These little guys should still be facing backwards!

Ugh.  Imagine trying to deal with an 18-month-old throwing cheerios and sploshing apple juice (well, maybe not apple juice…) everywhere while facing backwards in the back of your car?  Sounds like a nightmare, but it’s the latest safety recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics, who changed their guidelines back in April to say that children should stay in rear-facing car seats until the age of two.  A new poll out of the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital shows that the vast majority of parents (73%) use a forward-facing car seat with their children before 2 years of age, and a surprising 30% switch from a rear-facing seat before their baby turns one.  Here’s why that’s dangerous: Continue reading »

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Toyota recalls over 2 million vehicles.

Toyota is recalling 2.17 million vehicles to address problems that can cause sudden acceleration.  As you know, Toyota has been under scrutiny for acceleration problems that have caused numerous injuries and deaths since Fall 2009.  This batch of recalls comes in addition to earlier recalls for similar issues, the LA Times reports.

Already Toyota has recalled a total of 14 million vehicles to “address a series of safety and quality issues,” the majority for sudden-acceleration-related flaws.  The automaker was inspected by both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and NASA for problems related to sudden acceleration, and though it was “determined that an electronic cause for sudden acceleration could not be found,” problems with pedal interference are real.  It was shown that the shape and functionality of interior panels and carpeting can interfere with the accelerator pedal, causing it to stick.

The Toyota models currently being recalled are: Continue reading »

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97,000 Honda Fits are being recalled.

Consumer Reports just announced that “Honda is recalling over 97,000 Fits from model years 2009-2010 to replace the lost motion springs.”  There have been no injuries or deaths related to the problem, but the “defective springs may bend or break resulting in engine noise and could cause the vehicle to stall.”

Reportedly, owners will be contacted by Honda to bring their vehicle in to a dealership for repair in early March, but I’d recommend being proactive and contacting your dealer directly.  I was told in October that I’d be contacted by Evenflo when my brand new booster seat was recalled, and I still haven’t been sent the upgraded part.  Strollerderby blogger Heather Turgeon covered the 80,000 piece car seat recall earlier this week, and with so many recalls happening so frequently, there was talk around these parts as to whether or not recalls are really necessary, or at least whether or not all of them are necessary. Continue reading »

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A Dorel Cosco infant car seat -- not part of this recall.

A maker of convertible, forward-facing and booster car seats is recalling 800,000 of its units sold between May 2008  and April 2009.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that Dorel Juvenile Group’s car seats are being recalled due to safety restraint problems. The NHTSA has known about issues with the company’s seats for years now — we reported on it in 2009. Continue reading »

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Risks on the road

Today the National Transportation Safety board is holding  a hearing about car seat safety in Washington. If recommendations are followed, it means big changes for parents. Apparently, we’re putting our kids at unnecessary risk daily.

More than poisoning, illness, or accidents around the home, car crashes are the number one cause of death for toddlers. And according to an NPR report, studies show five children die in the U.S. every day in car crashes.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has for years wrestled with extending the time kids should face backwards in the car.

In Sweden, for example, kids age 4 are still in rear-facing car seats – to me, that’s an amazing fact, because in this country most parents are chomping at the bit to flip their kids around.  Here are the two main changes talked about in terms of car seat regulations for children. They would definitely mean big lifestyle adjustments for us parents of little ones: Continue reading »

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New and Improved Infant Car Seat

I admit that when I first heard about a new product which makes installing an infant car seat easier, my first response was: “Are people so stupid they can’t do it on their own?”

I then did some research into the matter and learned that apparently, the vast majority of parents install infant safety seats incorrectly. So perhaps this new device is not such a bad idea after all. Continue reading »

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Evenflo Maestro Booster Seats Recalled.

In cooperation with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Evenflo is recalling nearly 14,000 Maestro Combination Booster Seats “to address a crack that occurred in certain laboratory tests simulating a high-impact, frontal collision.”  However, the recall is voluntary and “there have been no reports of this crack occurring in the field and no injuries have been reported.”

Guess who just bought an Evenflo Maestro Combination Booster Seat?  Me!  This is the first time I’ve ever been affected by a recall, and I have to say, it’s a bit disconcerting.  Just a month ago, I was so excited that I’d chosen one of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s “Best Bets” for booster seat safety.  Now I’m dreading having to call for the appropriate replacement parts.

According to the company’s website, “The seat should not be used with children weighing under 40 pounds without the repair bracket. Children who weigh more than 40 pounds can continue to use the seat as a belt-positioning booster until the remedy kit arrives.”  My daughter weighs about 40 pounds on the dot, so taking her to school tomorrow morning will feel unsettling, to say the least.

Model numbers affected by the recall include: Continue reading »

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