Did you know? Car seats can expire. Be safe, buy new

Used baby gear can save you money, but there's one thing you should always buy new: the car seat.

“Even if a car seat looks fine, it may have internal damage that you can’t see," said Consumer Reports' Jen Stockburger.

"We test hundreds of car seats, and after those crash tests, there is sometimes damage that’s not evident.”

Parents who use hand-me-downs or buy a used car seat should be extra careful in checking the seat's full history. Even a seat used by an older sibling that was never in an accident might not be OK.

Did you know car seats actually have an expiration date? It's roughly six to 10 years from the date of manufacture.

“Car seats have an expiration date to assure that the components haven’t degraded over time and that the seat meets the latest in safety standards,” Stockburger said.

The date is printed on every seat.

“Sometimes they’re on the side. Many, many, seats have them on the bottom, but somewhere there will be a sticker that gives you, at the very least, a date of manufacture," said Sarah Ludwig, child passenger safety technician instructor.

Seats that have passed their expiration date or those that have been in a crash should be destroyed, not merely put out with the trash. This prevents other parents from pulling bad seats from the curb and taking a chance in reusing them.

A safe seat does not have to cost a lot. The Cosco Scenera Next is a Consumer Reports Best Buy, for around $45.