Sep 25, 2009

Sunshine Kids Has Unveiled New Convertible Car Seat with Unparalleled Safety

SUMNER, WA – September 24, 2009 – Sunshine Kids, manufacturer and marketer of travel solutions for the children of today's families, just introduced at ABC Kids Expo 2009, its newest launch – the Radian SL™. Radian SL (which stands for SuperLATCH™) is the first seat that accommodates children rear-facing to 45 lbs and the first seat to use lower anchors / LATCH use beyond 48 lbs, all the way to 80 lbs. It is also the first car seat tested far above government standards to secure a child from birth up to the highest weight limits; 45 lbs. rear-facing and 80 lbs. forward-facing.

63% of unsafe child seat installations are caused by the seatbelt not properly securing the child seat. In 2002, vehicles and child seats began to incorporate the LATCH attachment system (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) as a way to simplify and improve the safety of child seat installations. But limitations of child seat design and hardware prevent LATCH installations with children over 48 lbs. As demand continues for higher-capacity seats (i.e. for children above 48 lbs), a growing number of child seats cannot be installed with LATCH, once again requiring the use of seatbelts.

The Radian's steel alloy frame combined with SuperLATCH allows installation for a child up to 80 lbs using LATCH - either vehicle lower anchors alone, or with top tether. No seatbelt is ever required. The Radian's steel alloy frame and new SuperLATCH system are both NCAP crash tested up to 80 lbs which makes Radian not only the strongest car seat, but now the easiest to install for any weight child.

"The Radian SL convertible car seat was designed to fit today's lifestyle, not the over-priced, over-sized excess of yesterday,” stated Brad Keller, president, Sunshine Kids Juvenile Products. "We're a no-nonsense car seat and you'll find our best features ‘under the hood' but our testing methods are never hidden. We'll share all our protocols and results, proving we go beyond what any other manufacturer does.”

The Radian SL will be available in the following models:

In addition to the new Radian SL launch, Sunshine Kids also introduced 14 new car seat fashions at the recent ABC trade show as part of a comprehensive makeover for the 2010 seats. All the Radian seats have a new look, as well as the Monterey booster seat. See these new seats at US retail stores in early October or visit SunshineKidsBaby.com to learn more.

Sep 11, 2009

New product from Zaky - nurturing w/ a touch of technology

For 8 years The Zaky (a pillow that simulates the shape, weight, touch, scent of the parent's hands) has help babies feel comfortable, protected and secure allowing them to bond with the parents, fall and stay asleep, cry less, and manage any pain/colic better. It even works in car seats and soon becomes the "safety blanket" for babies.

This year at the ABC Show in Vegas the Zak's Sack will be introduced (the top for parents to Kangaroo their healthy and preemie babies) and the Zak's Collection (clothing and accessories for preemies and healthy newborns, plus the sensitive issue of burial clothing).

Click here to learn more about the Zaky Bonding Pillow

Sep 10, 2009

New bugaboo wheeled board

Bugaboo is happy to announce the launch of its new wheeled board. The new wheeled board can be attached to the Bugaboo Cameleon, Bugaboo Bee, Bugaboo Frog and Bugaboo Gecko. It makes it easy to roll with two by attaching to the axle of a Bugaboo stroller with just two clicks.

Click the link to learn more about the Bugaboo Wheeled Board

Sep 3, 2009

Orbit Baby Update to Consumer Reports

This past Tuesday, NHTSA tested the Orbit Baby Infant Car Seat for compliance with all crash testing requirements of FMVSS 213. NHTSA confirmed that the Infant Car Seat passes these tests. Below is the email letter Orbit sent out to all registered Orbit Baby owners to inform them that our Infant Car Seat passed NHTSA's own testing.

Dear Orbit Baby parent,

As I mentioned in my last letter to you in regards to the Consumer Reports testing of the Orbit Baby Infant Car Seat,  we referred this matter to NHTSA, the government agency responsible for car seat safety.  I am pleased to share the following information:

Update September 1, 2009: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) tested the Orbit Baby Infant Car Seat for compliance with all crash testing requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard(FMVSS) 213. NHTSA confirmed that the Infant Car Seat passes these tests.

NHTSA also independently verified:

The middle shoulder harness slot is the appropriate slot for the size of the official CRABI 12 test dummy.
The knob on the car seat Base should be turned to engage the StrongArm(tm) tightening mechanism to achieve the regulated seat belt tension for compliance testing.
Therefore, our Infant Car Seat not only passes our own tests in independent labs, it also passes tests conducted by NHTSA, the government agency that regulates traffic safety.

Orbit Baby maintains that Consumer Reports did not properly follow the Infant Car Seat instructions when they conducted their tests.  (Our full response can be found here.)  As an Orbit Baby parent, I believe that this issue highlights the importance of following car seat instructions, as well as the need for parents to educate grandparents, babysitters, and other caregivers on proper car seat usage.

Please be sure to take advantage of these helpful resources on our website:

Thank you for your support of Orbit Baby.

Sincerely,

Joseph Hei

CEO and Co-founder of Orbit Baby