There we were, walking around the ABC Kids Expo, when we suddenly noticed a Kids Embrace car seat version of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle staring at us. I squealed a little. It’s not that I’m that enthralled with the Turtles, but my son likes them and it brought back some childhood memories… But I digress.
We snapped a photo and put it on Facebook, unsure of the kind of reaction it would get. In the past, Kids Embrace hasn’t gotten a lot of love from the car-seat-enthusiast community. When the seats first came out, the top harness height was lower than other combination seats on the market and that made people worry that little kids would be forced into booster seats prematurely.
Kids Embrace listened, though, and raised the top harness height to 17″. That’s a respectable measurement that will get most kids to a safe booster age. (Remember that 17″ on an upright combination seat tends to be a true 17″, whereas the same measurement in a convertible usually won’t hold a child with a 17″ torso. That’s due to the natural recline of even an upright convertible, and just one of those unexplained mysteries of the car seat world.)
We think it’s time Kids Embrace got more credit and more respect. Their characters are likely to appeal to children in the 3-6 age range, and anything that gets kids excited about car seats and keeps them in a 5-pt harness until a safe booster age (generally 5-6 years old) is a good thing. There are lots of parents who rush their kids into boosters at age 3. In that case, a kid begging for a Batman seat might make all the difference.
But back to the Ninja Turtle. Right now, Leonardo is the only one in the works (sorry, Donatello fans). They’re looking at a release date of December, so keep an eye out if you have a Ninja Turtle fan in your house. (As it turned out, the feedback on our Facebook photo was overwhelmingly positive—lots of people want a Ninja Turtle in their back seat!)
Batman, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dora & SpongeBob are all currently available. Prices range from $129-$149. The Batman seat is also going to Canada soon!
Also coming from Kids Embrace is a line of backless booster seats. The ones they had on display were Batman and Super-Man, in “boy” and “girl” colors. Those are cool enough to appeal to the older booster-rider who might be getting hesitant about having to ride in one.
While we were talking with the Kids Embrace folks, we started brainstorming some other characters they could pursue. We suggested Minecraft (I’m sure my 9-year-old would do ANYTHING for a Creeper booster) and Lego. Obviously we have no idea if Kids Embrace will pursue either option, but I was so inspired that the first thing I did when I got home from Vegas was to raid my son’s Legos to create a “prototype” booster.
Don’t those Lego hands just scream “cup holder”? Tell us what you think.
FYI: The pink and purple are bat*girl* and super*girl*. Thanks for this introduction to these seats. I do wish I could find more on these backless boosters (now that they’re out) and if it might make a good spare.
Kiara they’re available on target.Com
My boyfriend, my son and I are huge ninja turtles fans. please please let me know when this is released my son would definitely love it. And please let me know where I can get one
Waiting on the release of the ninja turtle carseat for my grandson ,we have the batman one now ,he will love the ninja turtle one & Leo is his favorite ninja turtle ,plz keep us updated on the release & where to purchase them 🙂
How do I go about purchasing this ninja turtle carseat? I’m having a hard time finding it
The seat isn’t available yet–this is just a prototype. Stay tuned to CarseatBlog for updates, though!
Glad you’re not my mom, your comments would make one think you were actually sitting in the seat. Feel sorry for your kid, I guess it doesn’t matter what your child likes.
Glad to hear they raised the harness height! I have to say, DH saw a picture of the Ninja Turtles seat and thought it was cool. That says a lot. 😉 The boosters look cool too.
Fewer shivers, not less shivers. I changed my noun, but didn’t edit. Oops.
The backless boosters are somewhat appealing to me, but I find the combination seats to be extraordinarily creepy. :duck:
The Ninja Turtle one sends less shivers up my spine than does the Dora seat, but I still wouldn’t consider purchasing it. I just find these seats to be ugly and creepy.
I do agree with you that the minifigure’s hands scream, “CUPHOLDER!” :p
I do appreciate the backless boosters in multiple color schemes.
Awesome. I’m so glad that they listened & raised the harness height. The backless ones look great too. Yay for more options.
Are there any dimensions avail on the backless boosters?
Honestly, the “characters” make me crazy. Consumerism at its worst (or best, I suppose, depending on how you view it).
Brilliant!!!!
I find them all creepy, and frankly, yes, I still hold a grudge against them for the trolling they did on cso.
My boys would BEG for that seat!