There is too much info to cover in one article so here is Part 2 of our complete 2015 ABC Expo tradeshow experience!
Part 1 of our show coverage can be found HERE and includes updates on Baby Trend, Britax, Chicco, Clek, Combi, Cybex, Doona, Dorel, Evenflo & GB!
Graco/Baby Jogger
All convertibles now have a 22 lbs. forward-facing minimum to be comparable with the industry standard.
SnugRide infant seats now come in 2 flavors: the $99 model and the $129 model both with the front pull adjuster. The rear-adjust model is only available in very few travel systems.
The Milestone All-in-One market has expanded to include more retailers.
The Size4Me convertible is now available with a Rapid-Remove cover that can be removed in less than a minute while the seat remains installed in the vehicle. Super convenient! It also features a new LATCH bar on both sides of the seat that allows the [now] single LATCH connector strap to slide easily from a rear-facing to forward-facing position.
The Atlas is combination seat sort of like the Nautilus, but it switches from a forward-facing harness to a highback booster, not a backless booster, too. It harnesses from 22-65 lbs., boosters to 100 lbs., has a no-rethread 10-position harness, and two-position recline. It retails for $129.
Baby Jogger “City Go” Rear-Facing Only Infant Carseat
The City Go is based on the SnugRide 35 LX, so it has similar features to that seat yet meets the needs of the Baby Jogger customer.
- No-rethread harness
- A more square handle
- Huge 50 SPF canopy
- Euro-style baseless install allowed
- All-new base with dual bubble recline indicators
- 6 position adjustable base
- Push-on LATCH
We know you love to read about the Extend2Fit Convertible Carseat, so here are the important specs about it again:
- 4-50 lbs. rear-facing
- 22-65 lbs. and 49″ or less forward-facing
- Infant insert
- 10-position harness height, maxing out at 18 inches
- 6-position recline (3 positions for forward-facing; 3 for rear-facing)
- 17″ seat depth with panel extended
- Steel reinforced shell
- 10-year expiration
- MSRP $199
The new Tranzitions Combination Carseat is going to be Graco’s entry-level combo seat that will be perfect for tight spaces and travel.
22-65 lbs. forward-facing, 30-100 lbs. high-back, 40-100 lbs. backless- No rethread harness with 8 height positions
- Dual cup holders (outer plastic portion can be dismantled if space is more important than a functioning cupholder)
- Machine washable cover
- Open loop shoulder belt guide for high-back booster mode
- Lifespan is 7 years from date of manufacture
- BRU exclusive (for now)
- Available now
- MSRP $99
TurboBooster LX Featuring True Shield Booster Seat
This seat shares a name with the existing TurboBooster, but it is a completely new product with a new design.
- 30-100 lbs. and 4-year-old min.
- Safety Surround
- True Shield impact bolsters on torso wings
- LATCH equipped
- 8 height positions
- Retractable cup holder and tray
- BRU exclusive
- Expected in January 2016
- MSRP $89.99
Hauck/iCoo
There are only a few minor changes coming for the Hauck ProSafe/iCoo iGuard seats. They will be putting a level indicator on the seat itself, and will be changing the design of the paddle indicator on the base to be easier to read.
See our complete review here: Hauck PROsafe35 Infant Carseat Review
The Twister Stroller is a cool new stroller from Hauck. It easily switches from a rear-facing to forward-facing stroller by turning the whole seat. If your kid gets bored, you can even spin him around like a merry-go-round! It’s available now on Amazon as part of a ProSafe travel system.
And don’t forget about adding some of the great i’Coo gear to your nursery!
Lil Fan
NHL seats are on their way! Red Wings and Blackhawk fans will be able to find seats at Buy Buy Baby stores in their respective markets in November, and other teams will be coming soon.
MLB fans, no need to wait. Your seats are already available!
They have also reduced the price of their boosters to $149.99 for high-backs and $39.99 for backless. We have a complete review of the Lil Fan highback booster here: https://carseatblog.com/34644/lil-fan-high-back-2-in-1-boosters-review-child-passenger-safety-for-the-fanatical/
Maxi-Cosi
Maxi-Cosi some minor changes, new accessories, and new fashions. Pria 70 convertibles now have the updated Air Protect cushions that launched on Pria 85 model last year. This solves the complaint that some parents had about the headwings on the Pria 70 being too confining. The Vello 65 has now increased its weight limits and has been renamed the Vello 70. The Mico AP infant seat is being phased out. It will be replaced with the Mico 30, which is similar to the AP but without Air Protect and will go to 30 lbs. instead of 22.
The Vello 70 and Mico 30 will be available at Target for $199 by the end of the year, and will be available to other retailers at the beginning of next year. Both seats will eventually be available in Canada (sorry, Canadians: there’s no solid timeframe).
New Rachel Zoe collection for Maxi-Cosi & Quinny was unveiled at the show.
There are also many other new fashions coming soon for Pria and Mico. Separate cover sets will also be available for purchase for the Pria 70 and 85. These will retail for $89.99 for regular covers and $109.99 for special edition covers.
There will be a canopy, compatible with all Maxi-Cosi convertibles, available mid-December for $29.99.
The Maxi Taxi stroller frame now has different wheels, a sturdier feel, and a parent cup holder.
The Maxi-Cosi RodiFix booster now has a new easy-off cover that can be machine washed and dried!
Mifold Grab and Go Booster
The mifold is the tiny little folding booster you’ve been hearing about all over the internet. See our blog with all the details here: https://carseatblog.com/35429/mifold-grab-and-go-booster-preview-wow/
Mima
This year we met with Mima, a European baby-gear company that makes very high-end products including strollers and high chairs. Their strollers are made with a luxurious easy-to-clean leather-like material. The reversible strollers can hold a stroller seat, carry cot, or Maxi-Cosi-adaptable car seats. They are also working on bringing their infant carseat to the USA sometime in the future.
Nuna
The Pipa base will get minor updates in the near future (new lockoff design; updated rigid LATCH storage location). The Scarlet (bright red) fashion is discontinued but still in stock at the moment. In other words, if you want a Scarlet Pipa, don’t delay. The newest fashion pictured below is Berry. The cover is now stitched in a way that allowed them to move the required warning labels up higher on the seat.
Orbit
They’re considering bringing their European load-leg base to the US but that will require significant modifications so if it happens, it won’t be anytime soon.
New Hybrid Jogging Stroller is pretty fabulous! It features a high position (city mode) for everyday strolling and a low position (performance mode) for running. It also features a lockable front wheel, adjustable handle height, and pneumatic tires.
Peg Perego
Peg has some new boosters coming (the Flex and the Shuttle), which you can read all about in our special Peg Perego update. There are also a couple new fashions coming for the Viaggio convertible.
Recaro
New convertible seats are Performance Racer and Performance Rally. The seats are similar, but the Performance Rally has an additional recline feature on the base that will reduce the need for pool noodles when installed rear-facing. Both seats have a no-rethread harness with Recaro’s patented HERO technology, and both have extensions to the front of the shell to limit rebound when RF.
There’s also a great insulated winter cover coming for the Performance Coupe infant carseat (photo, right).
The Recaro Performance Ride is going to Canada. They added extensions to the front of the shell to pass Canadian rebound standards. The seat is shipping now and will available at Babies R Us and Canadian Tire soon for $299 Canadian.
A timeline and price on Canadian ProSPORT and ProBOOSTER were not available at time of show, but we will bring you more info when we have it.
Finally, here’s a look at the remarkably ingenious and easy-to-install recall fix for the Recaro Performance RIDE and ProRIDE convertible carseats:
UPPAbaby
There have been some minor changes to the Mesa. It no longer has the European belt routing option and is about 1 lb. lighter. Snaps have replaced velcro on cover. The base now has color-coded belt paths (blue for seatbelt, orange for LATCH) and includes an indentation to help it fit better with contoured vehicle seat bolsters. Stickers on base feature more pictures and fewer words so people will actually pay attention
There is an available sun/bug cover with retractable shade.
UppaBaby is also encouraging people to register their seats. When people register, UppaBaby will extend their standard 2-year warranty by an extra year (for a total of 3).
The Mesa will be launching in Canada very soon!
New G-Link side-by-side double stroller is suitable for a newborn (fully reclining seat plus head support insert and snap-on mesh foot barriers). It is rated from birth up to to 55 lbs per seat. It has a simple fold (no foot action required) and stands when folded.
Other Cool Things We Saw:
Garmin babyCam
Garmin has created a video monitor that functions wirelessly with most Garmin GPS navigators. Garmin babyCam integrates passenger video monitoring with GPS navigation by transmitting video to the GPS navigator display screen. Depending on where you mount the small, lightweight camera (and it’s a nice, sturdy mount with various attachment options) you can view rear-facing or forward-facing kids. Has night vision so you can still view your kids at night or in low-light conditions. On models equipped with voice activation, you can say the words “Show Video” so you never have to touch your Garmin GPS unit to switch from the regular navigation screen to the video monitor. The unit also reminds you to “check backseat for passengers” when the ignition is turned off. These should be available in January 2016.
InfantTech Always in View Video Monitor
The animal-shaped Always in View system is another in-car monitor option. It attaches securely to a headrest (and has been crash-tested in a lab) and comes with a 3.5″ or 4.3″ split screen for viewing your child/children in the back seat. (They’re working on smart phone compatibility for next year.) The camera also has night vision. There are several cute animals to choose from, giving kids something fun to look at. These are available at stores now, including Amazon.
Cupcake ATM
It’s not new or revolutionary, but we did save the best for last! Thank you for visiting CarseatBlog and reading our ABC Kids Expo 2015 coverage:-)
I’m lost! I have a Britax B Safe car seat and we got a second one for our second child because we liked it so much. One of our friends just gave us their used Graco Ready2Grow Classic Connect LX double stroller. I can’t figure out if an adapter exists to use the Britax infant seat with the Graco double stroller or not. I’d love to snap the Britax seat in and let my toddler ride along as well. If it’s not possible, so be it. But Google has not been helpful here. Can you help?!?
Any chance you know the width of the new CityGo car seat at the widest point? Trying to figure out if it will work in a three-across installation in our Civic.
Thank you for including the recaro recall video! I’m absolutely disappointed in recaro at the moment as being the owner of two Recaro Prorides, both included in this recall back in September, today being Dec, this is the first time I’m hearing about the recall. Our seats are registered with Recaro, our contact information is still the same as when we registered them too. I can’t imagine why Recaro never contacted us. Very disappointing indeed! I’m actually researching for replacement seats as our Recaro seats will expire in the next 1-2 years, and I think we will be buying Britax next time. Click tight is the best innovation I’ve seen yet! Very excited about that. Do you know if they have any new fabric patterns coming out for their frontier and boulevard in 2016? I need something that will not get hot and roast my child.
I love seeing what’s coming up. Our classic Marathon will expire when our soon to be new baby is 1 1/2, so I will be watching for the True Fit reviews from real life use feedback.
The Graco Atlas looks nice – hooray for two cupholders! I never understood why the Nautilus only had one. But it doesn’t look like it has the little cubbies underneath the cupholders – that alone would probably make me opt for a Nautilus for my pack-rat 5YO. 😉 (And we do in fact have a Nautilus and an Argos for her.)
And I can’t wait to try out the production model of the Mifold. My 9YO found herself without a booster last week when going home from school with a friend while I was out of town. It worked out OK (friend uses a booster for comfort but 5-steps, so my daughter used the booster) but a Mifold would have been perfect to stick in her backpack. Heck, she rides with that friend often enough that I might be persuaded to buy one for her glove box!
One more thing … where were all these gorgeous blues when my 14YO son was a baby?! My daughters had pretty and fun seat covers but he was stuck with black, gray and tan seats. Boring.
Thank you as always, Julie. We love comments and it is increasingly difficult to get people off Facebook to leave questions and feedback here.
Juune- We were given the impression it was their own product but they offered no details or timeline. Many of these efforts never result in a product. Others license another company’s product, but time will tell!
I guess I’m just old, but True Shield? Really, Graco? That word harbors such negative associations. Also wish they’d just STOP with the rear adjust and the STUPID removable recline plate on the Snugrides. Sorry, little rant there.
Lots of other nice stuff to look forward to, thanks for reporting!
Mima ” They are also working on bringing their infant carseat to the USA sometime in the future.” Does that mean HTS BeSafe intends to start making FMVSS 213 seats? Because currently Mima’s Euro seat is a rebranded BeSafe iziGo: http://mimakids.com/product/izo-go/