Another day over at this year’s KIM conference with some big news from Dorel. Here are some fun things I got to play with today along with Dorel’s big news.
Safety 1st Incognito Backless Booster
Here it is everyone! Designed with big kids in mind. The colors match most vehicle interiors and no armrests mean that no one can see they’re in a booster. No more embarrassment for being in a ‘baby seat’. They are also encouraging these for bulk sales to coalitions, hospitals, fire/police stations, etc. Nice price point at $19.99. Available on Amazon.com in a couple months.
Seat stats
Weight: 60-120 lbs
Height: up to 59″
Measurements: 18″ depth, 16″ at the front, 13″ at the back
This seat has been out for awhile now, but the new technology is pretty fun to play with, so I thought I’d share. It’s the first car seat base with a computer to help visualize when your install is correct. Just follow the lit up instructions to know how you’re doing. Green smiley face means ‘You’re good to go’ red triangle means ‘You need a bit more adjustment’. A few concerns have been shared about the computer technology. Here were the reps responses:
Q: Battery life… will the batteries ever need to be changed?
A: The lights on the display are LEDs which means they take VERY little battery power, so battery life should last the life span of the seat (expiration 7 yrs from date of manufacture). Plus the lights shut off after 15-20 seconds of any button being pushed.
Q: Have you seen any issues with temperature changes and the computer not working?
A: The technology has been tested down to 0 degrees F with no issues.
The other different part of the base is the ratcheting mechanism for both LATCH and seatbelt install. You just crank the handle on the ratchet until the green smiley shows up. To release you just push on the bottom to unspool the LATCH or seat belt. A concern that has come up is the ratcheting mechanism over tightening the belt or damaging it in some way. They did extensive testing on the amount of force that can be placed on it and how much force is put on the belt when it is ratcheted up. Plus the ratcheting mechanism has rounded corners, so no worries about it damaging the belt.
As for the actual infant seat, it has a nice harness adjuster that moves up and down when tightened and loosened. So it fits every infant with no rethreading harness straps or moving a headrest. Check out their website for more info on it.
Seat stats:
Weight: 4-35 lbs
Height: up to 32″
Cybex Aton 2
This recently released infant seat is a 2nd generation with some nice new features. The load leg has been added to the base (similar to the Nuna Pipa, that was posted in yesterday’s blog). The seat has added linear side impact protection that no other infant seat has. There are 2 pieces of plastic on the handle of the seat. When placing the seat in the vehicle the plastic piece closer to the car door gets flipped out. This piece keeps the door from encroaching on the shell of the car seat.
I was able to view some of their crash tests with this piece and it’s amazing how well it does. To flip the piece back down there are 2 buttons right under it to unlock it and flip it back down. This is in place so children don’t pinch fingers.
Seat stats:
Weight 4-35lbs
Height up to 30″
Snugli
Snugli is an offshoot of Evenflo company. All the Snugli seats that are available are rebranded Evenflo seats with a new material, nice patterns, and memory foam. They offer the Embrace 35, Symphony, and SecureKid.
The new material is called Outlast. Outlast material is the same material NASA uses in their spacesuits to keep their astronauts warm in cold outer space. Snugli is using it to keep the hot off the child in the seat. No more sweaty backs!
Nuna Pipa – more pictures!
I was also able to get a couple more pictures of the Nuna Pipa infant seat that I posted about in yesterday’s blog. The picture on the left is the infant insert that can be used up to 11 lbs. the picture on the right is the enormous sun shade. It attaches with magnets, so no velcro getting stuck or clips breaking off.
The last day of the KIM conference is tomorrow, but only consists of a few educational sessions. All the product booths have been taken down, so no more fun pictures or product info. I’ve had a great time and am looking forward to attending more in the future.
***Hint, hint – Stay tuned to csftl.org to see many of these seats reviewed in the future***
Originally written by Angela Tastad. Edits maintained by CSFTL.
