Evenflo Savvy Parents Summer Travel Giveaway

Shown – Evenflo Momentum 65 DLX Convertible car seat featuring e3 Side Impact technology that provides superior protection in side impact crashes with an expanded zone of protection.

Recently a family member borrowed my truck. They undid the car seat because they needed the space. When I went into the truck and saw that the car seat had been removed I fully admit that I was a tad annoyed that I’d have to reinstall it. Why? Because installing a car seat never seems to be a simple thing. You know what I mean. Put the car seat in the vehicle. Pull the seat belt out, all the way out. Shove the seat belt into the slot in the car seat and push it through the second slot. Let the belt slip and have to start over. Pull the belt out again, push it through the first slot and try to get it through the second slot and out the other side before the seat belt shortens and doesn’t reach. When the seat belt doesn’t reach the receiving end, curse and start again. By the fourth, fifth or tenth time maybe you get it in there. Now your car seat is belted in place but seems somewhat lopsided and a little wiggly. Pull on all of the belts, even the ones not attached to the car seat, in the hopes that things will tighten and be right. Maybe you succeed, maybe you keep trying. I don’t know about you but I find it quite exasperating.

So summer is here and school is out. I drove up the Parkway yesterday for A Day Out With Thomas. I was glad I was heading away from the shore because we saw 35 miles, literally, of bumper to bumper traffic. Insanity. Imagine all of those people in their cars, probably praying they don’t get into a fender bender or worse car accident while on a family trip. Isn’t there enough to worry about on family trips already, like trying to remember if you locked the door, turned the coffee pot off or brought your toothbrush?

Evenflo recently administered the Evenflo “Savvy Parents Survey”, a survey of 1,000 parents across the country with children under five years old. Here’s some of the stats they came up with.

• More time on the road often puts safety concerns into high gear. And it can trigger tears of frustration – in kids AND parents.
• The biggest worry parents have when taking car trips is that their young child will be harmed in a collision (76%).
• Integral to a safe ride is proper car-seat installation, but a full 65% of mothers and 72% of fathers encounter challenges when installing car seats.
• And – oh baby! – nearly half (49%) admit that installing the car seat caused them to sweat more than actually making the baby did!

Here’s some more things learned as a result of the survey.

The Seat Feat

Talk about a pain: 60% of moms and 63% of dads confess installing their car seat was challenging, while 5% of moms actually compared the experience with going through labor. And the challenge doesn’t end when the seat is installed, parents expressed other car seat frustrations: Adjusting car-seat straps got parents in a tangle the most (60%), followed by making sure the straps were tight enough (48%). It’s no surprise, as a third (34%) of parents say their child has wiggled out of their car seat and one-fifth of parents admit this happens at least once a week.

Stemming the Tide of Tantrums

All parents hope for a smooth getaway when heading out for a family road trip. So after safety, what do moms and dads worry about the most? Some 48% of parents worry about keeping their child entertained while in their car seat, 34% worry that their little Houdini will wiggle out of the car seat and 32% worry their child will have a temper tantrum. But preparation and creativity is the key to keeping car-seat-strapped kids happy: 72% of parents stock the car with toys, 54% rely on Cheerios and Goldfish snacks, 46% sing silly songs, 36% play DVDs and 27% keep books on hand. Happy kids can sometimes mean messy cars! Of the Cheerio-chompers, 37% leave behind at least a dozen Os in their seat after a road trip, and 11% leave enough for tomorrow morning’s breakfast bowl.

Pot Holes and Potty Mouths

Let’s face it … parents are humans and are not exempt to frustrations of the road! Parents admit that when in driving mode they don’t always take the high road: Almost three-quarters (74%) of moms and dads admit to cursing at another driver in their child’s presence, while 28% have flipped the bird, and 21% have rolled down their window to scream at another driver. While 30% of parents say they never swear in front of their kids in the car, 61% say they sometimes let the loose language fly.

And talk about a “wheel” distraction: attending to a baby while driving causes 38% to miss their exit once in a while, and 12% to miss their exit often and has caused 38% of parents to get lost.

To address safe travel issues the Evenflo Savvy Parent site was created. The site contains webisodes, support, advice, and entertainment.

WIN IT!

ONE winner will receive The Ultimate Savvy Parent’s Car Kit includes the following ($100 value):

• $25 Gas Gift Card, a little treat for mom and dad
• Moist Wipes, for quick car clean up
• Baby Mirror, to check out rear-facing baby while driving
• Soft Book, to secure safety of passengers when thrown during tantrum
• Kid/Parent Friendly CD, to inspire a family sign along
• Car Dustbuster, for hunting down cheerios between seats
• Window Shade, to keep the hot summer sun out
• Animal Crackers and a Snack Trap, to carve cravings
• Car organizer, to keep it all arranged neatly!

HOW TO ENTER. (MANDATORY)

To enter visit the Evenflo Savvy Parent site and then leave a comment on this post telling me something you learned on the site.

BONUS ENTRIES – LOTS OF THEM!

1 – Subscribe to my newsletter. (sidebar)
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1 – Blog about this giveaway, including a link here.
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1 – Visit one (or more) of my other blogs – From Val’s Kitchen, Game Review Network and Val’s Views – and leave a comment on any post there. Then return here and leave a comment on this post telling me one thing you read or learned there. (That’s two comments you need to leave for this bonus entry, one there and one here.) Unlimited entries for this method of entry.
1 – Visit HereAndThere.US (my Mom) and leave a comment on any post (except a giveaway post) there. Then return here and leave a comment on this post telling me one thing you read or learned on my Mom’s blog. (That’s two comments you need to leave for this bonus entry, one there and one here.) Unlimited entries for this method of entry. Leave an additional comment for each entry you qualify for. You must have completed the first entry according to the instructions to be eligible for any bonus entries.

THE SMALL PRINT.

US addresses only please, no PO Boxes. This contest will end on Saturday 07/17/10 at 11:59 pm est. If you’ve entered any of my giveaways before then you know that only comments containing all of the requested information will be eligible for entry. The winner must contact me to confirm they wish to receive the prize within two days of my email notifying them they’ve won. Good luck to everyone!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

Tags: car seat, Evenflo, featured

Category: Giveaways