Sunday, September 18, 2016

Safety Habits For Driving With Kids PLUS Diono Radian RXT Giveaway!

I think we can all agree that keeping our children safe is a top priority. When it comes to carseats,  I try and follow best practice, and have gone beyond what the law states in terms of rear facing and 5 point harnesses.  When my oldest was 15 months old we switched him forward facing. At the time, I had never heard of extended rear facing, otherwise I likely would have kept him rear facing longer. When my youngest came along 2 years later, I knew we would extend that period to 2 years.  At 9 years old, my oldest still uses a low back booster in the car since he is not quite tall enough for the seatbelt to fit correctly.  Mr. K, 6, is in a high back booster. We kept him in a harness until 5 in my vehicle and 6 in my hubby's truck.  Before that he just did not have the maturity to sit still and not move around.

September 18th -24th is Child Passenger Safety Week, and Diono wants to help you keep your kids safe.  They have provided me with some tips from Allana Pinkerton, a Child Passenger Safety Advocate at Diono.

Top 5 safety Habits for Driving with Children, in honor of Child Passenger Safety Week in September

  1. Be sure to select the right car seat for your child’s, age, height and weight. Did you know many car seats on the market allow a child to stay rear-facing up to 3, 4 and even 5 years old? This keeps them 5x safer in a frontal crash because their head, neck and spinal cord is supported by the back of the car seat. 
  2. Before installing your car seat, read the car seat manual and vehicle manual! Watch installation videos from the manufacturer’s website and then double check your work by consulting with a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician. During CPS Week, many organizations will hold special events, but you can make appointments throughout the year. Find your nearest location here: http://www.safercar.gov/cpsApp/cps/index.htm
  3. #LookforBaby sounds silly, but we are all living more distracted lives these days. Too many children are unintentionally being left in hot cars. It can happen to anyone. Keep your purse or phone on the floor in the back seat. When you reach your destination you are more likely to remember to get those items which will help you keep an eye on baby before you lock the door. 
  4. Check the car seat installation before every ride. Just give it a tug at the belt path to be sure it is still secured to the seat belt or with the lower anchors. Which reminds me, be sure it’s just one or the other, not both. Most car seats only allow installation using one method. 
  5. Harness baby properly every ride. The harness straps for a rear-facing child should be placed at or just slightly below their shoulders. For a forward-facing child they should be at or slightly above their shoulders. The straps should be snug and comfortable, but not super tight. Try the pinch test at the collar bone. If your fingers slide and you can’t grasp any webbing, it’s a proper fit. Lastly, slide the plastic chest clip to armpit level. This helps keep the straps on top of the child’s shoulders. This is especially important for newborns whose tiny shoulders are more rounded and tend to make fitting a harness a challenge. With winter around the corner, think twice about placing your child in a thick coat when harnessing them into their car seat. Check out why: https://us.diono.com/whats-the-fluffing-problem-car-seats-winter-coats/
Allana Pinkerton, Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician
Allana has been a Certified CPS Technician for over 10 years. She became passionate about the issue out of concern for her own children’s safety on school buses. She has worked to instruct and present to others about the danger of not properly installing and utilizing car seats and seat buckles. She has worked in children’s hospitals and at community events with companies such as Blue Cross Blue Shield and State Farm. She has been actively involved with the Annual Kidz in Motion CPS Conference, and in 2013 was elected to Chair the Manufacturer’s Alliance for Child Passenger Safety. Currently, Allana also serves as the Global Safety Advocate for Diono.

And now for some GREAT news - Diono has generously offered up one Diono Radian RXT for a GIVEAWAY to my readers! That's right, one of you will be lucky and WIN a Diono Radian RXT for your very own car.
(subject to change based on availability at time of shipping)

This giveaway is open to Canadian and US residents that are 18+. To enter, all you need to do is fill out the form below - make sure you complete BOTH mandatory entries or you will be disqualified. This is open until September 28th at 1159pm EST.

Good luck

173 comments:

  1. What a fantastic giveaway! This is a great seat.
    I'm thankful I came across a very car seat literate friend when I gave birth who coached us on the ins and outs. Our daughter rearfaced until 3 and was happy as a clam doing so.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a wonderful giveaway! I would love to win this to give to my niece who's about to switch out of a bucket

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is such a top of the line seat. My littlest is just outgrowing her bucket seat and this would be perfect for her.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I want to win this for my friend's child.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I would use this for my youngest. Good luck to all. Thanks for the chance to win.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I would love to win the seat for myself, I do not have one and always have to ask my daughter to use hers, and she gets quite mad at me, she says its a pain taking hers out of the truck, and if I don't have one me and my granddaughter are stuck at home and can not go anywhere, this would be such an awesome gift for myself!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Would love to win this for my middle child who is getting ready to transition into a new seat!

    ReplyDelete
  8. My mom just got in an accident and needs to replace a few seats (3 kids)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great giveaway! Would love to win for me as surprise baby #6 is just about out of his bucket seat.
    Molly

    ReplyDelete
  10. I would love to win this for my little guy to be able to do extended rear facing. I want to leave him rear facing as long as possible and these seats have one of the highest rf limits on the market.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hoping to win this seat for my baby boy on the way!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I would love to win for myself!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I would love to win this seat for my toddler so I can rear face him again!

    ReplyDelete
  14. What a great giveaway! My little one would love this seat!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I would like to win this to use for my 2year old daughter!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I'd love this..we recently purchased a second vehicle so we need another car seat! Perfect timing for a giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I'd use this for my youngest son!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I love the rear facing specs on this seat!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Great giveaway. Would love this for our family

    ReplyDelete
  20. I would like to win this for my daughter.

    ReplyDelete
  21. What an amazing giveaway! My son is using a used seat right now so we're in need of a new one!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Awesome giveaway! We would be using this seat for our newest addition on the way (shhh, it's still a surprise!).

    ReplyDelete
  23. Would love to win this for my youngest! What a great giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  24. This is an amazing giveaway. We are in need of a seat for my fourth daughter very soon.

    ReplyDelete
  25. This is great! I will use this for my baby girl once we switch her from the bucket seat

    ReplyDelete
  26. I'd like to win the car seat for my daughter. But, I have two other children that fit, so you never know.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I don't know who needs this more my daughter or me. Ok I guess my daughter. She has 4 kids and a baby that just turned one. But a car seat in grandmas car is so convenient. It would be awesome to win

    ReplyDelete
  28. Great read! We love our Diono for our son and would like the same safety seat for his baby sister. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  29. We have three kiddies and this would fit great in our car so all three could be in the same vehicle at the same time!

    ReplyDelete
  30. I'd love to win this seat for my tall 2 year old daughter so i can keep her rearfacing as long as possible!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Id love to win this seat for Isabelle

    ReplyDelete
  32. I want to win this for a future special edition in the family :)

    ReplyDelete
  33. I would love to win this car seat for my last baby so that she can rear face as long as her brothers have when she outgrows the bucket! Still rear facing both of them at 2.5 & 4.5 in Dionos.

    ReplyDelete
  34. I would love to win this seat for my sister in law who is pregnant and due in November.

    ReplyDelete
  35. I'd love to win this for us! Having another seat would be amazing...transferring from car to car is annoying.

    ReplyDelete
  36. For a toddler ready to transition to FFing!

    ReplyDelete
  37. I would love to win the Diono for our new little one.

    ReplyDelete
  38. I would love to win this for our son. We have 2 vehicles but only one seat...so it would give us more opportunities to take him along. I would love a better quality seat for him.

    ReplyDelete
  39. I'd love to win this for my daughter! We recently got a second vehicle and have to transfer the carseat between the two!

    ReplyDelete
  40. This is a great car seat! Thank you for the opportunity to win it! My grandson would love this..or his mom would!

    ReplyDelete
  41. I would absolutely love to win this for my youngest child! She needs a new seat soon because she is outgrowing hers. This would be a dream seat to have for her!

    ReplyDelete
  42. I usually would want to win something like this for other people who are close to me and can use it but my husband and I are looking to extend our family very soon and this would really come in handy and will be needed.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Wow! What a giveaway! This would be perfect for my 8 month old daughter!

    ReplyDelete
  44. Would love this for my child - looks like a wonderful seat!

    ReplyDelete
  45. I would love to win this for my son. He will be growing out of his current carseat and we will need to move him into a bigger carseat. This carseat would be perfect.

    ReplyDelete
  46. I'd like to win this for my niece. Thanks for the opportunity.

    ReplyDelete
  47. would love to win this for my cousin who is having a baby

    ReplyDelete
  48. this would be for my new grandson, who is due in December

    ReplyDelete
  49. I would love to have this for my son

    ReplyDelete
  50. this car seat would be for my grandson
    jan

    ReplyDelete
  51. I would love o win this for my friend's new baby!

    ReplyDelete
  52. I would like this sit for my youngest.

    ReplyDelete
  53. I would love to win this for my own children.

    ReplyDelete
  54. I have 2 friends who have had babies in the past few months & this would be a super gift for one of them (I guess they'd have to draw straws for it!)

    ReplyDelete
  55. This would be great to win for our second baby who is due in december. I've heard that this is a wonderful seat to use!

    ReplyDelete
  56. I would love to win this for my grandson!

    ReplyDelete
  57. We have a baby on the way, our first! I would love to win this!

    ReplyDelete
  58. I've heard great things about these seats! Would love to win this for my daughter!

    ReplyDelete
  59. My daughter is expecting our first grand child. Nothing but the best for our future grand son.
    (Debbie W)

    ReplyDelete
  60. I would love to win for my cousin who just had a baby.

    ReplyDelete
  61. I want to gift this to my son and daughter-in-law for my 3 month old granddaughter.

    ReplyDelete
  62. I would like to win this car seat for my daughter! she will be ready for a big seat in a month and this would be amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  63. Im looking to win this for me as this would be great for our unborn child

    ReplyDelete
  64. I would love to win this seat for my son to upgrade his other one

    ReplyDelete
  65. I would want to win the seat for my new arrival, thank you for the giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  66. I would like to win the seat for my soon to arrive child :)

    ReplyDelete
  67. I have a diono for my first and love it . I want to get another one for my second that is due in Feb

    ReplyDelete
  68. I want to win this for my daughter, who is expecting in November.

    ReplyDelete
  69. My kids are still in car seats but ours are expiring and I'd like them in car seats for as long as possible.

    Besos, Sarah
    Journeys of The Zoo

    ReplyDelete
  70. I'd love to win it for a friend's little one.

    ReplyDelete
  71. I would love to win this for my niece.

    ReplyDelete
  72. I would love to win this for my daughter who is having her 1st in Feb.

    ReplyDelete
  73. i wish to win for my niece who is due

    ReplyDelete
  74. i would love to win this for myself. mini will need this

    ReplyDelete
  75. I would give this toy sister from my nephew

    ReplyDelete
  76. I'd love to win this for my baby boy on the way.

    ReplyDelete
  77. Love the Diono and my daughter needs a new seat!

    ReplyDelete
  78. I would love to win this for my sister in law!! Thanks :D

    ReplyDelete
  79. I would love to win it , baby Kayden need one

    ReplyDelete
  80. would love to win this fantastic car seat for my kiddo!

    ReplyDelete
  81. I would love to win this for my son! Love that it even converts to a booster! What an amazing seat. Thanks for the chance.

    ReplyDelete
  82. Would love this for my daughter as she needs to transition from her infant seat soon!

    ReplyDelete
  83. For my 6months old son :)

    ReplyDelete
  84. I'd love to win for my little niece so she'll be as safe as possible!

    ReplyDelete
  85. I would love to win this so I can gift it to my little sister. She has two young sons including a 6 month old so this would go a long way for her. Thank you for the chance!

    ReplyDelete
  86. We have 2 Diono Radians and love them. We currently need 2 more as our youngest is transitioning to a convertible seat! Thanks for the opportunity!!

    ReplyDelete
  87. I would love to win this for my granddaughter.

    ReplyDelete
  88. I would love to win this for my Grand kids , i like to have my own car seat for the little ones , this would be perfect thanks for the chance :) Treen Goodwin rafflecopter name :)

    ReplyDelete
  89. I would love to win this. I would give it to a mom in need with a car seat installation/check (CPST).

    ReplyDelete
  90. Would love to win this for my 7 month old son! He's in need of a new seat very soon! LOVE the low profile of Dionos as I drive a truck and it makes the in and out easier!

    ReplyDelete
  91. I would love to win this for my youngest son, jasper! Thanks for the chance!!!

    ReplyDelete
  92. Amazing giveaway! Thank you so much for the opportunity! This would be so helpful, with baby #4 on the way! ❤

    ReplyDelete
  93. What a great giveaway! And in the new style too!

    ReplyDelete
  94. I would love this seat for our second vehicle! Thanks so much for the opportunity! (Lydia Louise)

    ReplyDelete
  95. Amazing giveaway! Thank you so much for the opportunity! This would be so helpful, with baby #4 on the way! ❤

    ReplyDelete
  96. I would love to win this seat! We are planning on expanding our family and my 15 month old daughter will get great use out of this for years to come :)

    ReplyDelete
  97. What a wonderful giveaway!I like the new design.

    ReplyDelete
  98. I would love to win the Diono seat for my 15 month old daughter.

    ReplyDelete
  99. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  100. I'm actually a car seat tech in Ottawa, Ontario. I'd love to win a Radian. I've heard fabulous things about it, and I would use it in my son's caregiver's vehicle because I have heard fantastic things about this seat, but have yet to use one or even install one.

    ReplyDelete
  101. We love our Diono RXT seat!! We're hoping for a second child soon and would love to expand our collection :)

    ReplyDelete
  102. Would be awesome to win for second baby!

    ReplyDelete
  103. Great article and nice and to the point!

    ReplyDelete
  104. Thanks for this! After reading the article, I checked my car seat and realized it wasn't adjusted properly!
    I'd love to win a Dioni car seat for our second child! We love ours. It's the best!

    ReplyDelete
  105. What a great giveaway! Would love to win this for my daughter :) [Posted by S.Tremblay]

    ReplyDelete
  106. Would love to win this for my adorable son Lincoln! Thanks for an amazing giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  107. What a wonderful giveaway. This seat seems so amazing, just a little out of budget right now. Would be so wonderful to be able to have one of my little ones in one of these seats. Thank you for the opportunity!

    ReplyDelete
  108. This carseat if won would be for my son , Silas. What a great car seat and very thankful for the give a way contest. Melissa Guedes

    ReplyDelete
  109. What an amazing giveaway. I have a 7 month old baby and am currently researching car seats like crazy. Definitely looking to do extended rear facing!

    ReplyDelete
  110. This is an amazing giveaway! I would love to use this car seat so that we can have a seat for each vehicle!!

    ReplyDelete
  111. What an amazing giveaway! If I won this car seat it would be used for my son so that we could have 2 seats!

    ReplyDelete
  112. Great giveaway!
    Would love this for my daughter Charlotte :)

    ReplyDelete
  113. My daughter is expecting a baby in the new upcoming year..I would love to win this prize for her new little one

    ReplyDelete
  114. This would be for my youngest.

    ReplyDelete
  115. I would love to win this seat as I need to buy a few in the next little while. It would probably go in my oldest daughter's car for my youngest daughter or my mom's car for my son or daughter.

    ReplyDelete
  116. Two of my friends are having a new born soon. This would be helpful.

    ReplyDelete
  117. I'd love to win this for my niece!

    ReplyDelete
  118. I would love to win this seat for my daughter! Thank you for the opportunity.

    ReplyDelete
  119. I would love to win this seat for my little girl, she'd love the diono over her current seat. More room to grow!

    ReplyDelete
  120. Hello! :) Thank you for the chance to win this amazing carseat! I would love this carseat for my 4 month old daughter Layla who will be transitioning into a new carseat within the next few months. This is the carseat I am planning to purchase for her. I love the safety features and design. Thank you again for this opportunity.

    ReplyDelete
  121. I would love to win the seat for my car! it would be perfect for two of my grand-babies! Always taking out seats or not being able to pick them up. This would be perfect!

    ReplyDelete
  122. My baby is about ready to grow out of her infant seat, so would love to get her a toddler seat.

    ReplyDelete
  123. Awesome site and giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  124. This would be a caresest for my second son, currently 5.5 months old!

    ReplyDelete
  125. I would love to win the seat for our two month old daughter.

    ReplyDelete
  126. I would like to win this for my nephew's new little baby girl.

    ReplyDelete
  127. I would love to win this seat to use in our vehicle, for my grandson.

    ReplyDelete
  128. I would love to give this to my nephew who just had his 4th baby. thanks for the giveaway

    ReplyDelete
  129. I would love this for my youngest/16 month old son who is in need of a car seat.

    ReplyDelete
  130. I'd like this for my littles, 27 months and 9 months.

    ReplyDelete
  131. I want to give this to my cousin as she is pregnant.

    ReplyDelete
  132. I would love to win this seat for my daughter! Thank you for the opportunity!

    ReplyDelete
  133. I would love to win it for a present to my friends grandbaby

    ReplyDelete
  134. I would love to win this for a niece who jsut had a baby

    ReplyDelete
  135. I would love to win it for my granddaughter! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  136. I would love to win this for my son!!! We are in need of a carseat and this would be perfect location!

    ReplyDelete
  137. I would love to win this seat for my husband's nephew, he and his wife are first time parents and need a good quality carseat.

    ReplyDelete
  138. I would like to win this for a friend of mine who is preggers.

    ReplyDelete
  139. I know many families who are low income with babies on the way. I would love to gift a beautiful car seat like this to them. thanks for the opportunity!

    ReplyDelete
  140. I would love to win it for my little boy

    ReplyDelete
  141. I would love to win the seat for my daughter. Our son already has one.

    ReplyDelete
  142. I would love to win for my friend Jamie

    ReplyDelete
  143. I would love to win this for my new granddaughter

    ReplyDelete
  144. I would love to win this for my little girl! We badly need to replace the one she currently has.

    ReplyDelete
  145. for my friend's granddaughter.

    ReplyDelete
  146. For my Granddaughter! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  147. I want to win this for my young son.

    ReplyDelete
  148. For my son who is rapidly outgrowing his current seat!

    ReplyDelete
  149. I'd want to win this for myself! I just had twins and need double everything; this would be so helpful!

    ReplyDelete
  150. My son has this car seat and its amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  151. Would love to win this for my son Austin

    ReplyDelete
  152. Great giveaway! Would love an updated version of a great seat for my daughter!

    ReplyDelete
  153. I would love to win this for my third daughter currently on her way (due end of Nov)

    ReplyDelete
  154. Great giveaway! I'd like to win this seat for my son!

    ReplyDelete
  155. Hoping to win this for my first baby on the way.

    ReplyDelete
  156. I would like to win this for my nephew.

    ReplyDelete
  157. What a handy list of tips! We'll need a new seat soon for our youngest!

    ReplyDelete
  158. I would love to win this for my son, who's car seat is reaching its expiry date. Because he has developmental delays, he will be in a car seat for a long time!

    ReplyDelete
  159. I had to post my comment as Anonymous because it wouldn't
    let me post! My name is Joanne Jaffey! I need to replace both carseats bc I was hit in a car accident! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  160. Would love to win this seat for my brother and his new baby

    ReplyDelete
  161. I currently have 3 in carseats right now, but I think I would give it to my youngest because he still uses the 5 point harness.

    ReplyDelete

I love hearing from my readers, feel free to leave me a comment! (Comment Moderation is enabled, it will be published after approval)