IIHS News
The Graco Nautilus is one of the most popular models for our readers, based on referrals from search engine phrases and sales at our affiliate websites. While we never had a formal review of the original, it is one of our recommended models. Soon, we will be reviewing the updated Nautilus Elite model (currently exclusive to Toys R Us) we saw last fall at the ABC Kids Expo. Here’s a sneak peek-
On our long drive to Lake Minnewaska, my mom said something about DS (5) in his carseat that I initially dismissed. After all, she never used carseats for her kids and I think the extent of her experience driving our kids in her car was a Britax Laptop and a backless booster. A while later, after reflecting upon it, I thought I should check something. Of course, that check didn’t come until a lunch stop on our way back home a few days later. Everyone else was still eating and I remembered that I wanted to check it, so I did. Sure enough, mom was right!
I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a critical error, all things considered. Even so, it was definitely a mistake. What did I do wrong?
No, there aren’t a lot of clues but I will add some later if no one gets it! Sorry no giveaway this time, it’s just for fun! Feel free to guess at will.
We just wanted to say thanks to our sponsor, Kids-N-Cribs.com, for renewing their sponsorship for the rest of the year! We do greatly appreciate the support and hope our readers will consider them whenever they are shopping for carseats and baby gear. They are also a premier sponsor on our forums at Car-Seat.Org, where Bryan from Kids-N-Cribs often participates with information on the latest products and fashions and posts deals and specials, too.
We would also like to thank all our other partners and sponsors, past and present, including our newest sponsor, Huggable Images. They design custom safety training dolls, including age appropriate child passenger safety demonstration dolls.
Thank you again for your generous support and contributions to child passenger safety!
Is one seat better or easier for airplane traveling than another? Perhaps. It all depends on our mantra: the best carseat is the one that fits your vehicle, your child, and your budget. We’ve obviously got 2 vehicles here: the airplane and the car. You may think that your carseat looks too wide to use on an aircraft, but it may not be. Remember that armrests can be lifted and often the widest part of the carseat is above the armrest on the airplane seat, so it can be done. Some folks who travel often do buy a different carseat just for traveling because their main carseat is heavier or bulkier than the travel seat. The travel seat can also be a backup seat for a babysitter or grandma’s car.
So you’ve planned the big trip: the luggage is picked out, you know what outfits the kids will be wearing, you know what snacks everyone will be eating on the plane, but you don’t know what to do about carseats. Traveling with kids isn’t easy. So many things can go wrong. But with a little planning, your trip can be a breeze and when you settle into your seat on the plane, you’ll wonder why you spent so much time obsessing and worrying about the trip in the first place.
Last May, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a Safety Alert urging parents to buy separate airplane seats for all children and to use appropriate child safety restraints for those kids. Unfortunately, children under age 2 are permitted to ride as “lap babies” for free on planes. Everything else on the plane—tray tables, beverage carts, coffee pots—are required to be secured during takeoff and landing and whenever the pilot has the seatbelt sign on. However, these lap babies are only secured by their parents’ arms. In severe turbulence, which cannot be predicted (can you see an air pocket in the sky?), unbuckled passengers and flight attendants have been thrown against the ceiling and injured, sometimes severely. In survivable crashes or runway incidents, unbuckled children become projectiles, just like in your vehicle, but at much higher speeds. There is a device, the Baby B’Air, that tethers a lap baby to the parent’s seatbelt, but it is not approved for takeoff or landing. In an emergency, a parent using the Baby B’Air will be asked to put the child on the ground, wrapped in a blanket, so the parent can assume the brace position.
As I unloaded all the training seats that I took to class in Kingston last week – I got the bright idea to share my collection with our blog readers. I had no intention of turning it into a giveaway but when I noticed the bag of Lifesavers freebies that has been sitting next to my desk since April – the light bulb went off. So, here the deal:
The first person to correctly guess how many training CRs are in that storage room (see video below) will win the bag of freebies from Lifesavers! Keep in mind that you can’t actually see all the CRs in that video although you do see most of them. Contest will be open until Noon EST on Friday. I’ll announce the winner on Friday afternoon, by which time I will have the correct answer. Now the fine print…. eh, I’m lazy – so there will be no fine print except to exclude anyone who actually attended the LS Conference in Philly this year. However, if you win and you live outside of the US, then it will be up to you to cover any costs beyond the $9 that I’m expecting to spend to ship this box via USPS priority mail. Oh, and if you make fun of the way I pronounce “Maestro” then you’ll be automatically disqualified. Capisce? ;-)
PS – In the event that no one guesses the correct answer then I’ll chose the number that was closest without going over.
This Britax Marathon 70 Installation Review is a continuation of review Part I and Part II. The Britax Marathon 70, Boulevard 70, Boulevard 70 CS (Click & Safe), Advocate 70 CS and the Roundabout 55 are the all new Britax convertible carseat line.
Installation comments in 2005 Ford Freestar minivan (middle row captain’s chair) with LATCH:
The Good News – Everything! The seat practically installs itself, both rear-facing or forward-facing, if you’re using the LATCH system. Unless otherwise specified by your vehicle manufacturer - you can use the lower LATCH anchors until your child reaches 40 lbs, then you must switch to a seatbelt install. Many vehicle manufacturers allow the LATCH system to be used up to 48 lbs so check your vehicle owners manual for guidance. Britax recommends that the tether be used at all times. If using LATCH in a center seating position that doesn’t have dedicated lower anchors - you can use the lower LATCH attachments on the Marathon 70 if the spacing between those lower anchors is 20″ or less and the vehicle manufacturer allows it. The “Non-Handed” lower anchor attachments on the MA70 allow you to easily switch the connectors from the rear-facing to the forward-facing orientation. You just slide the straps back and forth along the metal bar and attach them to the lower LATCH anchors! No more “switching” the LATCH connectors like you had to do on the original Marathon model.
Now the big question: How much room does the new MA70 take up in the rear-facing position? Read More…
While I was at the Lexus Family Safety Camp, the professional drivers gave us pointers to be better, safer drivers. Here are some tips on how to adjust your seating position as a driver.
Adjust your steering wheel so that it’s far enough away that your arms bend comfortably. Ladies, I know that some of you have problems reaching the pedals to drive, but you must have space between your chest and the steering wheel! That airbag will do some serious damage to the girls! And, while you’re adjusting the distance between you and the steering wheel, adjust the angle of the wheel so that it’s aimed at your chest, not your face. You want it aimed at your sturdy chest bones, not your fragile face. If it’s too much to change all at once, try changing just a bit every day or two—you won’t even notice after a week.
Your hand positions should be at 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock or a little lower. If you’ll notice, manufacturers have changed the design of the steering wheel so the hand notches are lower; that’s not just for comfort. We used to be taught to hold the steering wheel at the 10 and 2 o’clock positions, but if you do that now and the airbag deploys, your hands will be forced back at your face. Ouch! Nothing like punching yourself in the face 
. So keep those hands low and safe.
Adjust your head restraint so that the tops of your ears are midway on the head restraint. If you have adjustable shoulder belts, adjust the height so that the shoulder belt falls midway between your neck and the edge of your shoulder. You may want it a smidge closer to your neck so that you don’t roll out of it in a crash, but don’t make it uncomfortable so that you push it out of position.
The last few days have been really hot here in NY. Like sweltering, broiling hot. But the Marathon 70 wasn’t even breaking a sweat. In fact, she looked pretty fantabulous in her red bikini. Yeah, yeah… I know – it’s an aftermarket, unregulated bikini that will probably void the Britax warranty but seriously, on a 100 degree day - you pick your battles. ;)
All jokes aside, the Marathon 70 is shaping up to be a really nice convertible child restraint. And if its crash performance data is as good as Britax claims it is - I think we have serious contender on our hands. Read More…
Our traffic adventures in Israel were relatively uneventful. No major traffic jams, no crashes, far fewer people in a rush and not one complete (okay maybe one) idiot like I see many times a day in the USA. That’s not to say that everyone was polite and unhurried, there was plenty of the usual rush hour grind, but it just didn’t seem to be the madness I see in the Chicago suburbs, anyway.
The only auto related issue we had was that our tour van’s air conditioning broke a couple hours from Eilat in the Negev desert. Well that and Jon thowing up the first day. As for the air conditioning, it actually wasn’t as bad as it sounds, even the kids didn’t complain (much). Things like this happen, so no big deal at all. In fact, our tour guide, David, was excellent, as was the transportation and driving. If you are going to Israel, definitely give KIDS’ Israel Adventures a call if you need a guide. Dave is originally from California (Los Angeles) and speaks perfect English. He also has all the local connections of a licensed guide who has been in the biz for 15+ years.
We actually booked our whole tour with Authentic Israel and they happened to pair us with David as a subcontracted guide. I can recommend them also. They were a bit pricey, but good service. David wasn’t our scheduled driver back to Jerusalem today, even if his A/C hadn’t broken. 
So, our tour company sent another driver for the 5+ hour final leg of or tour. This time, it was an older Mercedes Vito minivan. While it seated 8, two rear seats lacked a head restraint and all rear seats lacked a shoulder belt. There was a newer Evenflo high back booster, but I didn’t have the heart to reject it on the basis of a lap-only belt;-) The ride was a bit bouncy, but on the plus side, the A/C was nice and cold! Our kids liked Dave’s van best of all of them, though!
It’s back to the USA traffic for us. I leave still wondering how high motor vehicle traffic ranks as a cause of death in Israel and the West Bank or how their rates compare to ours on a per million vehicle miles travelled basis. Can we help them, or can they help us? Or maybe a little of both?
