Viva the Via Giveaway!
This giveaway is now closed. The winner will be announced soon. Thank you for participating!
Who loves a good giveaway? Why we here at the blog do, of course! Especially when it’s a car seat we’re giving away. We like to keep our readers happy and their kiddos comfy and safe too. The wonderful folks at Learning Curve have given us a First Years Via infant seat in Aurora to giveaway. Did you know that the handle on this infant seat can be placed all the way forward to be used as an anti-rebound bar? Way cool! To enter, all you have to do is leave a car seat safety tip in your comment. Just one. That’s it. It can be as basic or as complicated as you’d like. Just one safety tip per comment and one comment per family, please. If you leave more than one comment, only the first one will count.
And now for the legalese: to qualify for this giveaway, you must be registered at Car-Seat.Org prior to today. Anyone with a forum account made on or before August 25 is eligible to participate, subject to the other rules. The email address you use to enter/comment should match the one you have in your Car-Seat.Org account.
The winner will pay actual shipping charges from the southwest which will include delivery confirmation. If you want to add insurance, signature required, weekend delivery, next day, second day, international or other service, that is also at your cost. Expect the cost to range from approximately $25 in the southwest up to $50 on the east coast for FedEx ground service (UPS and USPS will be more). Shipping costs are not refundable for any reason. Paypal is preferred but a money order will also be accepted. We will be rounding up to the nearest $5 to cover Paypal fees and will contact the winner via PM to at Car-Seat.Org to the account matching the email address on the winning comment!
So, when do you find out if you’ve won? The winner will be selected at random on September 1. We will do our best to have the item shipped the same or next business day that payment for shipping is cleared through Paypal or the bank, but shipping times are variable and the choice of service is up to the winner. No guarantees on shipping or delivery days!
You are not eligible if you have previously won a carseat or sponsor giveaway at CarseatBlog.com (our own giveaways of bags and such don’t count if no sponsor was mentioned). Blog writers and editors are also not eligible. We politely ask that you only enter if you intend to use this infant seat and would also appreciate the favor of a followup comment.
Please note: Your comment may not appear immediately if it is your first comment at CarseatBlog, if you are using a different computer/device or if you are using a new email address. It will not be lost; it may just take a few hours for it to be approved. Thank you for your understanding an patience as this is the only way we have to reduce comment spam.
And because we’re in the Learning Curve lovin’ mood 
, we’d like to show off the winner of our Kids-N-Cribs.com-sponsored First Years True Fit Premier giveaway. This is Susanx4′s dd. She’s 2 years 4 months old and broke her leg just before receiving her brand new seat. Her old seat didn’t give her as much leg room rear-facing for her casted leg, so she’s loving all the space she has now in her comfy seat. Thanks again Kids-N-Cribs.com!
Reader Comments
Always remember to actually put in the armrest screws in your Graco Turbobooster. They are a required part of the seat for it to work safely!
For rearfacing, you should use the harness slot that is at or BELOW the shoulders.
read the instruction manual for how long the seat will last prior to expiration and then compare to manufacter date the seat was made on the seat. i wish i had learned this one earlier…
Remember that it’s called a *chest* clip – not a belly clip – for a reason.
Rearface for as LONG as Possible!
Never use a 2 X 4 as a pool noodle! Also, never use a pool noodle (or 2X4) on a ffing seat.
The harness should be snug, not fly through loose.
Make sure to use the proper belt path when installing a car seat!
Harness should be at OR below the shoulders for rear-facing.
Do not add aftermarket products to your car seat.
remember you can NOT restrain a car seat with both LATCH and a seat belt
Use the top tether when using a forward-facing harnessed seat.
Just because a booster has a 30 lb minimum doesn’t mean it’s actually a good idea to put a 30 lb child in it!
Just because the law says your child doesn’t have to be in a booster – doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be! Keep your kids in boosters until they pass the 5 step test.
When you KNOW better, you DO better. Research which seats to use and how to use them. KNOW better so you CAN do better.
Make sure to use thin layers of clothing on your child when they are in their car seat.
For boosters the lap belt needs to be low on the hips.
Make sure you KNOW what your child weighs with their clothes on and the weight restrictions (high and low) for any seat they use! Going by sight alone you may not realize when your child outgrows a seat.
Children should remain in a rear facing convertable carseat for as long as the fit. That is until there is one inch of hard shell above their heads or they have hit the rearfacing weight limits set by the manufacture.
Never put your child in a carseat with a snowsuit on (or any heavy or bulky clothing for that matter) as it will not give you a tight and appropriate fit.
Just remember in the US, Dorel seats require a child be 1 AND 22# AND 34″ to use the seat forward facing.
If using a seatbelt to secure your child restraint, always make sure to lock the seatbelt. Refer to your car owners manual to find out how. If your seatbelt doesn’t lock, utilize a locking clip. Refer to your car seat owners manual on how to use the locking clip.
Check the seat every time you use it!
You should not be able to pinch any strap webbing at the child’s shoulders when the harness is snug enough.
Make sure you only use a backless booster when there is adequate head support (to the tops of the ears) AND use a booster with a back as long as your child fits since they offer greater head protection in side impact crashes.
Make sure your child is mature enough to sit properly in a booster…this is often after they meet the minimum physical requirements of 4 years and 40 lbs.
Babies are safer rear facing for as long as possible – the limit on their carseat.
Better to be safe than sorry—take your installed carseat to one of the inspection sites for a check-up. It’s fast, easy and free! (they will even help you install them.)
Make sure your child’s chest clip is at armpit level.
Be sure that the CPST that shows you how to install your seat actually TEACHES you to install it yourself they won’t be there on the side of the road when you need to move it to another car.
Make sure the seat moves 1″ or less at the belt path. Check this by grabbing the seat at the belt path with your non-dominant hand & giving it a quick jerk back & forth.
Keep your children in a 5 point harness for as long as possible!
Be sure to read the manual to your car seat AND your car to determine if the car seat can be installed in the rear center with LATCH.
Don’t forget to change the latch connectors on Marathon/Blvd seats when switching from RF to FF or FF to RF.
remember to read the mfrs. instructions BEFORE you wash any part of the car seat and never, ever put the harness straps in the washing machine/dryer!
You may not “share” or “borrow” LATCH positions in the center unless your cars manual AND your child restraint manual specifically allow it.
remember the straps should be at or below shoulders for RF and at or above shoulders for FF…
Awesome giveaway!
Keep your children RFing as long as possible (by weight of the seat) and when FF in a 5 pt harness as long as you can as well!
Yay, i think ijust joined car-seat.org just in time!
What a beautiful seat!
Keep your child rear facing until the limits of the seat are reached.
Make sure there is no more than an inch of movement along the belt path!
I didn’t realize I had to be a member to win. What a great forum group to join!
What a wonderful seat!!! Thank you for the oppurtunity to win this seat! We are actually looking for an infant seat for our 7th baby since our infant one expires this December!
Make sure to keep up on carseat expirations please! Destroy ones that are expired so no one can dig them out of the garbage and reuse them.
Read your manual to know the correct possition for your handle while in the car. Some are up, some are down and some can be any way. It’s important to know and follow.
Congratulations to our winner – Katie! (#10)
Congrats, Katie!
Thank you! I am so excited!