OAKVILLE, ON--(Marketwired - July 31, 2017) - Almost half of Canadian parents, or 48 per cent, find car seat safety standards altogether confusing and nearly a quarter (23 per cent) do not feel well-informed on the topic, according to a new survey released today.

The Graco survey of more than 500 Canadian parents hosted on Angus Reid Forum reveals that seven out of 10 parents (69 per cent) feel that car seat safety standards are constantly changing. Perhaps that's why almost two-thirds (63 per cent) of those polled are unsure or answered incorrectly about when children's seat position should be switched to forward-facing. Many parents transition children to forward-facing car seats too early, for example, when their children's legs hit the back of the seat (22 per cent).

Even if the child's legs touch the back of the seat, Transport Canada's installation guide for Rear-Facing Car Seats says children are safest in rear-facing car seats as long as the child is still below height and weight limits.*

Graco helps children ride safely rear-facing longer

To help Canadian parents and keep their children riding safely rear-facing longer, Graco is launching the Extend2Fit™ Convertible Car Seat. The newest addition to Graco's line of car seats, the Extend2Fit™ Convertible Car Seat features a four-position extension panel that provides five inches (12.7 centimeters) of extra legroom, allowing children to ride in a safe, rear-facing position more comfortably for a longer period of time as they grow.

"For first-time parents, the task of choosing and installing a car seat can be intimidating. We want to make it easier for parents to choose a seat that is designed to grow with your child," said Erin Varano, Brand Marketing Director, Graco. "One of the most common requests we receive from parents is to help make kids more comfortable in the rear-facing position as they grow taller. This seat meets that need and can be used with infants as small as 4 lb and up to 50 lb so parents don't have to install multiple seats as they grow and can transition their child to forward-facing until he or she is 65 lb."

Additional safety and ease-of-use design elements include:

• Simply Safe™ Adjust harness system helps parents easily adjust the height of the harness and headrest together
• 10-position adjustable headrest and a 6-position recline accommodates growing children
• Fuss-free harness storage which holds the buckle out of the way making it easy to get baby in and out of the car
• InRight™ UAS (Universal Anchorage System) system for a one-second UAS attachment
• Easy-to-read level indicator eliminates installation guesswork
• Steel reinforced frame provides strength and durability for up to 10 years of use
• Machine washable seat cover makes clean up easy for parents

Graco's Extend2Fit™ Convertible Car Seat is now available for a suggested retail price of $349.99 CAD and is available at BabiesRUs, Walmart and Canadian Tire. For more information, please visit http://www.gracobaby.ca

ABOUT GRACO CHILDREN'S PRODUCTS
Graco, part of Newell Brands' strong portfolio of well-known brands, is an innovator of baby and children's products that provides solutions to help parents make smart choices while taking care of their little ones. For 60 years, Graco has built trusted, quality and helpful products including car seats, strollers, travel systems, swings, highchairs, playards and nursery care essentials.

ABOUT NEWELL BRANDS
Newell Brands (NYSE: NWL) is a leading global consumer goods company with a strong portfolio of well-known brands, including Paper Mate®, Sharpie®, Dymo®, EXPO®, Parker®, Elmer's®, Coleman®, Jostens®, Marmot®, Rawlings®, Oster®, Sunbeam®, FoodSaver®, Mr. Coffee®, Rubbermaid Commercial Products®, Graco®, Baby Jogger®, NUK®, Calphalon®, Rubbermaid®, Contigo®, First Alert®, Waddington and Yankee Candle®. For hundreds of millions of consumers, Newell Brands makes life better every day, where they live, learn, work and play.

This press release and additional information about Newell Brands are available on the company's website, www.newellbrands.com.

ABOUT THE SURVEY
From April 20 to April 27, 2017, an online survey was conducted among 533 randomly selected Canadian parents of children 10 years of age or younger. All respondents had to own and use a car seat for their child(ren) and were Angus Reid Forum panelists. The margin of error -- which measures sampling variability -- would be +/-4.2%, 19 times out of 20 on a probability sample of this size. The invites were balanced by age, gender and region. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

*Source: Transport Canada

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