News and Updates from the 2018 JPMA Baby Show

Overall the trend in carseats for 2018-2019 is ease-of-use and technology. We saw that in abundance at the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) Baby Show this year. From mobile apps that tell you if your child has unbuckled their chest clip to QR codes that help you register your carseat and get installation help, to new seats with anti-rebound features, there were plenty of new and updated products on the show floor this year.

2018 Evenflo Updates:

New Evenflo Maestro Sport combination seat is now available at Walmart.com. This a completely new product and not just an updated version of the original Evenflo Maestro. However, the specs and features of Maestro Sport are very similar to those of the original Maestro model. The harness slots on Maestro Sport are a little higher than the harness slots on the original Maestro.

Maestro Sport Specs & Features:

• Forward-facing only 22-50 lbs., 28-50 inches, and at least 2 years old
• Booster mode 40-110 lbs., 44-57 inches, and at least 4 years old
• 4 sets of harness slots: approximately 13″, 15″, 17″, 19″
• New red tether housing will hopefully draw attention to the tether so parents notice it and figure out how to use it!
• Dual cup holders
• MSRP $79.99

Evenflo EveryStage DLX All-in-One

Available this Summer! Check out our complete EveryStage All-in-One Preview with lots of pictures and videos.

EveryStage Specs & Features:

• 4-50 lbs. rear-facing
• 22-65 lbs. forward-facing
• 40-120 lbs. highback booster
• Unique internal recline feature for optimal infant positioning
• 10-position no-rethread harness
• ~17.5″ top harness slots
• 5-position base
• Recline angle indicators for both RF & FF
• EasyClick LATCH installation technology (DLX model)
• Dual cupholders
• MSRP $229

Evenflo Infant Seat Handle Update

Evenflo now allows the handle on SafeMax Infant and the similar LiteMax infant seat model to be left up when in the vehicle. This change is retroactive.

Evenflo Pivot Xpand Single-to-Double Stroller

Available this summer, the Pivot Xpand is a modular stroller system which can be a single or a double. Pivot Xpand can be easily configured in 22 different ways without needing extra parts or tools! The height-adjustable handle makes it comfortable to push whether you’re short or tall. Ride-on board will be available separately. This will be an amazing, reasonably-priced option for families with twins or siblings close in age. Even if you only use it as a single, it’s nice to know that you have the option to make it a double, if needed.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recently released a new version of a tool to help people (legislators, law enforcement officials, advocates, etc.) determine what kind of impact various motor vehicle laws and enforcement practices would have on saving lives, and what the overall cost/savings would be.  The tool is called the Motor Vehicle Prioritizing Interventions and Cost Calculator for States—but you can call it MV PICCS (pronounced “picks”) for short.

When you first open the calculator, you see a map of the United States with each state color-coded according to its 2015 vehicle death rate. You can then select a state and select various laws/fines/enforcement options that might reduce motor vehicle fatalities and injuries. You can enter a specific budget, and you can also determine whether to have fees and fines from those interventions rolled back into the cost of implementation.

Then the calculator will show an estimate of how many lives will be saved, how many injuries will be prevented, the cost of enforcement, the fees/fines produced, and the overall cost to the state.

I decided to play around with the calculator a bit. First, I selected my current home: Illinois. Illinois already has a very low vehicle death rate (7.8 per 100,000 people). One thing that really bugs me about Illinois, though, is the lack of a motorcycle helmet law. Of the motorcycles I see on the road, I’d say around 25% have riders with helmets. My small community alone has a few motorcycle deaths each year, and I often wonder how many of those could be prevented with helmets.

So on MV PICCS, I checked the option for motorcycle helmets and the option to use fees and fines to offset costs. I then hit the “run model” button, but I got a message saying that it couldn’t select any interventions given a budget of $0. So I entered a budget of $1,000,000, and it said it couldn’t select any interventions given a budget of $1,000,000.

I decided to keep my $1 million budget, but, in addition to the motorcycle helmet law, I checked “Increased Seat Belt Fine” and “In Person Renewal” (for drivers license renewals of those aged 70 or older). This time it did calculate, and it showed 102 lives saved (42 from helmets, 47 from increased seatbelt fines, and 13 from in-person renewal). The overall cost to the state would be $-3.85 million, meaning the fines and fees would greatly outweigh the implementation costs.

Then I decided to play with Wyoming, the state with the highest vehicle death rate: 24.7 per 100,000 people. For Wyoming, I selected seven interventions (Motorcycle Helmet, License Plate Impoundment, In Person Renewal, Increased Seat Belt Fine, Primary Enforcement Seat Belt Law, Seat Belt Enforcement Campaign, and Sobriety Checkpoints.) I also entered a budget of $1,000,000.

MV PICC calculated 40 lives saved and 2,535 injuries prevented. The overall cost to the state would be $840,000.

(It’s also important to remember that laws and driving practices aren’t the only contributors to vehicle deaths. As we’ve reported before, fatality rates are often higher in rural areas, due in part to increased response time for emergency services. States like Wyoming and Montana could certainly reduce their fatality levels with the enforcement of certain laws, but that won’t change issues like terrain and response times.)

While the calculator was kind of interesting to play around with, and while it might provide a decent cost-benefit analysis for some scenarios, I felt like it was a bit too simplistic. I finally figured out that its estimated cost to Illinois to implement a motorcycle helmet law would be $3.5 million. There would be some additional costs in the first year for sure (to update driver’s handbooks, update websites, publicize the law, update law enforcement), but surely the long-term costs wouldn’t be anywhere near that high. It would be nice to see a 5- or 10-year cost estimate.

I also felt the calculator lacked a lot of important options that play huge roles in motor vehicle deaths. There are no options for enhanced child restraint laws or enforcement. There is no option to lower speed limits. There is no option for implementing/enhancing graduated driver’s license programs for teens. And, perhaps most glaringly, there is no option for enhanced laws or enforcement surrounding distracted driving.

The MV PICCS is a decent starting point, but it’s not all-encompassing. Without having a more comprehensive list of interventions and a longer-term view of costs, I’m not sure how useful the calculator will actually be. For finding quick statistics and getting a general overview, though, I can see how it could be a handy tool.

Tesla Model X Review: Kids and Carseats

I’ve been driving my Tesla Model X for a long time now and I finally feel I have enough data to write about it without sounding like an advertisement. We’ve been through a couple of Vegas summers together and a couple of winters. I’ve been thrilled, frustrated, and entertained by my SUV with a personality. Hop in and see what the fuss is all about.

Probably the first thing you notice about the Model X (MX) is the windshield. It’s humongous and when you sit inside, you instantly feel like you’re in a fishbowl. Even though Tesla has tinted the top portion, the sun is still intense during the summer and I did get sunburned during long afternoon drives, so it was a little weird to get in the habit of putting on sunscreen before hopping in the car to run an extended errand (I know, I know—I should be wearing sunscreen all the time anyway but I hate the stuff). The 2^nd row has windows in the ceiling as well, which makes it feel even more spacious than it already is.

News and Updates from the 2018 JPMA Baby Show

Overall the trend in carseats for 2018-2019 is ease-of-use and technology. We saw that in abundance at the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) Baby Show this year. From mobile apps that tell you if your child has unbuckled their chest clip to QR codes that help you register your carseat and get installation help, to new seats with anti-rebound features, there were plenty of new and updated products on the show floor this year.

2018 Chicco Updates:

NextFit iX Zip + (plus) Convertible

Chicco has designed an updated infant insert for this new NextFit iX Zip + (plus) model which lowers the minimum weight rating, on this model only, down to 4 pounds! This model also sports the 2-position chest clip that was featured on the original NextFit models. The 2-position chest clip really helps to achieve proper harness fit on small babies who generally have very narrow shoulders. Designed for parents who wish to use a convertible from birth, this updated insert (for babies 4-11 lbs.) allows the NextFit iX + to fit preemies and small newborns as well as the KeyFit infant seat!

• Rear-facing 4-40 lbs.
• Forward-facing 22-65 lbs.
• SuperCinch LATCH tightener
• Lock-offs for easy seatbelt installations
• Zip-off cover for cleaning
• Breathable “Air” fabrics

Currently, the NextFit iX Zip Air + is a BuyBuyBaby exclusive. MSRP $389.99

Chicco Shuttle Stroller Frame

This convenient new stroller frame accommodates a Chicco KeyFit 30 or Chicco Fit2 infant seat with easy click-in attachment and has a large basket for all your stuff. It was engineered to have the infant seat sitting on top of the folding mechanism so it can’t accidentally collapse. Compact and self-standing fold with a convenient carry-handle design. Parent tray features two cup holders and zippered storage compartment. MSRP $119.99