Tech: Looks Who's Talking

Highway Traffic Safety Administration has found that child safety restraints were critically misused in more than 70% of the studied cases. The high-tech TattleTale Smart Car Seat ($170 to $230; smartchild seat.com employs sensors to check whether the seat is installed correctly and provides verbal confirmation ("Buckle fastened, vehicle belt tight") when it is. If your little Houdini likes to unfasten a restraint now and again, you might hear, "Warning: child climbing out." The seat's batteries run for up to four years, but don't worry about remembering to change them. When they run low, the TattleTale will tell you. --By Wilson Rothman