Diono Radian RXT, Radian R100, Radian R120, Rainier, Pacifica & Olympia Car Seat Recall

Diono is recalling certain Radian R100, Radian R120, Radian RXT, Olympia, Pacifica, and Rainier convertible+booster carseats. Approximately 500,000 seats are affected. When the carseat is secured to the vehicle forward-facing using just a lap belt and without using the top tether, the seat may not adequately protect the child from injury in the event of a crash. As such, these seats do not conform to the specific requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 213. This is a voluntary recall. There are no reported injuries or deaths associated with these seats in these use modes. Owners of affected seats can continue to safely use their Diono carseats until the “recall remedy kits” are mailed out in about 6 weeks.

To clarify, only seats made in the date range listed below are recalled and the problem only relates to the installation of these models in the forward-facing position if the seat is installed in an older vehicle with just a lap belt and no top tether. If your Diono convertible was made during the recall period but your seat is installed rear-facing, or if it is installed forward-facing using the tether, you don’t need to be overly concerned but you do need to make sure your seat is registered with Diono so you can receive your recall remedy kit which will include several items. More on that below.

To determine if your Diono seat is recalled, find the sticker label on the side of the seat which includes the model number and the date of manufacture, then check to see if falls into the date range listed below. If you purchased your Diono convertible seat sometime in the last 4 years, there is a good chance it’s now part of this recall.

My seat is affected by this recall. Now what?

The recall is expected to begin November 22, 2017. At that time Diono will begin notifying registered owners, and will provide a free remedy kit to those owners who request it. If you know that you never registered your Diono carseat, you can register it online here. If you’re not sure, you can contact Diono customer service sometime in the next few weeks to confirm and to make sure they have your current mailing address. Honestly, I wouldn’t try to call today or tomorrow because it will probably be difficult to get through. They are currently in the process of setting up a website and customer call center to handle the recall. Once we have a phone number or website for you to contact, we will update this article to include that info. I suggest waiting until next week if you just want to confirm that your seats are registered. The remedy kits won’t be ready to ship until the end of November anyway.

What will the Remedy Kit contain?

The free remedy kit will contain an updated instruction manual, an energy-absorbing EPP foam insert that goes under the child and a new style of chest clip. These additions are only necessary when installing your Diono carseat forward-facing with a lap-only seatbelt and no top tether. This is an unlikely scenario for most parents unless you drive a vehicle more than 15 years old, or a school bus.

Do I really need the Remedy Kit?

If you are currently using your Diono carseats forward-facing in a seating position with just a lap belt and no top tether, you will want to add the EPP foam insert and new chest clip as soon as possible. Or, better yet, look for a different seating position that may have a tether anchor you can use! For the vast majority of Diono carseat owners who are either using their seats rear-facing or have them tethered forward-facing, you don’t really need the remedy kit but should probably order it anyway just in case you wind up needing to install your seat in an old vehicle with lap belts and no tether anchors someday.  Or, maybe on a school bus. 🙂

Additional information from the Diono website:

https://us.diono.com/safety-notice/

Diono is a leading designer and manufacturer of child safety seats and other juvenile products.  We are committed to improving safety for babies and young children traveling in cars.  As a result of our rigorous quality control, and ongoing product testing, we have established that if our convertible child safety seat is installed forward-facing in vehicles with a lap-belt (type 1) only without top tether, it crosses into a technical non-compliance.  If our convertible child safety seat is being used with a lap and shoulder safety belt (type 2) or with our SuperLATCH system, or top tether the child safety seat is unaffected.

Please Note: In September of 2005 a U.S. law passed requiring a three-point belt in every back seat for all cars manufactured after 2007 – most vehicle manufacturers complied well before that date.

It is highly unlikely that you will be affected by this voluntary recall.  To check if you are, please answer the following questions.

A) Is your child safety seat installed forward-facing with the lap and shoulder belt, or with our SuperLATCH system, or using the top tether?  If the answer is yes you are unaffected by this notice.

B) Is your child safety seat installed forward-facing with the lap belt only and top tether. If the answer is yes you are unaffected by this notice.

C) Is your child safety seat installed forward-facing with the lap belt only? If the answer is yes, you might be affected by this notice.

If the answer to C is yes you are only affected if your seat was manufactured after 11/25/13.  You will be able to locate this information on the manufacturer’s label on the product.

The Diono Safety Team is ready to assist any concerns, questions and inquiries from concerned parents, customers or advocates who need our support while we implement this voluntary recall. We have a toll-free number set up for any consumer inquiries 1-855-463-4666.

Imagine how you deal with the awkward situation of having to tell someone you’re talking with that they have food stuck in their teeth.

Maybe you can’t imagine this because you’ve made the decision to never, ever, tell anyone about the spinach bits wedged between their incisors. Or maybe you are someone who doesn’t even squirm at the thought of broaching the subject because you have decided in advance to always, always, bring attention to the issue; swiftly and smoothly:

“Oh look, you have something from your breakfast smoothie stuck in your teeth!”

“Oh.” Wipes teeth with tongue.  “Did I get it?”

“No, not that side, the other side”

“Here?”

“Yep, oh… still there.  Here try some water.”

“Still?”

“Okay, you may just want to run to the bathroom to check it out in the mirror…”

I weigh the pros and cons of both approaches and still can’t decide which is better. If I don’t say anything, and we chat for an hour, then someone more brazen than I joins the conversation and tells them, then they’ll ask me, “Oh, why didn’t you tell me? I feel stupid you let me carry on like that!” Or, I could quickly point it out the second I notice it, participate in the whole teeth-washing fiasco, just to discover it’s ruined our pleasant visit.  

You can imagine how my indecisiveness about manners manifests itself similarly when, as a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician, I see carseat misuse by close friends. In the scenario of deciding if I’ll tell my friend that an infant seat base is not supposed to slide off the vehicle seat on every curve, the stakes are a bit higher.

On the one hand, commenting on how a mom chooses, uses, and installs her child’s carseat, risks leaving her feeling ashamed and defensive. But on the other hand, I could ignore the safety issues and feel responsible if, in a collision, the seat doesn’t provide the highest level of protection. Which, gathering from the fact that she spent $200 on a carseat and uses it regularly, she does intend to glean the most safety benefits possible from it! 

She may actually want to know sooner rather than later if something is stuck in her teeth.

My strategy is still a work in progress but, here’s how I am choosing to share my carseat safety knowledge with friends:

1. Assume parents are doing their very best.
2. Express admiration for the things they are doing right.
3. Show solutions to the most pressing safety concerns.
4. Empathize with the ridiculousness of how complicated it is to keep a child safe on the road.
5. Offer to help them anytime they have questions or want guidance on a new seat.

So far nothing has blown up in my face; I still have friends. Usually, if I lose friends it’s because they move out of state and if that’s their way of breaking up with me because I offended them with unwanted carseat advice, then they have a very good cover story. And a very accommodating spouse.

We discovered Stroller Costumes at the JPMA trade show earlier this year and we thought it was a super cute idea! Why should humans (and pets) have all the fun dressing up for Halloween? Doesn’t your stroller deserve some attention too as you meander through the neighborhood with your costumed munchkins? We think it does, so we’ve partnered with Stroller Costumes for a fun Halloween Giveaway! Winner has their choice of available costumes!

Stroller Costumes was actually designed by a dad whose kids went through the stroller-hating phase. I think many of us can relate to that experience! Lol. If your child is currently rebelling against the stroller but will gladly ride in a store shopping cart which looks like a race car or a cozy coupe – this product could make stroller time tolerable again. It’s also a fun way to distinguish your stroller from the dozens of other strollers in theme parks!

Available Stroller Costume Styles:

Current Stroller Costume styles include Fire Truck, Police Car, Princess Carriage, Red Race Car, Pink Race Car & Dump Truck.

What kind of strollers are compatible with a Stroller Costume?

Almost any single stroller with a front tray or napper bar is compatible. You need the front tray/bar because that is one of the attachment points for the costume. The other two attachment points are the lower sections of the stroller’s handle bar.

How to Enter our Stroller Costumes Giveaway:

• Leave us a comment below telling us which costume style your child would love (comment required to be eligible to win), then click on Rafflecopter to qualify yourself.

• For extra entries, be sure follow the Rafflecopter instructions to visit our Facebook page, visit the Stroller Costumes facebook page and tweet about the giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now for the fine print – winner must have U.S. shipping address to claim the prize. Only one prize will be awarded in winner’s choice of style. Only one entry per household/family, please. If you leave more than one comment, only the first one will count. We reserve the right to deem any entry as ineligible for any reason, though this would normally only be done in the case of a violation of the spirit of the rules above. We also reserve the right to edit/update the rules for any reason. The contest will close on Monday, October 16, 2017, and one random winner will be chosen shortly thereafter. If a winner is deemed ineligible based on shipping restrictions or other issues or does not respond to accept the prize within 2 days, a new winner will be selected. Good luck!

2017 Cosco Finale 2-in-1 Forward Facing Harness/Booster Review

The Cosco Finale DX 2-in-1 Booster Car Seat is a Stage 3 carseat that is most appropriate for preschool and school-aged children. It is safe, lightweight, extremely budget-friendly and stylish. It is a new model for 2017, so you won’t yet find it on our Recommended Seats. It’s not too complicated to install, and is relatively easy to use properly. Its height capacity isn’t the highest on the market, but it’s reasonably tall for its price point.  Combined with the 65 lbs. weight limit, it should fit most average-height kids (even heavier ones) in the 5-point harness until they are the age and size to safely transition to booster mode. The 2017 Cosco Finale is a forward-facing only carseat. Cosco’s instructions indicate it is for kids at least 1 year old, although we would generally recommend at least age two because it does not rear-face. It can also be used as a highback booster for kids who weigh more than 40 lbs.

Cosco Finale Specs:

With 5-point harness:

• Weight: 30 – 65 lbs.
• Height: 32 – 49″
• Age: At least one year old
• Fit: Child’s shoulders are at, or below, the top harness slots

As a highback booster:

• Weight: 40 – 100 lbs.
• Height:  43″ – 52″
• Age: None stated, but we recommend waiting until at least age 4 as a bare minimum
• Fit: Tops of child’s ears are at, or below, the top of the child restraint headrest

Finale Features:

• 3 sets of harness slots
• Single crotch strap/buckle position
• May be installed with LATCH up to 50 lbs. child weight
• Converts to highback booster
• Can NOT use LATCH in booster mode
• Cover is machine washable
• Removable cup holder can be placed on either side.
• 10 year lifespan before expiration
• DX Fashions feature premium fabric

Measurements:

• 3 Harness slot heights: 13″, 15″, 17″
• 1 Crotch strap/buckle position: 7″
• Weight: approximately 9 lbs.
• Total Width: 17″

For more measurements, please see our Comparison database.