Baby Carseat - is it safe?

[citizentwiglet]

My stage 1 carseat (not mine, obviously, it's Finlay's).....the polystyrene on the seat back (IYSWIM, under the cover) has become unglued, and part of it has started to crack. Mothercare say it's fine, police safety blokes say it's fine.....Britax say not fine, replace.

Now...the cynic in me says one thing........the mum in me says 'buy a new one'.......yet I know people who have said their polystyrene was cracked the first time they noticed, because they had to wash the covers, after a month or so of use.

Any advice hugely appreciated!

[MKG]

I'm not quite sure what you mean - is the polystyrene expanded (ie foam) and just for comfort, or is it unexpanded (ie rigid) and structural? If it's structural, then the seat - no question about it - is unsafe. On the other hand comfort is, I'm afraid, mere cosmetics - if it's foam we're talking about, then the seat is still perfectly safe.

Mike

[mrsflibble]

I'm with MKG.

i know i will probably get shot down for this, but sophie's carseat for my mum's car was a third hand one. we checked the structural parts were safe, but i had to replace the polystyrene padding.

[Annpan]

Personally I would get a new one.

[citizentwiglet]

Thanks guys and gals - I don't know whether it's for comfort (it's the layer between the plastic casing and the cover, but it isn't 'foam', it's just a layer of polystyrene like those awful 70s wall tiles.
Mothercare and Police gave verdit without seeing the seat. Have erred on side of caution and bought a new seat. You can't be too careful, can you? Not with motorised killing machines.

[Annpan]

You can't be too careful, can you? Not with motorised killing machines.

My thoughts precisely

I think that it is the polystyrene that is designed to 'give' in a accident, like a crumple zone, it absorbs the impact.... I think...