expiration of fisher price stay-in-view carseat??

[lotsolove]

ok, i know that recommended age is six years but my manual says eight years. i love my stay in view for the shoulder strap and if i have to let it go at 6, that will be december of this year.(i am a foster parent so my infant seats get used off and on) any techs have good answers?
teresa
mom to
luci 22 months
nick 4.5 yrs

[Momof3Labs]

FP says that it is 8 years, so it is 8 years. Ours were also manufactured in December of 2000, but I am holding on to them in case we have a baby #3. I'd also miss that shoulder strap!!

[kellyotn]

Yup, old-school FP was 8 years. (New, Britax-FP, I'm not sure, but I'd assume 6 years??)

I had the SIV too. LOVED that thing and really hoped Britax would put that concept into use! Brilliant. I couldn't go anywhere w/o people wanting to know where they (or their sister / friend / cousin) could get one. I'm short, and it worked 1000 times better than the traditional handles for me.

One thing to check though - they did have a problem where the straps would snag on two sharp right angle points in the back of the seat. I had to destroy mine even though it had a couple years before expiration. If you look at the back of the seat, mine looked like there was the beginning of a "run" in the straps from where it had pulled over these points. FP couldn't replace the harness, since they've been out of the biz for so long.

If yours is still good, consider yourself lucky! Be very careful with tightening the straps to keep it unfazed. Put your other hand back there and "guide" the straps over these points.

[Joolsplus2]

Good reminder about the straps! I'm using my friend's 6yo SIV now and LOVE it, but it's hard to remember to treat those straps with all that extra care (it has 'dents' but not 'runs' so it's still good, I think!)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx