Graco Snugride Infant Car Seat Review

(Car seat attached to Bugaboo Bee stroller during a walk in the park)

One of the most frequent questions my “new mommy” girlfriends ask me is, “what car seat did you choose for Joeen, and why?” This is a very important question, and equally important decision to make. It is because of this frequently asked question that I decided to write this Graco Snugride Infant Car Seat review. Unfortunately, it is hard for me to admit that the only reason I bought the Graco Sungride Infant Cat Seat is because it was the one and only car seat that would fit on my Bugaboo Bee stroller car seat adapter. Honestly, I probably would have gone for a different car seat if not for the stroller problem, but in the end, I am really happy that I went with the Graco Sungride Infant Car Seat. When buying this car seat, I knew it was safe, and I had a couple of girlfriends who loved it; however, with Joleen being my first baby, I stupidly thought that I had to go all out and buy a fancy, expensive car seat. I did this with a lot of things I bought for her while I was pregnant.  Lucky for me, because of my predicament with my stroller, I have come to realize, like a lot of those expensive things I wasted money on, that just because the Graco Snugride Infant Car Seat isn’t the most expensive car seat on the market, doesn’t mean it isn’t as good as a super expensive one. In fact, it is just as good if not better.

The Graco Snugride Infant Car Seat is one of the top selling infant car seats on the market. Graco has designed this car seat to keep your baby safe, secure, and rear facing for as long as possible. It has gone through vigorous safety testing, including extensive side-impact testing. This car seat has received top safety ratings from consumers and moms alike. So, what makes this car seat so safe? For starters, this car seat comes with a stay-in-the-car base that has a dial to let you know you have properly installed it.  Not only can you safely secure your baby to the base, but you can also use the intergrated seat belt lock system as well. Another major safety plus is the five-point harness. The harness comfortably straps your baby in keeping them extra safe. Also, this car seat comes with a removable infant head rest support pad.

When Joleen was a tiny baby, my husband and I use to load her up in our car just to get her to go to sleep. Joleen has always been such a good baby in the car, and I attribute a lot of that to the comfort of her Graco Snugride Infant Car Seat. Some of the best naps she takes are while we are driving around town. If I had to go back and do it all over, regardless of my stroller, I would 100% buy the Graco Snugride Infant Car Seat again.

Features of the Graco Snugride Infant Car Seat:

• Top Rated
• For Infants 5-35 lbs. and up to 32 inches
• SafeSeat Engineered
• Side impact tested
• Has EPS, energy absorbing foam
• Removable Infant body support
• Base features integrated belt lock-off
• Latch equipped stay-in-car base
• Easy-to-read level indicator
• 5-point front adjust harness
• Compatible with an array of strollers

I have to say that my husband and I had a really hard time figuring out how to install our car seat properly. I think it would have been the same no matter what car seat we could have bought. We were just super paranoid about making sure we had it just right to keep Joleen safe. We were first time parents. What can I say? So, my solution to our fears was to take it to our local police department and have a police officer (in the state of TN police officers are required to take and pass a course on how to properly install car seats) show us how to properly install our car seat. This was super informative, and when it came time to switch the base to a new car, we knew exactly how to install it ourselves.

(This is the police officer installing our car seat for us back in August of 09′… thank goodness he did because two days later I went into labor!)

One other thing to mention, and perhaps the one thing that I really hated about this car seat when Joleen was first born, is the horrible neck support. Yes, the Graco Snugride does come with a head rest infant support pad, but I found this pad to pretty useless by itself. The first time we put Joleen in this car seat coming home from the hospital, her head seemed to flop around everywhere. I was so upset. I seriously almost sent my husband out to buy a new car seat that same day. However, we came up with a solution. We found these neck support pads that attach to the harness, and an extra head support pad. We added the extra head support pad to the inside of the infant support pad that the car seat came with. After we bought those, the problem was solved, but I still feel like the Graco Snugride Infant Car Seat should either come with those support attachment pads, or come up with a better solution. The infant support pad it comes with is still too big to fit any newborn in my humble opinion.

I wish I could say the Graco Infant Car Seat is made with “green” materials and bamboo-eco-friendly fabrics, but I can’t However, this car seat can defintly be recycled and re-used with my next baby. Or, I can pass it on to a friend.

• Eco-Awareness:
  
• Luxurious:
  
• High-Design:
  
• Good Value for your Money:
  
• Good Gift:
  
• Appropriate for Ages:
  Newborn