Do you know when it’s time to get rid of that expired car seat?

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Do you know when it's time to get rid of that expired car seat?

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A car seat is arguably one of the most important pieces of baby equipment you’ll purchase and use daily, but what do you do with your car seat after it has expired or you no longer need it? How do you know if your car seat is expired or not? What do you do with an expired car seat? While you’ll want to check with the recommendations for your specific car seat, the average life span of a car seat is 6 years.  A website run by the Academy of American Pediatrics, healthychildren.org, is an excellent resource for all things related to pediatric health and safety. In this article they recommend never using a car seat if it is:

  • Too old
  • Visibly Damaged
  • Missing Labels, Instructions, or Parts
  • Has been in an accident
  • Has been recalled
  • Has an unknown history

How to know when your car seat is expired?

Okay, so now that you know your beloved expired car seat’s days are done the most important thing is to stop using it and dispose of your car seat in a way that ensures no one attempts to reuse it. Of course, we at First Time Mom are about all about the three R’s: reduce, reuse, and recycle, but when it comes to car seat safety trumps it all. Thankfully for our Minnesota readers, there is a great option for recycling your car seat.

[Tweet “Do you know when you should retire that car seat? #childsafety”]

Minnesota Target Expired Car Seat Recycling Program

Between September 1 and 11, Minnesota residents can recycle used car seats! 56 Target stores across Minnesota are hosting a car seat collection program to help residents reduce household clutter without sending waste to landfills. All car seats collected through this program will be recycled through TerraCycle so that each component will see a second life.

Residents should bring their car seats to any Target store (see below) and look for Target’s car seat collection box in the front of the store or in the baby/kids floor pad section.

Store # Address City State Zip
2025 2000 Bunker Lake Blvd NW Andover MN 55304
643 15150 Cedar Ave Apple Valley MN 55124
2390 15560 Pilot Knob Rd Apple Valley South MN 55124
1832 1500 109th Ave NE Blaine MN 55449
5 2555 W 79th St Bloomington MN 55431
240 6100 Shingle Creek Parkway Brooklyn Center MN 55430
693 7535 West Broadway Ave Brooklyn Park MN 55428
861 1300 State Highway 55 NE Buffalo MN 55313
2340 810 County Rd 42 W Burnsville MN 55337
1303 215 Balsam St N Cambridge MN 55008
1831 11990 Business Park Blvd N Champlin MN 55316
862 851 W 78th St Chanhassen MN 55317
1352 111 Pioneer Trail Chaska MN 55318
1144 3300 124th Ave NW Coon Rapids MN 55433
662 8655 E Point Douglas Rd S Cottage Grove MN 55016
3 5537 West Broadway Ave Crystal MN 55428
360 2000 Cliff Lake Rd Eagan MN 55122
68 1744 Suburban Ave East St Paul MN 55106
220 8225 Flying Cloud Dr Eden Prairie MN 55344
2313 7000 York Ave S Edina MN 55435
1244 356 12th St SW Forest Lake MN 55025
2200 755 53rd Ave NE Fridley MN 55421
1245 875 General Sieben Dr Hastings MN 55033
2519 7841 Amana Trail Inver Grove Heights MN 55077
2189 8900 Highway 7 Knollwood MN 55426
52 2500 East Lake Street Lake Street MN 55406
1484 18275 Kenrick Ave Lakeville MN 55044
1448 749 Apollo Dr Lino Lakes MN 55014
2193 15300 Grove Circle N Maple Grove North MN 55369
2223 300 Clydesdale Trl Medina MN 55340
1095 1650 New Brighton Blvd Minneapolis NE MN 55418
100 13201 Ridgedale Dr Minnetonka MN 55305
1356 4848 County Rd 101 Minnetonka MN 55345
2180 1447 E 7th St Monticello MN 55362
1375 900 Nicollet Mall Mpls Nicollet Mall MN 55403
1185 2199 Hwy 36 E North St Paul MN 55109
1211 2323 Highway 3 S Northfield MN 55057
820 8600 Springbrook Dr NW Northtown MN 55433
2135 7900 32nd St N Oakdale MN 55128
2456 15800 87th St NE Otsego MN 55330
664 4175 Vinewood Lane N. Plymouth MN 55442
1522 151 Tyler Rd N Red Wing MN 55066
2300 6445 Richfield Pkwy Richfield MN 55423
1456 21615 S Diamond Lake Rd Rogers MN 55374
2101 1515 County Road B W Roseville MN 55113
1833 14333 MN-13 Savage MN 55378
1272 1685 17th Ave E Shakopee MN 55379
619 3800 Lexington Ave Shoreview MN 55126
260 3601 Highway 100 South St Louis Park MN 55416
2229 1300 University Ave W St Paul Midway MN 55104
931 2021 Market Drive Stillwater MN 55082
751 975 County Road E Vadnais Heights MN 55126
2449 875 E Main St Waconia MN 55387
2046 1750 S Robert St West St Paul MN 55118
694 7200 Valley Creek Plz Woodbury MN 55125
2406 449 Commerce Dr. Woodbury MN 55125

When you turn in an expired car seat, you’ll receive a coupon for 20% off the purchase of a new one. Thank you, Target!

After the recycling program ends, TerraCycle will separate the different components of the car seats (cloth elements, plastics, metals, etc.) and process them for use in other products.

If you do not live in Minnesota and need to dispose of a car seat check with your local Highway Traffic Safety Administration to see if they have a car seat recycling program or know of one in your area. If you cannot find a recycling program please disassemble your car seat before discarding it. Here’s to keeping your family healthy and safe!

 


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Laura

Wife, work at home mom, and bassoonist, Laura Ankrum lives in Iowa City, Iowa. Prior to the arrival of her two children Laura taught elementary music and band in the Boston area. Now her home is her classroom and music studio. Laura is passionate about education, encouraging other moms, and eco-friendly living. She is the social media coordinator at Thirsties Inc.

2 Comments

Meaghan Flanagan Angle · August 29, 2016 at 8:51 pm

We don’t have any expired car seats, but we do need to switch to a convertible. Hopefully I can find an expired one from a friend. Thanks for letting us know that Target is doing this!

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