The Reolink Argus Pro is a nice, compact outdoor HD camera. It comes with everything you need to setup a cordless, weatherproof security monitor. You can buy the Argus Pro at Amazon.com for $94.99. The Argus Pro worked great for me as a front door camera, but the mounting options make it flexible enough to go just about anywhere. My main concern was having to charge it frequently since it’s not wired to an outlet. So far, I’ve had it running for a few weeks and the battery is still at 80% with the default settings! There’s also an optional solar panel for continuous operation and you can charge it with the included USB cable from any outlet using a standard charger (not included). Looking for an indoor baby/pet/security cam? Check out our review of the Reolink C1 Pro.
For security purposes, you can automatically save recordings to a micro SD card (not included) whenever motion is detected, or they are beta testing a cloud backup system where you can review activity online.
This week we’ve partnered with our generous sponsor, Graco, to give away a beautiful, brand new Nautilus SnugLock LX Combination Seat. This all-new Nautilus model is incredibly easy to install with the new “SnugLock” lockoff feature! Winner’s fashion choice will be limited to what is currently in stock at Graco.
This promotion is now closed. A winner will be announced shortly!
Graco Nautilus SnugLock LX Specs:
Forward-Facing with harness: 22-65 lbs., up to 49″ tall
Highback Booster: 40-100 lbs., 43-57″, at least 4 yrs old
Backless Booster: 40-100 lbs., 43-57″, at least 4 yrs old
Slimmer Backless Booster (armrests removed): up to 120 lbs.
Nautilus SnugLock LX Features:
3 forward-facing seats in one (harness + highback booster + backless booster)
Snuglock feature for easy installation with either LATCH or seatbelt
SnugLock feature acts as lockoff device when installing with seatbelt (so there is no need to also lock your seatbelt)
6-position no-rethread harness
Premium push-on LATCH connectors
4-position recline in harness mode
Built-in storage for the harness when using in booster mode
Removable armrests when used in booster mode (gives older kids more hip room)
Steel-reinforced frame
10-year lifespan before expiration
MSRP $219.99
How to Enter Nautilus SnugLock LX Giveaway:
Leave us a comment below (required to be eligible to win), then click on Rafflecopter to qualify yourself.
For extra entries, be sure to follow the Rafflecopter instructions to like and follow our Facebook page, like and follow Graco’s Facebook page and tweet about the giveaway!
Now for the fine print – winner must have a USA shipping address to claim the prize. Only one prize will be awarded to one winner. Fashion choices will be limited to what is currently in stock at Graco. Only one entry per household/family, please. If you leave more than one comment, only the first one will count. We reserve the right to deem any entry as ineligible for any reason, though this would normally only be done in the case of a violation of the spirit of the rules above. We also reserve the right to edit/update the rules for any reason. The contest will close on Monday, November 12th, 2018, at 10 PM Eastern Time and one random winner will be chosen shortly thereafter. If a winner is deemed ineligible based on shipping restrictions or other issues or does not respond to accept the prize within 7 days, a new winner will be selected.
Please note: If this is your first comment at CarseatBlog, or if you are using a different computer/device or a new email address, your comment may not appear immediately. If you are in the US or Canada, your comment is not lost; it just goes into a moderated queue where it has to be manually approved by one of us. This may take a few hours depending on our availability. If you are outside of the US or Canada, your comment may be blocked by our system. Thank you for understanding, as this is the only way we have to manage spam comments.
You may have heard that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently updated their recommendations on rear-facing. As usual, there’s some good news and some bad news. As with our carseat reviews, we will discuss both the good and the not-so-good and try to offer some perspective lacking in national news coverage of this update.
The Good News: The basic recommendation for rear-facing has NOT changed. “The Academy continues to recommend that all children ride in a rear-facing car safety seat as long as possible, up to the manufacturer’s stated weight and length limits.” This updated guidance from the AAP now better matches NHTSA’s policy for consistency in messaging. The authors of CarseatBlog have strongly supported Extended Rear-Facing (ERF) for over 15 years and continue to support this practice.
ERF in 2003 – now off to college!
The Bad News:As we reported a year ago, a major study from 2007 was found to be flawed. This study was the main source of injury data to compare rear-facing child restraint systems (RFCRS) to forward-facing child restraints (FFCRS) in the USA, for children up to 23 months old. It was also the basis for the erroneous ‘Rear-facing is 5x safer’ statistic. Newer research found some contradictory data, causing the original study to be retracted. A revised study, by some of the authors of the original 2007 study, concluded, “Non-US field data and laboratory tests support the recommendation that children be kept in RFCRS for as long as possible, but the US NASS-CDS field data are too limited to serve as a strong statistical basis for these recommendations.” This led to the evolving AAP advice that, “…while the trend was for rear-facing to be superior to forward-facing for children under 2 years, the numbers were too low to reach statistical significance.” Definitely not as compelling as 5x safer.
More Good News: The reason there is no significant real-world information is because the sample size of injuries to children in car seats is so low during the 22 year study period that there simply isn’t enough data to compare rear-facing to forward-facing conclusively. In fact, all these studies included less than severe injuries just to do an analysis, because there are so few data points for severe/fatal injuries to kids in child restraints. According to the revised study, “NASS-CDS data indicate an extremely low injury rate in children up to 2 years of age in both RFCRS and FFCRS.“ It turns out that both rear-facing and forward-facing car seats do a very good job of protecting children within the relevant age/weight/height limits!
Because the real-world injury data in the USA no longer supports that rear-facing is significantly safer for kids up to 23 months old, the AAP removed the portion of their policy statement recommending that kids remain rear-facing until at least 2 years old. Also, since the original study is retracted, we have to pretend that it never existed. Therefore, we can no longer claim that rear-facing is proven to be five times safer than forward-facing. We can’t even say that statistics prove that rear-facing reduces the real-world risk of serious injury for kids up to 2 years old [or to any age] in the USA. On the plus side, the 2011 AAP policy on rear-facing to at least age 2 led to a lot of awareness about the safety advantages of rear-facing.
Let’s take a step back and examine the most recent AAP policy statements to put these minimum age recommendations in perspective. Fundamentally, the policies on rear-facing haven’t changed, except for the inclusion of minimums. For over 15 years, the AAP has continued to recommend that kids remain rear-facing to the limits of their car safety seat. In essence, “as long as possible.”
AAP 2018: All infants and toddlers should ride in a rear-facing car safety seat (CSS) as long as possible, until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their CSS’s manufacturer. Most convertible seats have limits that will permit children to ride rear-facing for 2 years or more.
AAP 2011: All infants and toddlers should ride in a rear-facing car safety seat (CSS) until they are 2 years of age or until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by the manufacturer of their CSS.
AAP 2002: Children should face the rear of the vehicle until they are at least one year of age and weigh at least 20 lb. Infants younger than one year who weigh 20 lb should still face the back of the car in a convertible seat or one that is approved for higher weights. For optimal protection, the child should remain facing the rear of the car until reaching the maximum weight for the car safety seat, as long as the top of the child’s head is below the top of the seat back.
Clearly, this is not the end for extended rear-facing. The retraction of the main study supporting ERF in the USA is indeed a big loss, but not a total surprise because this study had known flaws long before this retraction. Again, the fundamental guidance HAS NOT CHANGED. We still recommend kids remain rear-facing, preferably for 2 years or longer if they are within the rear-facing height and weight limits of their carseat. In particular, parents should pay close attention to the seated torso height limit of the rear-facing seat (which typically requires 1″ or more of shell above the head).
As always, we like to remind parents that these recommendations from the AAP are safest practice guidelines. They aren’t rules or laws. The rules a parent must follow are those printed in their car seat and vehicle owners manuals, on the car seat labels and in any relevant state law. CarseatBlog endorses the AAP guidelines for added safety. We also like to offer perspective by looking at the BIG picture. The biggest reductions in risk come from the following simple steps:
Drive unimpaired and undistracted
Keep all passengers properly restrained according to the instruction manuals and state law
Kids under 13 years in an appropriate rear seating position
Yes, it IS too good to be true. There has been a recent increase in suspicious looking retailer websites that are offering great deals on car seats and gear. Graco and Britax seem to be popular targets with the fake deals, but this also applies to other brands. The websites may look legitimate enough on the surface, with photos and logos appearing like real car seat companies, but there are a few red flags you can easily spot:
Check the “About”, “Contact” or “Return” pages. Do they clearly show a USA or Canada shipping address? Scammers usually only have a contact form, if that. If there’s no way to track them down, there’s also no way to return a product or file a complaint!
Do they publish an email address and phone number, preferably a toll free number or one with a local area code if it’s a brick and mortar store? If you can even find one, call it just to check and ask a few questions before you order online. If you get a bad vibe, don’t risk it!
Check the links to their social media pages. Do they work? Do they match the store name? Have they been around a while? Is their facebook page updated regularly and do they have at least 1000 followers and legitimate comments or Q&A there? Scammers may have a dozen short, 5-star fake reviews, but that’s usually all.
Google search the store name. Can you find any reasonable comments that it’s a real company, even if it’s a smaller store with a brick and mortar location? If it’s a local baby store, you should also find Yelp and other comments about them.
Are the deals similar to the current prices at Amazon, Target, Walmart, BuyBuyBaby, Albee Baby and other legitimate retailers? If you have never heard of the store and ALL their prices are way below ALL the other stores where you usually shop, then it’s probably too good to be true!
When in doubt, DO NOT download anything from suspicious looking websites and DO NOT submit any personal information!
Here’s an example of an alleged FAKE. The URL and store name alone should be red flags enough, but this website happened to fail just about every question above. Have an issue? Don’t count on being able to contact them. And don’t be fooled by their presumably unauthorized use of a manufacturer’s logo!
—————
Now here’s a REAL contact page below from our friends at Kids ‘N Cribs, a legitimate online baby store with retail locations in California. They have a contact number, address, a 4.5 star Yelp rating with 30 reviews and a facebook page with recent updates and over 4000 followers. They are authorized retailers for about 100 brands, including Britax, Chicco, Clek, Diono, Graco, Max-Cosi, Nuna, Peg Perego, UPPAbaby and many more.
Please feel free to leave us a comment here or on our facebook page, especially if you have seen a fake store with unbelievably good deals!
$94.99. The Argus Pro worked great for me as a front door camera, but the mounting options make it flexible enough to go just about anywhere. My main concern was having to charge it frequently since it’s not wired to an outlet. So far, I’ve had it running for a few weeks and the battery is still at 80% with the default settings! There’s also an optional solar panel for continuous operation and you can charge it with the included USB cable from any outlet using a standard charger (not included). Looking for an indoor baby/pet/security cam? Check out our review of the Reolink C1 Pro.
