Who knew that a simple chest clip could elicit so many questions, lol! So without further ado, here’s a picture of the new Radian chest clip. We do plan on devoting more space to the Radian in an upcoming post–promise!
Let’s talk about Baby Trend. The first, and only, infant seat on the market with rigid LATCH, the Latch-Loc, is being phased out of production in favor of the Flex-Loc. As with all manufacturers, Baby Trend is updating their fashions to include a super cute giraffe print (Kiku), plus a more sophisticated collection of a toile print wi
th a splash of pink or blue (Metropolitan). Of course they have others, but these stuck out in my mind. Darren can follow up with their stroller collection; I never was a stroller person and the last time I bought a stroller was about 6 years ago.
On to Recaro! They are coming out with non-handed LATCH in February on the Signo. If you’re scratching your head on the terminology like I was, it just means that you don’t have to switch the LATCH connectors from rear-facing to forward-facing (when she said “non-handed”, I pictured the LATCH connectors flying up and connecting themselves to the lower LATCH anchors à la Harry Potter). Also out in February are new colors, fashions if you will. The Como will also be getting a new color line-up, but not until they’ve depleted their 
current stock, so later next year is when we’ll see the new color line. And the covers are still made of that scrumptiously soft fabric that Recaro is famous for using. The Como will have a smaller head pillow. Recaro is working on certifying the Young Sport to 65 lbs. with the harness–yay! But, the release date on that is a year away, so no holding your breath or you’ll turn a vibrant shade of blue.
Dorel is home to Cosco, Safety 1st, Eddie Bauer, and Maxi Cosi. I saw the whole line of car seats there this year and saw a 40 lbs. Alpha Omega Elite sitting next to a 50 lbs. Alpha Omega Elite. I knew they had increased the overall size of the AOE50, but it wasn’t so glaringly apparent as when they were sitting side-by-side. The AOE50 is several inches taller than the older 40 lbs. model to accommodate a taller ch
ild. I didn’t measure the harness slots because they haven’t changed since I measured them at the KIM Conference: 17.5″. The Scenera has some new fashions. One I noticed was the lime green. I played a bit with the onBoard infant seat and the rep showed me how to shorten the crotch strap so it was set to preemie length–very cool. Another cool feature of the onBoard seat to appear in January: an upper limit of 30 lbs.! So, beginning in January, the weight limits will be 4-30 lbs.
New in the Maxi Cosi line is the Rodi XR booster (it’s pronounced Road-ee, not Road-eye). The Rodi base has an on-the-fly recline feature, the torso wings adjust in or out, and it can become a backless booster. It comes in a variety of vibrant colors (and regular colors too, for those of you who are more tame in your choices). The Mico has new fashions as well. The one that caught my eye was a beautiful blue flower print. Sorry, I didn’t catch a name for it. They had it displayed on a Quinny stroller that folded down to a size that would fit into an overhead bin on an airplane. Very cool! Now for the pictures!
Don’t forget that what we’ve done so far for many of these manufacturers is an overview of their products. We still have more to share, including more pictures, more products, etc. There’s so much to tell you!
sunnymw- I believe the answer is yes but of course you would want to confirm with Sunshine Kids if and when the new chest clip is sold separately or as a replacement.
Just want to double-check… will that Radian chest clip be usable on older model Radians??
The new Signos should be out in February.
Any idea when the new Signo’s will be out?
aunt83me02, I didn’t think to ask about them adding EPP foam or a higher weight limit to the Scenera, but it’s something I can email the rep and ask. My guess is that adding EPP foam would add about $10 to the price point and that might make a very affordable seat unaffordable for a lot of people.
Can you ask about a tan or brown monterey? I really want one! When I did a poll 23% of people had a tan or brown interior in their vehicle.
No, sadly I was too short on time to hit the stroller-only exhibits! Hopefully one of the other blogs or websites will fill in the gaps on the latest and greatest!
Hey Darren, not car-seat related, but stroller related… did you happen by the Mountain Buggy booth? Any idea of the upcoming “limited edition” fabrics?
Any rumors of adding EPP foam or higher weight limit to the Scenera?
oh, and beyond thrilled about the Young Sport.
Honestly, if they’d done it before the Nautilus came out, I would have scrimped every last penny to get the extra money to splurge on it… because the Youngsport is tried, true, and just a fantastic seat and booster!
I love what I’m seeing, especially the 30lb limit on the Dorel infant seat (someone probably should remember me saying I wanted it to… because it would be even better… and be the perfect seat for people who don’t know what size baby they are having, but not be as pricey as the keyfit).
But I also want to know… because the regular Rodi DOES require a vehicle seatback (ie, the headrest isn’t reinforced and height goes by the vehicle seat only), so does XR mean anything about the headrest?
Another Rodi question – since it’s Dorel, does it require a vehicle seatback behind it?
A few Britax fabrics will be in tomorrow’s blog!
I’m also disappointed by the demise of the LATCH LOC. Rigid LATCH is a great feature. Too bad it’s a rarity in the USA.
The Baby Trend pack ‘n’ play / co-sleeper is quite nice, too.
Radian chest clip: it wasn’t clear to me if it’s available right now or next month, but it will be phased into production on the seats beginning next month and also available for sale next month as an accessory.
Rodi: apparently I’m not very good at multi-tasking 😮 . Sorry! I didn’t get a measurement for the belt guides. Someone be a guinea pig and buy it and measure for us 😉 .
Did you get the height of the belt-guides on the Rodi?
I love the blue & pink Flex-Loc’s. and the lime green Scenera, I wonder if wal-mart will have it?
I like both the Radian chest clip and the Maxi Cosi booster. Nice vibrant color and discreet armrests (I’m not a big fan of lazy-boy type armrests, I mean kids are not seniors watching tv for hours on end!).
Thanks for the pics + update!
LOVE the pink Recaro seat – that looks like the same rose fabric that Britax uses on the Tiffany/Madison/Olivia covers!
I like that new Radian clip! Is that on them already, or slowly being phased in? Are they going to be sold separetly too? I may need to get one for my Radian and take the Britax clip off again.
Is it made out of the same hard plastic as their current chest clip? It looks like it is!
Awesome news on the Recaro Young Sport. 🙂
bummer on the LATCH loc- not that I’ve actually layed hands on it. The one person I knew who actually planned to buy one hasn’t been able to find them in stock since early summer. I wonder if they’re already gone.
the increased weight limit on the RYS is great news. especially for those of us who aren’t planning on buying a HWH combo for another year or so anyway. 🙂
Oh I almost forgot. I think its a great idea to up the weight limit of the Onboard/Surefit. I tried my 2 year old dd in the Onboard the first week it was released and her head was even with the shell, meaning she would have lasted in that seat about as long as she would have had she been in a Safeseat.
I love the new toile patterns on the Babytrend seats! They are so Urban, and modern!! Luv it!
As for the Recaro, eh to the new fabrics, although I like pink and black, I dont really see muc difference in the other patterns. And Yippie on upping the weight limit on the Young Sport!! This is one of my favorite seats and I wouldnt hesitate buying it for my son when it comes out.
Also I am in love with the flower print for the Maxi Cosi Mico, very cute!
Now if only we could see some new Britax fashions 😉