Buy Graco SmartSeat All-in-One Car Seat

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List Price: $299.99
Sale Price: $262.98
Today's Bonus: 12% Off

I had this seat for a few weeks but ended up returning it. Its a really great concept and will work great for a lot of families. I just think they need to work out a few issues and then I would be more than happy to buy another for my daughter.

Its extremely easy to install and transport between different vehicles because of the base. Its on the heavy side for carseats but thats not a big deal for me as I dont carry it around on a daily basis ;) Everything is extremely easy to adjust and use.

The 2 things I think they need to fix are the humungo thick harness covers that are required in the rear facing position, then not allowed in the forward facing position. They have thick foam in them so it makes it tough to get the straps tight like they need to be. My daughter and I both prefer the using strap covers and wouldnt be able to when she switches to forward facing :( How about we just get normal thickness pads like the My Ride 65 has so they can be used in both positions??

The 2nd thing I couldnt get over is how reclined the seat has to be in the rear facing position. Its great for newborns and infants with no head control to be at the 45 degree recline, but older rear facing riders may not like being so reclined. That was the case with my daughter and the biggest reason why I returned the seat. If I put the seat in a more upright position it make the level indicator bubble fall outside of the "okay" area, which Graco says not to do. It was very confusing to me as to why they would make a seat with so many recline positions but you can only use 1 or 2 and have the seat be at an ok angle. When the seat was at the most upright and still ok according to the level indicator my daughters feet were horizontally level with her head :( Not to mention it took up more front to back room then her Graco Snugride 32 infant seat. I was pretty much eating my steering wheel! (and I drive a huge Envoy Xl suv)

We now have the My Ride 65 and that allows a MUCH more upright install and is just as easy to install. I just really really wish this seat would have worked for us as I loved it before I actually installed it.

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We spent a lot of time comparing and deciding on a convertible car seat to replace the infant one we had been using for our now 6-month old. We finally settled on the Smart Seat as the features and design really stood out. But, after using it for 2 weeks, including a couple long trips, we returned it. In every-day use it just doesn't back up its price and is missing some final design & engineering touches that would make it frustration-free.

The Good:

Nice material design with good fabrics

Plenty of cushioning

Removable for use in multiple cars

Easy installation (installing the base instead of the seat makes maneuvering and tightening the straps a whole lot easier than other convertibles). The leveling bubble also makes MUCH more sense than other brand's "make sure this line is parallel with the ground".

Comfortable recline angle and head support that prevents head slumping while sleeping

Wings aren't huge. Our daughter really likes to look out the window and the head wings don't block the view like the Britax.

The Bad:

Incredibly heavy. I'd rather have features and safety than lightweight, but this does become an issue when swapping between cars which is the purpose of this seat. My wife could not lift it comfortably.

Very wide. We have a full-size CUV and have had other car seats set up on the 40-side of the 60/40 split middle row so that we could still fold down the 60-side. With this seat in place, we could no longer lower the other side of the seats making our 3rd row seats unusable. There was also a large amount of extra hip room that I don't see her growing into suggesting that the seat is wider than it needs to be.

Huge front-to-back length when rear-facing. We were able to make this work in our large car with the sliding headrest in the lowest position and pushing the front seat back hard against the car seat. However, with the headrest up, or in a smaller car, the front seat has to slide up so much that is mostly unusable for anyone over 5 feet tall.

The harness latch is hard to use both latching and unlatching. The button requires more force than other brands and the male parts of the harness buckles would refuse to engage cleanly. This usually resulted in a frustrated mother and an annoyed baby.

With the sliding headrest in the lowest position, the harness was difficult to slacken as it would get snagged on some internal part of the seat.

There was a constant rattle inside the seat as if the metal belt retainer was clanging against the seat shell.

The shoulder pads on the shoulder belts are way to large and would either push the belts to the edges of our daughters shoulders (not a safe position), or smoosh up against her face and again make for an annoyed baby.

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Extensively researched many car seats, my son is moving out of his infant carrier and i don't want to buy another seat for him after this one.

Yes, this one is on the more expensive side but i believe it is worth every penny. Plenty of room to grow (out and up), many seat settings (you will only have one permanent one for each "mode" but the variety is perfect to customize fit for each car).

It is a bit heavy but due to the steel bars i wouldn't expect anything less and i don't plan on moving it around too much (small price for the security it provides). Also, the weight is something i can handle if i need to.

i read all reviews on amazon, babiesrus and other web sites just to know what i was getting into and although highly rated it may not be for everyone. smaller cars i could see being a problem. i have a jeep grand Cherokee and this seat is positioned in the center of the rear bench. If it were on the sides of the bench, there would be some limits to the passenger in the front seat in regards to how far the seat could move back (but we had that issue with the infant carrier too... not a problem for us). however in the center of my car, both of my front chairs move all the way back if needed without compromising the car seat.

i have only used it in rear facing mode so far but i feel that is the most difficult position in a car with this particular car seat.

I also tested it with my infant carrier (chicco keyfit 30) in the side seat next to it (we plan on another child at some point) and it fits just fine. it is a bit snug but everything fits and works as it should.

my son also seems very happy to be in this seat as opposed to others so it must be pretty comfortable for him or he would be really squirmy.

overall, we are very happy with this purchase and recommend it if you are able to see how it fits in your car first.

FYI: Babiesrus will let you try the store's demo car seats in your car with no obligations. SO no matter which seat you choose i highly recommend trying them out first both on child and your car.

Update: a few months after purchase I have had to clean the seat a few times since my son got the flu (threw up in it). As far as removing the padding and cleaning it... i would say it required a little work to remove everything. I read the manual before hand to find all the holding tabs & hooks (there are quite a few you need to remove). Once everything was unhooked it was very easy to toss in the wash and dry. The straps were just wiped down with cleaning wipes since they weren't removed. Putting the padding on was fairly easy too.... however, a few of the tabs were impossible to get back in, but to me this was not a big deal. The padding/material still felt secure and stable with the many other hooks and tabs that did hook. Overall, my family is still very happy with this seat!

Honest reviews on Graco SmartSeat All-in-One Car Seat

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program This is an innovative car seat & design. We've tested dozens of car seats, & have lots of things to say about this one:

(1) Versatility (5 to 100 pounds). It goes from rear facing, to front facing, to booster.

(2) The "smart base" is a great idea. Unlike most other models with a base, this one does not have to be flipped around for rear vs. front facing. Once it's in, you can leave it in permanently. Buy another base to put in your 2nd car.

(3) Very sturdy, lots of extra safety features (steel frame, level bubble so you can be certain it's installed correctly, etc). And it gets top safety ratings. Tight stitching, sturdy pads.

... HOWEVER, here are some frustrations with it:

(1) Doesn't fit well for a slender child. Our daughter fits fine in it now, but when she was 20-25 pounds, there was WAY too much room on either side. The shoulder belts were an inch too wide on either side, didn't even touch her body. I can't imagine fitting a small infant in it.

(2) It sits too far upright the childs head flops forward when sleeping. Plus, the padding slides around a lot, not a big deal, but they should have some velcro on the bottom so you don't have to adjust it every time you use it.

(3) A cleaver child can unbuckle the top clasp! This is a really poor design. It took our 20 month old about 5 seconds to unbuckle it. I looked down, and it was unbuckled! At first I thought it slipped out, so I bucked it again. My daughter got a big grin, and unbuckled it again! So you definitely have to keep an eye on this.

They took the opposite approach with the bottom buckle it's *very* difficult to undo (even by an adult you have to push *really* hard).

(4) Didn't fit in either of my vehicles (Saab or Land Rover). Even in the Land Rover, you have to move the front seat all the way forward, then lean the seat forward as well, to accommodate the car seat behind it.

Fortunately it fits fine in our minivan, in a captains chair. In the rear bench seat, it takes up more than 1 seat, so it would be impossible to put 3 car seats in a row, or to fit 2 adults on either side of the car seat. It's the widest car seat we tested.

Additional Tip:

If you have a vehicle that has a large middle row (like a minivan), has room for a 2nd car seat if you need it, and your child isn't too slender, then I would definitely recommend investigating this seat further. There are so many neat little features on this I'm not willing to dismiss it completely.

You can go to any Babies-R-Us or Toys-R-Us and they will let you take the floor model to your car to try it out.

We reluctantly decided to keep this one, because of the great safety ratings & the amenities. For our infant, we use the Safety First Convertible car seat, which is absolutely top notch. Hope this helps good luck!

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Graco SmartSeat All-in-One Car Seat

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Graco is one of those names in the baby gear names that I trust. In fact, one of the first items I received at a baby shower was a Graco stroller. Apparently other women were thinking safety, comfort, and utility and chipped in to buy me one. The only safety issue I ever encountered was when my son decided to take a stick and shove it into the wheel spokes and bend a few fingers. Other than that, no issues whatsoever. I've been hooked on Graco ever since.

Several years ago there was an accident very close to my house when a mother fell asleep and hit a telephone pole. The mother and the baby were brought into our house and 911 was called. The baby was screaming, but after being examined by paramedics it was determined that he was going to be fine, but suffered quite a jolt because the car seat was improperly installed. We all had quite the fright, but that told me one thing ... there would be absolutely NO skimping on safety in the car seat department, regardless of cost. The Graco Smart Seat all-in-one fits the bill.

Graco provides that safety that I want for my grandchildren. This will be in the grandma mobile because safety pays in many ways and I want that for my family. This seat, once the base is installed is convertible and can be used for rear facing (infant 5 to 40 pounds), forward facing (toddler 20 to 65 pounds), and as a booster seat for the older child (30 to 100 pounds). This seat has a stay-in-the-car base, that once properly installed won't have to be played with or adjusted again. Now this seat takes up a lot of room and if you require a lot of space you may want to pass. It is however, absolutely perfect for grandparents and childcare providers who will be transporting assorted types of children because of the easily adjustable components of the seat.

PROS

++ This seat is convertible and can be used by children from 5 to 100 pounds in forward/rear and booster seat capacity.

++ It has a stay-in-the-car base that makes things much easier, especially if you don't want to keep adjusting your seat. Once installed properly, you won't have to keep guessing if the seat is safely in place.

++ The seat can recline which makes it especially comfortable for your forward facing child up to 40 pounds or so. If you are going on a long trip or have a sleepy child, this is perfect.

++ If you put the seat in incorrectly, you have a built-in warning system when the red tabs stick up. You turn the red knobs or "locking indicators" to make sure the seat is properly connected to the base. The side windows will change from yellow to gray to let you know.

++ The harness won't need to be adjusted when you switch to a child of a different height. A real plus if you have a child who loves to dash off (been there, done that) or one that is impatient.

++ The armrests can be put up or down. On a long trip the baby's, toddler's, or older child's arms and shoulder's will have less strain on them. This addition makes the chair a tad more ergonomic. If you don't need them, they can be flipped up.

++ There is a cup holder for a bottle or cup. This isn't a necessary feature, but a nice one for a thirsty child. For those who can maneuver a cup and put it in the holder it's great.

++ The car seat has an integrated harness storage compartment. I consider this to be quite a nice innovative feature. No tangling, loss, or irritation of having to find them if the compartment wasn't there.

++ There is a level indicator feature that once again, insures you have the seat settled in properly. This sort of feature takes the guesswork out of things and makes sure the seat is installed safely and will be comfortable for your child.

DRAWBACK

- The car seat is large and takes up a lot of space from the front of the seat to the back. Now, I don't mind this feature, but for those who want that space, they may wish to pass. Also the stay-in-the-car base may not be for everyone, especially for those who use the car for multiple purposes and need that space for other things now and then.

My verdict, if you can call that, is that this is a marvelously innovative, well thought out, and SAFE car seat. I love the design, especially the easy to understand, applicable safety features. In our town people schedule time to head to the fire station to check to see if the seat has been properly installed, but this at-a-glance seat tells you. You can't even fit a child in it when those red tabs go up.

I also love the convertibility aspect for transporting different aged children. One other thing I like is that you only have to buy one seat instead of two (I've heard more complaints about this). Expensive ... yes, but you get what you pay for. Not a seat everyone will like or one that works for everyone. This is a perfect seat for grandparents and caregivers. Thumbs up and five stars in my department.