We heard there were some innovative products on display at the IMMI/SafeGuard exhibit, but somehow we missed it. Thanks to Anthony at IMMI, here’s a brief look at what we missed! First, here’s an awesome system that lets you use the same LATCH connectors for front and rear facing, without any need to reroute them! Built-in retractors make installation very easy, just as in the SafeGuard Child Seat.
Feature: With Sliding KwikLATCH, retractable SafeGuard MiniConnectors are fastened to retractors that travel along a belt path on the car seat. To convert between rear facing and forward facing mode, the user simply slides MiniConnectors along the belt path, without rethreading. As the child seat is pushed into the vehicle seat, retractors tightly lock the child car seat into place. The user hears a clicking sound until the child car seat is as tight as possible.
Benefit: Sliding KwikLATCH simplifies the process of switching between rear and front facing installations of convertible child car seats by eliminating rethreading. MiniConnectors reduce misuse by providing an audible click that indicates the child car seat is attached to the LATCH anchors on the vehicle seat. The car seat is quickly and easily tightened in place with a small amount of pressure, and the clicking sound helps assure the user that the car seat is at its maximum tightness.
Next is a top tether attachment that takes up minimal room. This is handy for vehicles where the anchor is positioned very close to the back of the child restraint:
Feature: In some vehicles, the distance between the top tether anchors and the child restraint is too short. This can make it difficult to properly tighten the top tether. The Top Tether Combo Adjuster combines a top tether hook and a tether strap adjuster. This shortens the amount of space needed between the tether anchor and child restraint by approximately 2”.
Benefit: The Top Tether Combo Adjuster helps parents achieve a tight tether installation in those vehicles with tether anchors that are located too close to their child restraints.
And finally, the 1Adjust infinitely adjustable harness system:
Feature: With 1Adjust, one operation tightens the five-point harness and adjusts shoulder height. The shoulder height adjuster travels on a track, offering an infinite number of positions for securing the child, which helps enable the parent to achieve an optimal fit every time the child travels in the car seat. 1Adjust works with infant, convertible and forward facing child car seats.
Benefit: The parent can change the tightness of the harness without rethreading. Infinite adjustability means that the parent can quickly secure the child in a 1Adjust harness with an optimal fit and correct strap position.
We sure hope some savvy child restraint manufacturers pick up these great features in future products!
They had some pretty cool things to show (they only had a 1-booth booth, so it was easy to walk past). The design on the sliding LATCH was very cool, but might be unnecessary with the non-handed design starting to appear (although I’ve always loved their retraction system).
A seat that had all these features would be, like, my dream seat (assuming high weight and height limits.)
So does 1Adjust idiot-proof harness height adjustment, as long as the harness gets tightened? That would be cool, as well as being useful for seats used frequently with multiple children.