Started off well, now sits in the closet!
Written: Apr 23 '01 (Updated Jul 08 '01)
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Pros: 5 pt harness, weight & height accomadations, front strap adjustment
Cons: sits low, twisty straps, weaving chest clip, needs locking clip
The Bottom Line: After using this seat I would not recommend it due to it's poor safety showings.
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| jubrismom's Full Review: Graco Grand Cargo Infant Car Seat |
06/28/2001: Updated: Please read Consumers Reports testing results on this seat if you are planning to use this as a booster seat. (Http://www.consumerreports.com) They recommend that this seat not be used as a booster seat. Due to that and other difficulties we have had with the seat since this review was originally written I no longer recommend this seat. For more details please read the update at the end of the page.
Ever get tired of playing the car seat switcheroo game? I sure do. We have different car seats in mine and my husbands vehicles in order to avoid this. When Grandma or an aunt wanted to take our little one out for a while though we had to resort to taking the car seat out of my van, putting it into their cars, then from their cars, and back to my van. While my Britax Roundabout is easy to install, when I am in a rush, more often than not, I'd rather not have to be switching around car seats.
While I love our Britax Roundabout and Freeway car seats, I didn't want to spend $160-$200 for a seat that may only be used twice a month. I also didn't want to have to buy yet another extra seat when she outgrew her 40 pound limit seats. But, I didn't want to sacrifice her safety either.
We decided to look at the various booster seats that are available. Before we even looked at car seats we knew we wanted one that could be used beyond 40 pounds, had a 5 point harness system, had a tether, and could be adjusted from the front. After looking at a myriad of booster seats we decided to give the Graco Cherished CarGo a chance to impress us.
And impress us it did, in many ways. In fact, in most ways. But there are some things that I wasn't, and still am not impressed by.
************PRO FEATURES**************
5 Point Harness
~The seat does have a five point harness system. The five point harness system is the safest child restraint system on the market.
~The child is held into the seat at the chest and the hips. This helps prevent the child from sliding around in the seat in case of an accident.
Height & Weight Accomadations/Restrictions
~The seat is able to accomadate children 27 to 40 inches tall.
~The seat is able to be used with the 5 point harness system for children 20 to 40 pounds.
~The seat is designed to be a booster/belt adjustor for extra safety for children 30 to 80 pounds.
Strap Adjustments
~The straps can be set at three different height levels, according to the height of the child. It is recommended the straps are in the slot above, not below, the child's shoulders.
~The strap crotch is even adjustable. There are two slots through which it can be placed. For the smaller child the slot is closer to the back of the seat, for the larger child the slot is closer to the front of the seat.
~There is a button on the front of the seat to allow for loosening of the straps when removing the child from the seat.
~There is a strap on the front bottom of the seat that can be pulled with one hand to tighten the straps, giving the child a secure fit in the seat.
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Tether Me In
~The seat does include a tether strap. It is one strap that is secured to the upper middle of the back of the car seat.
~The length of the tether strap is adjustable, allowing for a good tight fit.
~A strong metal clip on the end of the tether strap catches securely on the tether hook in cars.
High Sides
~I feel more comfortable that the higher sides will be able to provide more protection to my daughters legs and sides than a lower, flatter side.
~Ever seen a child try to sleep in a seat without high sides? Their head kinda flops to one side, or forward. That can not be comfortable. The high sides limits the amount of side head flop.
Oops, I Spilled My Drink
~Anyone who has ever let a small child drink or eat in a car seat knows it is next to impossible to not have a spill at some point.
~The seat cleans up well though. For small spills a wet cloth will clean off the fabric.
~For large spills the cover can be removed and washed. I only wash our by hand though. I'm not sure the backing would do well in the washer and dryer and I don't want it to shrink.
******CON FEATURES*******
Chest Clip
~I never had an urge to take a class in basket weaving. Many car seat manufacturers however, feel that weaving is a necessary skill. And so we have the weavable chest clip.
~In order to secure the chest clip you have to weave one of the straps that comes over the shoulder through the clip.
~The other strap is threaded through the opposite side of the clip already.
~So, it isn't actually difficult to do this weaving job. Unless of course, the straps are twisted, or you have a squirming child, or you just got a manicure.
The Incredible Twisting Straps
~For some reason the straps on this seat twist easily. I think they are doing the Tango while we aren't in the car.
~I stole an idea from our Britax lines of seats, and put a small piece of velcro on each side of the car seat cover, and on each strap. It has helped some.
Who Designs Car Seat Covers?
~Our (well, Grandma's) car seat has a classic navy blue and tan pattern. Not all of us are into classic however.
~A splash of color would be nice for some of us. My toddler loves color. Her drawings use several crayon colors. She points out what colors she sees around her. A nice bright colorful print option would make me happy. I am so tired of navy blue and tan!
Installation, Installation, Installation
~When I install a car seat I expect it to stay in place. While this one does stay in place fairly well I've found I do have to reinstall it at least every couple of days. This is because without a locking clip the shoulder strap seat belts just don't work.
~Hello locking clip. With the use of a locking clip this has not been a problem. I do recommend checking your child's seat with every use to ensure it is tight, no matter what kind of seat it is.
My Bottom Is Sore Mama
~The padding on this seat leaves something to be desired. There is just the car seat cover to pad the hard plastic bottom.
~While there is a small amount of foam like backing to the fabric cover it is not a very cushiony, comfortable padding.
~For short car rides this is fine, but for anything longer than an hour we use a different more padded seat.
My Thoughts
As a spare seat for Grandma's car this seat has worked out well. It only takes a few minutes for me to install it, and off Grandma and Grand-daughter go. And, since it is able to be used until Granddaughter is 80 pounds, they will be able to travel together for a long time to come.
MY THOUGHTS UPDATED ON 06/28/2001
We are having major problems with this seat. At first it worked fine, but at this point we are no longer using this seat and have purchased another one for use in Grandma's car.
*The twisting straps are impossible to work with, making it impossible to correctly and safely hold my daughter in the seat.
*We recently used this seat on a six year old as a booster seat and we're shocked at how poorly the seat worked. The seat belt did not stay in securely we ended up using an extra locking clip we had in the glove compartment box to lock off the seat belt.
Please look at a different seat to secure your child. The child's safety has to be the number one factor.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 60.00
Age Range of Child: Other
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Epinions.com ID:
jubrismom
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Member: Brenda
Location: Southern Michigan
Reviews written: 102
Trusted by: 117 members
About Me:
"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are" Dumbledore-J.K. Rowling
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