CHILD CAR SEATS– Buy a Nationally Certified Seat

Having properly fitting and installed child car seats in your car is important for the safety of your young child. And where you buy your car seat can be important to ensuring that your child has the proper seat.

The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, in a Facebook post, recently talked about a couple who came into the North Precinct asking for help with a secondhand child car seat. Deputies helping the couple found several problems with the seat; the seat was thought to be 1 year old, however it turned out to be 5 years old; the original padding had been replaced with egg carton foam indicating that the seat was either in an accident or had been dropped hard enough to render it unusable.

In addition to secondhand car seats, law enforcement agencies also warn the public to avoid knockoff car seats. Often found online, knockoffs may seem to offer a cheaper alternative, but they may not be built to the standards required by the federal government.

Some guidelines to use when shopping for a child car seat include:

·         Try to avoid used car seats. If you must buy used, buy one from a friend or other family member.

·         If you are buying online, check out the specifications for the seat.

·         When you buy a seat, register it with the manufacturer so that they can notify you if there is a safety recall.

Look out for:

·         Missing manuals.

·         Missing stickers on the side and bottom of the seat. The stickers should tell you the date of manufacture and the model number that you can use to check if the seat has been recalled.

·         Cracks (however small) in plastic or foam,

·         Parts that don’t work right, like finicky handles or latch connectors that won’t latch.

·         Add-ons to the seat that do not look like they came with the seat (for example fabric doesn’t match- these are often non-regulated products that can affect performance of the seat).

·         Bases that do not match the seat or do not connect correctly.

·         Check the expiration date.

For more information about child car seats check out the following links:



Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office:

https://www.facebook.com/SnoCoSheriff/posts/3264273180313399?__tn__=K-R



NPR Here and Now:

https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2019/11/06/knockoff-car-seats-online



U.S. Department of Transportation:

https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/car-seats-and-booster-seats



Safe Kids Worldwide:

https://www.safekids.org/tip/buying-right-car-seat



 Washington State Child Seat Law:

https://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=46.61.687