Connor is getting a new big boy carseat!

The new baby is coming any day now and we're going from a one carseat family to a two car seat family, not to mention Connor has been growing like a weed lately so I figured now would be a great time to try out some new big boy options for our soon to be "big brother". Connor is really still too light for most booster seats but Evenflo's new Generations 65 Combination  Booster may just be the last car seat we need to buy.

The Generations 65 is an "extended use" combination car seat and booster seat. Rated for children 20-100 lbs this car seat can easily take a child from preschool to graduating their booster seat all together. If Connor takes after his parents at all I seriously doubt he will ever make it to the 100lb limit but with all the changes in car seat regulation that keeps happening this will undoubtedly keep him legal until he gets tall enough to go without a booster all together.

In its beginning settings the Generations 65 looks much like any other toddler sized car seat with the exception of having more "big boy" looking arm rests. It has a five point harness, an adjustable head rest like many other car seats but lets talk about those arm rests again. I'm 9 months pregnant and my biggest complaint the last two months has been the fact that it's nearly impossible for me to get Connor in and out of a car seat especially if he has fallen asleep. I'm only 4'10 to begin with and combine that with a huge stomach just the prospect of climbing into a car after him is exhausting enough that I've rarely left the house in the last few months unless I had to, not to mention I've suffered with horrible back pain the last few weeks. Connor is pretty good about getting in and out of his car seat by himself but sometimes he needs mommy to help boost him up. Those arm rests totally make this car seat for me at the moment as they have a feature that made me downright giddy when I figured it out. The armrests actually lift up on both sides allowing the child to get into the seat without having to step over or be lifted over them. The first time you ever take a child out of this seat who is sound asleep you will sing their praises as well. The other thing we really loved about this seat is that the crotch belt is adjustable.. Connor is really quite small for his age and even on some of his smaller car seats one complaint that has come up here recently is that the crotch belts are starting to ride a little low on his legs and if your not careful you risk pinching him when you snap him into the five point harness. Though the Generations 65 is currently fine in its smallest position it is a big relief to know that once he grows we can let out that crotch belt to make him a bit more comfortable.

You know honestly the thing we love most about this car seat is also the same thing that worries me about it later. I know I hear often from the older kids in my life that the only thing that they hate about having to still ride in a booster seat is the fact that they are in a full backed booster that "looks" like a car seat. Kids always seem to wanna grow up to fast and I guess its "uncool" to sit in a "baby seat". If your looking to save money which is always a HUGE priority in this family this car seat has to be one of the best options for children growing out of their toddler seats and moving more towards a booster as they can stay in this seat till they outgrow boosters all together. Do I honestly care if Connor is embarrassed later on about having to sit in a car seat? No.. his safety is far more important to me than his "coolness" factor. At under $100 for this booster it is absolutely a worth wild investment for families who are moving up into their first forward facing car seat or need a booster or car seat for a larger child as well. This car seat would also be a great option for larger toddlers who are just too tall or heavy for a most traditional car seats as well.

You can learn more about this car seat on Evenflo's website as well as see a full video demo of all it's features. It is available for purchase on Amazon as well!

Now this carseat rocks!

Ok, I'm as much of a car seat junkie as I am a stroller junkie and I think that has a lot to do with the fact that I've been obsessing over both since before Connor was born. The biggest and most important investment you can make as far as I'm concerned is in your child's car seat. After all a good car seat can actually mean the difference between life or death for your child in case of an accident and who wants to put that at risk?

The Evenflo Symphony All In One Car seat delivers everything I've been asking for in a car seat at a price that's just down right unbelievable. I've had my eyes on a convert able car seat as long as I can remember (not mentioning names) that offered full side impact protection but lets just say it prices in at just about $300 and the Evenflo Symphony All In One Car Seat averages around $199 and its worth every single penny.

Setting up the Evenflo Symphony All In One Car Seat was one of the most interesting experiences I've had thus far when it comes to car seats as usually I'm all about ripping things out of the boxes, installing, and going and rarely do I have to break out a manual but the straps that attach to the latch system threw me for a bit of a loop on this one. The Evenflo Symphony is genius as its latch attachment system is unlike anything I have even remotely seen before. First of all it offers some of the most heavy duty latch connectors I have ever seen, no frustrating little hooks that you can never get off one they are on, this car seat has totally push button latch connectors that allow you to not only easily just push and snap them in to connect the car seat but also release it with a push of a button. The thing that threw me however was the fact that the belts holding the latch connectors to the car seat are "seat belts" yes you heard me the same types of belts that you would see on your seat belt and instead of manually adjusting them by pulling on them with all of your might you just put some weight on the car seat, and the belts tighten and lock themselves just like a car seat if it got "locked". Seriously whoever thought this up, please direct me towards them so I can give them a huge kiss.

The car seat itself offers full impact protection which as far as I'm concerned is one of the best features you can buy in a car seat. I can't even tell you how many kids came into the ER when I worked there with neck injuries and with unnecessary injuries even in small accidents due to the lack of side impact protection. Yes this feature not only adds a little size to your car seat and usually a bit to the price but it will pay for itself 1000 fold if you are ever in an accident.

The Evenflo Symphony All In One Car Seat is just that... its a rear facing car seat for babies five to thirty five pounds, a forward facing car seat for children that meet the height requirements, and once your done with using a car seat together the Symphony All In One is also a booster seat. So before you balk at the $199 price tag that this car seat demands and laugh at me for telling you its its incredibly affordable take a moment to count up what it would cost you to buy an infant car seat, a forward facing car seat, and a booster seat. Even if you go the cheap route you will end up spending at least three times that price not to mention you wont even get half the features.

The Symphony All In One has everything I've wanted in a car seat plus so much more including incredibly plush seats, a fully adjustable head rest that moves up and down at the push of a button (not just velcroed on!), straps that can be adjusted without unthreading anything, heavy duty latch connectors, an auto adjusting tighten feature which I never even knew I wanted but wish all my car seats had now, and a recline feature when in use as an infant car seat. Really I'm not sure what else you could want.

Really the only thing I would change if I could about it would be to have a more exciting choice of colors, I'd narrow down the latch connectors a bit as they are sort of tight to get in on a newer car though once you do it a few times it does get easier, and I'd make the cup holder a bit more sturdy.

Overall its the best car seat we have seen thus far especially for the price seeing as it will take you from newborn to school I'm still totally blown away by it!

You can read more about the Evenflo Symphony All In One car seat on the Evenflo website. You can also pick up one at several major retailers, see the where to buy section on the Evenflo site and check out the demo video while your over there!

Hate messy carseats?

My mom unfortunately pointed out to me last week that Connor's car seat is full of random filth from every snack he has had most likely in the last three weeks. Call me a bad mom, but honestly I didn't notice usually when we are rushing to and from school, his aunt's house, and wherever we need to go the last thing I am looking at is the crumbs tucked into the creases of his car seat. I honestly think I try to avoid looking as every mom knows what a total pain in the tush it is to get a car seat cover off, get it in the washing machine, get it dried and then back on the car seat all the while you can't use your car seat its just horribly inconvenient.

Well we won't be having that problem anymore as Connor was lucky enough to get his own Nomie car seat cover. The Nomie cover comes in toddler/convertible and a infant car seat size so unless you have an unusually shaped carseat they will fit virtually any car seat you throw at them. I tried out the toddler/convertable size and made the rounds on Connor's car seats. It actually fit every car seat I tried it with really nicely. The only car seat that gave me a bit of problems is a super compact model I have as the Nomie was a bit big and though it did fit I didn't like how it ballooned out on the sides. (This was on a Britax Diplomat which is a very small very compact toddler car seat which is about half the size of their traditionally sized car seats). Otherwise on my full sized toddler car seats it fit nicely and it did not seem out of place at all.

The thing I really love about the Nomie is unlike most car seat covers that leave a gap where the crotch snap comes out of the car seat, which is the best place for all those crumbs and random french fries to collect, the Nomie forms a totally tight seal so any crumbs collected stays on the Nomie itself and does not get lost in the holes and spaces in the bottom of your car seat. The Nomie is also totally waterproof, the top layer is a soft almost silk like quilted material and inside is a light padding which is great for those older car seats that may not be as comfortable as they once were and underneath is a waterproof layer so spills or unfortunate accidents are totally contained.

Getting the Nomie on your car seat may just be the easiest thing you will ever do when it comes to installing a car seat. Leave your existing cover on and slip the Nomie over your carseat and unvelcro the two strips that run down the middle of the cover and velcro it back on the velcro allows you to adjust the openings anywhere you need them which is great especially for those convertible car seats where you may have to adjust your straps to go from a six pound newborn to a 50 pound child. Personally I am not a big fan of having to rethread straps so having velcro adjustments just makes my day! It's actually easy enough to use that I can quickly move the Nomie from one car seat to another if Connor is going to his grandparents for a week.

Washing the Nomie will leave you sold on car seat covers. Just take it off, throw it in the wash and use your existing car seat cover in the meantime. No more having to rush rush to get your car seat cover washed just so you can use your car seat the net day. Anything to take even a fraction off the daily stress of being a mom and having to get to school is fabulous in my book! And for mom's on a budget you will be very happy to know that the Nomie is only $34!!! Compared to many car seat covers that go for as much as $80 to $100 that's a fabulous deal!

You can get your own Nomie in a choice of blue, yellow, white or pink on the Nomie website!!

The Graco Safeseat is great for sleeping!

On my recent visit to Chicago we drove 12 hours each way with Connor in the back seat. My biggest concern was his safety along with the fact that he would be stuck in his car seat for basically 12 hours non stop as I've never been a fan of driving a few hours then stopping with a baby in question as regardless they just seem to get crankier and crankier the longer the trip takes, so we have decided if we are going on car trips to just drive strait through and worry about sleeping when you get there.

With that long of a car trip I decided I really had to look for a new car seat that would be more comfortable and would offer great protection in case of a crash as well. My biggest regret was that toddler sized car seats do not recline like rear facing car seats, that is until I found the Graco Toddler Safeseat (Step 2). The Graco Safeseat line offers a "step" system of car seats from Step 1 (0-30lbs rear facing), Step 2 (0-40lbs) and Step 3 (30 - 100lbs!!!). Both the Step 2 and Step 3 car seat and booster seat offer a recline feature which until now I have never seen outside of a infant car seat or rear facing car seat!

I brought home a Step 2 and tested it a few days before we left for the trip to make sure it would meet our needs before setting off on a long trip. The first thing I noticed was the fact that its VERY heavy.. almost twice the weight of my other car seats. The reason for this is that the frame of the car seat is much heavier due to the recline feature. I had heard some complaints that people had problems lifting the car seat which I think is ridiculous as I am 4'10 and regardless of the additional weight (22lbs) I had no problems getting it into my car all by myself and the installation is no more difficult than a regular car seat. Along with the weight it is slightly bigger than some of my other car seats again as the extra frame does make it slightly larger, but its no wider so it does not force you to sacrifice passenger space at all nor did I have any problems fitting the car seat into a Pontiac Vibe, Honda Civic, or Honda CRV all of which have fairly small back seats.

The installation process is really strait forward and easy enough to figure out with or without the manual as the install points are color coded. It offers latch and belt installation, and I used it both ways as the CRV does not have latch attachments, as its older, but the other cars do. In the CRV I used a shoulder belt installation and I LOVE the belt lock on this car seat! The belt lock doubles over the belt with a great easy to use large latch, and it offers one of the tightest locks using a shoulder seat belt I have seen yet! I always am nervous using a seatbelt with a car seat but with this one I felt perfectly sure that Connor was safe even without the latch attachments. I was only slightly disappointed on the latch attachments with this car seat as they are the standard hook attachments and not the easier to quick connect style attachments you see on some other car seats. That was a disappointment but its more of a "wish" of mine on car seats not a requirement.

What I do LOVE about this car seat and what originally attracted me was the recline feature. I had planned on making the trip to Chicago at night so Connor could sleep the entire way, but I knew if we took him in a regular car seat he would have hard time sleeping sitting up the entire way. Needless to say we left at 7pm and got there at 7am and Connor slept a good 80% of the car trip without any problems in his fully reclined Toddler Safeseat! I know for a fact that would have never happened in a regular car seat no matter how tired he was. By 7am everyone was tired and cranky but at least most of the trip Connor slept and he actually had more energy than we did that day. For those of you thats wondering you do not need to get out of the car to recline the car seat, if you can reach your child from the front seat all you have to do is reach around and pull that lever on the bottom of the seat itself and it will recline as you pull. I could easily reach Connor from the passenger side of the car.

If traveling is in your future, or if you have a child who loves to nap in the car you will find the Toddler SafeSeat very helpful. Personally I wont be making any long distance trips without it and its my car seat of choice if I know I will be out late and Connor is going to want to sleep. Its also my favorite car seat to use in the Honda CRV as I really feel secure that he is in tight using the shoulder belt as previously I have never felt totally comfortable.

Check out the rest of the Graco Safeseat line to see the entire line from an infant seat to the booster!

You can purchase the Graco Toddler Safeseat on Graco's website as well as on Amazon!

The perfect carseat from 5lbs to 65lbs!!

The True Fit Car Seat by Learning Curve makes me wish a little I had known more about convertible car seats when I was in the market for an infant seat. Its seats like this that put some of those bulky non padded infant car seats to shame.

When it comes to newborns and tiny babies in convertible car seats its always been the fact that they seem lost in the sheer bulk of a convertible car seat and the lack of side impact support which always made me a bit nervous. Those that did offer side impact support were huge and when you put a newborn in them they look lost in the sheer size of the car seat. The True Fit Car seat is a dream especially tiny babies and even better for really large babies! The car seat comes with two removeable inserts that help position younger babies correctly in the car seat as well as add extra cushion (and a removable washable pad for those accidents or spitups) for use with the rear facing position only. One really unique aspect of using this car seat in the rear facing position is, exceptionally tall or large babies can use this car seat rear facing until 35lbs with the help of the removable headrest. Up till now most of the children I've heard of going over the weight limit of rear facing were forced to turn around forward facing prematurely. Connor is over the year mark but still comfortably fits in this car seat rear facing without any issues (he is about 22lbs).

Once your child is old enough to sit in the forward facing position the car seat easily adjusts for children up to 65lbs and up to 50 inches tall. (Thats a little over four feet tall.. which means most children can use the car seat up till they start elementary school!! Sorry Connor, you'll be strapped in for awhile yet..) There is no need to re-thread the straps to adjust for height as everything is adjustable without ever having to uninstall the car seat.

Honestly my only complaint with the car seat is for some odd reason I had a bit harder time getting it really tight in the seat verses some of the other car seats I've installed (using latch). I just had a really hard time getting the latch belts totally tight. With a seat belt only install its pretty simple as it does have a seat belt lock to help prevent any slippage.

You can buy the True Fit Car Seat directly on Learning Curve's web page and at Amazon!

The best part is Learning Curve has given us a True Fit Car Seat in Misty Meadow to give away to one of our readers!!!

To enter :

• Leave a comment on this post. Check out Learning Curve's baby products and tell us what item is your favorite from the vast selection of products the represent! I know its a big selection so if you want to you can include a few items you like.
  
• Make sure there is a way for me to contact you - if your email address is not on your profile or you are not a blogger you may leave it in your comment or email it to me directly (angelaandconnor at gmail dot com) We have had to disqualify a lot of potential winners as of late as many people do not have emails available in their profiles or leave anonymous posts without any way to contact you.
• Please US entries only.
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• Bloggers - Blog about this contest and leave me the link on your comment, or add me to your sidebar and let me know its there.
• Non Bloggers (or bloggers) subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed and earn another entry!
• One extra credit per person. Please post your extra credit in a separate post.
• This contest will end June 19th at midnight!

Car Seat Review : Evenflo Triumph Advance LX Convertible Car Seat

Connor recently received an Evenflo Triumph Advance Deluxe Convertible Carseat to review and so far we love it.

If your looking for a very easy to use easy to adjust car seat, especially being grandparent friendly, this car seat so far from what I have seen in other seats cannot be beat. All of the adjustment points are marked in red on the seat so even someone unfamiliar with the seat can easily find and adjust any aspect of the seat.

For those of you that babysit or have multiple sized children you will LOVE the ability to adjust the car seat without taking it out of the car. The Straps are fully adjustable both at the shoulder and tightness at just a touch of a button (no re-threading of straps required!!).. I have never seen another car seat that allows for shoulder adjustment without removing the seat, that still baffles me every time I use it. We use this car seat in Connor's great aunt's car and my parents car for the days I go to school so he does not ride it in daily and often I go to put him in it and he has grown and we must adjust the straps. Previously this would have been a total nightmare especially when I am in a hurry to get to school. No longer, if you grab both straps at the same time at shoulder level (both marked in red) and pull upwards or downwards at the same time the straps adjust without any issues. Another red lever on both sides of the seat releases the straps to make them looser and a black dial on both sides tightens them. Easy peasy.

This car seat is LARGE compared to many other convertibles which depending on your situation can be a blessing or a deal breaker. Its rather tall and wide so it will easily accommodate any sized baby and is rated for for children from 5 to 50 lbs. They do make up for the width and size for smaller babies by including some great and very plush adjustable "pillows" that mold the seating area for smaller infants. This again is another feature that I find rare in other car seats especially in this price range. The advantage to the size is it will grow with your child until you are firmly into a booster seat and for those larger babies out there there is plenty of room to grow. The only disadvantage is its tall and wide.. so those of you that have smaller backseats may find it harder to fit this car seat in comfortable in the rear facing position (in the foward facing position there should be no issues), and it may be a tight squeeze for some cars to hold two of these comfortably if your sporting twins. I have a older Honda CRV and its a tight squeeze for us in rear facing (but forward fits fine) but in my Mom's Civic and my aunt's Saturn is a non issue. Connor is a rather small and short baby so the adjustable headrest does not come down quite far enough for him even in the lowest setting, not that he cares or he knows any diffrent his other car seat most certainly does not have a head rest!! lol

Honestly I can say the only thing I wish they would have added on this car seat that they did not is diffrent latch clasps.. one with a push button release vs an old style clasp. Though seeing as very few car seats offer this its more of a luxury wish than a requirement.. and I rarely move this car seat from car to car so its not really a huge issue. I should note that the Evenflo Triumph Advance Premier does have this option!

All in all this car seat is incredibly plush and has more features than even some of the car seats three times its price. Connor does not complain when riding in it and who could blame him? It looks more like a recliner than a car seat and it certainly has more features than my own recliner (including three diffrent recline seatings!!). At an average price of about $139 to $159 (depending on which car seat in the series you purchase) thats a steal for what you get for your money.

If you can tell from the picture Connor certainly likes it!

Want one?

Evenflo Car Seats are sold at most major retailers and are available on Amazon! I also added a selection of the diffrent Triumph models in my online store for you guys to check out!

Car Seat Review - Clek Olli

I'm not sure I've ever described a car seat as super stylish.. but this one most certainly can be classified as beautiful as it is functional.

The Clek Olli Booster Seat is really a new revolution in the form of backless booster seats, unlike a traditional booster seat that just "floats" under the lap belt and child this booster seat actually utilizes the latch system to latch securely in place as added protection.

Something I was unaware of.. but I should share with you "Children under 4'9" tall or less than 80 lbs need a booster seat to ensure seat belts properly fit their small frame." Sadly I am only one inch taller than these provisions... I guess I should be in a booster seat too.. lol.. poor Connor if they pass height regulations on booster seats will never outgrow his at this rate. Regardless you should start using your booster seat from the time your child outgrows his or her forward facing car seat (around 40lbs) and until you either meet your state's requirements or ideally until your child hits the federal guidelines which is over 4'9 and over 80lbs. My state requires all children 6 and under to be in a booster regardless of height or weight. Though I honestly hope by the time Connor reaches booster seat age that requirement has been raised to the national standard so I am not fighting with him when all the other kids are out of their booster seats and I still want him in one!

The installation of this seat took virtually five seconds just line up with the latch markers on your seat.. push.. hear the click and your installed. It was the easiest most stress free seat install I have done to date. Even with a regular booster seat I feel as if its not positioned correctly so I end up fumbling around with it a few minutes to make sure its centered on the seat... just no need with the Clek!

Sadly my old car does not have Latch connectors though every other car in our family does but regardless we can still us our Clek as a traditional booster seat without the latch installed. Hopefully by the time Connor actually grows into this seat and I will be out of school and I'll have the upgraded (newer) version of my car with Latch!

If the blue is not your thing Clek makes the car seat in black, sandlot, blue, and green.. as well as optional jackets that can be purchased separately in pink camo, regular camo (a staple down here), leopard, and zebra prints. Personally I'm a huge fan of the blue and green!

At $89.99 the cost of the seat is a bit more pricey that some on the market but if you get a chance to see one of these up close you can see why. The seat itself is super plush (much more padding than a traditional booster.. no more sore butts!) as well as padded armrests really makes a huge difference especially on a long car ride. The latch option as well is not featured on any other booster seats that I have seen thus far.

Want one?

You can purchase your own Clek Booster seat directly from their web page as well as from most major retailers and Amazon!