Black Friday Carseat Deals: Evenflo, Graco, Diono, Cosco, Britax and More!
We’ve already been tracking the best Amazon holiday deals on our Deals Blog. We’re updating it multiple times a day to alert you of any good deals that are below recent average prices. Check back often for lightning deals, as many times the best deals sell out fast!
There is too much info to cover in one article so here is Part 1 of our complete 2015 ABC Expo tradeshow experience! Well… mostly complete. Some things really must stay in Vegas. 😉
Part 2 of our show coverage can be found HEREand includes updates on Graco/Baby Jogger, Hauck/iCoo, Lil Fan, Maxi-Cosi, Mifold, Mima, Nuna, Orbit, Peg Perego, Recaro & UPPAbaby!
Baby Trend
Baby Trend has a purchased the molds for the popular TrueFit convertible seats (formerly manufactured by TOMY/First Years) and will revive them as the new PROtect convertible carseat, improved with a 40 pound rear-facing weight limit. They will also bring back the Folding Booster (also formerly by TOMY/First Years) as the Yumi Booster. See our blog with all the details here: https://carseatblog.com/35369/abc-kids-expo-2015-new-from-baby-trend-somewhat-new-to-us/
Britax
Britax didn’t have any new seats at the show, but they have some new accessories available for the B-Safe Infant Seat: the B-Warm and B-Covered. The B-Covered ($29.99) is a UPF-rated sun screen/bug screen, available only in gray. The B-Warm ($49.99) is a heavier, fuzzier cover for cold winter months. The B-Warm is currently available in two fashions, Polar Mist (black) and Arctic Splash (with a splash of color).
There are also a couple seats going away. The G4.1 Advocate will be phased out by the end of the year. (The Clicktight Advocate will continue to be available.) Also retiring is the Parkway SG. The more popular Parkway SGL (with lower LATCH attachments) will be sticking around.
Limited Edition Frontier CT fashions – Liberty Sapphire, Meadow, and Concord are selling out fast—and when they’re gone, they’re gone forever. If you’ve been planning to purchase a Frontier ClickTight in any of these fashions, don’t wait much longer.
Chicco
New KidFit Zip booster is now available at various retailers including Amazon.
New “Pirvata” fashion for KeyFit, NextFit & KidFit will be available only at specialty retailers.
Clek
The Capri fashion is available on Foonf, Fllo, and Oobr. On Foonf, it’s available in both black and white shells. Also on all fashions, enhanced padding is added throughout. Harness pads are slightly longer and softer and now attach with snaps.
Big improvement: new lockoffs close ski boot-style. The end of the top lockoff clips over the edge of the bottom lockoff, then the long handle gives extra torque as you close it. Brilliant! Want these new lockoffs for your older seat that has problem lockoffs? Give Clek a call. They’ll put you on their list to get them to you when they’re available.
Review of the Clek Fabric Cleaning + Stain Remover Kit
I’ve had some cool carseat assignments before, but this has to have been the best carseat job I’ve ever scored. I mean, how many people get to intentionally try to soil a carseat? I know it’s in the job description for most kids, but probably not for most adults, so I was pretty giddy. At first I did have second thoughts: my kids’ carseats were always the cleanest in the neighborhood and I once gave a ride home to another CPS tech who accused me of not really having kids because my van was so spotless. But Clek did ask if I would try out their Crypton for Clek Fabric Cleaning + Stain Remover Kit and how could I say no?
I assembled my tools:
Fllo dressed in Shadow Crypton fabric — check
ketchup — check
mustard — check
goldfish — check
grape jelly — check
jello — check
vomit — er, uncheck, ’cause, ew
lipstick — check
sunscreen — check
crayon — check
ice cream — check
Clek Cleaning Kit — check
I set up my testing laboratory and went to work. I used the seat pad and sides where little hands grab because when kids eat, it either drops down or gets rubbed on the arms by dirty hands. I was a little afraid to hurt Fllo at the beginning, but like all pros, once I got started, all hesitance was thrown out the window and I laughed like a mad scientist. I crushed goldfish in a bowl and added water to create a thick paste that any toddler would recognize, I scribbled on the seat pad with the crayon then scribbled some more, and I rubbed sunscreen into the fabric as if it were my thighs rubbing the cream into the fabric. And then I let it sit and congeal and harden.
I made a video to show you how the cleaning kit worked in action. You really should watch it. I think I say “gross” somewhere in there. It’s a new classic, but so is the Clek Fabric Cleaning + Stain Remover Kit.
The goldfish and mustard left particles behind, even after I went over them with a second cleaning. I think if I worked on them some more, I could get them completely clean. I’m pleased to report that the spots where I used the solutions smell like the cleaning solution as opposed to the stains—no more sunscreen smell (or worse!). The solutions should NOT be used on the harness, but the brush can be used in a gentle manner with a mild soap and water to get the ground in grungies.
Advantages
Eco-friendly, no nasty chemicals
Very pleasant fragrance—barely noticeable
Actually cleans
Easy to use
Works on fabrics washed with water
Disadvantages
Wish it had a sprayer for each bottle
Conclusion
If you own a Clek seat, you probably should own the Clek Fabric Cleaning + Stain Remover Kit. Granted, the Crypton fabric is wipe-down friendly, but seats tend to get grimy over time and if you’re not the type to keep up with that wipe-down maintenance, a cleaner will come in handy for you (and it cleans the Drift fabric too). I had to search for a disadvantage, truly. And, it can be a wee bit confusing to determine which bottle to use as there is some overlap in what they clean; but, that works in your favor since you know one or the other will clean your stain. The price, $29.99, can be daunting but you don’t use much as you clean. Even the mustard and sunscreen, which proved to be my most stubborn stains, required very little of the solution. Like most things Clek, if you factor the price over time used, it’s well worth the money.
The Clek Fabric Cleaning + Stain Remover Kit is also available on Clek’s website.
Thank you to Clek for providing the Clek Fabric Cleaning + Stain Remover Kit to CarseatBlog.com. No other compensation was provided. All opinions expressed are those of CarseatBlog.
We thought it would be great to bring this awesome kit to you to try, so be sure to sign up for our giveaway! We have one (1) available for the US and one (1) available for Canada. I know! How awesome is Clek?!
Giveaway: GIVEAWAY CLOSED
To enter, you MUST reply to this blog and leave a comment below (only 1 entry per household).
For extra entries, be sure follow the Rafflecopter instructions to visit our Facebook page, visit the Clek Facebook page, and tweet about the giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Now for the fine print (these may be in addition to the rules listed in the Rafflecopter terms) – Winner must have a U.S. shipping address to claim the prize. Only one prize will be awarded. You are not eligible if you have won a carseat or any sponsored giveaway at CarseatBlog.com during 2014 or 2015 (our own giveaways of goody bags and such don’t count if no sponsor was mentioned). Blog writers and editors are also not eligible. 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 October 9, 2015, 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. Good luck! Winner must have a U.S. shipping address. Hawaii and Alaska are also included (though may incur extra shipping fees).a Rafflecopter giveaway
Now for the fine print (these may be in addition to the rules listed in the Rafflecopter terms) – Winner must have Canadian shipping address to claim the prize. Only one prize will be awarded. You are not eligible if you have won a carseat or any sponsored giveaway at CarseatBlog.com during 2014 or 2015 (our own giveaways of goody bags and such don’t count if no sponsor was mentioned). Blog writers and editors are also not eligible. 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 October 9, 2015, 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. Good luck!
Evenflo recently announced that they are about to launch their new SensorSafe Embrace DLX infant carseat. This is the first carseat on the market to feature technology integrated into the chest clip. This particular Embrace infant seat model will launch in August and will be available for purchase at Walmart. MSRP is $149.99.
“SensorSafe” was designed to help prevent children from being accidentally left behind in cars. Before you rush to judgement on this issue, please take a moment to read this article.
What kind of person forgets a baby?
The wealthy do, it turns out. And the poor, and the middle class. Parents of all ages and ethnicities do it. Mothers are just as likely to do it as fathers. It happens to the chronically absent-minded and to the fanatically organized, to the college-educated and to the marginally literate. In the last 10 years, it has happened to a dentist. A postal clerk. A social worker. A police officer. An accountant. A soldier. A paralegal. An electrician. A Protestant clergyman. A rabbinical student. A nurse. A construction worker. An assistant principal. It happened to a mental health counselor, a college professor and a pizza chef. It happened to a pediatrician. It happened to a rocket scientist.
The frightening reality is that everyone is capable of such an unimaginable act. I know what you’re thinking – everyone but you. *You* don’t need to be reminded that your baby is in the vehicle because *you* would never forget. It’s so easy to make yourself believe that because think of the alternative! What kind of parent believes that they could actually forget their child in the car??? But it happens. Over and over. Year after year. And there is no doubt that technology like this can – and will, save lives.
Moving beyond the debates and the horrors of reality – let’s talk briefly about how SensorSafe technology works. Keep in mind that we will have a complete review of this updated Embrace 35 model and the SensorSafe Technology in the very near future. In the mean time, if you’re looking for more info on the carseat itself – you can check out our existing review of the Evenflo Embrace 35.
How SensorSafe Technology Works:
Two components – a transmitter inside the chest clip and a receiver plug
Insert receiver plug into your vehicle’s OBDII port (receiver plug works with model year 2008 or newer vehicles with gas or diesel engine; if you have a hybrid or start/stop vehicle you will need a different receiver plug which you can get by calling Evenflo customer service)
Receiver plug communicates with transmitter in chest clip once vehicle starts moving
If chest clip is unbuckled while vehicle is moving, a series of tones will sound within 30 seconds
When vehicle is turned off, a series of tones will immediately remind driver the driver that there is a child buckled in the carseat
Britax didn’t have any new seats at the show, but they have some new accessories available for the B-Safe Infant Seat: the 
