Celebrate National Safety Month with @miFoldBooster! #mifold #Grabandgo

A product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

Did you know June is National Safety Month? 

I think it's a really important topic to celebrate and spread awareness about especially with small children of my own. 

National Safety Month focuses on reducing leading causes of injury and death at work, on the road and in our homes and communities. In honor of National Safety Month, I just have to share one of the newest products in our car that are keeping my children safe AND comfortable during our car rides. That company is mifold and their product is the most advanced, compact and portable booster seat ever!

One in 5 children in the US do not use a booster seat in the car for carpools, with grandparents or other relatives, in taxis, on vacations, in rental cars, or in a backseat with three passengers in a row! Most of the time this is due to the size of a traditional booster or the inconvenience of having an extra one on hand.

Thanks to mifold, there is now a better, easier option to keep kids safe! The mifold Grab-and-Go booster seat is more than 10x smaller than a regular child’s car booster seat making it the most advanced, compact, and portable booster seat ever invented! Plus, it is just as safe- meeting or exceeding the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards in crash tests!

Since I have still have three children in car seats, fitting them all in our car and having them on hand when we travel is a challenge we are constantly facing! That is why I am LOVING our mifold! It works great for my two older children and is great for carpooling, grandma's house and perfect for when we travel to Florida this winter!

It holds my son safe and secure and keep the strap out of his neck which is always struggles with because he is vertically challenged! Plus, it is lightweight and easy to hold - only the size of my hand! I can even carry it around in my purse, tuck it into the back of the seat pocket when not in use and I never worry about my children not being strapped in correctly anymore! Thank YOU mifold!

Buy It:

You can purchase mifold online in SIX colors at www.mifold.com and www.Amazon.com

*  Disclosure - This product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.*

The Gift of @GracoBaby

A product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

With all the holiday traveling that is going to happen in the next couple of weeks, I want to share one of Graco’s travel solutions that will help add comfort, enhance safety and provide peace of mind when traveling this holiday season. This is also the perfect gift for those who want to travel with their kids.

Graco Extend2Fit 3-in-1 Car Seat 

This Extend2Fit 3-in-1 car seat features a 3-position extension panel that provides 5” of extra legroom allowing children to ride safely rear-facing longer on those holiday road trips. The seat can be used rear-facing from 4-50 lbs., forward-facing from 22-65 lbs. and as a high back booster for 30-100 lbs. As the child grows, Simply Safe™ Adjust enables the height of the harness and headrest to be adjusted.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children ride rear-facing until at least 2 years of age. Extend2Fit™ features a 3-position extension panel that provides 5” of extra legroom allowing your child to ride safely rear-facing longer. The car seat also feature InRight™ LATCH for a one-second LATCH attachment and Fuss Free harness storage which holds the buckle out of the way, so it’s easy to get baby in and out.

I love that this car seat really does grow with your child and will be one baby accessory that will last past the baby stage!

Buy It:

You can purchase the Graco Extend2Fit 3-in-1 car seat for $209.99 from Toys R Us

* Thank you to Graco for their product for review! Disclosure - This product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.*

Keep Your Baby Safe for Many Years with the Safety 1st Grow and Go Air Car Seat

A product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

If you are pregnant with your first baby, filling out a baby registry or just looking for a safe and trustworthy car seat for your precious child, the hunt for a safe, durable car seat can get overwhelming! There are a lot of options out there but for me, I recommend you buy a seat right away that will last for years with your child!

Buy a car seat like the NEW Safety 1st Grow and Go Air that not only features the latest in advanced side impact protection but also features extended use rear-facing and forward-facing and an IIHS Good Bet booster built right in. I like to call it “the only car seat you’ll need to buy” and that really is something unique in the baby product world!

Featuring Dorel Juvenile patented Air Protect® technology, the Safety 1st Grow and Go Air provides advanced safety systems for truly superior side impact crash protection. The successor of the widely popular Grow and Go 3-in-1 Convertible Car Seat, Grow and Go Air provides the same features with a new layer of safety – Air Protect®.

Air Protect® Technology

Driven by emotional stories of traumatic crashes, Safety 1st’s world-class team of Child Passenger Safety Experts began researching, developing and testing Air Protect® technology in 2009. Utilizing the most advanced testing methods, at the Dorel Juvenile manufacturing and research and development facility in Columbus, IN, Air Protect® has been proven to save lives. Outside of testing facilities, this fact has been proven by parents through countless letters, calls and photos from families around the US.

Grows With Baby

For newborns to growing toddlers, the Grow and Go Air can be used in the rear-facing position from 5-40 pounds. It includes three comfortable grow-with-baby pillows to give your new travel companion a snug fit, and they easily remove as your baby outgrows them. The pillows are also reversible to help quickly manage messes on the road.

In forward-facing mode, the Grow and Go Air keeps your child protected in a harness up to 65 pounds. In both rear-facing and forward-facing mode, harness holders keep the harness in an open position. This makes it easier for you to get your child in and out of the car seat. No more fishing for the harness and clips from behind your child – they’re right there when you need them. The QuickFit™ Harness offers additional convenience in both of these stages by letting you adjust the height of both the headrest and harness with one hand, in one easy step, making it simple to give your growing child the best fit.

When your child is ready to use the vehicle seat belts, hide the harness and use the Grow and Go Air 3-in-1 Car Seat in belt-positioning booster mode: up to 100 pounds. The headrest still adjusts with one hand, letting you get the best fit for your child.

Other Unique Features

• Machine washable and dryer safe seat pad, unsnaps and lifts away quickly from the seat frame for truly easy cleaning
• QuickFit™ Harness for easy adjustment of both harness and headrest in one simple step
• 3-position recline for a good fit in any car
• In and Out Harness Holders keep straps out of the way when buckling
• Easy belt access panels built into the seat for easy installation
• Grow-with-baby pillows for a comfortable ride
• A compact install, allowing up to 7” more legroom for adult, front seat passengers.
• Two integrated cup holders

Buy It:

You can purchase the Safety 1st Grow and Go Air from Babies R Us for $199.99

* Thank you to Safety 1st for their product for review! Disclosure - This product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.*

Keep Your Child Safe Every Time You Strap Them with the Britax Frontier ClickTight!

A product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

Did you know that last week was Child Passenger Safety Week??!!

In my opinion, every day and every week of the year should be Child Passenger Safety Week because it is just that important! 

Every time I strap my kids into their car seats, I wonder if they are safe, what would happen if we got in a car accident, and I pray that I have done everything in my power to make sure they are safe every time I get into the car!

The most important way I ensure that my kids are safe EVERY TIME they get in the car is by making sure they have a car seat that is built to keep them safe and that the car seat is installed correctly so that it will keep them safe in the case of a car accident!

But we all know as parents with small children that installing a car seat can be time consuming and frustrating. We are at this time installing three car seats (and I definitely give my husband credit for doing it often!).

But we are given a sigh of relief every time we have to install the car seats because we have the new Britax Frontier ClickTight Combination Harness 2-Booster and it is so much easier to install than anything we have had before!

The Frontier ClickTight is a top-selling combination seat that pairs an extra layer of side impact protection along with the super-easy ClickTight Installation System – so you have peace of mind knowing your child is protected. This car seat is really heavy duty, is easy to adjust for height and for installation and I know it will keep my children safe!

Once we figured out where to open up to install the seat belt, it was really easy to do.

You just pinch together the little buttons and then pull it up. Then you will see where the seat belt goes.

You then just pull the seatbelt across the green belt guide, pull it tight, and click it shut! I never have to pinch or break my arms trying to pull the seat belt through the back of a seat AGAIN!

I also like how the seat adjust for height at the top of the seat with an easy pull lever. That will be great when my kids get older!

You just pull the lever in the head restraint and the seat back moves up to adjust to the harness and head restraint height for your child!

You adjust the straps to be tighter by pulling the strap just below the 5-point harness buckle.

One downfall for me is the strap loosener. We could not figure it out for a long time where the "button" was and the directions weren't very clear on how to make it work. So for everyone considering this seat, I will save you the searching and let you know it is in the tiny little pocket shown above. You stick your finger in there and search for a little button. Push that and the straps will loosen.

I just wish they would put a little symbol or direction on the pocket for parents or relatives like grandparents who might need to use the seat once in awhile and will have no idea how to loosen the seat.

However, I do see that the reason they hide it is so that the child sitting in the seat can not loosen the straps and endanger themselves. I would just appreciate some kind of marking as to what it is or how to adjust it for adults' sake.

Another thing to keep in mind when considering this car seat is that I thought this seat was VERY heavy (it weighs 25 lbs)! I did struggle to lift it by myself and, although it does make me feel like it is very safe, it might not be good for people who need to move seats from car to car often.

Other than those two things, we REALLY LOVE this new Frontier ClickTight seat and will be using it for many years to come, since it does have a nine year life span. I feel great knowing my kids are very safe every time I strap them in and I also don't dread installing the car seats anymore!!! Thank you Britax!!

Who's this seat for? 

This seat is a forward facing and booster seat and is not a backward facing seat. Therefore, this seat is only appropriate for children starting at 25 lbs and 30 in of height. It can then be used for children all the way up to 120 lbs and 62 inches of height! 

As you can see, it will definitely protect and grow with your child for many years!

So where do you get this great seat? 

You can purchase this awesome car seat from a Brixy member store -- a trade association for independent juvenile retailers in U.S. Plus, they are the only ones to offer the black/gray color pattern called Dylan (shown above) because they are only at select Brixy stores while supplies last.

Plus, Brixy stores are located coast-to-coast and each store’s knowledgeable staff can advise parents on current laws and more importantly, best practice. You will learn all about how to keep your children safe every time you strap them into their car seat!

Buy It:

You can purchase the Frontier ClickTight harness-2-booster for $329.99) in the Dylan pattern only available at select Brixy stores while supplies last.

* Thank you to Britax for their product for review! Disclosure - This product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.*

Travel Safely This Summer with @safety1st!

A product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

Where will are you going this summer? 

According to AAA, road trips top the list this year. With many families hitting the road this summer, Safety 1st wants to make sure parents and children have a safe summer while on the go.

Check out these great tips from Safety 1st and keep them in mind anywhere and everywhere you go this summer!

Oh The Places You’ll Go – Travel Safety This Summer

By Safety 1st

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 75% of car seats on the road are installed incorrectly. Here are some easy tips to think about before hitting the road.

1. The safest place to install a car seat is typically in the center of the rear seat.
2. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises parents to keep their toddlers in rear-facing car seats until age 2. It also advises that most children will need to ride in a belt-positioning booster seat until they have reached 4 feet 9 inches tall and are between 8 and 12 years of age.
3. Check in with a local Child Passenger Safety Technician to ensure your child’s seat is installed correctly. You can visit a local police station, fire station, AAA office or Safe Kids Chapter for guidance.

Where is Baby?

It may seem like common sense but never, leave a child alone in the car. Hyperthermia is a severe form of heat stroke and last year 30 children died after being left or trapped in a hot vehicle. You can learn more about this issue and easy tips to prevent it here.

Safeguard the Car

Just as important as safe guarding your home, don’t forget about the car. Especially on long road trips. It’s important to eliminate projectiles, anything in the car that is not secured is a possible projectile. That could be a child’s toy, wet nap container, or a water bottle. In a crash, objects take on greater weight due to crash forces.

Make sure unused shoulder belts are not in reach of children as they can pose strangulation risk.

Car Seats Expire

Car seats expire. Especially if you get a hand-me-down car seat you should always check the expiration date to confirm the seat is safe for your child. You can find the expiration date on the back or the side of the car seat. Also, another very important tip - once a car seat has been in a crash you should not use it, plastic can warp and materials can fray. To properly dispose of a car seat check with your local waste management facility to see if they recycle number 5 plastic.

So if you are looking for a car seat that will keep your baby safe and will last a LONG time, then check out the new Grow and Go 3-in-1 car seat from Safety 1st.  It will be the first and last car seat parents and caregivers will need, making it simple to keep your little one safe in the backseat. In addition, the seat features side impact protection, a no rethread harness, buckle holders, two cup holders and an easily removable seat cover.

Safety 1st Grow and Go 3-in-1 Convertible Car Seat can be used rear-facing, forward-facing or as a booster. This extended use car seat features a no re-thread harness, buckle holders, dual cup holders and a removable seat cover.

I absolutely LOVE that this seat can be used from baby to toddler to school age! So many baby products are only used for a couple weeks but it is so refreshing to see a baby item that is safe AND can be used for many YEARS! Love this!

Buy It:

You can purchase The Grow and Go exclusively for $169.99 at Babies ‘R’ Us.

* Thank you to Safety 1st for their product for review! Disclosure - This product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.*

Spring Family Travel Tips‏

A product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

Finally there’s warmer weather in sight! As families start to plan their spring travel adventures, it’s also a perfect time to make sure children are safe while traveling in vehicles. Although the road conditions may seem safe in the warmer weather, traveling with growing children always provides safety challenges.

Sarah Haverstick, Safety Advocate and certified Child Passenger Safety Technician for Evenflo, has the following tips to ensure your family gets to their sunny destination safely:

1. Invest in a seat that will grow with your child. 

Combination car seats are forward-facing only car seats that allow you to use a harness for your child and then remove the harness to use the seat as a booster.

• Car seat option: Evenflo ADVANCED Transitions 3-in-1 Combination Seat
• This NEW 3-in-1 seat can be used as a harness booster, a belt-positioning booster or a no-back booster to accommodate your growing child.
• Seat features SureSafe™ Installation, Buckle Pockets, Dual Cup Holders and more.

2. Keep your child comfortable and cool during the warm weather. 

Remember to pack extra water bottles to keep your child hydrated during the summer months.

• Car seat option: Evenflo Evolve Platinum 3-in-1 Harnessed Booster Car Seat
• This line of car seats is exclusively available at Babies “R” Us and features NASA-developed “Outlast” technology, which is a temperature regulating fabric that keeps children comfortable in hot weather by actively absorbing and storing hot and cold temperatures and releasing as needed.

3. Not traveling very far this spring? 

Did you know that 85% of crashes involving children occur 20 minutes or less from home? All children 12 and under should be buckled in the back seat and big kids under 4’ 9” tall should be in a booster seat. A booster seat like the RightFit Belt-Positioning Booster can reduce the risk of injury in a crash by 45% for children ages 4-8.

4. Think your child is ready to use the adult vehicle seat belt? 

Take this simple test. Have them sit with their back and bottom all the way against the vehicle seat. Make sure their knees are bent at the edge of the seat with their feet on the floorboard. The vehicle lap belt should fit low on the thighs and hips and the shoulder belt should fit across the child’s shoulder. The child must be able to sit like this for the whole ride. Most kids are 10 – 12 years old before they can pass all of these steps!

* Thank you to Evenflo for their product for review! Disclosure - This product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.*

Win a Graco 4ever 4-in-1 Car Seat!

 This post is sponsored by LifebankUSA.

I have posted several times before about LifebankUSA and how they are the only company with proprietary technology offering placenta blood banking with cord blood banking to expectant parents. They are also the only company in the world to release placenta stem cell units for transplant. If you haven't read my previous posts about LifebankUSA read more below about why you will get peace of mind when you work with them! Also, make sure to enter their great contest for a chance to win a Graco Car Seat!

Stem cells in cord blood have transformative potential and have been used to treat over 30,000 patients worldwide. Banking the most stem cells can be critical and only through banking both cord and placenta blood do you have this opportunity.

Every day, parents are choosing to bank their child’s cord blood because they know these powerful cells could one day be used to save a close family member’s life. Parents choose to also bank placenta blood with LifebankUSA to make their cord blood collection even more powerful, providing them with even greater peace of mind.

Only LifebankUSA offers expectant parents the unique opportunity to bank stem cells from cord blood and placenta blood. Banking placenta blood stem cells makes your cord blood collection even more powerful for the near-term and for the future. It gives you the ability to bank more stem cells which has been shown to increase transplant success and survival rates. And placenta blood contains other types of progenitor stem cells which are expected to play a key role in regenerative medicine.

Along with peace of mind, LifebankUSA wants to give parents the chance to win one of THREE Graco 4everTM 4-in-1 Car Seats (valued at $330 each) in a random drawing from entrants in this Facebook contest. Enter for a chance to win the baby item that is on EVERY expectant Mom’s baby shower registry!

* This post is sponsored by LifebankUSA*

Win Great Prizes in the #GBTravelSafe Sweepstakes! #IC #ad

I participated in a Blog Blast Activation on behalf of Influence Central for GB. I received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

When new parents ask me what is one of the most important purchases they will make for their child, I always tell me them "Car Seats!". They can be the difference between life and death in the case of a car accident and a good, quality car seat definitely gives peace of mind every time I get into the car with my children!

GB feels the same way we parents do! They know how important safe car seats are so they recently launched the GB Asana35 AP Car Seat with a unique 3-way FirmFit System!

And in celebration of their new safe car seat, GB is hosting the GB Travel Safe Sweepstakes which offers parents a chance to win great prizes like a $500 Babies “R” Us gift card with second and third place winners to receive GB baby gear like the GB Asana35 AP and the compatible GB Zuzu stroller!

Check out more details about the prizes:

It's really easy to enter and it's all about gaining the most points you can: by tweeting, watching a short video, visiting the product page and pinning images on Pinterested. You can also get extra points by adding the GB Asana35 to your baby registry!

So enter below or at the website to enter today!

GB Travel Safe Sweepstakes

* I participated in a Blog Blast Activation on behalf of Influence Central for GB. I received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.*

Rainier Convertible + Booster Car Seat

A product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

Safety for my children is my utmost concern in life...especially when it comes to car safety.

So I am always on the search for the best, safest, and space saving car seat and I think I have found it with the Rainier Convertible + Booster Car Seat from Diono. It really has it all and it's many features really set it apart from its competition!

Diono is a world leader providing families safe, innovative and high quality juvenile products that exceed expectations at home or on the go in over 39 countries worldwide. With more than a decade of experience, Diono continues a heritage of excellence that includes more than 50 International Awards from industry and consumer groups for safety and thoughtful design for Car Seats, Travel and Stroller Accessories.

Diono’s most innovative product to date is the Rainier Convertible + Booster Car Seat and it is designed with your child's security and safety as top priorities. The New Diono Rainier is the ultimate in car seat safety with new extra deep side walls providing enhanced side impact protection taking Diono car seats to a whole new level.

Premium materials and thoughtful safety features like a steel alloy frame, aluminum reinforced side walls, energy absorbing EPS foam, and a five-point harness put your mind at ease as your little one stays safe and sound. The reinforced adjustable head support provides additional side impact protection.

One of the best parts is how versatile it is! It can go rear facing, forward facing and converts to a booster: With its extended rear-facing capabilities, it can comfortably seat rear-facing children from 5 to 50 lbs. and forward-facing children from 20 to 90 lbs. in 5-point harness mode (up to 57" in height). Additionally it converts to a booster for children between 50 and 120 lbs. or up to 57" in height.

Plus, it adjusts so easily! The aluminum reinforce headrest has 12 height positions for adjustable head support and additional EPS foam surrounds the child’s head and body for complete side impact protection. Its unique SuperLATCH™ system makes installation easy and the Rainier is NCAP crash tested, the industry benchmark for verifying child seat performance in severe accident conditions.

Other Key Features:

• Full steel frame and aluminum reinforced sides for unmatched safety
• Reinforced extra deep sidewalls lined with energy-absorbing foam give Rainier superior head and body protection
• Space saving design allows extra room for passengers while providing spacious interior for child
• Folds flat for travel and is FAA certified
• NCAP crash tested, the industry benchmark for verifying child seat performance in severe accident conditions
• Industry-leading 12 year product life (from date of purchase)

I love that it folds because we seem to always be taking them out and it stores so easily! And we have a smaller backseat so we really love that it is space saving and can fit easily with our other children's seats!

Buy It: 

You can purchase the Rainier Convertible + Booster Car Seat for $286.76 from Amazon.com

* Thank you to Diono for their product for review! Disclosure - This product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.*