SIL wants to give us used Peg car seats and Duette...

[jmorowitz]

My sister-in-law has twins girls who have outgrown their Duette. I'm expecting twins in August and she really wants us to take her Primo Viaggio car seats and Duette stroller. I looked at the manufacture dates on the car seats and one said 12-12-03 and the other was 4-14-04. So the first one will be five years old at the end of this year and everyone says don't use car seats that are five years old or more. Soooo, if we take the Duette but buy two new Primo car seats, it will cost us $500! I had planned on buying the Baby Trend Snap-n-Go plus the Baby Trend car seats (which were rated number #1 by CR). Total for that including the bases is less than $400.

I guess I'm just looking for opinions. I have no idea what I would want to use after they outgrow the infant seats but I am inclined to think I would want a side by side stroller.

Money is not so much the issue as is practicality. I don't like to be wasteful so I like the idea of using the used stuff, but at the same time I don't want to wind up spending a bunch of money on something I'll hate.

also, I am a small person and I don't want to complicate things. I've heard the Duette and the Primo seats are quite heavy.
Any advice?

Thanks !

[schums]

Car seats generally expire 6 years after manufacture. So the one seat will expire 12/12/09, the second 4/14/10. From an age perspective, the seats are fine. Just be sure they haven't been in a crash or anything.

As for the CR report, ignore it. CR reviews are so out of touch with reality, that they should just be ignored. Do a search on Consumer Reports here to see why none of the techs respect their opinions.

I know nothing about the seats you SIL has, but hopefully Julie or another tech will jump in with some suggestions!

HTH!

[vludmilla]

I used a Primo Viaggio seat and I didn't notice that it was especially heavy. I liked it. I guess I would consider using the set as long as the seats weren't in an accident. They should be fine otherwise. Everyone says not to use car seats that were used but that is because usually you won't know if the seat was in an accident. Since it's your SIL, I would think that you can trust her to tell you if they were. A savings of $400-500 is huge and they will need converstible car seats before you know it. Some infants outgrow the infant car seats as early as 3 months.

[jmorowitz]

Thanks for the advice. I guess I am concerned about the plastic degrading since they have spent the last few years in her garage exposed to heat and cold. But they looked okay and they haven't been in an accident.

[jeno]

xxxxxxx

[DaniannieB]

The PP was correct in the MOST seats expire after 6 years. Peg Perego , however, gives their seats a 5 year from DOM expiration date. So, the seats will expire this December 2008 and April 2009 respectively. I'm not sure that will last you as long as you're wanting to use them.

Also keep in mind that although the seats are decent seats, they tend to be outgrown quickly (even sooner than other 20 lb 26" seats).

[Radosti]

I bought my Peg Primo Viaggio off my friend for $50. It had a manufacturing date of 12/03. I used it for my DS and he outgrew it at 3.5 months, but he's huge all around, not what I would expect of twins. He HATED the seat with a passion, most likely because it was always kind of a tight fit for him. So, at 3.5 months, he went into a britax marathon and we never looked back.

I gave my primo viaggio seat to my SIL last year when she was expecting her daughter. She gratefully and happily used it for 7.5 months. I knew I would not be reusing it for my second (although I could and he'd probably outgrow it within the timeframe of their expiry). I ended up buying the Graco SafeSeat 1 for my second DS, mostly because it goes to 30 lbs and will provide a lot more space. He's already following my first DS's trend, so I'm sure he'll be a huge one as well.

I think you'll be fine using the Primo Viaggio seats. They outgrow these seats so quickly anyway that I'd just invest in decent convertible toddler seats instead.

[kristenk]

Keep in mind that I don't have twins or any experience with any of the car seats or strollers you mentioned!

Even if the older of the two car seats expires at the end of December this year, you'd get about 4 months of use out of it. I would gladly accept the seats and stroller (assuming that they're being offered free of charge - they are, aren't they) and just use them as sort of an extended free trial period. At the end of the four months, you'll have a better idea of what things you like and dislike in a stroller and the growth patterns of your babies. THEN, go out and buy what you like and what you think will work long term.

[caleymama]

Keep in mind that I don't have twins or any experience with any of the car seats or strollers you mentioned!

Even if the older of the two car seats expires at the end of December this year, you'd get about 4 months of use out of it. I would gladly accept the seats and stroller (assuming that they're being offered free of charge - they are, aren't they) and just use them as sort of an extended free trial period. At the end of the four months, you'll have a better idea of what things you like and dislike in a stroller and the growth patterns of your babies. THEN, go out and buy what you like and what you think will work long term.

That's exactly what I was thinking

[codex57]

I'm not the largest and I think the seats are on the heavy side. Still, they're free. I'd live with the extra weight and thank my SIL for the gift. Like you, it's not really about the money. The seats sound perfectly fine and they're used for such a short time, the appeal of getting more use out of them before they expire is more appealing to me than any of the slight negatives can overcome.