Maxi-Cosi started helping keep children safe in Europe in 1984 with the first rear facing only car seat. Since that time, they’ve expanded their product line to include other types of car seats and other baby products, then moved beyond Europe and into the United States. Their latest effort, the Mico Max Plus, adds some
Diono first released their Monterey high back booster seat in 2008. It was immediately a hit with families and CPSTs because it provided an extendable back to accommodate their growing widths, and a tall back that allowed bigger kids to ride in a supportive high back booster seat. Some of our oldest CSFTL models
The Cosco Pronto high back booster seat has been on the market since 2014 and has consistently been an excellent, low-budget booster seat option for tall kids who need the support of a high back booster (as long as the vehicle they are riding in has a headrest in their seating position). Dorel has released
Booster seats with rigid lower anchors are a bit of an anomaly in the United States and Canada so we were pretty interested when we met the newest addition to the Diono family at the 2019 JPMA Show in Orlando. The Everett high back booster seat was originally a European design, brought by Diono to
Rear facing only car seats offer quite a lot when it comes to convenience. These types of car seats typically include two parts — a base that remains installed in the vehicle and an infant carrier portion that easily snaps in and out of the base. Many caregivers like this type of car seat for newborns and younger babies because it makes bringing the baby to and from the vehicle fairly easy. We’ll highlight some of the common challenges and suggest ways to use your child’s rear facing only car seat safely.
Inflatable seat belts combine airbags and vehicle seat belts into one high tech package, offering adult passengers an additional, passive level of protection in the event of a crash. The addition of air bags to today’s vehicles offers an important level of additional protection for adult passengers. However, for all the protection that these lifesaving devices offer to adult passengers, they pose some challenges when it comes to car seat installation.
Some young adults fit better in the seat belt than their parents. My teenager is as tall as I am. As a short Child Passenger Safety Technician, I feel the pain of other short parents. We get questions about this often — “I’m an adult, I don’t pass the five step test. Do I need a booster seat?” The short answer is no, you don’t.
We’re thrilled to see more laws in more states align closer to best practice. As of January 1, 2017, California will join the states with laws requiring children to remain rear facing in their car seats until at least 2 years of age. On that day, California also adopts a law banning all cell phones from being held by the driver.
Your tiny baby has, somehow, grown into a big kid. The little squishy newborn who you were so careful to keep rear facing as she became a toddler and a preschooler, and for whom you researched combination seats, and then learned to convert her seat to a booster, and kept in a backless booster until she fit in the seat belt, finally passes the five step test. After wondering how that happened so fast, you might wonder if she can now safely ride with you in the front seat.
For much of North America a big yellow bus means kids are going to school (and for parents in late August that can be a big relief!). Putting a school age Little on the bus for the first time can be stressful for lots of reasons, but in general parents can rest assured that yellow buses are a very safe way to get kids from home to school and back again.
