droolicious : automobile

Backseat Peace Without Pimping Your Car

Heather Kuldell — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 03:03:00 GMT

Some folks can rely on their in-car DVD players or video game consoles for a little road peace, but if you’re entertaining a decidedly younger crowd, consider going low-tech. The Kicky Pants AutoMobile offers car-seated kids entertainment that dangles from the ceiling, which means no crying over dropped toys. The AutoMobile is a stretchy strap that can be secured around the “oh crap” handles above windows. It includes plastic rings that can be used to transform the toys you already have into mobiles that can dangle over front or rear-facing child seats. Unlike the other new fangled car systems, this one costs only $19.99.

Amazon Deal Alert: Save 20% On Closeout Britax Car Seats

Chris Ford — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 21:00:00 GMT

It had to happen. My favorite car seat is finally being replaced by a newer model, but that doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with the older models. And now you can pick up some sweet deals. There are six car seats from Britax on sale, including my favorite Britax Marathon for $50 off.

The Marathon is 20% off, the Roundabout 15% off and one version of the Decathlon is 23% off. Oh, and you'll also get free "super saver" shipping.

Check it out at the sale page on Amazon.com.

7 Days of Car Seats: Graco Nautilus 3-in-1

Chris Ford — Sat, 10 May 2008 12:06:00 GMT

When I'm thinking about what makes the perfect car seat, I'm thinking about three things. How safe is it? How many years will I be able to use it (reasonably)? And does the color match my car? Since Erin already took my favorite Britax car seat for toddlers, I'll tell you about my other favorite - the Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat.

So for the first criterion, I'm convinced it's very safe. The five point harness works up to 65 pounds, it's steel reinforced. and has a high back. It also lets the child sit more upright than a lot of toddler-only car seats out there which I like too.

As for how long it will last, the cool thing about this seat is that it's a convertible seat. It converts from a toddler seat (with the 5 point harness) to a high-back booster to a backless booster. You'll be getting use out of this one until your kid is old enough to sit up front, which is pretty cool.

And the colors are happily neutral. In my world, kid-stuff like car seats shouldn't match the kid, they should match the car. So if you're looking for ducks and bunnies this might not be for you, but for my car it's perfect.

Check out the Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat (it retails for around $150) at GracoBaby.com

Car Seat Covers Cuter Than A Duck's Butt

Chris Ford — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 18:03:00 GMT

Car seats are a necessity that we as parents all have to deal with, and like a lot of baby stuff they can be kind of an eyesore. Cuter Than A Duck's Butt makes reversible car seat covers in all sorts of patterns to match your car, child, or both.

At $119.99 for a seat cover they're probably more than they should be, but for something you'll probably look at every day for the next four years, it might be worth it. I'm partial to the black skull and crossbones pattern (detail pictured below) but they've got all other sorts of choices from pink camo to furry flowers. They're designed to go over your existing car seat cover, and supposedly work with all brands of car seats.

Cuter Than A Duck's Butt Car Seat Covers, $119.99 for Toddler or Infant from ctadbgear.com.

CES 2008: Sirius Backseat TV

Chris Ford — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 19:27:00 GMT

Sirius Backseat TV is a product squarely focused on marketing to parents of young children. Working alongside your current Sirius Satellite Radio service, it's a system for getting children's programming to backseat video monitors.

The content is all for children - Nickelodeon, The Disney Channel and Cartoon Network Mobile - and seems like it would be something that might be worthwhile if you already have video monitors in the back seat. It costs $6.99/month (on top of your Sirius Radio subscription) and is available as a feature in some new Dogde, Chrysler and Jeep vehicles. A kit to install it into your current vehicle will be available in the second quarter of 2008.

Check out the product page at Sirius.com.