Two of our members were lucky enough to be able travel to Chicago, Illinois this weekend to attend the 33rd Annual Lifesavers Convention. Lifesavers is an all-encompassing highway safety conference. Its attendees range from CPSTs to Highway Patrol.
Today we were lucky enough to hear from a variety of manufacturers about their latest updates and innovations.
Without a doubt, Safety 1st and Cosco took the show with their announcement that by the end of 2015, ALL of their convertibles will require that a child be a minimum of 2 years old before allowing to use the seat forward facing. This wording is already on the SceneraNEXT and the APT50. Safety 1st sneakily added it to the new Advance Air EX as well.
Technicians the world wide will rejoice at the next news. The Alpha Omega Elite and all versions of it will be PHASED OUT of production by the end of 2015.
Replacing it will be the new Safety 1st Go 
and Grow seat. It is an “All in One” seat with an easier to use recline feature. Two recline settings rear facing and one recline for forward facing. The initial prototype, which we played with, featured pockets on either side to hold the buckle tongues to keep the harness out of the way during loading.
We got to hear a little bit more information from Clek regarding the Infant Thingy. The Infant Thingy is the insert from Clek to be used with the Fllo and the Foonf for infants as little as 5lbs. With the Infant Thingy, the headrest of the seat needs to be removed. It was also noted that the straps CAN be above the child’s shoulders while using the Infant Thingy. The manual for the Infant Thingy will supersede the manual for the car seat.
Next up we went to visit Cybex. The new Cloud Q features a lay flat feature that will be able to be used ONLY outside of the car. The belt guides for the seat will be blocked from use while in the lay flat feature. Cybex expects a June Release for the Cloud Q. They have also done some updating to the Q-Fix and will be releasing the Q2. They also have plans to release another booster, the M-Fix.
Safe Traffic Systems announced the third generation of the RSTV will be discontinued this year. The Second generation will stick around, with additional products being sold for the Travel Vest to accommodate bigger vehicles, and vehicles with inflatable seat belts. May 1st, the Delighter booster seat will be released. The Delighter is being called the lightest booster on the market. It was so light, I was able to lift it with one finger. The Delighter will be able to be used with the RSTV. The FAA certification for the RSTV is still pending.
At Evenflo we got some hands on time with the Advanced Transitions. This is Evenflo’s newest combination seat. With a harness to 65lbs and booster to 110lbs. It can be used as a no back booster as well as a high back booster. The Transitions features 18 inch top harness slots. It also features removable harness pads and comfort padding. One important thing to note is that if it is being used for a child under 40lbs, the seat requires you to use the recline mode.
We are happy to report that Diono is bringing back their popular Monterey booster!
Hauck was a new face today, showing off their new ProSafe35. The ProSafe35 is a rear facing only for 4-35lbs, with a reversible insert. One of the unique features about this seat is the ability to adjust the recline on the base, by pulling or lowering the lock-off. We were unable to confirm a tentative release date at this point.
Today was full of excitement and so much information. We can’t wait for tomorrow!
