i bought this carseat in the color 'lotus' (crimson and black) and my daughter loved riding in it. the double infant head support cushion was key during the first couple of weeks - i've talked with other people who've had difficulty using infant carseats with just a single head support, as the newborn's head bobbles around. excellent safety ratings and not TOO heavy, although not the lightest carseat out there. installation of the base into our car (prius) was fairly easy, although it required aggressive tightening (i.e. my brother-in-law getting on top of it and yanking really hard on the straps) to be really secure. getting the carseat in and out of the car was easy, and carrying was fine. the baby fell asleep in it a lot, but also just relaxed and enjoyed being rocked in it when we had it on the floor. nice padding. my only complaint: she outgrew it in 16 weeks.

I am a first time father. Having spent many hours looking in stores and reading reviews on infant car seats, my wife and I chose this one. Here is why:
br /
br /Pros - it's light, the base attachment is similar to most others
br /- it fits into shopping carts; the Graco swing and the Graco strollers
br /- it has a Winnie the Pooh cover, it also cost only $80 (or $140 in Canada)
br /- it has the same safety rating as all the rest etc.
br /- the seat can used in another car without the base and attaches nicely
br /
br /Cons
br /- The seat belt safety clip is stored under the babies right thigh. (yes, we couldn't believe it either, so we bought some high impact foam to fix it so it was more even and soft)
br /- The straps tightens from the rear of the seat
br /- The chest harness is hard to open for a mans fingers because they are to small and for a woman's fingers because it is stiff
br /- The plastic shell is bulky and a little cheap feeling
br /- The handle is not well designed like that of the Baby Trend or Evenflo
br /
br /My wife and I wondered why some many of the seats looked and felt so similar and seems to have many of the same problems. Interestingly we noticed that even though there appear to be many different brands to choose from, there are in fact only two or three different manufacturing parent companies and the brands are kept to create the impression that a healthly competitive market exist. If you take the cover off most seats and infant seats you will find most of the same plastic shells. For example Eddie Bauer, Maxi-Cosi, Quinny, Cosco, and Safety 1st are all produced by the Dorel Juvenile Group.
br /
br /- The comfiest seat we found was the Chicco (and they have one that goes up to 30lbs like the Graco SafeSeat only have the weight), but it doesn't fit into a shopping cart or the Graco swing we liked. Chicco's strollers feel very solid too. Much more than Graco, Eveflo, etc.
br /- The easiest one to carry was the Baby Trend triangular handle, but it did not fit into things too well either and it was a little heavier.
br /- The more expensive brands like Peg Perego etc. have nice features but are similar to the Chicco and Baby Trend quality so the price is not justifiable.
br /- Evenflo has a great handle designed but their seats and strollers seem rather flimsy
br /
br /I hope this helps. God bless. Paul and Flavia Beriault, Toronto, Canada
br /

I did quite a bit of research before purchasing this car seat. This car seat consistently receives high safety ratings and is reviewed very favorably on Consumer Reports. It's light and easy to snap in and out of the base. You can purchase Graco's inexpensive Snugrider stroller frame to avoid even having to take the baby out of the seat. There are also adaptors for just about every stroller to snap this seat into it. The only con I have (that didn't warrant downgrading its rating) is that the fabric is very hot ... but then again all car seats are hot by nature of their design. It's not a huge issue, we just dress the baby a little lighter when he'll be in the seat for a long period of time.

All in all, this is a great buy for a high quality infant seat!

This is a fantastic car seat. We drove from LA to Houston and back with my 2 month old son riding in this seat the entire time. Love it.

Pros:
1. Super easy to take the car seat in and out of your car. The seat snaps right onto the base and pops right off when you push up on the red handle in back. You can remove the seat from your car without waking up your sleeping baby.Great design!
2. Safe. Consumer Reports rated the Graco Snug Ride with EPS foam as one of the best car seats on the market. Note that not all of the Graco Snug Rides have EPS foam, so be sure to pick one that does.
3. Comfy. My son sat in it for 3 days straight during our road trip. Also, when this seat is on the floor in a restaurant, I can rock it back and forth and put my son to sleep easily.
4. Light. This seat is only 7.24 pounds, but once your baby weighs around 15 pounds, it can still be pretty strenuous carrying around 20+ pounds of baby-in-car-seat. I highly recommend buying the Graco Snug Rider to use with this car seat. It is VERY convenient and compact.
5. Stylish. Unlike most baby gear, this modern, unisex color scheme isn't frou-frou at all.
6. Good value. You definitely get a lot of features for the price.

Cons:
1. The fabric of the seat is not very breathable, and my son gets pretty sweaty when he sits in the seat on a hot day or for longer than an hour or so.
2. There is a "peek-a-boo" window in the canopy that is very annoying - you constantly have to adjust the sun shade so that light doesn't shine in your baby's eyes/face. To remedy this, I put a light receiving blanket over the canopy so that my baby isn't blinded by the light from the "peek-a-boo" window.
3. The base is *really* difficult to install correctly. You need to stand over the base, push down with both knees, push the back of the base with both hands, then pull on the top seatbelt strap to tighten it. Whew! There should be no lateral movement whatsoever. I definitely recommend making an appointment with a certified child passenger safety contact. The NHTSA provides a list of technicians near your zip code that will install your child seat for you.
4. According to Graco, the seat is intended for use by children "less than 29 inches tall." My son was 26.5" tall at his 3 month checkup, which means he'll probably be growing out of this seat by the time he's 4 months old. If you have a tall kid, this seat just doesn't last very long. Graco, hope you are listening! 29" is not enough!

Overall, I highly recommend this seat. It will be a sad, sad day when my son outgrows it, but the Graco Snug Ride and Graco Snug Rider stroller frame are absolutely the most convenient and safe way to transport your baby.

I ordered this because I loved the color and the price. I was disappointed in the material-it seems rather cheap and doesn't fit very snug on the frame. Also, the canopy does not extend very far-not even enough to block the sun. I have another Graco carseat and the canopy on it extends at least twice as far as this one. Also, there is no infant head support, but I have a snuzzler I will just insert. I dont want the hassle of returning it so I guess we will keep it. If the canopy was bigger that would be a huge help.

We were debating between this seat, the Graco Saferide that goes up to 30 lbs and the Chico. This is one of the highest rated car seats for safety by consumer reports.

The fabric looks more stylish than that of the majority of baby car seats available on the market, it also felt much more cushier. However, the fabric is not breathable at all, making the baby sweat, overheat, and cry!

For some reason the seat also seems smaller or disproportionate to other standard baby car seats. Our 2 month old is only 23 inches and her feet will be protruding shortly! Yet she has plenty of head room.

The handle is stiff and you need two hands to adjust it.

The hood is flimsy and has a very unnecessary clear "sunroof" in the middle - you don't want sun on your baby's head and you can't see well enough through there to check how the baby is doing anyway ( might be the effect of the dark fabric). The hood is also not large enough to fully cover the seat. If you pull it all the way down you end up with a large gap in the back. On a very sunny and hot day this is a problem in the car: your baby gets the draft from the blasting air conditioner on the head - while you are trying to cover up the front from the sun! actually this a problem for cold weather in general too - not adequate coverage.

we did not go with the Chico for the reason that it's hood was even smaller. The saferide was not reviewed by consumer reports and the snugride was a top seller. in retrospect we should have gone with the Saferide or another brand altogether.

Whereas I like the style of this carseat, my son (and my sister's son, one month younger) developed a terrible rash from skin contact to the fabric. I took my son to two dermatologists and two pediatricians before we found out this was what caused it. Once I covered up the car seat before putting him in, the rash disappeared. The pediatrician says it's likely due to the flame retardant chemicals they use on the fabric. Either way - spare your baby the topical steroids and numerous doctor's appointments, not to mention the painful looking rash and discomfort, and if you purchase this cover the fabric. A large pillowcase cut through for the straps works well.

Pros
br /*Great safety record
br /*Nice cushion, this model had thicker foam when compared to other more economical models of the snugride
br /*Parents have great options when it comes to adapters for different strollers
br /*Can double as a rocker when you're at the grandparents or relatives house
br /
br /Cons
br /*This seat will make your baby sweat like a PIG, this fabric does not breathe at all and made my baby sweat to the point that there were unpleasant sweat stains that had to be washed all the time. It also caused my little one to wake up sooner due to the discomfort level
br /*The handle on the seat is horrible and created lower back pains for me
br /*The canopy on this doesn't do alot. There is a plastic window were you can view the baby; its this same window that will shine into your kids face when your baby is trying to sleep. The canopy is also on the small side. If you are out and about, you are constantly stopping to adjust it
br /
br /Conclusion
br /I would recommend a snugride with another fabric, not the metropolitan. Invest in a JJ Cole Bundleme or something similar, so your baby doesn't have to feel the fabric. (It's feels like a 70's polyester leisure suit.) Get a decent canopy, because your baby can not wear the majority of sunscreens out there till they are 6 months old.
br /

"The only seats that passed all the tests were the Baby Trend Flex-Loc and the Graco SnugRide with EPS _ expanded polystyrene foam _ both selling for about $90. Consumer Reports urged parents shopping for seats to buy one of those two, but it also noted that "any child car seat is better than no seat at all." washington post

ALso - I had an earlier version of the snug ride and loved it - it was light to carry, safe, and stood up to washings (from a child that would get car sick every time in the car

We used this product for our baby for the past 7 months and we are quite happy. comfortable for her, easy to use, highly rated in terms of safety. the problem with all car seats of this design is that they are quite heavy and awkward to carry the baby around in, would definitely recommend the graco stroller which attaches to this seat.

We have a convertible car seat that didn't work well with our newborn daughter and then we purchased this one. It is so great! Easy to install and use. She is snug as a bug in a rug in it. I tote her around everywhere now when my hubbies at work with minimal effort. The car seat is very cute and completely functional. I would recommend it to everyone.

I registered for and received this car seat in the Chelsea pattern when my triplets were born. We had two hand-me-downs (both Graco SnugRide seats, one from a friend which was 6 months old and one our oldest daughter used as a baby which was 18 months old) and only needed one new seat. I liked the cute pink pattern of this seat and assumed that the mechanics and quality were as good as the one I was used to using with my oldest. Assuming is where I went wrong.
br /
br /The quality of this seat went way down in the 18 months since I bought my original: the handle is now open in the back where it used to be solid; the grippy area on the handle is 1/3 the size it used to be; the handle up and down operation is rough, not fluid or easy. The mechanical ease of use took a complete 180 too: the shoulder belt straps move independently of each other and the mechanism used to secure the straps are a very difficult tooth type that you can't just tug to adjust - they need to be pulled loose on one side of the buckle and then tightened on the other side, similar to a bra strap; there is no longer a single strap in the front to pull the shoulder straps tight - it has to be done in the back of the seat where you have to mess around with that stupid metal buckle again... every time you take your baby out or put her back in and need to adjust the straps!
br /
br /Bottom line: The overall feel of this seat is cheap. Things are hard enough with a newborn without having to do extra work to make them safe. This seat is a burden and I would never recommend it.
br /

I've been using this infant carrier for my daughter for only 7 weeks, but so far I am impressed with the car seat. First of all, I did a lot of research and was impressed by the high safety ratings this car seat earns. Although I did purchased some other high end items for my daughter, I didn't feel the need to spend $100 more on a Peg Perego or other brand in this case when this car seat has such a high reputation in safety. That being said, the infant seat is SUPER heavy. While the weight does hurt my hand and back sometimes, I am not rating this product a less for that weight because after all the fact that it is so dense and heavy probably accounts for added safety. A seat that is lightweight and easy to carry is probably not going to hold up well in a car accident. So it's a matter of my daughter's safety v. my personal convenience. I would recommend purchasing a stroller that is compatible with this car seat or a good sling baby carrier and using that method to transport baby in/out of car because it is really heavy to carry around. I personally opted to buy a non-Graco stroller and planned on using the baby sling, but truthfully at this eary stage, you are really hesistant to wake a sleeping infant so I do end up carting it around more than I would like.
br /
br /Finally, I read many reviews about the snug ride and wanted it in a neutral color. I considered getting the Metropolitan and the Lotus and ultimately decided on the platinum. After some negative reviews, I was concerned about the breathability of the fabric causing the baby to sweat especially since I live in South Florida. This fabric has been fine and the baby has never been sweating even in 89 degree weather. Also, the color is nice - it's like a gray-beige and very neutral.

My daughter is five months old and about ready to grow out of this carseat (she's almost 29 inches -- not too heavy for it but too tall almost).

It has been great -- fairly easy to install (I say "fairly" because it seems like all car seats are complicated), and seems comfortable for my daughter, the cover washes well, and I love the fabric -- not too babyish or tacky. It's starting to get heavy to carry now that she's about 15 pounds, but that has more to do with her than the seat. I liked the extra add-ons with this seat (head supports, strap covers, etc).

Recently I noticed that the back of seat cover was coming apart some after washing (other Gracos were recalled due to this). I emailed Graco and they are sending a replacement seat pad at no cost -- great customer service:) Overall, I have been very happy with this product.

My husband and i looked everywhere for a pink and brown car seat for a girl and came across this one and i said that is the one. The price was awesome! We not only bought this piece but we also bought other matching pieces. The high chair and the swing. Other members of the family bought the pack n play and the stroller. I would highly recommend this beautiful car seat.

Although it is very cute, I would NOT recommend this seat. Many Graco seats have a single strap in the lower front to adjust the tension of the shoulder straps.... this does not. It has two metal rings, behind the seat. The shoulder strapping must be worked through these individually to adjust the fit of the straps. I have two older children and remember that that the straps have to be adjusted almost every time the baby is wearing different clothes, to fit snugly and safely. I have returned this seat and am spending a little bit more for one with the front strap (the Graco snugride in "Giselle"). Its well worth it to have something simple and easy, as versus a daily bother.

Ok, the Graco Snugride is an EXCELLENT car seat...I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a safe infant seat. PLEASE do not spend your money on this fabric choice...It gets way too hot and baby is not comfortable in it. Definately get the snugride...just opt for a different fabric set.

Gave 3 stars as, the seat itself is awesome...just not in "Metropolitan"

Graco has excellent customer service...I called to complain about it, and they sent me a new cover free of charge. So that tells me-- I was not the first to complain about it.

My husband and I have overall been pleased with this car seat. We chose the Graco Snug Ride over other car seats mainly because of its light weight and compatability with our Zooper Bolero stroller. I am glad we made these features the deciding factors. You end up carrying your baby in the car seat very frequently with tons of other baby gear/ stuff and so it helps to have a very light/ small car seat! Also, being able to place the baby in the stroller while still in the car seat is extremely convenient while running errands. I couldn't imagine going through the last past 3 months having to unbuckle my son out of the car seat and into the stroller and then back into the car seat for every trip to the mall, pediatrician, babys R us and target store, etc.

I really like the Metropolitan color scheme - it is very modern and not babyish looking. It looks nice in our house, car, and on our stroller, and I think it also works decent enough for both a boy and girl baby. I plan to use the same car seat when we have more kids in the future.

My biggest complaint about the car seat (and reason for 4 stars, not 5) is that the handle was extremely difficult to move from one position to the other, and being able to move the handle easily is critical (you need it upright to carry the baby, back to see the baby in the car through the mirror, etc). Thank god my husband is an engineer - he took the thing apart and oiled the white gear piece that seemed to be causing the problem and ever since that it's been fine. But I don't think we should have had to do this - its not a cheap product and Graco should fix this handle problem.

We bought this seat because it was the slimmest one available and we were trying to fit it, along with two other toddler size car seats, in the back of our 2003 Toyota Corrola. Things I love about this seat are: 1) it did indeed fit and 2) it's very stylish. Things I don't love so much: 1)it's sometimes a little hard to tell if it's seated properly in the base (because I have another car seat next to it, I can't easily check the level), 2) the release catch to remove it from the base can be a little tricky to find at first without bending over and looking and 3) the straps tighten with a mechanism that's not as nice as the one on other car seats. But overall, it's safe, it's nice and it's slim. I like it!

My son has been using this car seat for the past 6 1/2 months and I have really liked it. I love that it has a base that I can just snap the carseat in and out of - it makes running errands so much easier. It also has good safety reviews, which is important to me. I also really like the fabric. It can work for a girl or boy. Getting the base installed initially takes a bit of time, but it may be easier depending on the type of car you have.

My DD is 6 weeks old and we received this seat as a gift.
br /
br /I selected the Graco Snugride because it's a CR best buy and is pink. The carseat installed very easy using the latch system and appears snug and secure. My family is very active so we travel quite a bit. So far, my DD sits and rides without fuss.
br /
br /My only complaint concerning the Snugride is the adjustment for the shoulder straps. The shoulder straps lack a cinching mechanism at the front. Shoulder strap tightness must be adjusted from the back. The left and right shoulder strap is adjusted individually by tugging and toying with a metal buckle. I find this feature to be very inconvenient particularly as it is winter and different clothing thicknesses affect how well the baby is secured in the seat.
br /

This is a great car seat. It is top rated and very nice looking. I made the mistake of choosing 'Better Together' when ordering which left me with an extra base to return. The car seat comes with its base.

I love this car seat because it is simple, classy and comfy. I was delighted to find that I can use my Graco Snugride Infant Car Seat in my new Peg Prego Pliko Lite stroller! While it doesn't clip into the brace, it still sits securely in the stroller with the foot rest at the top position. The fabrics work well together - looks like it was purchased as a set. I needed the Graco car seat as the Peg Perego SIP wouldn't fit into the backseat of my car (too long). This one fits perfectly.

I read many reviews and rating, and this is the seat I purchased. It's been great. I purchased it because of it's safely rating and all the extra padding. Comfort I thought ... and it seems to be, but I didn't think about the summer heat. My son often has a wet back and a ring where his head rests on hot summer days ... even with the air on in the car. I didn't use the boot cover and the canopy is a hassle. We removed it. The covering material washes well.

I have been using this car seat for about 3.5 months for my daughter. Overall I am really happy with it and she is too - she sleeps very well in it and for hours at a time whether in the car or out for a walk in the stroller.
br /
br /As most people know it's really easy to click the seat into the base or stroller and equally easy to remove it. The seat does get pretty heavy with a 14+ pound child in it but I don't really see any way around that and definitely prefer being able to tote her around in it - I can't imagine strapping her into the car each time we get in. It'd be very difficult to do with a newborn.
br /
br /I had some trouble figuring out how to permanently extend the straps once she started to grow, there's a flat plastic piece in the back you have to remove and then take the straps off the metal hook and put them back on using the other set of loops (this will make sense if looking at the seat).
br /
br /When you are using the seat, it's important to make sure the straps are snug around the infant. There is a metal piece that holds the excess length of the shoulder straps in place and you need to loosen it to get the baby in easily. You have to reach down into the hole the "tail" comes out of and push the metal piece down while pulling on the straps to loosen them temporarily - you then use the strap to tighten the shoulder straps once the child is buckled in (making sure the straps are on their shoulders which is not easy when they are so little).
br /
br /I also get a lot of compliments on the pattern and think it's appropriate for a boy or a girl. I don't use the leg cover that came with the car seat. It's Winter in Philly so a Bundle Me is a must...good luck!

I ordered Graco SnugRide for a baby shower present through a Target Gift Registry, processed through Amazon. It was shipped to me in the same thin single-ply cardboard box you buy it in stores. The box is very large and flimsy. It arrived with the box seriously dented on all sides, hardly worthy of presentation. But worse, when I opened it up, I found a 2 inch white stress line in the plastic, where apparently the beige plastic of the car seat (which seems fairly thin) was over stressed during shipping. The box had no padding inside whatsoever, the car set is simply wrapped in a plastic cover. I've done a lot of shipping, and I know you have to have 2 inches or more of padding on all sides, or double boxing, and a box this large should be double corrugated for strength.
br /
br /It was convenient to be able to return the car set at a local Target store, but I was not refunded the shipping cost of $15, even though it was very clearly the faulty packaging by Amazon/Target that caused the unit to get damaged. I was also informed that Target does not carry the item in their stores, so it is only available through mail order. I'm going to try to find some other local seller.
br /
br /The Super Saurus model in the Gift Registry that I ordered is apparently in the premium line of SnugRide car seats, having the "GracoPedic" foam padding for comfort (in addition to the EPS which is in all Snug Rides for safety). I wouldn't buy one of these without the GracoPedic foam. Baby should not be resting on the hard plastic (oh, well, maybe the plastic isn't that hard anyway). I think they should all come with the extra GracoPedic foam (though reportedly it doesn't hold up to washing), or at least it should be mentioned on the box. But it didn't mention the GracoPedic foam on the box, I only learned it from a review, and it is hard to tell otherwise.
br /
br /For a top-rated product like this, I was not impressed by the thin plastic construction, which looks and feels cheap and flexible. more like a toy than a car safety device. And if you look at the 1-star reviews, these things can break in normal use, which I don't find reassuring. But I'm not sure what if anything is actually better than this from a safety perspective, as long as you replace it at the first sign of damage so it doesn't actually come apart in use.

This is a nice seat, but the cover is scratchy and hot. It also shows every bit of spit up terribly. I like the Gracopedic foam because it is more plush than the standard snugrides. However, in the summer, I would have preferred a cotton cover for softness.

This is fabulous for getting in and out of the car without disturbing the baby. It is somewhat cumbersome, however, to carry around without a stroller or grocery cart. It gets worse the heavier they get. Mine is already 18lbs at 3 months(!) so we are about to upgrade to a stay-in-the-car type of seat. But great fabric and great washability. Just be aware that your arm will break once they hit 15lbs!! :o)

We had a similar model that has passed its expiration date, so replaced it with this one. Overall we like it, but the new rear-access cinch-up straps are a bit difficult to use. The older models had a single pull tab at the front (foot end) to tighten the straps. Otherwise no complaints, the pattern is cute and gender-neutral.

I choose this seat after much research because of it's very high safety ratings. We've used it for 5 months now. I rated it 4 stars because on a daily basis some of it's features are a pain...
br /
br /CONS:
br /~ After setting up the base properly, when DS falls asleep his head almost always flops foward. It looks so uncomfortable and if we were in a car accident I can't imagine that would be safe.
br /~ When moving the handle up and down it sticks. It's really difficult and when I finally get it to move, it kind of jolts. If the baby was asleep this usually wakes him up.
br /~ The handle is very awkward to carry. I like the Evenflow carseat's handle Evenflo Discovery 5 Infant Car Seat - 3 Little Bears , but apparently they have a patent on it. So all other brands have these very unergonomic handles.
br /~ The material is plasticky polyester on solid plastic, which has no breathability. My DS gets hot, which makes him cry, which makes him hotter, which makes him cry more,... see the pattern. I wish there was better material or breathe holes.
br /
br /PROS:
br /~ High safety ratings.
br /~ Pricepoint.
br /~ The Tango in the Tongo pattern is very cute. I like that it is not obnoxiously blue or pink. My DS also likes to look up at the hood and check out the little animals.
br /~ So far the carseat hooks nicely onto all different types of grocery carts and my Safety 1st stroller.
br /
br /Even though the cons are a lot, I still don't know if I'd want any other seat because of the safety/pricepoint aspect. If it weren't for that I'd probably give it 2 stars.

We are thoroughly pleased with this purchase for our baby. He is now 6 months old, and we have been so thankful for this product from the moment we carried him home from the hospital. Its easy to use, has a simple design, very light-weight, and the price is right. Can't complain. Highly recommended. This color is great, too, because it is so versatile and non-gender specific for future kids down the road. A++

I like this Car seat. I love the Graco brand anyway. PLus this patter is cute and will work for a boy or a girl. All the snugrides are not the same and you can tell that from the price. I bought mine in margo which it the last epensive model. It has the pull staps in the back which I thik is easier. My friend got the "deluxe" model in Darius. It is a little bit more expensive but also harder to use and has the strap in between the legs which you have to tuck in. GREAT Product!

This carseat is fantastic. Out infant will sleep for hours in it. Very comfortable and easy to use and operate. We also have the snuglider swing and the snugrider stoller. It's the best system out there...we can transfer our little girl from the car to the stoller and to the swing with ease.

So far, I am quite fond of this seat. For one, even though my baby complains when she is fully awake and wants to "do" something else rather than be in the car seat, she will easily fall asleep in it once the car rides for a while.
br /
br /My baby sleeps so well in it that I sometimes put her in it at night when she's fussy (everyone should admit to having their share of these nights). I would fully buckle her and just rock her to sleep in the seat and even though she complains for a short time (10-15 minutes), when she finally dozes off, she is able to stay asleep for relatively long compared to her bassinet. I believe it is the swaddly or snuggly feel of it when she is in the car seat.
br /
br /The color put me off somewhat. It is not my color of choice--someone else in the family picked the color. But it grew on me, and now I seem to enjoy the girl power-ness of it.
br /
br /This car seat's base fits relatively easily in our SUV. It still takes me about 5 - 7 minutes if I have to put on or take off the base. The car seat's straps, with those plastic chest clips and big metal buckles, did take getting used to. Once I got the hang of them, I appreciated the secure feel of the thick straps. One thing I would have liked, although it probably is not possible for safety reasons, is a bigger canopy.

We recently bought this car seat without knowing that Graco car seats actually have 2 different kinds of methods of tightening the baby seat belt in the car seat. We found that this particular colour that we bought Tango, you had to place the child in the seat, tilt the car seat forward, all the while making sure to hold the child in the seat so that he does not fall out, tighten the belt from the back of the car seat before the belt is tight enough to be used. There is the other type of car seat where there is a strap at the bottom where you can simply just pull to tighten. I do not know why Graco is still circulating car seats that has the extremely impractical and inconvenient model. In the end we returned this seat to Amazon, and went to Babies R US to view the right model and bought from there. We ended up paying a cheaper price as well.

We decided that our last Evenflo car seat was too old for baby #2 (6 years) so we bought the Graco Snugride (Winnie the Pooh from Walmart). I checked carefully that it had the full canopy, not the mini-canopy that attaches to the back of the seat. However the handle is really hard to adjust -- it takes two hands to press the red lock releases -- if there is any pressure on the handle one or the other of the lock releases won't depress. I had forgotten how critical it is to be able to do this with one hand -- with milk, a diaper bag, or an older kids hand in the other. I wouldn't buy this again, and I'm trying to decide if we can stand it long enough for the baby to hit 22 pounds (she's 12 at the moment).
br /
br /When the baby is sound asleep in the car seat (surely why you bought a snap-out car seat) the handle has a habit of sliding from an unlocked into locked position with a loud "WHACK!" that actually jars the seat -- waking the dead, let alone the sleeping baby.
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br /The straps are also very hard to tighten -- you have to feed left and right separately through a metal fitting to adjust. Our last carseat (an Evenflo?) had a one handle release -- you pushed down, then it rotated, and there was enough stiffness in the handle that even in a non-locked position, it never adjusted itself when the baby was asleep.

This is my first review on Amazon, because I felt compelled to share my thoughts on this product. I am a first time mom and did a lot of research on car seats.This one seemed to get good marks . The positives: yes, its very cute, relatively light, installs fairly easily. However, as some reviewers pointed it does not adjust in the front, you have to mess with the metal buckles in the back. Does not seem like a big deal to you? Trust me, it will when you have a screaming child to deal with. VERY USER UNFRIENDLY! ON top of it, the fabric is awful , she sweats so bad in it, even with AC on high. Granted I have not tried other car seats, maybe they use similar fabric, because of flammability requirements. I just know this one needs to be redesigned. But to each his own, I guess, a lot of people love it. For first time parents, I urge you to try it out at WAl Mart or Target first, before ordering it online, based on good reviews. I would not buy it again, thats for sure.

This was my second graco snug ride. My first one was for my daughter and I purchased it 4 years ago. Hers had the strap adjustment on the front of the carseat, between her legs. This carseat has the adjustment on the back of the carseat. Totally stupid. What kind of mother has the time or free hands to literally lift her kid up, while in the seat, and adjust the straps from underneath. I returned this seat and bought a different snugride model from babies r us.

This is my second Graco Snugride and I bought this one here because it was a great deal. Here are my positives and negatives for it:
br /Positive: pads for shoulder straps, double head rest, cute pattern.
br /Negatives: poor quality fabric w/ little padding, cover is not very big, DOES NOT ADJUST FROM THE FRONT!
br /I feel like the padding is a lot less than the last Graco I bought 4 years ago and I did not realize when buying this that it does not adjust from the front. It is so convenient to loosen the staps with front adjustment to put baby in then tighten. With this one you have to adjust from the back which is difficult. My 2 month old gets mad when I put her in sometimes and have to gently force her arm in or out of the strap and try not to bend a little finger the wrong way. Also with the back strap adjustment, the straps are never evenly tightened.
br /I would have spent a little more to get better. On a budget though, this does the job. Graco has a good reputation for making safe seats and I won't have to put up with this one forever either.

I got this car seat as a gift from my sister (and I'm grateful for it) but the fabric could be better. It feels like plastic, is not comfortable. Also the canopy does not extend enough to block the sun. It's not attached to the back of the car seat, so every time I extend it, the back side also moves! Its annoying... Looks beautiful, but I was expecting more from GRACO.

We purchased this carseat because of its safety record, however, I cannot wait for my son to outgrow it!
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br /1) It is extremely heavy.
br /2) The handle always gets stuck.
br /3) The fabric is about as comfortable as a plastic shower curtain.
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br /However, there is something good about this carseat...it can be used with our bugaboo stroller.

I wish this pattern had been available in stores, but am quite happy with it so far. Love that it has the separate base to leave in the car, and the additional products that work with this carrier (swing, stroller frame). Only wish there was more padding under baby's bottom instead of just fabric plastic.

I've only used the car seat for 2 1/2 weeks, but so far I like it! It is by far the cutest one I could find, and I love the easily accessible tightening strap.
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br /The only things I don't love are: it seems like the seat base is able to move forward and back too much; the fabric is really stiff; and there is no elastic strap to keep the fabric cover in place like most other models have. It's not a problem yet but I'm sure it will be.
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br /In short, I like the seat overall and even with the negatives, I would still probably have bought it.

I registered for the graco quatro travel system and this car seat. It is durable and once you break out the directions and practice using it before you get to the hospital it makes like pretty easy. My daughter is now 4 months old and we love the car seat. She is just getting a little heavy to lug around at 13lb+the 8 plus pounds of car seat. It can be used with or without the base so I can leave her with my parents in it and they can use it in their car without the base and I can use it in mine with it. I'm not sure if all models have that feature, but mine does and that was important to me. I never really used it by attaching it to the stroller very often, I found strolling that way was annoying so I laid her in the stroller as a newborn-2+ months. She got great head control early so we were able to put up the recline on the stroller and she was happy to just see the world in her stroller. With the car seat attached to the stroller she could only look back at mom or dad and that got old quick! Good luck! This car seat does the job and is comfortable with good padding!

This is our second Graco Snugride and it has proven to be a great car seat. After some research, we decided on the Snugride because of it's high safety rating and cost. I have read concerns about the base becoming unlatched during crashes, thus I wouldn't invest in separate bases. The good thing about this car seat is that it can be installed safely in the car without the base. It also works well with car seat covers and the lambskin pouch inserts for cold days.

We've been using this for about a week. The base was easy to install in the car and it is very simple to put in and remove the seat itself. It's recommended that you buy a stroller to put the seat in as it's quite heavy to carry by itself.

I bought this product from Amazon because the description cleary states this item includes "Removable, all-weather boot with blanket helps protect your baby from the elements". I received the car seat and upon opening the box I found out it does not include these items. I called the manufactor and they state there is no removable blanket and boot protector for this model. Beware other Graco car seats on Amazon also list that it comes with the Removable, all-weather boot with blanket but most of the ones on Amazon do NOT come with these items. Check the Graco website to find out which models really do come with these 2 items. I am very dissapointed as that is a big reason I choose this model.

We bought this seat last summer for our preemie son. For safety record, you can't beat a Snugride, but some of the patterns didn't exactly wow me. I wanted something sharp and gender-neutral, and this pattern (Lotus) fit the bill.
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br /After using this seat for five months, I can say that the fabric is quite durable. It is, however, not soft, and would probably be very hot in the summer (a problem the Metropolitan fabric also suffers from). The canopy has been very useful for keeping out rain, snow, and wind. The boot, however, doesn't really offer much protection.
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br /The infant inserts in this model are outstanding. When our boy came home he weighed 5 lb 4 oz and the inserts kept him secure quite easily. Adjusting the straps and moving the harness up weren't exactly easy but it was doable and still feels secure.
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br /We pair this seat with the Graco stroller frame, which you can't beat for price and ease of use.

Great Car seat for baby but don't pay more than $150 for it.. the price its at now is ridiculous!

The car seat is adorable, I order it as a gift for a bridal shower and is very cute.

This is a great car seat. The front adjust makes it SUPER easy to make sure our baby is nice and snug. I've tried a rear-adjust seat, and they are MUCH more difficult to tighten. Front-adjust is definitely the way to go! The seat is easy to clip in and out of the base. The fully-adjustable sun shade means she is protected from the sun, no matter which way we're carrying her. I do wish that it would fit her until more than 22 lbs, but since she was less than 6 pounds at birth, I'm sure she'll turn a year old well before she'd outgrow it. As for weight, they'll all fairly heavy once you've got a baby in them. We get tons of compliments on this car seat. Since it's not available in mass-market stores, it gets a lot of attention for being unusual and stylish.

this is a great seat. can only be found online. if you alread have a graco stroller this will fit it.

i bought two of those since we've just received baby twins...the head support is perfect and the seats are very easy to install. couldn't ask for a better quality.

Love, love, love the pattern! Perfect for our little boy. Very practical car seat that feels well-made. Easy to understand the instructions and works beautifully with the Vie4 Stroller in the Super Saurus pattern. The car seat rocks too when set on the floor - a neat feature that I didn't know about. As far as the strap adjustable deal, couldn't you adjust them while the carrier is on the floor? Not sure how annoying that will be but so far nothing bad to say about this car seat!

I love the color and design of this seat as well as the excellent safety reputation. It's gender-neutral and not so "babyish" as some of the designs out there. My 2000 New Beetle has the LATCH system which was great for installing the seat, but the new recommendations are to install the seat behind the driver, and it just wouldn't fit. Not unless I drive with my knees completely up in my chest. It installed fine behind the passenger side, but similarly, a front seat passenger will not have much leg room. I'm still very happy with my purchase. I just wanted to put this FYI out there for anyone else who might drive a small car like me.

I did a lot of research before choosing a car seat and, once settling on the SnugRide (based on safety reviews), I then had to decide on a pattern. I wanted something that was not "over the top" girly or a corny, "too pink frilly" pattern. Once I saw the Betsey, with it's pink color and brown accents flowers, I just had to have it.
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br /I must not have been the only one because it was completely sold out and not expected in two two stores that carried for for at least three weeks. I ordered it from Amazon and got it in no time (with the Prime 2-day delivery). It was so simple to put together an even easier to install in the car. It's sturdy. The seat itself is very easy to put in the base and pull out of the base.
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br /I would definitely recommend this seat to other mothers. My daughter looks so cute in it. Of course, my daughter always looks cute! :)

We were using an older, used car seat that we had gotten from a garage sale.Then I heard that it would be safer to get a new one.Just in case.Super cute for the" mod print" lover!Like me.Still about as heavy as our old one.That's pretty much the only downside.I noticed right away that it was made longer(from top to bottom)Than our older Graco.So our 4 3/4 month old daughter fits in it really good!Much better than our 3 year old Graco carseat!More room to grow!That's always nice.

I am so thankful to Amazon for offering this product. About a year ago, my husband and I registered for all of the Family Tree line products from Target. For the birth of our daughter, we received the carseat, stroller, pack play, high chair, etc. Recently, we were involved in an auto accident and needed to replace our carseat. Naturally, we wanted the same pattern to match all of our existing pieces. Unfortunately, Target had discontinued the pattern, and had absolutely none of these carseats available. In fact, we were told by Target that they were the only carriers of this pattern, and no more existed period. Thankfully, Amazon is a life-saver! I was able to purchase my favorite carseat for the exact same price, was provided free shipping, and received my package in only a few days...what a wonderful experience! Thank you, Amazon!
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br /And, for those interested in the quality of the carseat, there is none better. I previously mentioned I was involved in an auto accident. In fact, it was very serious - we hit a tractor trailer head-on, and both me and my husband suffered multiple injuries. However, thanks to this model carseat and the grace of God, my daughter was protected perfectly...she did not even suffer a scratch! I cannot tell you how thankful I am for Graco products!

Do not buy this car seat! My husband and I did research on Consumer Reports and the Baby Bargains Book to find the best, safest carseat and decided to buy the Graco Snugride in Milan. This car seat is neither the best nor the safest! Our daughter is 4 1/2 months old and we have been dissatisfied with this car seat from the beginning. It feels so cheap compared to my sister's Chicco Key Fit - especially the handle. Like other reviewers say, the red things you push down on to raise and lower the handle stick about half of the time. They are extremely frustrating to use. Before I had a baby I didn't realize that you are raising and lowering the handle every time you get in and out of the car so this is a very important part of the car seat! Another feature of this seat that feels cheap and doesn't work is the sun shade. Unlike other reviewers I didn't have too many problems with the size of it, although it is a little small. The problem I have is that the "bones" of the shade come apart in the middle and the sun shade sags. Even when the shade is working it gets tangled up with the handle. This carseat is designed very poorly!
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br /Unfortunately, I have a much bigger complaint than these... Last week I was putting my daughter into the car. I lowered the handle and then gave it a quick tug to make sure it was in the locked/down position. The handle was apparently locked on one side and not on the other and when I pulled the handle up it BENT IN HALF!!!!!!!!! Imagine if I had been carrying my baby when this happened!!! This is a huge safety issue and the seat needs to be recalled. I returned it to the store (luckily I bought it at Great Beginnings in MD and they have wonderful customer service) and they gave me a brand new one. They called Graco who apparently said this was the first they had heard of such a problem, but I am very concerned! If it happened to me it is bound to happen to others (especially because the defect happened because of the red handle levers not working properly which other reviewers have complained about!). I have never written a review in my life but I was so concerned I felt I needed to share my story... Be forewarned!

After I ordered the car seat, I read the reviews and wasn't fully impressed...I hoped I hadn't gotten myself into any unpleasantness! I got the car seat in record time, and it was in perfect shape. The box it came in looked like it had been kicked a few times, but the car seat looked fine.

Great colors and looks stylish!! I was not a fan of the plaids that are everywhere!! Also, this was one that passed the Consumer Reports Crash Test at high speeds, so I feel better knowing my baby is safer!!

Nice car seat. Would recommend. No issues so far. Kinda heavy, but its ok I guess.

The only con about this product is the big yellow warning label on the inside of the seat. Aside from that, I love it.

This is my 3rd infant car seat for my third little girl. I have always had a Graco car seat...they are the safest out there. This one is by far the best. Not only is it so cute and girly, but it is very easy to use and adjust. The straps are much easier to adjust than on our other (older)Graco seats as well. As a mom who has been there and done that 2 other times, I would definitely reccomend it. It's not overy bulky or heavy either.

I ordered this product because I was very happy with a previously owned graco infant seat, and found out we were having twins so we needed another. What I didn't pay attention to when we ordered it was that this seat can only be loosened and tightened from the back of the seat, because it did not have the tightening strap in the front like most other seats. That means the only way you can adjust the straps is if the seat is not in the base or the stroller. VERY INCONVENIENT. We returned it to Amazon without a problem and bought a more expensive Graco that had the tightening strap in front.

Just wanted everyone to know that although this seat is rated for infants 5 lbs and up, that our 5 lb 15 oz baby did not fit and was not allowed to leave the hospital in it. Our hospital does a carseat study before you leave. We had to go buy a different seat (the Graco Snugride fit fine). So, please be aware before you go to the hospital with this. Might be good to borrow a friends Snugride just in case...you will only need it for a month maybe, then you can move up to the Safeseat. The two problems were: The straps above the baby's shoulders were more than an inch too high. The strap between the legs was almost 2 inches away from the baby's croch.
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br /We haven't officially used this seat yet. I rated it 4 stars because I anticipate we will love it...when we get to use it. Just wanted people to be aware of this potential problem. This is not what you want to hear when you are trying to get yourself and your infant out of the hospital and then you have to send someone out to buy a new carseat - STRESS!!!

I have twins and unfortunately bought two of these before I knew any better. Everything about it is cheap. the worst part is the red 'lever' you have to push in when you want to raise the handle - on both of mine 50% of the time - always when the baby is crying - the red lever gets stuck somehow and WILL NOT push in to raise the handle bar. Spend a few extra bucks and get something that wasn't designed by a bunch of morons. This is terrible.

Does this SnugRide fit into a standard airplane seat?? I am going to travel with my 2 month old and wish for him to have his own seat. Will this work? Has anyone tried?

Does anyone know if this car seat can be used without the base, such as strapped in a taxi with the seatbelt, facing backwards? I live in NYC and do not own a car, and most of the car seats seem to snap into a base that sits permanently in the car. What to use for taxis?

I promised myself I would do this once my son turned one year since these online reviews were so helpful to me when I was pregnant and registering and after my son was born. Here goes: Carseat-Graco Snugride. Absolutely the best. Has great safety ratings. Very soft and cushy for baby-much better than the PegPerego that we were originally looking at. Easy to clean and once you do it the first time, easy to rethread the straps after washing the cover. Vibrating seat- Carters bouncy seat. It reclines so that when they're really little you can lay them flat, turn on vibrate and get them to sleep. Easy to clean, easy to assemble. It has an attached blanket if the baby likes to be swaddled. My son hated swaddling so we ripped that off. We originally had the baby papasan which I think was by Graco but I liked being able to recline Jack when he was really little to help him to sleep. Pack and play-Graco pack and play with the bassinette and changing table feature. I used the bassinette a lot when my son was really little. My husband would constantly remove the changing table feature because he didn't like it so I left it off after a while. We were on one level so changing him in his room wasn't a big deal. Had I had to go upstairs to change my son every time I would have won that fight with the husband-make no mistake. Also very easy assembly. Now that my son is a year I use the pack and play every day. He loves it and it takes less than 1 minute to assemble. High chair-Graco adjustable height high chair. The cover comes off easily to clean (machine washable). The only thing I'm not crazy about is you can't put it in the dryer but it air dries quickly and can be spot cleaned. It has adjustable shoulder straps, two snap on trays so one can be in the dishwasher and a one hand height adjust. Also it reclines for really young babies but I never used that feature. BUMBO rubber seat-A must have. Once my son got head control (about three months) he could sit in that. When he got bigger I actually fed him his first solid foods in that seat since the high chair seemed to big for him at the time. A great great item. We bought an extra to leave in the car for trips to Grandma's house. My son Jack absolutely loved this seat. Sterilizer-Avent microwave sterilizer. Easy easy easy and works great. 200 ml of distilled water (I use water from my water dispenser instead) and you microwave everything for 4 minutes. That's it. I use it all the time for his pacifiers and little toys that get dirty. Don't bother with a wipes warmer. I have one (I can't remember the name) and it works but the wipes don't really get too warm and they cool pretty quickly. I have it and I use it because it's there but if it broke I wouldn't replace it. Bottles-Dr. Browns--Once I finished breast feeding and went to bottles these were the first I used (I got a pack as a gift) and feeding Jack was like night and day. He spit up much much less and was less fussy. About the same price as the Playtex and worth every penny. Yes, there are extra parts to clean but it was worth it. Jack would launch half a bottle two hours after a feeding and this changed almost immediately once we tried these bottles. I never tried any other brand. Why mess with success?

I used an earlier version of this Car Seat and loved it. I did hate that my son got too tall to continue the use of this carseat untill he turned one. I will by an updated one because of the new consumer reports for my next child.