Graco Metrolite Travel System-I couldn't imagine doing things any other way
Written: Jun 27 '08 (Updated Jun 27 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Removable infant carrier, very long-lasting
Cons: Basket not always accessible when fully reclined
The Bottom Line: The Graco MetroLite Travel System is a well-built, safe system for your child that will last a very long time.
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When I was pregnant with my first child six years ago, I was completely unsure about what I would need for my baby. When I was price shopping and saw that an infant car seat could be purchased in conjunction with a stroller and carrier, which was less money than purchasing the three items separately, I turned my search to "travel systems." A friend had recommended Graco as a good brand for baby products, so my overwhelmed self focused solely on Graco travel systems. I went with the MetroLite for three reasons: least expensive (in my mind they were all the same), lighter-weight stroller, and color. Since I didn't know the gender of my baby, I went with a neutral pale sage color.
The Graco MetroLite Travel System consists of three basic parts: the infant carrier, the base for the car seat, and the stroller.
The Carrier
The carrier has a five point harness and my model is good for babies from 5-20 pounds, up to 26 inches in height. Both conditions must apply: if your child is 27 inches long but weighs 20 pounds, you can no longer use this carrier for that child. Likewise, once your child hits 21 pounds, it's time to stop using the carrier. Note: my model is five years old. Most of the newer MetroLite models are okay up to 22 pounds and 29 inches.
Most MetroLite models I have seen come with a headrest to keep baby's head from flopping around too much. The headrest has snaps that allow you to place it securely around the straps, making it easy to remove if you get to a point that you feel it is no longer necessary for your child. Our children's heads never got so large for this to be an issue, at least not while they still used the carrier.
There are two different heights you can choose between as to where you want the straps to hang above baby's shoulders. This carrier has a five-point harness, meaning that the straps buckle together over baby's chest, and each strap buckles into the main buckle from the bottom of the carrier, right above baby's crotch. There is a little gray button near the crotch buckle that you can push to loosen the straps of the harness if needed. Beneath the button there is a strap you can pull to tighten them. Adjusting the straps on this car seat is a piece of cake.
Other than the optional headrest, the only thing you need to install is the canopy, which clicks on near the base of the handle.
The handle can be reclined to five positions by squeezing the adjuster buttons at the base of the handle. The three main positions are the carrier position, where the handle is upright, the "take the baby out of the car seat" position, where the handle just stays in contour with the carrier, and the sitting position, where it goes all the way back to the ground, leaving your infant somewhere between upright and flat on its back. The best thing about this position is that it leaves the car seat stable, and you don't have to worry so much about older siblings knocking the baby over.
The Car Seat
The carrier snaps into the base easily. When you need to pull the carrier out of the base, there is a big red release handle on the back of the carrier that you need to pull back on. Sometimes, when I am distracted, I've noticed that it doesn't seem to be working. In these cases, I basically pull back on the wrong part of the handle, so I recommend other users be aware that this may happen to them.
Installation
The car seat can be installed in the car by lacing a seat belt through the base and locking a clip on the seat belt to keep it tight. For cars that are equipped with LATCH (which anything built within the past five years will be), there is a strap that can lace through the base with two hooks to connect to the LATCH hooks. If you read the instruction book first, installation does not take very long (only ten or fifteen minutes).
The most time-consuming part of installation is getting the base to the correct height. There are three different settings to adjust the height by pulling the red lever underneath. You will know if the base is at the correct setting once you click the carrier into it. On the side of the carrier there is a little round level indicator. As long as the window on the bottom of the indicator doesn't show any orange, the base is at its correct setting.
The Stroller
The stroller weighs 18 pounds and measures about 31 inches from the bottom of the wheels to the handlebar. The weight recommendation is for children up to 40 pounds. The padded handlebar can be adjusted to three different heights for parents' comfort and folds down for storage. There are two cup holders on the parents' tray (in front of the handlebar) and on cup holder on the child's tray, as well as an indentation to put snacks on for baby (or toddler). The basket underneath the stroller is fairly large (about 18" x 12" x 12"), which I love for storage, and there is also a small hook next to the handlebar that can be used for hanging shopping bags for those trips to the mall. Other features include a foot rest for when your child is taller, dual brakes in the front and back, and a canopy.
Assembly
In the box you will find: two single wheels (for the rear), two double wheels (these swivel in the front for easy turning), parent tray, child tray, rear axle with brakes, a metal bar for the basket, two screws, two screw retainers and two screw caps.
It may sound like there are a lot of parts to assemble on this stroller, but the directions in the manual are very clear, and it took me less than half an hour to assemble with a nice nine-month-pregnant belly. As most of the parts just snap into place, the only tool you will need is a screwdriver.
Use
The stroller is very easy to unfold; just flip open the hook that locks the stroller in folded position and push down on the child's tray until it clicks into the fully opened position. Putting an older child into the stroller is very easy. The child's tray has a top and bottom button that can be squeezed at the same time to make it swivel down. Then you can sit the child into the stroller or the child can climb in and wait for you to buckle him/her in. My model just has a waist and crotch belt, which is very simple to just click in the buckles on either side of the child. The newer models have a five point harness, which can be a little trickier because on each side you have to slide the top strap into the side strap before buckling it into the crotch strap. (I know this because it is the same harness that I use with my Graco DuoGlider.)
To use the carrier in the stroller, you need to pull back the string on the back of the seat to fully recline the seat. Then, the carrier goes in rear-facing (so the infant is facing you). The back hooks on the bottom of the carrier click into the child's tray. There are two little locks on the stroller poles that you can swivel into place above the carrier as an extra precaution. The carrier comes out the same way it comes out of the car seat base--just pull the red release on the back.
The stroller folds up easily by pushing a trigger and squeezing the release on the bottom of the parents' tray while simultaneously pulling up on the child's tray. Then, the handy little shopping bag hook can be used to lock the child's tray into place. In folded position the stroller can be stood upright for storage. It does not take up a lot of space and leaves plenty of room for other stuff in the trunk of the car, even in the tiny trunk of my husband's Volvo.
Cleaning
I have only spot-cleaned the carrier canopy, but just about every other fabric part of this travel system can easily be removed for cleaning. The fabric is machine washable (no bleach) and needs to hung to drip dry. The rest of the stroller can be cleaned with soap and water, but I usually use 409 and a paper towel.
Pet Peeves:
While I love the concept of the carrier, it can be pretty darn bulky and heavy once your kid puts on some weight. My son now weighs fifteen pounds, and carrying him in that carrier when we go places is a pain! I either feel like my arm is going to fall out of its socket, or I can loop my arm into the handle, in which case I feel like my elbow is going to crash into the ground. Unfortunately, I don't think I can fault Graco on this one, because I think if the carrier were much lighter it probably wouldn't be very safe as a car seat.
When the seat is in the fully reclined mode, there is no access to the storage basket underneath. If you buy a newer model, this will not be an issue, because the newer models all have the same switch underneath the basket as my DuoGlider. This switch is great because it allows you to fold down the basket and have access that way.
I have used this stroller on paved road, loose gravel, grass, dirt, sidewalks and beaches. The ride is only smooth as long as you are on a relatively smooth surface. Since the wheels are made of hard plastic, you can feel most bumps in the road. The newer models boast rubber tires, but I'm not convinced that makes the ride any smoother. Again, my DuoGlider has the rubber tires as well, and I honestly don't notice a difference in its bump handling compared to my MetroLite.
Our Experience
This car seat and stroller have been everywhere with us. The car seat stays secure in the car, keeping my babies from thrashing from one side of the back seat to the other on car trips. My kids always fell asleep in the car as babies, and the carrier allows my son to keep sleeping when I have to take him out of the car once we reach our destination. I dread the day he outgrows the carrier, because that will mean I will almost certainly have to deal with a crabby baby or wait in the car until he wakes up.
It is very handy that the stroller and the carrier work together, so my arms can stay in their sockets when we go places. I particularly like that there is a plastic window on the top of the canopy, so my son and I can see each other when he is in the carrier and I have the canopy covered. Living in Rain Land, I use the canopy a lot. The stroller is very easy to steer; I have never felt like I had to push it hard to get where I want to go (except on the beach, but what do you expect in a sand pit). When I don't have the carrier in the stroller, the basket comes in handy. With little kids, we always need a place to put extra jackets, blankets, food, etc. and the basket gives us plenty of room for that.
I love that this stroller is not bulky. It offers just enough width to comfortably fit my child, and I don't have to worry about knocking items off of shelves when we're in a crowded store.
When we have been in the homes of friends and relatives who did not have high chairs, we brought the stroller in from the car and fed our youngster in the stroller with the brakes on. The child tray made it easy for us to give our children snacks for self-feeding while we prepared food. The cup holder is nice and deep too, so we haven't had very many liquid spills.
Another great feature is that when our child started to get sleepy we could smoothly slide the seat back, without having to make any sudden jerky movements to recline her. I definitely recommend when choosing your MetroLite travel system, that you look specifically for the pull-string recliner instead of the ones with the set positions.
Likewise, we once slept in a hotel with just one double bed. Since my older daughter kicks a lot in her sleep, we felt it would be safer for the younger one to buckle her into the fully reclined stroller with the brakes on. She slept soundly that night. The padding on this stroller is thick enough that my girls have always been very comfortable in it.
Final Word
In case you couldn't tell by now, I love the Graco MetroLite travel system. We have used the stroller consistently for five years and it is as good as new, minus slightly worn wheels. I have used the car seat for all three of my children, and it still keeps my baby safe in the car. If nothing else, this speaks volumes of the durability of this product and the quality of the Graco name. Most MetroLites will run from $200-250, and they are worth every penny.
Thanks to smiles33 and marytara for helping me find the correct listing for this review. It's nice to have Advisors and CL's available to help with questions.
Recommended:
Yes
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