This summer marks a full decade of CarseatBlog.com! We can hardly believe it. In some ways, it seems like not so long ago that we began writing about carseats, child passenger safety, and vehicle safety. In other ways, it feels like we’ve been doing this for eternity! 😀 Along the way we’ve shared a lot of laughs, made amazing friends, written over 1,500 blog posts and reviewed over 120 carseats and boosters!

Whether you’re new to CarseatBlog.com or have been with us since the start in 2008 – we’d like to share our celebration (and our cupcakes) with you! You are the reason we’re still here 10 years later, still blogging away, always looking for ways to improve our content and better serve our readers.

During the next 10 weeks, we’re celebrating by giving away some awesome carseats, so stay tuned! Each week will feature a new giveaway promotion and your odds of winning something are pretty darn good. Consider it a personal “thank you” from Darren, Heather, Kecia, Jennie, Alicia, Katie and all of our guest bloggers at CarseatBlog!

This week the Blogiversary Bash continues with TWO Britax ClickTight Seats, courtesy of our generous friends at Britax! One giveaway for USA and one just for Canada! Winners will have their choice of ANY Britax ClickTight seat (Convertible or Harness-2-Booster) in any available fashion!

How to Enter Britax ClickTight Giveaway – USA

• Leave us a comment below (required to be eligible to win), then click on Rafflecopter to qualify yourself.

• For extra entries, be sure to follow the Rafflecopter instructions to like and follow our Facebook page, like and follow the Britax USA Facebook Page and tweet about the giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now for the fine print – winner must have a USA shipping address to claim the prize. Only one prize will be awarded. 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 August 26, 2018, 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 7 days, a new winner will be selected. Good luck!

How to Enter Britax ClickTight Giveaway – CANADA

• Leave us a comment below (required to be eligible to win), then click on Rafflecopter to qualify yourself.

• For extra entries, be sure to follow the Rafflecopter instructions to like and follow our Facebook page, like and follow the Britax Facebook page and tweet about the giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now for the fine print – winner must have a Canadian shipping address to claim the prize. Residents of Quebec are excluded. Only one prize will be awarded. 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 August 26, 2018, 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 7 days, a new winner will be selected.

Please note: If this is your first comment at CarseatBlog, or if you are using a different computer/device or a new email address, your comment may not appear immediately. If you are in the US or Canada, your comment is not lost; it just goes into a moderated queue where it has to be manually approved by one of us. This may take a few hours depending on our availability. If you are outside of the US or Canada, your comment may be blocked by our system. Thank you for understanding, as this is the only way we have to manage spam comments.

Good luck!

This summer marks a full decade of CarseatBlog.com! We can hardly believe it. In some ways, it seems like not so long ago that we began writing about carseats, child passenger safety, and vehicle safety. In other ways, it feels like we’ve been doing this for eternity! 😀 Along the way we’ve shared a lot of laughs, made amazing friends, written over 1,500 blog posts and reviewed over 120 carseats and boosters!

Whether you’re new to CarseatBlog.com or have been with us since the start in 2008 – we’d like to share our celebration (and our cupcakes) with you! You are the reason we’re still here 10 years later, still blogging away, always looking for ways to improve our content and better serve our readers.

During the next 10 weeks, we’re celebrating by giving away some awesome carseats, so stay tuned! Each week will feature a new giveaway promotion and your odds of winning something are pretty darn good. Consider it a personal “thank you” from Darren, Heather, Kecia, Jennie, Alicia, Katie and all of our guest bloggers at CarseatBlog!

This week we’ve partnered with our generous sponsor, Graco, to give away a beautiful, brand new Nautilus SnugLock LX Combination Seat. This all-new Nautilus model is incredibly easy to install with the new “SnugLock” lockoff feature! Winner’s fashion choice will be limited to what is currently in stock at Graco.

Graco Nautilus SnugLock LX Specs:

• Forward-Facing with harness: 22-65 lbs., up to 49″ tall
• Highback Booster: 40-100 lbs., 43-57″, at least 4 yrs old
• Backless Booster: 40-100 lbs., 43-57″, at least 4 yrs old
• Slimmer Backless Booster (armrests removed): up to 120 lbs.

Nautilus SnugLock LX Features:

• 3 forward-facing seats in one (harness + highback booster + backless booster)
• Snuglock feature for easy installation with either LATCH or seatbelt
• SnugLock feature acts as lockoff device when installing with seatbelt (so there is no need to also lock your seatbelt)
• 6-position no-rethread harness
• Premium push-on LATCH connectors
• 4-position recline in harness mode
• Built-in storage for the harness when using in booster mode
• Removeable armrests when in backless booster mode (gives older kids more hip room)
• Steel-reinforced frame
• 10-year lifespan before expiration
• MSRP $219.99

How to Enter Nautilus SnugLock LX Giveaway:

• Leave us a comment below (required to be eligible to win), then click on Rafflecopter to qualify yourself. 
• For extra entries, be sure to follow the Rafflecopter instructions to like and follow our Facebook page, like and follow Graco’s Facebook page and tweet about the giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now for the fine print –  winner must have a USA shipping address to claim the prizes. Only one prize will be awarded to one winner.  Fashion choices will be limited to what is currently in stock at Graco. 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 Sunday, August 19, 2018, at 10 PM Eastern Time 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 7 days, a new winner will be selected.

Please note: If this is your first comment at CarseatBlog, or if you are using a different computer/device or a new email address, your comment may not appear immediately. If you are in the US or Canada, your comment is not lost; it just goes into a moderated queue where it has to be manually approved by one of us. This may take a few hours depending on our availability. If you are outside of the US or Canada, your comment may be blocked by our system. Thank you for understanding, as this is the only way we have to manage spam comments.

Good luck! 

Illinois has become the latest state to pass a law requiring children to ride rear-facing until they’re 2 years old.

On Friday, Governor Bruce Rauner signed HB4377, which amends Illinois’ existing child restraint law. Currently, state law requires children to ride in an appropriate child restraint until they are 8 years old. The new law will also require children to remain rear-facing until they are 2 years old unless the child weighs more than 40 pounds or is more than 40 inches tall.

The original version of the bill would have imposed a $75 fine for a first-time offense, but that language was later omitted, leaving penalties to the discretion of local authorities.

The governor’s office has confirmed that the law will go into effect January 1, 2019.

Full text of the amended child restraint law can be found here.

Section 5. The Child Passenger Protection Act is amended by changing Section 4 as follows:

(625 ILCS 25/4) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 1104)

Sec. 4. When any person is transporting a child in this State under the age of 8 years in a non-commercial motor vehicle of the first division, any truck or truck tractor that is equipped with seat safety belts, any other motor vehicle of the second division with a gross vehicle weight rating of 9,000 pounds or less, or a recreational vehicle on the roadways, streets or highways of this State, such person shall be responsible for providing for the protection of such child by properly securing him or her in an appropriate child restraint system. The parent or legal guardian of a child under the age of 8 years shall provide a child restraint system to any person who transports his or her child.

When any person is transporting a child in this State who is under the age of 2 years in a motor vehicle of the first division or motor vehicle of the second division weighing 9,000 pounds or less, he or she shall be responsible for properly securing the child in a rear-facing child restraint system, unless the child weighs 40 or more pounds or is 40 or more inches tall.

For purposes of this Section and Section 4b, “child restraint system” means any device which meets the standards of the United States Department of Transportation designed to restrain, seat or position children, which also includes a booster seat.

A child weighing more than 40 pounds may be transported in the back seat of a motor vehicle while wearing only a lap belt if the back seat of the motor vehicle is not equipped with a combination lap and shoulder belt.

I understand that we’re all passionate about safety. And at some point or another, most of us have had to deal with criticism from friends or family members who think we’ve taken this whole car safety thing too far and just gone right off the deep end. Usually, we just brush off these ignorant remarks because deep in our hearts we know that we’re right and obviously they just don’t get it. We’re aware of the fact that MVC’s are a leading cause of death to children in the U.S. and we’re all determined to protect our children to the best of our abilities. That’s our job as parents and caregivers and we all take that responsibility very seriously. I understand that, I really do – because I’m right there with ya.

But how are we to know if we’ve really gone too far? Certainly, our safety-addicted friends at the car-seat.org forum would never stage an intervention on our behalf. And our spouse would probably rather walk across hot coals than incur our wrath by suggesting that maybe, just maybe, we’re being a bit too extreme.

So, who’s gonna give it to ya straight and tell you when it’s time to chillax? Who’s going to remind you that you can’t save the world and completely eradicate all injuries to all children in MVCs – no matter how desperately you want to? Who’s gonna tell you when it’s time to step away from that vehicle in the Walmart parking lot because clearly you’re not dealing with an appreciative and open-minded victim?

I will.

However, the first step to getting help is to admit that you have a problem. Don’t think you have a problem? Get in line. And while you’re there – take our short survey:

1. Do you find yourself repeatedly trying to talk your sister-in-law into buying a Graco Extend2Fit to rear-face your tiny 7-year-old niece?

2. When you go grocery shopping do you spend 20 minutes thinking about the most appropriate way to secure those projectiles for the ride home?

3.  Have you purchased more carseats for other people’s kids than you have for your own children?

4.  Have you ever considered gluing sheets of EPS foam to the rear windows of a vehicle that doesn’t have side curtain airbags?

5.  Do you lose sleep thinking about your neighbor’s child who is 5 years old and rides in a backless booster?

6.  Do you respond “ABSOLUTELY”, when someone posts an online poll asking whether you would put a small, immature 13-year-old back into a 5-point harness?

7.  Have you ever refused to ride the monorail at WDW because you considered it too risky?

8.  Do you have anxiety attacks when you see properly restrained forward-facing 2-year-olds?

9.  Do you always remember to secure your purse with an available safety belt?

10.  On Halloween, do you hand out copies of the 5-Step Test flyer instead of candy? (If you hand out the flyer WITH candy – that doesn’t count as a yes.)

If you answered yes to more than 1 question above – please do yourself a favor and go volunteer some of your time at carseat check events in the lowest, low-income inner-city area you can find within driving distance.  If you don’t have any impoverished inner-city areas within driving distance, then a rural, migrant farm worker community will suffice.  All kidding aside, these are the types of places where your knowledge, passion, and dedication to Child Passenger Safety are desperately needed.  And seeing the frightening reality of how these children ride around every day will really help you to appreciate the beautiful sight of a properly restrained, albeit forward-facing, 2-year-old.  Everything in life is relative and a healthy perspective will keep you focused on the bigger picture – and help you avoid going off the deep end in the process.

~Kecia