It’s about halfway through summer and sixteen children in the United States have lost their lives to hyperthermia due to being left in a vehicle. It’s utterly heartbreaking every time a new one hits the headlines because it is so very preventable. Think it could never happen to you? Think you could never, ever, forget about your child in a car? Think again.
Driver safety and safety features in vehicles are evolving as fast as technology allows. Many of the things we learned during drivers’ education are now absolutely wrong, thanks to advances in occupant protection. There have also been advances to occupant protection that have nothing to do with what I learned in driver’s education but are
Everything you purchase comes with a manual, whether it is a lawn mower or a DVD player. When you are preparing for a child, multiply that by a bouncer, a high chair, a stroller and a swing. Chances are, you read them to know how to put them together and their basic function.
When Graco announced their first 4-in-1 car seat, I was parts suspicious and parts intrigued. In general, multi-mode child restraints tend to fall short in at least one mode. It’s no small task to make a restraint suitable for a 4 lb newborn all the way up through an 80 lb 10-year-old.
Don’t get too excited! This is just a quick note to tell you that Car Seats for the Littles has had a chance to use and review the new 4-in-1 in all modes and we are very, very, very excited. This picture is just to whet your appetite. Wait for the full review after we have had a chance to use the seat with real, live models for a week. However, at this juncture, we’re comfortable saying that Graco has hit a home run….. to be continued!
One question we see a lot as CSPTs is, “how do I protect my vehicle’s seats when a car seat is installed?” It’s a valid question, especially for expectant parents who wonder what the car seat will do to a vehicle’s interior which was previously untouched by car seats and ground goldfish crackers.
Kiddy USA generously offered us a Kiddy World Plus for review, and I was eager to try one. Unlike any other child restraint in the US, this seat has a protection shield instead of a 5-point harness. This type of restraint is new to the US, but is fairly common in Europe, where restraints similar to this one are seen more frequently.
So, you’re scrolling through your local buy-sell-and-trade page, or your local craigslist ads, searching for maybe a new stroller, or some baby clothes for that little one that doesn’’t seem to stop growing. Then, you stumble across an ad for a car seat. “EXCELLENT CONDITION” is what the caption says, along with “Not expired!” It may be a great deal, a bargain, half of what that seat retails for in a store.
The Safety 1st Advance SE 65 Air + convertible car seat is a recent addition to the Safety 1st roster of child restraints. We were excited to take it and its multiple recline positions, a no re-thread harness and generous weight and height allowances out for a spin!
As Child Passenger Safety Technicians, we often have the opportunity to work with parents and caregivers that are excited about car seat safety and interested in becoming CPSTs themselves. One of the most common questions they ask about the certification process is what does a CPST do, anyway?
