resale, which gives buyers more confidence than a listing on a general marketplace.
Trade It In at a Retailer
Target runs a periodic car seat trade-in event that accepts infant seats, toddler seats, and booster seats regardless of condition or expiration status. You drop off the old seat at designated collection points in the store and receive a discount toward a new car seat. The collected seats are recycled rather than resold, which makes this one of the best options if your seat is expired or damaged and you’re planning to buy a replacement anyway.
These events happen a few times a year and are announced on Target’s website. Other retailers occasionally run similar programs, so it’s worth checking Walmart and Buy Buy Baby (where locations still exist) if the timing doesn’t line up with Target’s schedule.
Dispose of an Unsafe Seat Properly
If your seat is expired, damaged, recalled without a fix, or has been in a crash, the goal is to make sure nobody pulls it out of the trash and straps a child into it. Before throwing it away, cut the harness straps off, remove the padding if possible, and write “EXPIRED” or “DO NOT USE” on the shell with a permanent marker. This makes it obvious the seat is not functional.
Some municipal recycling programs accept the plastic shell once you’ve stripped the fabric and metal components. Check with your local waste management service. The plastic in car seats is often polypropylene, which many curbside programs handle, but the mixed materials of an intact seat usually can’t go in a standard recycling bin. If a trade-in event is coming up, that’s a simpler route since the retailer handles the material separation.
Keep Your Current Seat in Good Shape
If you’re still actively using a car seat, how you clean and maintain it affects whether it stays safe over its full lifespan. Never use bleach, vinegar, chemical solvents, or abrasive cleaners on any part of the seat. These can weaken the plastic shell and degrade the fibers in the harness straps. The straps are especially vulnerable: never submerge them in water or run them through a washing machine. The agitation damages the woven fibers that give them their strength during a crash.
For routine cleaning, mild soap and warm water on a cloth work for the shell and buckles. Most fabric covers can be removed and machine washed on a gentle cycle, but check your manual first. Never use lubricants like WD-40 on the buckle or adjustment mechanisms, even if they feel stiff. If a buckle stops latching properly, contact the manufacturer for a replacement part rather than trying to fix it yourself.
Store the seat indoors when it’s not installed in a vehicle. Extended exposure to heat, cold, and sunlight in a garage or car trunk accelerates the breakdown of every material in the seat, potentially shortening its usable life well before the printed expiration date.