Day three in Vegas dawned and our intrepid media team greeted the dawn with a mighty series of snores. This expo business is amazing but can really wear a girl out!
We started our day at the expo in the line ride for Starbucks, where so many ABC Kids attendees were in need of pastries and coffee that the cold case was nearly empty. Finally, coffee in hand, we were ready to meet another set of manufacturers and see the latest innovations in the car seat world.
Our day at the Expo started with a visit to the Graco booth. Graco has added some really exciting new products lately — namely the 4Ever and the Milestone. We couldn’t wait to see what they had to show us!
Our intrepid media team is headed to exciting Las Vegas for the ABC Kids Expo! During this first day of the show, we had the chance to meet with these manufacturers.
I’ll start this review with a confession: I’m a huge fan of Britax seats. My oldest daughter rode in a Britax Wizard for most of her rear facing years and my younger daughter still rides in a Britax Boulevard occasionally. I’ve found these seats very easy to install and use properly and the Wizard made me an early fan of the no rethread harness. For the record, the “best” seat is the one that the caregiver can install and use properly *every* time.
Maxi-Cosi offers two booster models that received a Best Bet rating in the 2014 IIHS Booster Ratings: the mid-priced, RodiAP and the higher end RodiFix. Both boosters offer a fairly high top belt guide so they’re both long-lasting as the child grows. The RodiFix does not convert to a backless booster, includes ISO-FIX connectors to secure it to the vehicle seat when not in use, and has closed shoulder belt guides that keep the seat belt in place. In this review, we’ll take a close look at the RodiFix.
I’d been a Child Passenger Safety advocate since my oldest daughter was little. At her first birthday, she was 18 lbs — below even the lowest limits for rear-facing. That inspired me to explore the safest options for her. I stumbled onto the facts around extended rear-facing in time to keep her seat backward until around her 4th birthday.
We bought my Mazda 5 when my youngest daughter was on the way. I loved how roomy it is, how it has 3 rows, and most of all, those sliding doors. It’s narrow enough that I can park in the skinniest parking spaces and still unload both of my kids without trouble.
Seven year old Val normally rides in a high-backed booster
Seven year old Val normally rides in a high-backed booster
Most of the time, my daughters ride in captain’s chairs in the second row. This works out fine because those seats are adjacent to my beloved sliding doors so it’s easy to get them in and out. But sometimes, we have company in the car and somebody needs to move to the third row for a while.
Our Clek Olli has been a big hit with our family. My daughter likes how comfortable it is and we like how portable it is. More than one last-minute ride with friends has been made possible by the Olli. The Heart Shades print we have is also very fashionable.
The Safety 1st Complete Air is a nicely priced, lightweight convertible seat that fits in some narrow spaces, but can take up quite a bit of room front to back.
My daughter rode in a harnessed car seat until right around her seventh birthday. Once she’d outgrown all of her harnessed seats by height, the best option for her became a high-backed booster.
