CHILD SAFETY USED CHILD SEATS

If you're a parent of a small child, you'll know only too well just how easily the costs add up. Clothes, high chairs, cots and car child seats.

Of course, you could save yourself money by buying some of these items second-hand. And for all but one crucial item, that would be fine. The crucial item? The child seat for your car.

Want to know why? Then you want to talk to the Baby Products Association (BPA). They've recently been doing some research into the hidden dangers of buying second-hand car seats and child restraints.



BPA is a charity, backed by Mother & Baby Magazine, set up to make parents aware of the risks they take with their children's lives if they choose to follow the bargain basement route. This is even true when it comes to home-based children's items. Around 15,000 kids under five are injured in home accidents involving nursery equipment in the UK every year. When it comes to buying these items second-hand, there are all kinds of hidden dangers, such as worn fittings and harnesses and hairline cracks.



Buy a used child's car seat and the problems can be even greater. If the fitting instructions are missing, can you be sure that both the seat and your child will be held secure in the event of an accident? And does that bargain seat meet the very latest safety standard?



Fortunately it seems that the populace at large is now getting the message. Sales of second-hand seats have dropped from 34 per cent in 1992 to 22 per cent last y...