Our son is our second child so we used the Graco Infant Car Seat up until this evening. At his recent apointment he reached the max height limit of 26lbs. We have an Alpha Omega convertible car seat but it only fits in the middle of my 2003 Toyota Corolla. With our daughter in a toddler front facing booster it is impossible to have a convertible car seat in the middle.
br /
br /I noticed that the infant car seats had higher weight limits and height limits since our purchase in 2003. I loved the Graco baby products that we have used for both children and I knew for certain that it would fit in the back of my car.
br /
br /I love that it will last the rest of the 5 months until he is 1 year old. The convenience of the infant carriers is what made me purcahse this car seat. My son is 7m and is just sitting up. He is akward in the shopping cart so this car seat will allow me to place him in the front section of the shopping cart like I always have with his older Graco inftant car seat. And it works with our older Graco stroller model.
br /
br /Here are the pros and cons:
br /
br /Cons: The LATCH system was super tightly attached to the base of the car seat and I almost broke my finger trying to loosen it out of the "LATCH holders" so I could install it. My DH's fingers were too big to get into the small crevis.
br /
br /PROS: For babies 5 - 30lbs and 19 - 32 inches. (97% tile), convenience!, great fabric -- very easy to spot clean, cover easily comes off to clean, easy to adjust base of car seat for proper angle, easy to adjust straps, front adjust for shoulder straps, 3 shoulder strap levels, sun block shade, easy grip handle, handle locks in 4 different positions (great because the older model I had only locked in use mode, so now its locked while in the car).
br /
br /I also notice this car seat is lighter weight than the older model and a lot more safety features have been added.
br /
br /I just dont understand why someone would pay $200 for the other brand while this one has the same features and is super nice! Well worth the $$!

My kids are long and tall and my son outgrew his Graco Snugride at four months old and we had to move him up to a convertible seat. It was a huge pain because he wasn't yet old enough to sit up well in a shopping cart for another three or four months and I didn't have the option of bringing him into the house if he fell asleep in the car or moving him from car to stroller without waking him up. For my daughter, I bought the Safe Ride pictured here and it's been great! At four months, she would have outgrown the Snugride, just like my son did. It's so nice to still have the convenience of an infant carrier.
br /
br /I disagree with the previous reviewer who complained about the fabric on this model. I love that it's so easy to spot clean and it doesn't get grungy looking like the more cotton-like fabric on most of the Snugrides. I've been using it from July through Feburary and she hasn't gotten too hot as long as I dress her appropriately.

Our almost 6lb son was too small to be safe or comfortable in the carseat we bought before he was born, so our first stop after leaving the hospital was a nearby Target. Being able to try out the car seats in the store, this Graco SafeSeat was the only one that held him well. We've never regretted the purchase. I only wish we'd bought this one to begin with.
br /
br /Whether your newborn is small, large or somewhere in between, this seat is great!
br /
br /Our son is about to turn a year old and is still riding comfortably in this seat. The sun shade is wonderful and also works as a 'distraction' toy when pulled back and forth. I love the easy to clean fabric. For almost a full year of heavy use it looks like almost new! Great durability and we still appreciate it's safety record.
br /
br /When used with the base it takes up quite a bit of space, but has been doable in either of our cars or the small bench seat of our old extended cab truck.
br /
br /Top quality, a safe comfortable ride for baby, easy to get baby in and out of, and quick adjustment of straps. I'm frugal as possible and I really wouldn't recommend anything less than this seat.

We too had HUGE infants (9.5lbs and 9.14lbs). So for the 2nd one we bought this carseat that will hold up to 30lbs. The problem is that the carseat itself is also very heavy! I had actually hurt my neck (s slipped discs) lifting the baby in this carseat in and out of our minivan. Since I have recovered, I just take him out of the seat (which kind of defeats the purpose of having an infant seat)
br /
br /My other complaint is that the straps ARE ALWAYS STUCK!!!! It was like that with our old Graco snugride and it's like that with this one!!! I need to unhook it from the base to center the strap buckle all the time. Very annoying. Graco needs to get better parts for that whole mechanism.
br /
br /The fabric is nice, easy to clean but yes it tends to get "unbreatheable". The base is nice as the tilt adjustment is very easy
br /

My son was 10lbs 7 oz, and 21.5' long, so this infant carrier was perfect for his size. He's at 4 months and 24" long and 17lbs. He will soon surpass the weight limit of 22lbs other carriers have and he's not ready to sit up in a car seat. One of the cons is this is a heavy carrier and it is very awkward to carry with my son in it. Both grandmothers cannot carry him in this carrier. Another con is while the fabric does hold up well and is easy to clean since my son spits up a lot, it also makes him sweat profusely. I live in Texas so every time I get my son out of the carrier his back is soaked. I've put a folded up sheet behind him, which helps, but it makes it awkward to keep the sheet straight while I'm buckling him in.

This is a great car seat. My daughter is almost five months old and she's still in it! The only problem I had with the car seat was the so-called newborn headrest which was completely useless. We had to buy a more snug head rest for when she couldn't support her own head. We still use it because of the size of the car seat, but at least we know it will last her a while.
br /
br /I feel as though my daughter is safe in this car seat and that was something I was worried about before she was born. We also have the matching stroller.

I bought this carseat because of its big weight and length limit. Here are a list of things I found out about this carseat that are bad:
br /- Very heavy. I am a very athletic/strong woman and this carseat is not "fun" to carry. My baby is only 2 months old and I am not looking forward to the increased weight with the seat.
br /- Material is non-absorbant. My baby is constantly sweating in this carseat. It doesn't even have to be hot outside. It's because of the material. So I have to put a blanket underneath so he isn't drenched in sweat everytime.
br /- Awkward carrying. Next infant carseat, I will buy a carseat with a "S" handle or a handle that doesn't make you carry it so awkward. Along with the weight of the seat I have to walk very funny as not to constantly bump the carseat.
br /Those are the major cons of this seat. I do not recommend this seat to anyone living in a hot/warm climate or cannot lift a lot of weight.

The car seat is great and comes in many different fabric options. Some of the "fabric" is like plastic and VERY hot for the baby. This particular one, Roxy, is terrible. It's the middle of winter and my son's back is covered in sweat when we only take a 10 minute car ride. There is no way I can put him in this during the summer.
br /
br /What's even worse is that I have the matching stroller! Now I'm looking at having to purchase a whole other travel system. If you plan to purchase this car seat, go to the store and feel the fabric before you do. I'll probably purchase the same seat for my large son, but in a different fabric.