LilSugar

Behind The Wheel: The Best Cars for Families

LilSugar — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:23:31 PST

As parents, we all want the safest, most secure way of transporting our families from point A to point B. If the car is good-looking, well that's just a bonus. So when U.S. News Best Cars released its 2012 Best Cars for Families Awards earlier today, we couldn't wait to share the results.

Check out the highlights, and let us know - how does your family get around? Do you agree with these rankings?

5 Vehicles With Kid-Friendly Features

Heather Dale — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 05:12:57 PDT

With road trips, soccer practice runs, grabbing groceries, daycare drop-offs, and more, it's important that your car is economical, built to last, and offers some family-friendly features to make it easier for you to transport your tots. The good news is more car companies are incorporating nifty kid-oriented characteristics into their cars to qualify a vehicle as a family car. And because of this, parents are left with a wide variety of choices to suit their particular needs. Here are some 2011 models that are taking the "kid-friendly" motto to a whole new level.

CHP's Car Safety Tips For Weekend Family Road Warriors

babysugar — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 09:00:25 PDT

Nothing says Labor Day like a car full of loved ones headed for an end of Summer getaway or celebration. Before you brave the road with your precious cargo, check out these little-known safety tips! I spoke with Becky Michalkiewicz, the statewide child safety seat coordinator of the California Highway Patrol, who offered up this expert advice.

Watch out for anything in your car that's loose, like toys. "It is important to make sure the environment of your car is the safest possible," says Michalkiewicz. "Make sure there is nothing that isn't strapped down because that becomes a projectile" in an accident.
Don't clip items on your car seat, even something like a toy mobile. Attaching items that didn't come with your car seat voids the manufacturer's liability if you are in an accident and the car seat malfunctions.
It may sound simple, but make sure you know how a car seat looks and sounds when it is installed correctly. Michalkiewicz said the CHP commonly sees car seats that are not attached at all.

If you need help, contact your local highway patrol. The CHP, for example, will schedule an appointment with a trained technician to check your car seat and how it fits your child.

Family SUVs: Is Safety or the Environment More Important?

LilSugar — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:30:48 PST

Lots of moms buy organic, compost, and recycle before they load their kids up in a gas-guzzling SUV to transport them to soccer, take them on a nature hike, or pick up more energy-saving light bulbs. There's a campaign for families to go green, but much is also to be said for keeping children safe on the open road. The logistics of space - fitting an entire family and their belongings and friends inside a car - aside, lots of moms and dads feel more secure in a large vehicle because the streets and freeways are already swarming with them. And who wants to take a chance with precious cargo? When it comes to motoring around town, which do you consider more: safety or your carbon footprint?

Mommy Dearest: Car Seats and the City

LilSugar — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 12:30:14 PST

Mommy Dearest -

We are planning a trip to visit friends in New York City and are staying at a hotel on the opposite end of the city from where they live. In making our plans for the trip, we discussed meeting up at a central location, and our friend said the best way to get there was via taxi. I mentioned that I was not planning on bringing a car seat with us (I found a car service with car seats to carry my toddler and I from the airport to the city) and she laughed and told me that no one uses car seats in taxis - they simply put the child on their lap and hold on. I was appalled. Aren't car seats required whenever you transport a child in the car? What would you do in this situation?

- Concerned About Car Safety Mom

To see the response from Mommy Dearest,

Dear Concerned About Car Safety Mom -

For most parents, car seats are up there with cribs and strollers in terms of key new baby purchases. For urban dwelling parents, many of whom don't even own cars, the car seat is often one more space-consuming baby accessory that spends most of its time gathering dust. Though the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission is exempt from child safety restraint laws, you must decide for yourself what makes you most comfortable. If you opt out of the taxi option, you won't be alone. Fifty-four percent of LilSugar readers have said they won't drive without their lil ones secure in their seat. Perhaps you could find a bus or subway route that will get you to your destination without the worry or toting along a car seat.

- Mommy Dearest

Submit a question for this series at the Mommy Dearest Group on our new community page.

Freakonomics Authors Say Car Seats Can Be as Effective as Seat Belts

babysugar — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:00:32 PDT

Maybe our parents weren't so wrong after all. At least that's what the authors of SuperFreakonomics would have us believe. Moms and pops take every precaution to protect their wee ones from harm, including installing top of the line car seats with the highest safety ratings. On Good Morning America, dads and writers Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner told Robin Roberts that car seats may not be the key to keeping tots protected. Rather, the two men argue that harness restraints, like a regular old seat belt, will guard children against harm like a car seat or booster. While they don't promote ditching the seats all together, the below video does make one wonder about the modern day approach.

Check out the video and let me know if it sways your safety thinking at all.

Video courtesy of ABC

Have You Driven Without Your Child Secured in a Car Seat?

LilSugar — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 05:00:32 PST

The ladies on The View were pretty upset when a recent episode of The Bachelor featured a young child riding in a limo without a car seat. While we don't know the specifics of the shoot, this is a situation many mamas have found themselves in. Whether it was an emergency situation or a conscious choice, have you ever driven with your child not secured in a car seat?

Lil Links: Should Children Be Allowed to Ride Shotgun?

LilSugar — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:00:19 PST

Should kids be allowed to ride shotgun? - Parent Dish
How to survive the first weeks of motherhood with some semblance of your sanity - Alpha Mom
Woodpeacker walker puts tiny steps on the green map - Inhabitots
Sandbox time for Sammy Black - Celebrity Baby Blog
Kate Winslet and kids wrapped up in New York - Celebrity Baby Scoop
iPhone apps target new parents - Fit Pregnancy
Let's sleep on it - The Poop
Balancing work and motherhood - Momversation

The Vampire Diaries Season Finale "The Departed": The Good, The Bad, and The Bloody

Shannon Vestal — Fri, 11 May 2012 07:38:06 PDT

Season three of The Vampire Diaries has come to an end, folks, and forgive me if I am still sitting here with my jaw wide open. The finale is eventful, to say the least, and like seasons past, we saw the deaths of a couple of characters - along with the red herring deaths of a couple of characters. Oh, and by that I mean that something super crazy happens in the final moments of the episode that we'll be talking about all Summer.

I can't really talk about too much before the break without spoiling everything, so let's get to it. Dry your tears over that fact that there won't be any new episodes of The Vampire Diaries for a few months, and let's get to the final good, bad, and bloody of season three after the jump.

The Inflatable Easy Car Seat: Kid Friendly or Are You Kidding?

Rebecca M Gruber — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 13:31:41 PDT

Mobile mamas know that moving a car seat from one vehicle to another is no easy feat. They're heavy, they're difficult to install, and they don't always fit in their allotted space. So it would seem logical that a company would create a version made for families on the move.

The Easy Car Seat ($92) is an inflatable version of the traditional forward-facing safety seat. Designed for kids ages 3 and up, the 1.5-pound booster "fully complies with EU and USA Vehicle Safety Standards." While I can see how carpooling mothers and grandparents would love the convenience of such a compact seat, I don't know if I could get past its raft-like design. What do you think?