Target Bemidji hosts car seat trade-in, offering discounts on baby essentials

Beltrami County families will have a simple way to clean out an old car seat and save on new baby gear when Target Bemidji joins Target’s bi-annual trade-in event April 19 through May 2. Customers can drop off any car seat near Guest Services and receive a 20% Target Circle bonus to use on eligible baby purchases.

The discount can be applied to a new car seat, car seat base, travel system, stroller or select baby home gear, including playards, high chairs, swings, rockers, bouncers, walkers, entertainers and jumpers. Target says the bonus will be valid through May 16 and can be redeemed twice, and it can be combined with other item offers, though it does not apply to Target Plus items or clearance merchandise.

The timing matters for parents who are trying to stretch a family budget while keeping children in the right seat for their age and size. Federal child-safety guidance says children should stay rear-facing until they outgrow that seat, then move to a forward-facing seat with a harness and top tether, and later to a booster seat until the seat belt fits properly. NHTSA also advises keeping children in the back seat at least through age 12. That makes trade-in events useful not just for savings, but for getting expired, damaged or outgrown seats out of circulation.

Target says the program began in April 2016 and has recycled more than 3.5 million car seats, or 1.2 million pounds of car seat material, since launch. Other reporting says the trade-in effort has kept 58 million pounds of materials out of landfills and turned them into more than 690,000 Brightroom and Room Essentials products. Returned seats are also recycled into pallets, plastic buckets, construction materials such as steel beams, carpet padding and select Brightroom, Room Essentials and Pillowfort items.

Target will also offer in-store giveaways and samples on baby essentials April 25 and 26, giving local shoppers another reason to stop in during the promotion period. The 2026 event is tied to Target’s newer Baby Concierge service, now in 200 stores, as well as its Baby Boutique concept, which has launched in nearly 200 stores nationwide. For Bemidji families, the local payoff is immediate: one trip, one trade-in and one less unsafe seat sitting in the garage.