What To Do With Old or Used Car Seats: 5 Safe Options

This article was reviewed by Amanda Brown, CPST.

If you’ve got an old car seat taking up space in your garage, you can trade it in, donate it, sell it or hand it down. As long as the seat is not expired, has never been in an motor vehicle accident and has only been gently used, another family can reuse it when you’re done with it. 

It can often feel like you need new baby gear every day—which is why giving your quality gear a second life is so important. Unfortunately, 12 million car seats are throw away each year. Alternatively, donating, selling or recycling your car seat will give your gear a second life while reducing gear waste. 

If you’re wondering what to do with your old car seats, look beyond the landfill and consider donating, regifting, recycling or selling it. Donating or selling baby gear like strollers or clothing can help reduce waste while also helping families access the gear they need for less, while recycling or regifting is more sustainable than throwing it away. 

We’ve put together a guide to donating, selling or recycling used car seats. 

What to Do With Old Car Seats

"The answer to that question depends on the condition of the car seat," says Amanda Brown, Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST).

If the car seat is in good condition...

A new family may be able to reuse it when you're done with it. That means you can hand it down to a friend or family member, donate it, resell it or trade it in.

Good condition means:

• The seat is not expired

• It hasn't been involved in a car accident

• There are no broken or missing parts

• It hasn’t been recalled

In these cases, reusing or donating the seat keeps it out of the landfill and helps another family access essential baby gear secondhand.

If the car seat is expired or not in good condition...

It should not be used again. Instead, dispose of it responsibly so that it won’t accidentally end up in use. We recommend cutting the harness straps and writing "expired" or "unsafe" clearly on the seat before recycling or discarding it.

Not good condition means:

• It's past its expiration date

• It has been in a crash

• It's damaged, incomplete or recalled

Checking if Your Car Seat Is Expired 

Child car seats don’t last forever. Materials wear down and safety standards evolve, which is why every seat comes with an expiration date—usually six to 10 years after it was manufactured. But you’ll need to check your specific seat to see the date for yours. 

How to check your car seat’s expiration: Look for a white sticker on the bottom or back of the seat. It should list the date of manufacture and/or expiration. If your seat is past its date, it’s no longer safe to use or donate.

Also note: Even if an infant car seat isn’t expired, it should not be used if it’s been involved in a car accident.

Need more help? Read our guides to Deciphering Car Seat Labels and Car Seat Expiration Explained.

What To Do With Gently Used Car Seats 

If your little one has outgrown their car seat, you may start looking to pass it on. It’s important to do so safely and take the proper precautions. If your gently used car seat is still in good, working condition, isn't recalled or expired, has never been in an accident and has all of it's parts, you can give it a second life by passing it on to another family. 

1. Sell It

At GoodBuy Gear, we offer parents a safer way to sell their gently used car seat through our proprietary 30-point GoodBuy ™ Car Seat Safety Check process. In addition to our standard quality checks, we worked with a car seat design, engineering and safety consultant to create this inspection process for gently used car seats. If your car seat does not pass that safety check, it will not be listed on our site.

If you want to sell your gently used car seat with us, here’s what to look for at home: 

• The seat must be two or more years from expiration 
• The seat must not be recalled 
• The seat has not been in a motor vehicle crash
• All labels and parts are legible, present and not impaired 
• The seat has not been modified
• The seat does not have excessive wear and tear 
• The seat has been cleaned properly according to the car seat manual

Selling instead of trading in your car seat at an event like the Target Trade-In Event may be better suited for parents who do not want to wait until the annual event—if you live in one of GoodBuy Gear's seller service markets you can schedule a pickup or drop your car seat off for free anytime and they'll do the work to sell it for you. You can also earn cash instead of only Target store credit towards another car seat or select infant gear when you sell your gently used car seat.

Why it’s safer than selling on a marketplace: Unlike Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist, where listings are buyer-beware, every seat sold through GoodBuy Gear is professionally inspected and verified safe. Our team ensures compliance with safety standards and provides peace of mind for both buyers and sellers. 

2. Donate it 

Rules for donating a car seat vary from place to place. But there are a few options for donating a gently used car seat that is in good condition and hasn’t been recalled. Check with local thrift stores, consignment shops and shelters to see if they accept car seats and lways call ahead to confirm whether they accept car seat donations and what condition requirements they have.

Where to donate car seats: 

• Thrift stores
• Consignment shops
• Women’s shelters
• Pregnancy resource centers
• Churches
• Homeless shelters
• Children’s hospitals

3. Hand It Down

In some cases, you might be able to hand your car seat down to a friend or family member. It’s important to make sure the car seat is in safe, working condition before passing it along. You need to make sure the seat isn’t broken or recalled, is appropriate for the intended child and hasn’t been involved in any accidents. 

What to check before handing it down: 

• There are no broken parts
• The car seat is not expired
• The seat isn’t recalled
• It hasn’t been involved in a car accident 

Always pass along the manual and clearly share the expiration date with the new user.

What To Do With Broken or Expired Car Seats 

If your car seat is broken, recalled, expired or not safe, here are a few options to dispose of it responsibly so you don't contribute to landfill waste. 

1. Trade It In

Some retailers host car seat trade-in programs where you can bring in an old, expired or damaged seat and receive a discount on a new one.

Popular programs include:

• Target: Runs car seat trade-in events each spring and fall. In exchange for turning in an old car seat, you’ll receive a 20% off coupon for select baby gear. Seats are recycled through Target’s partner, Waste Management.

• Walmart: Has previously partnered with TerraCycle to accept used seats and recycle the materials.

These programs help keep millions of pounds of plastic out of landfills while giving you a little money back.

2. Recycle It Properly 

Recycling car seats isn’t always as simple as placing them in your curbside bin. Many local recycling centers don’t accept car seats because of the mixed materials.

Recycling options include:

• Local programs: Some municipalities accept seats if you dismantle them first. Call ahead to confirm.

• Mail-in programs: TerraCycle offers a car seat recycling program for select brands like Century.

• Trade-in events: Retailers recycle collected seats responsibly.

When recycling, be sure to:

• Remove all fabric and straps

• Separate metal and plastic components

• Discard non-recyclable parts per local guidelines

If you're looking to dispose of a car seat the right way, you have more options than ever. Whether it's recycling through a mail-in program, attending Target’s car seat trade-in event, handing it down safely or dropping it off at a donation center, there's a path forward that has sustainability in mind.

If your car seat is in good, working condition, more than two years from expiration and has never been in a motor vehicle crash or recalled, you can consider selling it with us to keep it out of a landfill and more accessible for another family. Learn more about our GoodBuy ™ Car Seat Safety Check process here.

And if you're in the market for your next seat, browse GoodBuy Gear's selection of open box car seats from trusted brands. These are new car seats that have never been used but are offered at a discount, making them a safe and budget-friendly option.