Evenflo Big Kid Amp Booster Seat {Review & Giveaway}

{This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations, Christine!}

Of all of the safety issues that have come about since my own childhood, one of the major differences are the regulations and requirements about car seats.

Don't have kids ride in the backseat? Nope, my brother and I used to have a strict turn-taking system worked out about who would get to ride in the front. Keep car seat buckles safely tightened? No again, as this one wasn't possible due to the fact that we didn't even have car seats.

These days parents and drivers know full well that babies and young children need a car seat to ride safely, but do you know the full extent to the age and height limits? Or that different U.S. states may have different safety laws? For instance, starting January 1, a new Child Passenger Safety law in California requires all children to remain in booster seats until they are eight years old or at least 4’9” tall (to know the laws in your state, visit the Governors Highway Safety Association).

Thankfully, Evenflo, one of the nation's leading manufacturers of high quality baby care and juvenile products, has a wide selection of high quality car seats for infants, toddlers and beyond to keep all children safe and comfortable.

Regardless of your state's laws, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) actually recommends children remaining in booster seats up to age 12. But while parents spend a great deal of time picking out their newborn's first car seat or the convertible seat that they will then transition to, how much is know about booster seats? And how do we convince our children that they're "cool" enough that they won't mind sitting in them?

Luckily, Evenflo has a wide range of booster seats ranging from harnessed to belt-positioning in high back and no-back to meet the needs and personalities of preschool and school-aged children who may be reluctant about sitting in a booster seat.

And, when the box containing a Big Kid Amp Booster Seat in red arrived, I knew that it was just the right blend of fashion and function by embodying a child's personal style and keeping them safe and secure in a vehicle.

Available in red, pink and blue, the Bid Kid Amp Booster is for use forward facing with children that are 40-100 lbs and up to 57" tall. With no assembly of any kind required, it doesn't take much more than pulling this car seat out of the box before it is ready for use.

The durability and high quality of the Big Kid Amp was evident immediately, as the SoftTouch armrests and ComfortTouch pad provide just the right softness and comfort to go along with the solid feeling of the seat itself.

Turning it over, I loved that Evenflo made the seat pad easily removable and washable, so if a spill requires more than being wiped down, it is extremely simple to do. On top of that, the installation and instruction booklet for the seat fits right into its own compartment on the bottom, meaning that parents never have to wonder or have difficulty finding it in a pinch.

Catching a first glimpse of the Big Kid Amp, Big Sister E was excited about the bright red coloring and the "big kid" look and feel. She immediately pointed out the flexible-grip elastic cupholders on each side and how pleased she was with the convenience of being able to keep her own drink right within reach.

I appreciated the thought that went into using the elastic, as now instead of having a cupholder that will fit cups of certain measurements, these can instead accommodate a wide variety of drink shapes and sizes.

Heading out to the car, my husband and I were both excited to find that there was barely any installation involved and that this seat is simply placed right into the car. However, there is a helpful sticker located right on the side, just in case you need it.

After having your child sit in the Big Kid Amp and ensuring that the lower portion of the seat belt is in place across the top of their legs, you do have the option of using the included Belt Clip to help position the upper seat belt strap to be sure it is correctly in place for comfort and safety.

As with the manual, the Belt Clip is located right underneath the seat itself so it can be easily pulled out if needed.

As our seat belt fell naturally between Big Sister E's shoulder and neck, we chose to not use the Belt Clip, but the convenience of having it easily accessible will surely come in handy for using this seat in a different vehicle or for another child.

For now, I just have to admit to myself that my baby has truly turned into a Big Kid!

Overall, we've been really happy with the Big Kid Amp Booster Seat and the way that it combines style and comfort (Big Sister E is thrilled riding in it!) with the utmost in safety. Knowing that my daughter is content riding while her booster seat meets or exceeds all federal safety standards is a big relief to all of us.

When it comes to car seats, baby travel systems, infant and toddler feeding, infant carriers, stationary activity centers and home safety products, Evenflo has the items that meet all the needs of children from birth to the preschool years in an affordable way — this booster seat will last for years to come and sells for just over $37 on Amazon.

And, thanks to their generosity, one person will be able to have the child in their life ride in style, because...

One lucky person will win a Big Kid Amp Booster Seat from Evenflo!

To enter to win: Visit Evenflo and leave a comment on this post telling me another of their products that you would like to own or give as a gift.

Extra Entries (available after the mandatory entry above is completed; please leave a separate comment for each entry in order for them to be counted).

1 Extra Entry (per method) if you follow Evenflo on Twitter and/or Like them on Facebook.
1 Extra Entry (per giveaway entered) - Enter any (or all) of the giveaways running on Thanks, Mail Carrier for the duration of this giveaway.
1 Extra Entry if you follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway by copying and pasting the tweet below and leaving me the link. Tweet daily for an extra entry every day!

#WIN an Evenflo Big Kid Amp Booster Seat for comfort, safety and style for your big kid! http://bit.ly/zZuGXJ @thxmailcarrier #giveaway

1 Extra Entry (per follow method) if you follow me with Google Friend Connect, subscribe to my RSS feed, subscribe to Thanks, Mail Carrier by email, become a fan on Facebook or add Thanks, Mail Carrier to your blogroll.
2 Extra Entries if you put my cute button up on your blog. Please leave an address where it can be found.
3 Extra Entries if you blog about this giveaway linking back to this post. Please leave an address where it can be found.

Giveaway will end on April 5th at 11:59pm CST. By entering this sweepstakes, you are agreeing to these official rules. No purchase necessary, void where prohibited by law. Do me the favor of leaving an email address or making absolutely sure it is visible in your profile, I have to have a way to contact the winner. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to contact me or respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only and must be 18 years of age or older.

A big thank you to Evenflo for providing a Big Kid Amp Booster Seat for me to review as well as for one lucky giveaway winner. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.