Everyone loves a bargain. Who doesn’t love to get something on sale and save a few dollars? But there are certain items that are best purchased new and your child’s car seat falls into that category.

Making Sure Your Little Ones are Seated Safely

Here are some reasons Parenthood360.com says it’s not a good idea to pick up a used car seat at a secondhand store or garage sale:

• All the parts may not be there. You cannot necessarily tell if a part has been removed or altered just by looking at it. And the part that is missing may well be something integral to the car seat’s performance.

• You also will not be able to tell by looking at a car seat if it has been involved in a crash. And any car seat that has been through a crash should not be used again. Damage to the car seat may not be visible but may cause the car seat to malfunction if used again.

• Depending upon how old the car seat is, it may or may not meet the current safety requirements as these change from year to year as technology advances.

• It is important to have instructions to refer to when installing a car seat as this process can be a tricky one. And if you don’t know the model number of your car seat, you will not know if that particular model has been recalled.

So what if you have an old car seat? What can you do with it to dispose of it safely? According to UsedEverywhere.com, the majority of the materials that make up a car seat may be recycled. UsedEverywhere.com has two how-to videos that show you how to recycle a car seat.

“We see family automobiles come in after accidents and have long been concerned for families and their safety in such situations,” says Bruce Hansen, owner of Great Plains Auto Body. “Auto Body for Tiny Bodies is our way of giving back to the community, and we genuinely encourage the public to learn the approved manner in which to install these important safety devices for their children.”

You may call one of the inspection stations below for assistance. Please plan ahead. Most inspection stations are booked two weeks in advance and are by appointment only.

Children’s Hospital & Medical Center 84th Street and West Dodge Road (402) 955-8090

National Safety Council, Nebraska (402) 898-7351 ($25 fee for service) safety@SafeNebraska.org

Nebraska State Patrol 4411 S. 108th St. (402) 331-3333

Sarpy/Cass Safe Kids @ Sarpy/Cass Health Dept. 701 Olson Drive, Suite 101, Papillion (402) 339-4334