Responde from evenflo RE one year old in booster....

emandbri · Feb 5, 2007

In another thread it was stated that the evenflo big kid says a child has to be 30 lbs and a year old to use the seat. I e-mailed evenflo (again I know I did YEARS ago) and here was the response.

"Thank you for your inquiry on the Big Kid Booster seats. Our recommendation on all booster seats is that a child be at least 1 year of age and 20 pounds before they can face forward. With any booster seat it is up to the parent when the child enters the seat, as long as they meet the requirements. We advise parents to wait as long as possible before putting their child into a belt positioning booster seat. As well if a parent calls in with questions we as well let them know two years is really the best time to enter a booster. Some circumstances prevent parents from waiting that long, as in cases of larger children.

I understand your concerns with this matter and will certainly pass on your comments to our engineers. I appreciate the time you took to email us."

It looks like we might have to wait for a child to be hurt or killed and evenflo gets sued.

mominabigtruck · Feb 5, 2007

I'm sorry but if evenflo thinks that there are actually kids out there that are at 1 year old big enough to fit in a booster then they have way bigger issues then how they are wording their instructions.

nisi · Feb 5, 2007

As well if a parent calls in with questions we as well let them know two years is really the best time to enter a booster."

WHAT?!?!?! The phone reps are telling people that 2 is ok??!?!

snowbird25ca · Feb 5, 2007

Oh my, I can't imagine... my dd wasn't even walking yet at 1 yr old - and at 2? Even 2.5 now, no way she'd sit still in a booster.

Are they actually talking BPB or a harnessed booster? Not ideal or good to FF at a year, but if they're at least harnessed it'd be good.

Downright scary to think of a 2yr old in a bpb. Thankfully most 2yr olds don't weigh 40lbs and all kids have to be in harnessed seats until 40lbs in Canada. Still, if Evenflo is giving out this info, how many parents actually know what the government rules are?

lovinwaves · Feb 5, 2007

HOLY CRAP!!

My mouth was dropped wide open the whole time I was reading the OP!!! I can't believe that was their "response"!!!!!! Wow that is really scary!! Well, I got news for them....Here in Missouri a child must be in a Harnessed seat until 4 years old!!!!!!!!!!!!

joolsplus3 · Feb 5, 2007

Oh, well, as long as they recommend 2, I guess that's not so bad.

(can you see my eyes rolling? hello? evenflo, make a seat that harnesses longer, what the heck is the hold up????)

joolsplus3 · Feb 5, 2007

snowbird25ca said:
Oh my, I can't imagine... my dd wasn't even walking yet at 1 yr old - and at 2? Even 2.5 now, no way she'd sit still in a booster.

Are they actually talking BPB or a harnessed booster? Not ideal or good to FF at a year, but if they're at least harnessed it'd be good.

Downright scary to think of a 2yr old in a bpb. Thankfully most 2yr olds don't weigh 40lbs and all kids have to be in harnessed seats until 40lbs in Canada. Still, if Evenflo is giving out this info, how many parents actually know what the government rules are?

No, they mean BPB. They seriously have their seats labeled so kids can be in Belt positioning boosters at age 1. (30 pounds, but still, age 1).

Splash · Feb 5, 2007

Whew! That solves ALL my problems! I KNOW a booster will fit in my car!
So, which one should I get for Charlie?

scatterbunny · Feb 5, 2007

That is obscene.

scatterbunny · Feb 5, 2007

Okay, I got mad and couldn't help myself. Here's my letter:

To whom it may concern:

My name is Jennifer xxxx and I am a child passenger safety advocate and soon-to-be Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician. I have been immersed in the wonderful world of CPS for the past three years, and have learned quite a lot.

One key thing I have learned is that when a child transitions from a harness to a belt positioning booster, the responsibility of remaining properly restrained rests squarely on the child. Every well-respected authority on child passenger safety agrees that kids should be at least 4 years old and at least 40 pounds before moving out of a harness, however it is true that some kids reach 40 pounds sooner than age 4, and some kids outgrow 40 pound seats by height before age 4 and 40 pounds.

However, I feel it is highly irresponsible of any child restraint manufacturer to allow the use of a belt positioning booster seat for a baby, especially when there are other options available, made by your own company. If a child is 30 pounds and 12 months old, they are obviously too heavy to rear-face in any of your products (another complaint for another email), but a 30 pound 12-month-old will fit very well with room to grow in seats like the Vision, Chase, Traditions, Bolero and Generations. All of those seats have tall enough top slots to get virtually every child harnessed to age 3-4 and 35-40 pounds.

Does Evenflo truly believe a 12-month-old baby can safely ride in a belt positioning booster?

Does customer service really advise folks that two years old is the best time to enter a booster, as indicated in a recent response to a consumer inquiry?

If Evenflo continues to recommend such unsafe practices I will cease to recommend your products (I routinely recommend the Vision, Chase, Traditions, Bolero and Generations because they have such high top slots for 40 pound weight limit seats, and have a great chance of getting virtually every child to 40 pounds in a harness) and let everyone possible know that Evenflo is not a company concerned with the safety of children.

Thanks for your time,

Jennifer xxxxx
Tillamook, OR

hsjwmom · Feb 5, 2007

Good for you Jenny! I don't own any Evenflo seats and with their recommendations, now NEVER will! I don't want to support a company that makes such absurd statements.

JaRylan · Feb 5, 2007

Jenny,
That was very well written. Hopefully you get some kind of response.

Thanks to the OP for starting this thread. I am still stunned by customer services response.

Splash · Feb 5, 2007

msbeltran said:
I don't want to support a company that makes such absurd statements.

You already do.

Britax recommends the Parkway from 1 year and 30 pounds, same as Evenflo's boosters.

scatterbunny · Feb 5, 2007

Splash said:
You already do.

Britax recommends the Parkway from 1 year and 30 pounds, same as Evenflo's boosters.

Britax does not give a minimum age limit, only the minimum height of 38 inches.

They also say this, on the first page of the manual:

Children who weigh 40 pounds or less are best protected in a five point harness.

With a 38 inch height limit, a "recommended age" of 3 years old and the statement in the manual, I am not up-in-arms about Britax's regulations regarding their boosters. I AM up-in-arms about any company who has an age minimum of 12 months on a booster and tells parents that age 2 is the "best time" to move to a booster.

mominabigtruck · Feb 5, 2007

This is exactly what I have said before, yes it is partially the general public's fault for not being informed about css, but I believe the main blame for the gross misuse of carseats rests at the feet of manufacturers. When you put for use from 30lbs and 1year on a backless bpb, people will use it that way because they figure if the manufacturer says its ok then it must be.

Victorious4 · Feb 5, 2007

I filed a similar formal complaint with Dorel about their recommendation being merely "12 months + 30#"

I'll write one to Evenflo now as well ... if only I could find that research in my text book that shows kids don't even develop the cognitive ability (synapses revealed by brain imaging) for the necessary attention span until at least 4-5+ years old!

Jeanum · Feb 5, 2007

Argh, another reason for me to be less than thrilled with Evenflo. Awesome letter, Jenny, and it has inspired me to fire off a note as well.

joolsplus3 · Feb 5, 2007

Splash said:
Whew! That solves ALL my problems! I KNOW a booster will fit in my car!
So, which one should I get for Charlie?

You can get the Camouflage and Pink Flower Power Cosco High Rise from Kmart, they usually sell 2 for 25$ during sale weeks... and then he could have whatever cover appeals to him on any given day, and you'll have a spare seat for his little friends!

(Now, if he were SIX I'd be making that recommendation, honestly, that's a nice little seat at a great price...but of course I'm kidding, since he's ONE!)

Splash · Feb 5, 2007

He would LOVE a pink flower booster! And at that price, he could have three! Thanks for the advice!

scatterbunny · Feb 5, 2007

Here's Evenflo's response to me:

Hi Jennifer,

Thank you for your inquiry regarding Evenflo booster car seats. I appreciate you contacting us with your concerns. Evenflo does not have a specific age we recommending transitioning children in booster car seats. We offer a variety of weight, and height requirement products to try and accommodate everyone's needs. If someone contacts Evenflo asking about which seat is the best to transition their child in we always take all their information and try to make the most appropriate match. Just because the belt positioning booster car seats say the seat can be used if the child is 30 pounds or one year old doesn't necessarily mean it should be used if the child is just these requirements. Because this is ONLY a forward facing seat we make sure the parent knows that the child has to be at least 12 months old to use the product. However if the child is 30 pounds and 1 years old although this is rare, yes the child fits the requirements however we would inform the parent this is only a belt positioning booster and because the child is so young it may be better to consider a seat that has a five-point harness with it instead to keep the child belted better. Ultimately it is the parents decision on what they want for the child. We can only educate the benefits of having the different styles of seats. I hope this information is helpful to you. Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Thank you for contacting Evenflo ParentLink. I appreciate the time you took to email us.
Angela Hicks

ParentLink Senior Representative

Evenflo Company Inc.

Not particularly well-written, IMO. A couple of words were left out, I think.

Their reasons for keeping the 1-year-old rule in the manual are ridiculous.

Responde from evenflo RE one year old in booster....

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