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Volvo has a new baby car seat on the way. Here are 9 other car accessories for your child
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Volvo announced this month it'll create a new baby car seat that will replace passenger seats. - photo by Herb Scribner
Babies wont have to call shotgun for much longer.

Volvo just announced a new feature for some cars that will replace the passenger seat with a child seat, Business Insider reported. The seat, which was unveiled in the XC90 SUV concept car on July 2, can swivel around, allowing parents to sit in the back and tend to their child in an easy and convenient manner, Business Insider reported.

Tisha Johnson, chief designer interiors at Volvo Cars Concept and Monitoring Center, said in a press release that Volvos aim is to increase child safety.

We focused on three key benefits making it easier to get the child into and out of the child seat from an ergonomic and comfort perspective; providing the child with a safe rearward facing seating position that enables it to keep eye-contact with either the driver or the rear passenger; and of course including enough storage for those vital child accessories, such as diapers, bottles, wipes and so on.

The seat fits in line with recommendations from The American Academy of Pediatrics, which says children under the age of 2 should sit in rear-facing car seats to reduce the likelihood of injury or death in a car accident.

The seat may also keep children from napping, which can be deadly because parents pay less attention to their babies when theyre asleep in the car, Fox News reported.

Here are nine other car accessories that will keep your youngster safe and entertained for all kinds of car rides.

Shades

Car shades will keep sunlight out of your car and away from your kid's eyes. The Deluxe SnoozeShade for Infant car seats and strollers will keep unpleasant rays away from your child during long trips and enable them to cruise with you in peace.

Booster seat

Your child may be sitting in the car but be too short to see out the windows. To keep your young one safe, you may want to check out the MiFold, which boosts your child's seat up and holds the seatbelt down in place to make car rides more relaxing, comfortable and safe for children. Oh, and its got a waiting list already, so you may want to reserve yours now.

Seatbelt buckles

Some parents have difficulty finding belt buckles when theyre putting their child in a car seat. MyBuckleMate, though, puts the buckles in a small gate, which allows parents to easily secure their child in the car seat.

DVD player

A DVD player can keep children occupied and entertained on long car rides. Some cars even have two operating systems that allow children to watch DVDs in the back while the parents jam out to tunes in the front, according to Bankrate.

WiFi and mobile devices

If DVDs arent enough, hand your child a tablet. Children use tablets and mobile screens for more than two hours a day, The Atlantic reported. And since more and more cars are putting in WiFi, a tablet or mobile device might also be a fun item for your child to use on car trips.

Pillows

It can be hard to enjoy a long car ride when you have a rough seatbelt scraping against your neck. Luckily, there are alternatives, like the Sunshine Kids seat belt pillow, which connects to the seatbelt and rests against a childs neck, keeping them secure.

Travel trays

Sometimes children have to eat when theyre on a long-distance road trip. StarKids has a snack and play travel tray, which allows children to get a little messy as they sit in their car seats.

Car organizer

Maybe your child wants to bring toys on the car ride, or some pencils and pens to do some drawing. The Diono Travel Pal Car Organizer will help you keep all those items together for the long ride.

Kick mats

Tired of your child kicking the back of your chair? Well, Kick Mats will help you stay pain free. The mats are designed to fit on the back of the driver and passenger seats, allowing kids to kick with a care-free attitude.
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How to avoid 'sharenting' and other paparazzi parenting habits
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A recent study revealed parents often spend up to two hours staging a single photo of his or her child to post online. - photo by Amy Iverson
Before having kids, some people just dont appreciate their friends baby posts. But after having a child of their own, three fourths of new parents jump right on the parental social media bandwagon. If you have become a member of this group, there are some rules to follow for posting responsibly.

Much of a parents worry is how to teach their children to use social media responsibly. We talk with our kids about privacy, oversharing, and setting restrictions on their devices to keep them safe. But parents themselves need to look in the digital mirror once in a while. Before having children, it doesnt take as much effort to think about what to post online. Its up to us to decide what we share about our own lives. But once you become a parent, there are many questions to think about regarding what is appropriate to post about your kids on social media.

In a recent survey, kids clothing subscription company Mac and Mia surveyed 2000 new parents to find out how they are documenting their kids lives on social media, and what concerns they may have.

First of all, people without children seem to feel a bit differently about the onslaught of baby pictures online than those who are parents. 18 percent of people say before they had kids, they were annoyed by their friends baby posts. But after having children of their own, 73 percent admit they post progress pictures of their little ones every single month.

Not only are new parents letting the world know each time their baby is a month older, but they are posting about their kids every few days or so. Men and women report they post 6-7 times per month about their baby.

And while 70 percent of new parents say the benefit of using social media is how easy it is to help family and friends feel involved, there are some downsides. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfall of becoming paparazzi parents.

Dont miss the moment

In the Mac and Mia survey, some parents admitted to spending up to two hours to get the perfect shot of their baby. That seems a little extreme. New and old parents alike should be careful about spending so much time taking pictures and videos that they dont enjoy the moment. Years ago, I decided to never live an experience through my phone. A study by Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, found that when people took pictures of objects in an art museum, they didnt remember the objects as well as if they simply observed them.

This photo-taking impairment effect can happen to parents as well. If we are so consumed by getting the perfect photo, we can miss out on the moment all together, and our memory of it will suffer.

Dont forget about privacy

60 percent of couples say they have discussed rules and boundaries for posting their babys photos, according to the Mac and Mia survey. Even so, men are 34 percent more likely to publish baby posts on public accounts. If parents are concerned about their childrens privacy, keeping photos off of public accounts is a given.

In the Washington Post, Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida, and Bahareh Keith, a Portland pediatrician, wrote that sharing too much information about kids online puts them at risk. They write that all that sharenting can make it easier for data thieves to target out kids for identity theft. Check that your privacy settings are where they should be and never share identifying information like full names and birth dates.

Dont be paparazzi parents

36 percent of parents say they take issue when their childs photo is posted online by someone else. Responsible social media users will always ask permission before posting a photo of another child. But parents should also think about whether their own children will take issue with their own posted photos a few years down the road.

When parents are constantly snapping pictures and throwing them on social media, it can be easy to forget to pause and make sure the post is appropriate. I always use the billboard example with my kids. I ask them to picture whatever they are posting going up on a billboard in our neighborhood. If they are okay with that, then their post is probably fine. Parents should ask themselves this same question when posting about their children. But they should also ask themselves if their child would be OK with this post on a billboard in 15 years. If it would cause embarrassment or humiliation, it might be best to keep it private.

Once children reach an appropriate age, parents should include them in the process of deciding what pictures are OK to post. Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 10- to 17-year-olds and found children believe their parents should ask permission more than parents think they should. The kids in the survey said sharing happy family moments, or accomplishments in sports, school and hobbies is fine. But when the post is negative (like when a child is disciplined) or embarrassing (think naked baby pictures or messy hair), kids say to keep it off social media.
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