Guess what?

I’ve MOVED!

Yes, I am blogging over in new digs at No Sleep ’til College! I would LOVE it if you’d subscribe and join me over there!

To celebrate my move, I, along with other bloggers, am giving away something amazing….

It’s easy to enter… come on over, win a cool KitchenAid Mixer or Kuerig… and leave a comment to make me feel at home!

Enter to win the Kuerig or KitchenAid Mixer here!

My mind has been in overdrive since Friday, when I flew into Chicago, and jumped right into Bloggy Boot Camp: The Brand Edition.

I’ve been to Bloggy Boot Camp in Baltimore, Philly and Boston. But this? This was hands-down the best one yet. Maybe it’s because I am at a point in my blogging career that I am ready to take certain action items, or I have certain connections to different parts of the industry, but this weekend, things felt right.

Not overwhelming. Just focused.

I’m ready to work.

I took so many notes and got inspired. Inspired to work harder. Inspired to work smarter.

Inspired to Pin.

So I’ve got some great wrap-up tips from Bloggy Boot Camp coming… but in the mean time, if you get a chance to go to Bloggy Boot Camp DO IT.

For all of you keeping up with my Graco Click Connect posts… I promised I’d show you how my OWN toddler fit in the car seat.

You should know he is always in the 90th percentile for… everything. He is a big kid, and he is only 15-months old. After I hosted a party introducing the Graco SnugRide Click Connect 40, I had to make good and turn this kid back around!

So check out how we did here:

Last night, I hosted a #GracoSafety SnugRide Click Connect 40  party at my home. Fifteen women from the Philadelphia area came over to learn all about the new Graco SnugRide Click Connect 40.

Special thank you to Stephanie Glover, of Stephanie Glover Photography for providing photos from the event.

It’s the ONLY infant car seat that provides rear-facing protection for babies from birth to two years old.

Why is that important?

The American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends that babies be rear-facing in their car seats until two years of age. I confess, I turned my son around when he was 12 months old, but as soon as I get this installed, I am going to change him back to rear-facing.

Parents, toddlers are more than five times safer riding rear-facing in the car. FIVE TIMES SAFER.

Graco SnugRide Click Connect 40 Demo

Lana Sweeney, a certified car seat technician in New Jersey, was on hand to show us all how to properly fit a child in a car seat.

We also got to check out some of the new safety features on the Graco SnugRide Click Connect 40.

Like this one – 8 reclining positions to allow for more leg room while your child grows – all while keeping him at the proper angle for safety.

Watch this video to see how the SnugRide Click Connect 40 8-recline position works.

One of my other favorite features is how easy it is to adjust the harness straps. As your child grows and needs the harness straps higher, the SnugRide Click Connect 40 makes it easier than ever for parents to adjust. No more re-threading and wrestling with straps!

Check out this video to see what I mean!

Here are some other important things to know about the The Graco SnugRide Click Connect 40

• The Graco SnugRide Click Connect 40 has one-click technology – easier for parents to transition from car seat base to stroller.
• The Graco SnugRide Click Connect 40 also has a headrest us parents can adjust with one hand!
• The American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends babies be rear-facing until 2 years old. The Graco SnugRide Click Connect 40 is designed for that!
• My fave feature? The Simply Safe Adjust- no more rethreading harness straps when the seat needs to be adjusted!
• The base adjusts with 8 recline positions to keep your baby comfortable as she grows.
• The Graco SnugRide Click Connect 40 is the ONLY rear-facing infant car seat that accommodates babies from birth to 2 years old.
• Available at Babies “R” Us and retails for $219.99

More Safety Recommendations For Children in Car Seats

• Always make sure to read all of the instructions before installing your car seat.
• Always register your car seat to receive important safety recall information.
• Also to keep your kids safe, there should be no loose objects in the back of the car because they can shift and fall on your child. Those cute little toys that hang on the handle? A big no-no. That mirror you use to see your babies face? Could come loose in an accident.
• Middle, passenger and driver side for positions safest (in order).
• Never use LATCH and belts together. They can counteract.
• When positioned correctly, there should be at least 1 inch between the top of your child’s head and the top of the car seat.
• There should never be more than an inch movement once the seat is installed.

I learned so much about the Graco SnugRide Click Connect 40. Thank you to Lana Sweeney for joining us at the #GracoSafety party, and a HUGE thank you to Graco! Everyone who attended the party got a Graco SnugRide Click Connect 40.

I will be turning my son back around with the Graco SnugRide Click Connect 40. Stay tuned to find out how it goes!

I received a Graco SnugRide Click Connect 40 to inform and review. Opinions are my own. Special thank you to Stephanie Glover, of Stephanie Glover Photography for providing photos for this post. 

The Graco SnugRide® Click Connect™ 40 – the first and only newborn to two-year infant car seat that actually grows with your baby from four pounds all the way up to 40 pounds. The car seat is designed for a parent on the go. The infant car seat can be easily removed from the base and used as a carrier when the infant is small, providing portability and convenience so you can easily move your infant in and out of the car without disturbing them.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recently made the recommendation to keep all children in rear-facing car seats until the age of 2. Graco set out to make this product so parents can keep infants rear facing longer while still keeping them comfortable.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Graco. The opinions and text are all mine.

I made a BIG parenting mistake this year….

Like so many other parents, when my son turned one, we turned him around into a forward-facing car seat. It was what we did for our daughter back in 2010, and as far as I knew, it was still safe – and legal – to have your child forward-facing as long as he was 12 months or 20 pounds.

I was wrong.

Back in 2011, the American Academy of Pediatrics put out new recommendations for infants and car seats. They recommend that children remain rear-facing in the car until 2.

Two years old.

The problem was that our son was HUGE! He was almost 30 pounds, and he was so long his legs were scrunched up in the back of the car.

We turned him around.

Graco SnugRide Click Connect 40 To the Rescue

The Graco SnugRide Click Connect 40 is the ONLY infant car seat that provides rear-facing protection for babies from birth to 2 years old.

It has a 4 to 40 pound weight limit – a full two years! And its base adjusts with eight recline positions for most leg room in any rear-facing car seat.

And, my favorite feature, it has the Simply Safe Adjust harness system, which allows parents to adjust the harness and headrest with just one hand to fit the baby’s height as he grows. No more re-threading the harness every time you need to adjust the setting!

Actually, now that I think about it, that is probably my husband’s favorite feature – he usually gets the car-seat adjustment job!

#GracoSafety on Twitter Wednesday, October 17 2012

Join @girlslunchout and @ericavoll on Twitter Wednesday, October 17 from 7 to 9 pm to learn more about the Graco SnugRide Click Connect 40, as well as safety tips for your family on the road.

It’s SO important to keep your kids as safe as possible in the car. The Graco SnugRide Click Connect 40 makes it easier for your to keep your kids safe – and comfortable – while rear-facing in the car.

Graco SnugRide Click Connect 40 Demo and Review

I’ll be reviewing the Graco SnugRide Click Connect 40 right here in the next few days. Be sure to check back, or subscribe to my YouTube channel to learn more.

I received a Graco SnugRide Click Connect 40 as part of this party promotion.