In spring 2004, I was pregnant with my first child. I was excited, I was overwhelmed, I was flabbergasted by the slew of mommy-targeted products I supposedly needed for my child. But there was one product I knew I had to have: a car seat. I remember my ob/gyn handed me a list way back in my first trimester of important points to keep in mind. One of them was that the hospital where I planned to deliver would not allow my baby to leave without an infant car seat. My first thought was, what the heck is the difference between an infant car seat and a regular one? It sounded like yet another marketing ploy.

So after some research, I came to the conclusion that I could either buy an infant car seat such as the Graco SnugRide (it turned up with consistently good reviews online and off) and later some other car seat, or I could buy a convertible car seat that accommodated infants and up. Being the savvy shopper I am, I figured I could just get away with the one all-purpose convertible car seat so that’s what I put on my registry. But as I talked to moms and learned more and more, I started thinking that an infant seat/carrier would be very practical and useful. Plus, it kept weighing on my mind that the hospital wouldn’t let my baby go home without one. So I added the SnugRide to my list, too. At some point, I wavered again and deleted it from my registry. Still, a few weeks before my baby arrived, the mommy-purchasing instincts kicked in and I decided we had to have a SnugRide. We had a MetroLite stroller that I had purposely chosen because it could accommodate a SnugRide in case I changed my mind… again. So, with gift certificate in hand, off we went to Babies R Us.

Surprisingly, they only had two styles in stock. The Blackwell one I bought (a neutral though odd khaki brown) and a very pink one that went against all I stood for. The price was right. I think it only cost $60. But, while looking at it in person, I wondered what made this car seat so great. It looked like a plastic piece of crap. The padding was minimal. In fact, as I ran my hand over the fabric, I could feel the hard plastic molded body beneath it. The cloth felt itchy and, though I didn’t check the tag until later, I was sure it was made of polyester. This was what I planned to put my precious newborn baby into? Talk about out of the kitchen and into the fire.

THE BASICS
The Graco SnugRide is meant for infants up to 26” and/or 20 lbs. I believe it is able to accommodate even tiny five-pound newborns. It is an infant car seat that has a carrying handle for transporting baby both in and out of vehicles. It is attached to the car via a base that is strapped in using the vehicle’s seat belt.

The SnugRide is one of Graco’s most popular car seats, mainly because it is affordable and it can snap into some of Graco’s strollers (the pair often are sold as travel systems). It also comes in a slew of patterns to accomodate many tastes and preferences. I've seen an all-pink one, a Winnie-the-Pooh design, floral, blue checked, red, etc. It has a five-point harness that fits over baby’s arms and snaps into place at the chest and between baby’s legs (though our pamphlet shows both the three-point and the five-point harness models so 2004 must’ve been the year they phased those out), a head rest, a detachable canopy (which I never used), and a cold-weather boot (not standard with all SnugRides) that covers baby’s feet for use in the winter. Additional bases for use in other cars can be purchased separately. I think they run about $30-40.

The model we have, Blackwell (# 8465bkw), which has khaki-brown checked boxes, is no longer available according to the Graco USA site, though it is still available on the Canadian counterpart. We purchased ours at Babies R Us in fall 2004.

INSTALLATION
Installing this car seat was a much more strenuous task than when we later installed our Evenflo Triumph. The SnugRide has a base that a vehicle seat belt must be thread through. The base stays in the car while the seat/carrier can be easily removed and toted around. Securing the base, though, involves quite a bit of strength. I left that part up to my husband and he even had some difficulty. He pressed his knee into the base to try to tighten the belt through the base’s tongue. The base needs to be resistant to movement when installed. It should not slide from side to side. Although it wasn’t a hard task, it did require some time and effort.

There’s an indicator on the seat itself to show whether it’s in the correct position. There’s a gauge that shows an orange marker when the seat is improperly balanced. Rolled up towels or blankets can be used underneath it to create a better fit so that the gauge levels out and baby is tipped correctly.

Although I thought I was doing good by buying an infant seat that had a headrest, the officer who inspected our car seat installation informed me that the pillow headrest is now frowned upon and it is suggested that you roll up a towel/blanket to put around the top and sides of the baby. I’m not sure what the actual implications of either are, but since the seat, when rear facing, is supposed to work like a shell in an accident, I’m guessing the tight-fitting headrest would hold the child’s head to the back of the seat causing whiplash or worse.

MY EXPERIENCE
Overall, I had an average experience with this seat. I am happy I purchased an infant car seat. It allowed me to easily transport my daughter in those early months. I definitely got my use out of the carrier feature. And I used the seat in my stroller for as long as I could. It allowed me to strap my daughter in with a five-point harness (something my MetroLite stroller does not have) and have her facing me when I took her for walks. But she grew out of this seat quickly and it had its drawbacks.

Bathroom Voyeurism, Stroller Attachment, and Other Pros
We live in the northeast and my daughter was born in November so a thick, bundled snowsuit was often a part of her daily wardrobe. Still there were some days when a thick knit sweater was all she needed. Being able to adjust the straps and buckle her into her seat while indoors was great. Although it did mean we had to go outside soon after because otherwise she’d sweat. But, like I said above, the straps were often a pain to adjust so even being able to do it indoors at my leisure wasn't entirely a perk.

Being able to transport my daughter in a securely fastened carrier was awesome. I used this car seat as a carrier every day for the first 10 or so months of my daughter’s life. I transported her in stores, doctor offices, and even in my own home. There were so many times when I needed a shower and I ended up sticking her in the carrier rather than leaving her in her crib and hooking up the baby monitor. Call it first-time mother jitters but I always wanted to have my child within reach. So she became my shower companion.

Hooking the SnugRide up to the stroller was a breeze. It easily snapped into place. There were two side clasps on my MetroLite that swivelled into place to add additional hold. I loved having my baby face me in the stroller (that's the only position the seat clicks into) and was disappointed to stop using this feature. Of course, by the time I did, my daughter was more interested in sitting up on her own and watching the world than reclining in her seat and talking to mommy.

Bruised Thighs, Tight Squeezes, and Other Cons
After dealing with this seat for two months in the backseat of our two-door Honda Accord, this environmentally concerned chick begged her husband for a gas-guzzling minivan… and we got one. It was just too difficult to lug this seat into place while crouched in a car doorway. I bruised my head and shoulders too many times. Once we got the minivan, I was able to sit next to the car seat while attaching it and I had little problem with it.

We mainly used this seat during the winter and spring so sweating wasn’t an issue. But the one summer we did tackle with this seat proved that polyester does not breathe. Though my little girl had hardly any hair last year, it did all end up sweaty and matted together several times. The AC in our minivan works very well (the van used to run deliveries for a bakery so it better) so much of the discomfort was avoided. But I wouldn’t suggest using this seat in warmer climate with a less robust AC unit.

I broke down crying trying to adjust the harness on this seat at least twice. It was just really difficult. There’s a tiny metal button hiding under a flap that needs to be pressed while you tug on the straps. Since we were using this seat in the fall and winter, I ended up adjusting the straps almost daily depending on what my daughter was wearing. Whenever possible, I tried to take her coat off before I put her into the seat because otherwise I would be agonizing over the straps for a good 10 minutes. The straps also easily twisted and that would take even more finagling on my part. To adjust the height of the harness required some adjusting to the back plate of the seat. The chest clip also seemed flimsy and was awkward to snap into place.

Although being able to transport my awake/asleep daughter without removing her from her car seat was great, lugging that much weight with such a poorly designed handle was not. I ended up holding the seat down by my legs so that I could rest part of it against me when I got tired. Of course, this meant I bruised my thighs way too many times. It looked like I either had a penchant for falling down stairs or my husband beat me. The handle is somewhat rubberized but doesn’t have enough gripping or any padding to make it comfortable. It also runs perpendicular to the baby so that I was forced to angle the seat when I was holding it. My daughter didn’t seem to mind the jostling, but it scared me a few times. I did, however, end up with some nicely sculpted biceps, which now have dissolved into flab.

BABY’S COMFORT
While using this car seat, my daughter hardly ever slept in the car. When she did, it was so lightly that she’d awaken as soon as the car stopped moving. I thought I was doomed to never take a long trip with her. What I discovered when we switched her over to our convertible Evenflo Triumph car seat, was that it was the SnugRide that was preventing her from napping not my driving. I noticed the difference as soon as we made the switch. She suddenly slept soundly in the car and would continue to sleep after I lifted her from the car seat.

When we did switch her to the Evenflo Triumph, I immediately noticed the difference. The Triumph has a layer of Styrofoam padding under its soft upholstery. This not only makes for a more comfortable ride but also a better protected one. The foam acts as a shock absorber. The SnugRide does not have any foam.

She also outgrew this seat quickly. For some reason, I had it stuck in my head that this seat was good for infants up to 25 lbs., when in reality it’s only for children up to 20 lbs. I didn’t recheck the directions until my daughter was around 22 lbs. at around 9 or 10 months old and then we immediately upgraded her to the convertible seat, which she’s still using now that she’s 22 months old and 28 1/2 lbs. Had I changed the seat when I was supposed to, she would’ve only gotten about six months’ use out of it. My daughter was 19 1/2 lbs. at five months old.

WASH AND CARE
The 100% polyester seat, canopy, and headrest are machine washable. They should be washed in cold water on a delicate cycle and should be air dried. I never did this. I only spot cleaned with a damp sponge and/or used a hand vacuum.

OVERALL
Though I have a lot of issues with this seat, I’m still going to rate it three stars since it was practical, affordable, seemingly safe (recommended by our local car seat inspector), and not a total nuisance to use. But I’m sure there are better infant car seats out there.

FROM THE MANUFACTURER
Top rated for safety and ease of use by leading consumer magazines, it's no wonder that the SnugRide is America's favorite infant car seat. Equipped with a 5-point harness, an ergonomic carrying handle, a stay-in-car base, a canopy, and an infant head rest for added comfort and support, this SnugRide infant car seat will serve you and your baby well from the time you bring your little one home from the hospital till the day he or she reaches 20 lbs and is ready to move up to a Graco convertible car seat. In addition to the standard features of our SnugRides this model is also outfitted with a cold weather boot for extra warmth on chilly days. And for your convenience, the harness straps adjust in the front to make it even easier to get your baby in and out of the infant seat.

Product Features
• 5-point front adjustment harness with 2-piece chest clip
• Convenient stay-in-car adjustable base
• Easy-to-read level indicator for proper installation
• Infant head support, seat pad and canopy removable for machine washing
• Cold weather boot
• LATCH equipped for easy installation

Recommended Use
• Rear facing only
• Weight limit: newborn to 20 pounds and under 26 inches

Here are some other baby-related reviews you may find helpful:
Evenflo Triumph 5 convertible car seat
Graco MetroLite stroller
10 Tips for Creating a First Baby Shower Gift Registry


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 60 approx.
Age Range of Child: 0 to 12 Months

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