The Health Risks Hiding in Kids' Car Seats

LOS ANGELES - April 24, 2018 - PRLog -- With just ONE WEEK AWAY from its debut on Kickstarter, the NIKO Easy-Wash Children's Car Seat Cover aims to solve a problem few parents know about: the health risks hiding in children's car seats.

Children's car seats are twice as filthy as the average toilet with 100 bacteria strains per square centimeter, including E. coli and Salmonella, according to a University of Birmingham study. As if that weren't bad enough, most parents seldom wash their kids' car seats, a study by car seat maker Maxi-Cosi found.

The number of holes and attachments makes removing the manufacturer's car seat cover for washing very difficult and time consuming. Some children's car seat makers require hand washing and line drying covers to prevent shrinkage -- an onerous chore few if any parents have time for.

Jinah Kim-Perek, a part-time TV news correspondent, faced this problem two years ago after a day at the beach left her then 2-year-old son Niko covered in wet sand. She searched stores for child car seat covers that functioned similarly to fitted sheets for beds. But nothing on the market suited her needs. She decided to make it herself.

After nearly three years developing NIKO Easy-Wash Children's Car Seat Cover (https://nikocarseatcover.com/), it finally launches on Kickstarter May 1st.

"Car seat covers on the market haven't gotten any traction because they simply lack the features and convenience the NIKO has," Kim-Perek said. "It takes 10 seconds to put on and even less to take off. Throw it in the wash and put on another one in the meantime. It's a no-brainer."

The NIKO's key benefits:

• A waterproof lining protects the car seat from juice spills and potty-training accidents.
• Cup-holder openings and two pockets on each side offer plenty of storage for snacks, drinks and toys.
• With universal harness openings and super-strong elastic, it fits most child car seats.
• Double-stitched throughout and very durable, it can be washed and reused repeatedly.
• It's ultra soft and will eventually come in various styles and fabrics.

The lab-tested, patent-pending NIKO will retail for between $39 and $45. But it's available at special price of $20 to $25 for early-bird Kickstarter backers.