Graco Snugride 35 Infant Car Seat Review

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $169.99
Sale Price: $135.99
Today's Bonus: 20% Off

This review is for the Graco Snugride 35 Infant Carseat Lowery

Pros:

1. Self Supported Canopy (Big plus for me)

2. Easy to adjust harness

3. Up to 35lbs and 32 inches

4. Sturdy Base with adjustable angle

5. Extra handle position

6. Great design (haven't seen the other designs, Brunswick and Flint)

7. Rubber on base to prevent slippage

8. Works with the Graco SnugGlider Swing

Cons:

9. On the heavy side of car seats

Description:

1. I must say I am really writing this review because of the self supported canopy. I have seen and used many other strollers and car seats with annoying canopies that latch to the back of the head rest and come out a certain distance. While this is a standard design, I hate it. Unless the canopy is really huge, it is basically useless, because unless you live on the equator, the sun always comes in at an angle. The Graco Snugride 35 has a self supporting canopy frame. So the canopy can be adjusted as far forward as you'd like and still maintain its structure. This is such a great feature to keep sun light, wind, and all sorts of weather off the baby, regardless of what angle it's coming in at. Sure other car seats let you unlatch the canopy from the back and move it forward, but then the back of the canopy droops down because it has no support.

2. I love the harness on this seat. First off it has the individual side clips that can be buckled in separately, so there is no fancy finger work trying to get the two sides together and then snap it in. Second, the harness is easily loosened by depressing the clamp and pulling the harness away from the baby. This makes for easier access to the baby. Just in case you were worried, when the seat is snapped into the base, even if you depress the clamp, the harness won't budge. Safety feature I guess. I had a car seat prior to this one that was just incredibly difficult to loosen the harness, so annoying. I do say the chest plate seems a little large for a newborn, but my 7lb 7ounce son does just fine (he's now 8lb 4ounces).

3. I love how long this should last. It seems so stupid to buy a car seat that can only be used a few months. 35 lbs and 32 inches should make life a little easier. However, this feature causes a little more weight, which I will discuss later.

4. I am coming from and Eddie Bauer car seat to this car seat and owe my, the difference is like night and day. I don't know what Eddie was thinking, but their base was so wobbly when installed it was like placing the car seat on a took pick and praying it didn't tip over around a curve (Yes, I put all my weight on it and tightened it real tight). When I installed the Graco Carseat, which was a breeze to do, it felt sturdy before I even gave it a big tightening pull. And to add the security, the base has an angle adjustment knob which causes the plate on the bottom, called the `foot' to move downward by twisting the knob on top. I did this after I tightened the base in. This increase in height tightened the base even more. That base doesn't move an inch, or even a millimeter. The only thing I'm worried about, is the nice square imprint the foot will leave on the seat of my car, lol. Oh well, the safety of my child is way more important.

5. The extra handle position is another plus for me. Most car seats have 2 positions in which the handle snaps. One spot is the carrying position and the other is at the head rest. The Graco Snugride 35 has and extra one in between. It's not really a big deal, but it's just one of those things that makes life a little easier. Mostly I like to set it in that position when he's in the car so that the handle doesn't block my mirror set up.

6. Design is awesome, soft and sturdy. My wife loves the print. So do I since it's pretty neutral and we are planning on having more kids. I love the newborn head rest. It's seems more plump and effective than others, but I do agree with the other review that it could be plumper as there's still plenty of room for the newborn head to move around. We just add a small rolled up towel around his head for now. In about a month, I imagine it will be the perfect size.

7. I love the rubber and the bottom of the car seat. It makes me feel so much more at ease when I put him down on a slick surface. Also it still has a curve to it so you can rock the car seat if you'd like.

8. This car seat works with the Graco SnugGlider, which I am so happy with right now. My son will cry (sometimes) when I first put into the car seat, but as soon as he's situated, it's off to a peaceful sleep. He doesn't like being still though for very long. So we either place the car seat on the swing or hurry up and get to the car. Not sure why, but car rides put our baby at peace like nothing else. Perhaps it's the vibrations, I don't know, but they need to make a car simulator for babies, lol. Anyways, since he sleeps so well in the car, we love the fact that when we get home, we don't have to take him out of the car seat and wake him up. Instead, we just attach the car seat to the SnugGlider and it keeps the motion feeling going which keeps the baby asleep. The swing does have a vibrating setting on it, I just haven't used it yet, probably should try that out. Anyways, the ability to turn the car seat into a swing and not have to take out the baby (which usually wakes him) is just so nice.

9. Well, I put this in the cons area, but it doesn't really bother me. I've read many reviews about car seats, and the one thing people complain about and take away stars for is the weight of a car seat. I tried out a few car seats and determined that these people are stupid idiots. This car seat may be a little bit more then the lightest ones out there, but those light ones won't hold as much weight as the heavier ones. And my goodness, we are talking about a few pounds difference. If you want to down grade something for weight alone, why don't you take a star away from your baby for every pound he/she gains. When the baby weighs 25lbs, the weight of the car seat should be a breeze. The best way to make things seem lighter is to do arm curls and work up your muscles, either that order a carbon fiber car seat. But I'm sure there still people who want to know about the weight. At 9.4 pounds it basically doubles the weight of your newborn. Both my wife and I are able to carry it around without much hassle. Don't get me wrong, I don't go on long walks with the car seat. But carrying it into a store or for a short period of time isn't a big deal. If he's gonna be traveling with me, I'll put him into his stroller.

Summary:

This is really a great car seat. I am very glad with my purchase and would highly recommend it to anyone with a new baby.

UPDATE, 17 July 2010:

My son is now 5 months old and we have been using this car seat the whole time. He is almost 18 lbs and 27 inches yet still has room to grow in this seat. I predict we'll be using it at least another 3 months before it's time for a new older baby car seat. This makes me so glad I purchased this car seat. Yes there are lighter car seats out there, but my son would already be pushing the limit on most of those. There is no way those lighter car seats could be used as long as this one can.

I also wanted to address one issue I've seen arise with this car seat, and that is the width of it. It is a little wider than most car seats which may or may not be a problem for you. We have found, as others have, that it doesn't fit into those standard wooden highchairs at some restaurants. However, we have hardly found this to be a problem and here's why; Many restaurants, such as IHop and Applebees, are moving away from the old wooden highchairs and now have new plastic transforming stools or slings, which this car seat works great in. Even when we have ended up at a restaurant that still uses the old ones, we were still able to find another solution and it has never been a big deal. I would not turn down this car seat for that reason. Regardless of the added width, it still fits in any Graco Snugride swing or stroller and many places now have highchairs or swings capable of handling a wider car seat.

Aside from that, my wife and I still love this car seat and are glad we didn't pick another lighter one, especially since we couldn't even use a smaller lighter one now. Get better bang for your buck and be willing to lift an extra 2 or 3 lbs.

UPDATE: 26 March 2012

Just installed it again in the car for its second run with our second son! Still loving this seat.

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I received the Graco SnugRide 35 as a baby shower gift and knew that it had stellar safety features in addition to looking cute without being too cutesy. This last Friday we were in an awful crash and according to the E.M.T. who rushed us to the hospital, this car seat was the reason our baby is with us completely unharmed today. Since I was sitting by her when the accident happened I saw with my own eyes how she was completely cocooned in the seat so much so that when we were rammed with such force the first time, she didn't even wake up from her nap. Even though I've been a regular amazon prime member for years (with packages delivered to my place on a daily basis) I don't think I've ever written a review on Amazon before today because I've never be so thankful for anything I've ever purchased in my life. Here are more details along with images of what happened in the crash

The most important thing about a car seat is that it keeps our babies safe and I can vouch that beyond shadow of a doubt this seat does that job. Thank you Graco SnugRide!! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

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I'm a mom of 4, so I've been around some carseats in my day. There is NO perfect carseat that I have found, they all seem to have a few glitches here or there that could use some improvement, but of the ones I have tried/owned...this is by far one of my favorites. First, I love this fabric...so modern and "chic" lol. More importantly, you can definitely tell there has been an emphasis on quality with this seat. I love the adjustable base, that I am not having to roll a towel or use a pool noodle to get just the right leverage under it. It's so simple..just latch it in and twist with the seat in place...no guesswork. The other little feature I love on the base is the new belt clip if you are not using the latch system. No more locking clips!! which is also cutting out guesswork. This is a very cool feature in my opinion.

As for the seat itself, super comfy. My DD loves it so much more than her old seat. It gives her just the right support in all the right places, she's not hunched over when she falls asleep. Huge PLUS. I have no problems with the seat's harness...it seems pretty standard to me. There is easy access to lengthen and tighten the harness while the child is in the seat. The upper buckle is not a problem for me and the lower buckle is super easy and super springy (i can unlock with 1 hand). I read reviews about the seat being too small at 4 or 5 months...this is not the case, just adjust the harness over the legs (there are 2 ways to adjust the harness instead of the typical 1). I also love the wider rubber grip across the handle. somehow it makes it easier to handle.

As for the size and weight. It says it weighs more than the old snugride...I, personally, cannot tell a difference between the 2 in weight so I feel it is negligible. As for those saying it is too big. I have the old snugride and I put them in a side by side comparison... absolutely no difference in size, despite its now 35 lb rating. It may be slightly wider, however, (at least the base) but only slight and this is really the only difference I could tell between the two. So, if you are like me, have an old snugride and are thinking of upgrading but worried this might be too big due to the reviews...have no fear...it takes up no more space than the old one.

All in all...5 stars. I love this seat.

Honest reviews on Graco Snugride 35 Infant Car Seat

My 8 month old was strapped into the Graco Snugride 35 when I was walking down a flight of concrete stairs (brace yourself): I tripped and lost him. He flipped, toppled and rolled down the entire flight of conrete steps in this car seat. He landed on the side. He ended up with a small bump and scratch. Thank God for this seat!

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I absolutely love the pattern on these carseats. (Yes, I have two since I had twin girls.) I get compliments on it all the time. However, it was a mistake to buy the 35. I have to push the front seats of the car up so far that my knees are touching the dash. The seat is so wide that it doesn't fit in booths at restaurants. It's also really heavy. The other thing was that when I received 2 seats one had a different latching system than the other. The one latch is really good and the other is extremely difficult to undo. The 35 doesn't fit in the snap n'go very well either and now my babies legs are really cramped.

Buy Britax Head and Body Support Pillow, Iron/Gray

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List Price: $29.99
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We have the B-safe carseat and b-agile stroller (LOVE the stroller!). Our 7.5 lb newborn fits well in the carseat but the head support that came with the carseat caused the straps to fit badly. The head support included with the carseat makes the shoulder straps too wide to fit properly. After contacting Britax about the issue and emailing them photos of the unsafe fit, the CS rep agreed that the straps did not fit right due to the insert and sent me the head and body support pillow free of charge. Now the straps fit properly (actually over his shoulders verses barely on his shoulders) and he is very snug and safe in the seat. I could have removed the insert and just used rolled up receiving blankets in it's place but honestly the insert included should fit a baby correctly. This solves the problem and as a bonus it's also usable in the stroller. This is fairly large so I expect it to fit my son as he grows for quite some time. I would highly recommend anyone who is using the B-Safe carseat for a newborn get this product as well if you want a proper fit for the straps, which should be coming from below or at level with the baby's shoulders rearfacing and lay over the shoulders, not the arms. Great product! It does make my son sweat but so did the infant support that came with the carseat. I would give it 5 stars if it were made of breathable fabric.

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Bought this to create a more snug fit for our NB son in a rear facing sear. It's very comfy and secure. He seems to like it too. Would highly recommend for newborns. Have been using it for 3 weeks ( he is now 6 weeks old) and no complaints.

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My son is 10 months old and still uses this. He's just so comfy in it. I think this is a must have.

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I bought this to use in a Chicco keyfit 30 car seat and it fits nicely. Supports baby really well.

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Too bulky for the car seat, to the point my 3 month old is uncomfortable. I guess it works better for tiny babies.

Review of Peg Perego Primo Viaggio SIP 30/30 Car Seat

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List Price: $300.00
Sale Price: $149.99
Today's Bonus: 50% Off

I have 7-yr-old twins and thought my family was complete, so I ditched all my baby stuff. When our surprise baby #3 entered the equation, I had to buy all new stuff and swore I wouldn't make the same baby item mistakes with this baby that I did with the twins...like the infant car seat. After months of research, I ordered a seat through Amazon. When it arrived, I realized that it wouldn't work, so I returned it (thanks, Amazon). The hunt was back on.

Finally, I purchased the Peg-Perego Primo Vaggio SIP. Out of the box, I was happy with the design nice fabric, good handle grip size (some are too fat for girl hands), nice big canopy, and user-friendly buttons/lock releases. Now that the baby is here, I'm even more pleased with the purchase. Unlike other reviewers, I found that my baby is MUCH more comfy in this than in the Graco seats I had with our twins. Her head does not flop around like theirs did, she seems cozy and falls asleep every time we use the seat. I even put her in the seat and bring her into the bathroom so that I can shower.

The majority of complaints I saw were about the straps tangling. It is my experience that ALL 3and 5-point harness straps tangle and are a bit of a pain. In any case, I have had no difficulty with them at all. I'm also shocked to see that folks complain about the size and weight of this seat. Yes, it is bulky to lug around. So are all infant car seats. No infant car seat is really ideal for carrying long distances. That's what snap-n-go strollers are for!

In a nutshell: I love this seat and would recommend it.

UPDATE: After five months, I still love this car seat and would buy it again. However, I have a few minor complaints that I wish I had known in advance. 1. The canopy ends RIGHT at the handle when it is in the carrying position. That means when I stick it in the crook of my arm, the canopy pops out of it's locked position. That brings me to gripe #2. The canopy only has two positions open or folded. It will NOT stay half way. Finally, gripe #3. It is very difficult to find a car seat cover (e.g. Bundle Me) to fit around the head rests. I ended up buying four different styles and, naturally, only the most expensive one fit over the side impact wings.

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As a 1st time parent I'm naturally very interested in keeping our baby boy safe. So when he decided to come 10 weeks early, I had a lot of items to buy in a hurry! I'm THRILLED with this purchase. I would buy it again. I have, and continue, to recommend it to anyone looking for a carseat. WORTH EVERY PENNY!! Here's why:

1. It fit our preemie. He was safe, comfy, and it has grown well wtih him.

2. Super easy to install into our car(s), we have a Subaru Forester & Nissan Titan. Also used it in a Rav4 & Chevy Malibu rental cars, it fit both perfectly. I use it behind the passenger seat.

3. Color is awesome! We have the green shade and I get TONS of compliments on it. Fabric is good quality and has not had any reactions with his skin, as I've read for some other brands.

4. SAFTY!!! When my son was 7 months old, we were rearended at a stop light by a teenager not paying attention. There were 3 adults and my infant in the car. All three adults got mild whiplash my son was 100% fine!!! THIS CAR SEAT IS AWESOME!!! The paramedics on the scene said this brand is the BEST, he sees it save infants all the time! It's been 3 months and our baby is still OK, no hidden whiplash, etc.

5. Easy to remove from the car & connect into our stroller, then put back into the car.

So, you can see, it's great. Here are my negatives just cause nothing is perfect.

1. It's heavier then some other seats out there, but not the heaviest, and the quality is worth it! So I did't mind.

2. The straps twist, making it hard to tighten, but it's been 9 months and that's only now becoming an issue, and he's almost outgrown it.

3. It only lasted us 10 months, our lil preemie isn't so lil anymore!

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I ordered one of the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio SIP 30/30 infant car seats in Oct 2013 and was startled to find the new car seat arriving with a Feb 2012 manufacture's date. Since the inventory had said, "7 in stock and more on the way," I had assumed it was a 2013 model car seat.

I called Peg Perego customer service and they were able to give me a list of the colors that were being produced as 2013 models. They also told me to check the Item Model Number. If the Item Model Number started with IMPV02, then it was a manufactured in 2013 carseat. If the code started with anything else (i.e. IMPV00), then it was a 2012 or older car seat.

This information was very helpful to me as I placed an order for a 2013 carseat. I hope this information can be helpful for someone else.

I cannot rate the carseat itself yet as we have not used it yet.

Honest reviews on Peg Perego Primo Viaggio SIP 30/30 Car Seat

I'm a mom of 3 and haves used Peg seats since 2002. Currently, we have both a Graco Snugride and this Primo Viaggio. The Graco is used with the 2011 Bob jogging stroller car seat adapter as Peg does not work with it in Bob's newly redesigned 2011 strollers. So the Graco is not used in my Lexus RX and it stays with my jogger. If you put these two brands side by side, you can see & feel the difference: Graco is inferior in material & has no side impact protection for child's head. My baby's head rattles around in the Graco so I use A snuzzler insert to brace her head. With the Peg I don't have to do this. The Graco's fabric is a little sweaty with nylon fabric, Peg has a Comfort Dry. What it boils down to is which one will withstand a crash...I'd venture to say Peg is safer. The Graco is so plasticy & light but that is reflected in their price. It's not often I'm lugging baby around without a snap n go type car seat stroller ( I use both a Joovy Caboose & the Baby Trend brand ).

The follow up seat we've used after 30lbs is Recaro, another superior brand and they make awesome convertible seats to boosters.

Viva Italia!

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I did lots of research before buying car seat and stroller and ended up with Peg Perego and I am not disappointed. This car seat is sturdy and I feel safe transporting my LO in it. Even got complemented on it in NICu by nurses while doing the car seat challenge.

What I like about it:

made in Italy

nice quality fabrics

very comfy newborn insert

easy to install with the base, snaps in

works great with Peg Perego stroller frame snaps in, just like in the car base

very sturdy

goes up to 30 lb

nice, big hood

Pois grey color is nice for a little boy and nice escape from super bright baby colors (hubby appreciates it)

I have read many reviews on this car seat complaining about the weight and I was little concerned. It turns out, it is heavy, but I find it a plus I know, that my child is safe in it. I am still able to carry it around if needed, but most of the time I use it with the stroller base, so if this is your plan, I highly recommend it.

I think the only thing I don't like about this seat is that the handle is not suppose to be in front of the baby in car mode, so no hanging toys from it to entertain the little one.

Evenflo Tribute 5 Convertible Car Seat Review

Customer Ratings:

It's a great car seat! We were on a budget so price was the primary reason for choosing this car seat, but it turned out great! The seat fabric might not be as nice and cushy as more expensive ones, but my 6-month-old is perfectly comfortable and well protected in this seat. No unnecessary bells and whistles to make it bulky or heavy!

Pros:

Light-weight and narrow. I'm petite and not very strong at all, but it was very easy for me to get it in and out of my car or carry it up and down the stairs. It's pretty narrow so I bet you can fit 3 of them in the back of a Sedan!

Easy to recline. There's a piece underneath the seat and all you have to do is to just flip it forward for rear-facing, and flip it backwards for forward-facing. You can not recline the seat when the car seat is already installed in the car, but most likely you will be using it for one kid and won't have to adjust the recline all the time so it's not a problem.

Easy to adjust the shoulder strap height and crotch buckle position. You do need to rethread them, but it's super easy to do.

Front adjuster for shoulder strap length. You just push the button in the front of the seat and pull the shoulder straps to loosen them, put the baby in the seat and do the buckle, and then pull the strap on the adjuster to make it nice and tight.

Comes with a latch system and a tether. We don't use this but it's a nice option to have. And there are little loops on the back of the seat to hang the latches and tether when not in use, so that they won't strangle the baby or hit them.

Comes with a little head support for the small one.

The head support and the low-back/bottom part of the seat cover are made of vinyl type fabric, so it's easy to wipe clean.

The whole seat cover comes off easily and machine washable.

Cons:

The cupholder that comes with it is pretty flimsy and doesn't attach very securely to the seat. And the instruction manual said not to use it for plastic cups but only for paper or foam cups. Since the rider will only be using a plastic sippy cup, I don't think this cupholder is very practical.

That's the only con I've found so far!

Couple of things:

When you install it rear-facing with a seat belt, you have to remove the front part of the seat cover to reveal the slots where the seat belt goes through. The front part is attached with a little plastic piece on both sides, so you do need to use a little bit of force to remove it at first. This was a little tricky for me at first so I thought I'd mention it.

It does rear-facing from 5-35lbs, and forward-facing from 20lbs (and at least 1-year) to 40lb. I use it for my 6-month-old rear-facing and it works great. The other day, I used it for my 2 1/2 nephew, and the seat seemed to sink to a deeper recline position because of his weight (29lbs), which was not very comfortable for him. So I think to use it for a bigger kid rear-facing, you should probably make the seat non-reclined.

There's an arrow on the side of the seat that's supposed to be level with the ground. My car's back seat is at an angle so I had to put a rolled up blanket underneath the seat to make it level.

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I dont personally have kids, but in order to steal my nephew for an afternoon I needed to get a nice car seat that my sister (first time mom) would approve of. She personally paid over $300 for her car seat and she told me there was lots of swearing and sweat as her husband attempted to install their expensive top of the line car seat. I paid pennies for this car seat and it was super easy to install, had good reviews already and was super easy to take in and out of the car. My nephew is comfortable and its really easy to pull him out of the car and put him in. I also must say that this seat is compact. My sisters expensive car seat makes it impossible to sit other people in the back seat cause its sooo overly bulky. But this car seat is slimmer without loosing out on any protection or padding. I can fit 2 people NO problem in the back of the car. I highly recommend this car seat to any new parent or an aunty looking to have a spare car seat!

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This is exactly what I was hoping it would be, a decent basic car seat that could stay in our 3rd vehicle, that is easy to use and adjust for our front facing toddler.

Why I like it:

Price

Easy to use strap tension adjustment

Does what I need it to do without paying for a bunch of extra bells and whistles that I did not need

What it lacks, or why I did not rate it 5 stars:

The box states Made In The USA, but closer inspection of 2 labels on the opposite side of the box show the seat and cover are both made in China. This deceptive labeling really ticks me off, and I would not have bought the seat had I seen this in person before purchase just for that very reason, despite the fact that every car seat I can find is also made in China, the deception is infuriating.

It is rated as a rear facing seat for 5-40 lbs, but does not come with any additional padding for an infant on the low end of that range. A small baby would be swimming in this seat and not secure in my opinion. My other convertible seats came with additional layers that were added or removed from the seating area to accommodate these size variances. Since my son is already a toddler and pretty big for his age, this was not a problem for me when purchasing this seat, but I can certainly see it being an issue for someone intending to use it for a smaller rear facing infant, and believe it should be noted.

The cup holder is barely adequate. Again not a deal breaker for me, but worth mentioning if this is a feature that is important to you.

Also worth mentioning is that this seat cannot be used as a booster with a vehicle seat belt. While this is not really a con so much as it is just the style of design, it is worth considering that there are many forward facing seats that do include this option, and will extend the useful life of your car seat. For me, I already have several booster seats from my older son, so this also was not a big concern for me. I would say the ideal age range for this seat would be about 1-3 or 4 years old (depending on the size of the child).

If the spartan features of this seat appeal to you, I recommend it, it is a good choice.

Honest reviews on Evenflo Tribute 5 Convertible Car Seat

I thought when ordering this carseat it was light purple, it turned out to be pink. Much lighter than it looked in the picture to me. It is still very cute and my daughter has enough room, she seems to be comfortable in it. It is not as bulky as a lot of car seats I have seen and there is plenty of room for people to sit in the seat next to it.

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I purchased this seat for my 12 month old daughter. I use in in my FORD F250 truck placed in the middle rear facing. It doesn't recline far enough so I needed to put a rolled towel under it in order for the chair to be in a position that my daughter was comfortable in. According to the safety gauge, using the towel, still kept the chair "within safe limit". Also, the padding of the chair is thin so the seat feels hard. I wouldn't recommend if using for long drives. I think my daughter gets fussy because she's uncomfortable.

Cheap Graco RoomFor2 Stand and Ride Classic Connect Stroller, Metropolis

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List Price: $149.99
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**SEE BOTTOM for UPDATE (still POSITIVE) after owning this for 7 months**

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For the price, and the "pound for pound" value (no pun intended, since this is actually one of the lightest doubles out there too!), this is the **absolute best double out there** I have a son who's almost 32 months old, and a 6 month old daughter. It is easy to fold up, it is as light as you can get (easy for me as a guy, and reasonably easy for my wife and our nanny who is small). It's not small, but I was able to fit it yesterday in our mid-size sedan's trunk, when it already had a large duffel bag and some other stuff in the trunk. It's under-seat storage is easily accesible, and the cupholders are great also. My son loves standing on it, which we did not expect, because as he gets closer to 3 years old, he can be a little whiny :) But when he's tired, he likes sitting too. Further, my 6 mo old daugher is still obviously in her car seat (a Graco SnugRide 32), and that seat fits quickly and simply into this. I was worried from some reviews and the pictures that when the car seat was in, my son would find it more difficult to sit on the bench, because the car seat foot-end juts out a bit, and my son is in a phase where he finds his baby sister a bit annoying, so I was worried her feet might bother him, etc: the seat *does* jut out a bit much, but my son (who is about 38" tall) didn't even notice. And once my daughter is out of the SnugRide, and we're not carrying her car seat everywhere, the built-in seat is great for her: we've already used it with her, and it's fine. It's not all luxury cushy, but it is perfectly acceptable.

I spent a great deal of time looking at all the doubles out there, eliminating very quickly all the side-by-sides, which I find offensive to the sight, particularly when I see people navigating them through narrow aisles in stores, etc. Ugh. So we knew we wanted a front-to-back style that takes up no less horizontal space than a regular stroller. Then after reading all the review of the high-end models, it seemed clear that most of these strollers are: 1) quite heavy; 2) not easy to fold; 3) notwithstanding their $250-400+ pricetags, still with annoyances of their own. So then I went shopping at a lower pricepoint, and found the 2 Graco double strollers, the "Room for 2" (the one I am reviewing), and the "Ready2Grow" version that costs an extra $70. I strongly advise picking the Roomfor2 over the Ready2Grow, for the following reason(s): I went to a physical store and tried out the more expensive Ready2Grow it is a behemoth. I did appreciate that it had 2 removable/interchangeable cushiony seats, and not just a bench, so I could see that in the short-term, when my son is still enough of a "baby" that he can go into the toddler seat, it would be a tad more comfy for him. But at what price (and I don't mean $$). The thing is GIANT and HEAVY, and it is absolutely DIFFICULT to fold down and unfold....I couldn't even figure out how to unfold it, once I had folded it up! **I'll save you some time, too: take a look at both product videos on Amazon. They both look great, right? BUT, notice that when the smiling Mom is using the Ready2Grow, and about to do the alleged "one hand-fold" of the product, the VIDEO CUTS AWAY. HAHAHA. That's because they wouldn't want you to see that when it folds down, it is HUGE, bulky, etc. I don't see how most people are fitting that in a trunk -even many SUVs. Meanwhile, the video for the the Roomfor2 *does* show you the full 1-handed fold-down of the stroller, all the way to the ground, and it is *compact*, reasonably light to carry, and simple.

For me, it was a no-brainer -and now that we've been using it for 3 or 4 weeks, we couldn't be happier. Good luck!

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***UPDATE*** 7 months later: So my son is now 3.5 years old (an almost 2 inches taller!), and my daughter is almost 15 months. A commenter asked me to update my review, and now is the perfect time: we just got back from a week in Orlando/Disney (right before the east coast blizzard, luckily!) We brought this as our only stroller for the 2 kids, and it performed like a champ. It remains VERY easy to fold and stick in the trunk (and for what it is, it's really relatively light), and also note that we had a rented a Nissan Altima, and there was plenty of room in the trunk for 2 big suitcases and this stroller. Further, after navigating Disney World, I can only reiterate that I would NEVER want one of those side-to-side strollers...no offense, but I find them obnoxious, taking up so much horizontal space, tough to walk around, etc., etc. On one day, I actually noticed someone with another front-to-back model, but it was one of those expensive $300-400+ jobs. I remember looking at it, and noticing that it looked pretty darn similar to ours and then I remembered that not only did they pay an extra $200+ for it, just go read the reviews of all of these, and there were serious negative reviews of the more expensive ones --far more than for the Stand and Ride! So I did an inappropriate mental whisper of "sucker!" and went on my way. :)

Some other observations/caveats: 1) sometimes we still had my daughter in her car seat (like when we went through the airport), and in those cases, if my son is sitting in the seat (facing the person pushing the stroller), he's now tall enough (almost 40") and she's now big enough that her legs/feet extend past the lip of the car seat, and if she feels like it (and she did a few times), she can give a good kick to the back of my son's head. Likewise, when he's standing up, and she's in the car seat, she's a sitting duck if he feels like giving her a smack/push, etc. But such is life with 2 children 2 years apart, I guess! My son is relatively mellow enough that he didn't mind the occasional kick (or at least, didn't respond with overwhelming retaliatory force!)

2) Also, there have been times where my son (he is 3.5, remember) finds it funny to use his feet to hit the brakes of the stroller, which is annoying. But kids can find various creative ways to hinder your forward progress no matter the stroller you use, and he soon learned if he did that, he would have to walk with us instead of ride (and if I was in a real hurry, I'm big/strong enough to actually lift the whole thing up and just push it only on its front wheels so that the back wheels w/ brakes don't even have to roll...but some people might not be able to do that). In any event, it still wouldn't cause me to blame the stroller, and every front-to-back stroller would have this identical problem.

3) You really should buckle up your bigger child when they're sitting in the seat facing you. We have had a few near-"incidents" where he just hopped on to the part of the stroller where he can stand or sit, and we were lazy and didn't buckle him in when he sat down. In one instance, we were rushing to catch the monorail at Disney, and my wife grabbed the back of the stroller to lift it into the train (creating a 30+ degree angle from the front of the stroller) -he wasn't buckled in, and went tumbling under the handle, onto the ground. He was fine, but startled...and obviously that was our fault for being lazy. There were also one or two times while I was pushing the stroller at a fairly quick pace where he didn't realize he couldn't just step off the stroller onto the ground! Suffice to say, we're now much more diligent about always buckling him in when he's sitting, and he learned you can't step off a moving object without consequences.

Overall, I still highly recommend this stroller. Great price, great performance.

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As a background, I have three children under 3 1/2, so I have to have a lightweight, easy stroller that turns easily, has decent storage, and doesn't take up a ton of space. I am really quite particular with my strollers, and I definitely liked this one of all the strollers I tried.

Pros-

*Folds really small, almost as small as my single graco metrolite stroller!

*Has a latch to hold it together when it is folded so it doesn't keep opening when you're trying to get it in the car.

*The front tray swivels, making it easy for the child in the front to enter and exit (important with a baby in an ergo so you aren't trying to juggle carrying kids!)

*The front seat reclines enough that my 2 year old could take a nap in it (although she never has).

*The front tires can be locked, making it easier to go over rough terrain.

*The basket is easy to access and can hold a decent amount, although it isn't huge. I can fit a diaper bag full of stuff for three kids though. You won't be able to fit lots of bags if you go on a shopping spree. :-)

*The parent tray cupholders are deep, so my drinks aren't spilling or falling out.

*The center slot in the parent tray fits my smart phone and keys perfectly, and is just out of reach of my preschooler.

*My preschooler loves to stand in this stroller! It has comfy handles for her to hold onto. When she gets tired, the seat is comfortable and has straps to keep her in if necessary.

*Pretty easy to steer, although not with one hand. You can steer with one hand, just not easily.

*Super lightweight, so easy to take in and out of my car.

*My Graco carseat snaps into the front easily and feels secure. There is still room for my daughter to sit or stand in the back with the carseat in. Her head is pushed a little forward from the carseat, but not enough to bother her.

*My husband doesn't kick the board where the child can stand! Yahoo! I don't either, but as a reference, my husband is 6 feet 2 inches. The other stroller we had, he kicked a lot!

Cons:

*Front seat doesn't recline completely flat, so a little baby would have a hard time napping in it.

*You can't steer it with one hand easily.

*underneath basket could be bigger, but seeing as this is a compact double, it's a good size!

*My preschooler LOVES to push the brakes while we are walking. We are working on this. I don't blame the stroller though, she could probably do that on any double.

*The sunshade is a little too small to help. Plus you could buy an extra one if needed.

*No snack tray for the rider in the back. I solved this by purchasing one that clips on. It works great and my daughter loves it!

Comparisons: (yes, I have really owned all these strollers!)

*Joovy cabooseI didn't have the ultralight, although the only difference between the caboose and ultralight is weight. I don't feel like there is anything about this stroller I like better than the Graco. I guess the footprint felt a little smaller, and it was TINY folded up. There are a lot of things I don't like. The front tray doesn't swivel, it is impossible to steer, the basket underneath is useless and fell off all the time, when a carseat is up front, a child can't sit in the back, there is no parent tray so you have to buy one, and those aren't very nice, the sunshade isn't big enough, when you do put a Graco carseat in you have to use an adapter, the snack tray for the child is tiny, the front seat barely reclines, the seats are hard and uncomfortable. I guess one more thing I like more than the Graco is that it comes in fun colors! But not worth it. Graco is much better.

*Graco ready 2 growThis would have been my favorite, but I returned it for a few reasons. It is HUGE. I have an Expedition, and it BARELY fit in there folded. I couldn't fit my groceries from Costco and the stroller at the same time. The board where the child stands is so far back that I even kicked it when we walked (I'm only 5'5"!). My husband kicked it so bad that he decided he didn't want to use it at all, so I had to push it when we walked. The parent tray is ridiculous. Is swivels out for a drink, and isn't deep enough, so things always fell out. I couldn't fit my phone in the tray and even when I did my daughter could reach it. The brake is right below the child, and my daughter kept accidentally kicking it! It is a beast, and I could barely lift it! The things I liked better about this stroller than the one we have, the room for 2, are the following: definitely easiest to steer out of the strollers I tried. You can steer with one hand. It also includes an extra jumpseat so a baby can face you, but you have to wait to use it until the baby can really hold their head up because of the angle. It comes with two sunshades that are ample. When folded, it stands on it's own. I would say the obvious winner here is the room for 2. It comes in cuter color choices like black and green, but still not worth it to me!

*Bob double jogging stroller, revolution (older version from 2009)I have a love hate relationship with this stroller. It is an amazing stroller for jogging or even walking. I love so many things about it! The child seats are really comfortable and can recline flat, there is a peek a boo window on the sunshades to check on the kids, the sunshades are HUGE!, it steers so easily and pushes so easily that you don't notice the weight, the front wheel can either swivel or stay still, it comes in cool color choices. However, the things I don't like about this stroller make me not use it often. It. Is. GIANT! I can hardly lift it in and out of my car! It doesn't latch shut, so it is really hard to lift. There is no parent tray included, and the one you can buy is pretty lame. You have to buy kid trays separate. The stroller and accessories are so expensive!!!!! The basket underneath is really little, suprisingly, considering how giant this stroller is. We have small sidewalks where we live, and if someone is walking towards us, we either have to move to the street or they do. It is really big, did I mention?

*Babytrend sit and stands (I don't own but tried out at the store)these are nice strollers, that fold pretty small. I only tested them, but my impression was that they are made really cheap. They felt flimsy and the seats were kind of hard! They are not inexpensive either. I would go with the Graco.

*Phil and Ted (don't own it, just tried it)these things are cool because they really are the size of a single, and are SO incredibly easy to steer. My problem is the weight, the basket size is tiny, there is no parent or child tray, the sunshade isn't huge, and the poor kid in the back is practically riding on the floor and can't see anything. My three and a half year old is pretty small, and sitting in the back seat made her look like a giant! She wasn't comfortable back there!

Hope this review was helpful! We love our Graco Room for 2 stroller, and recommend it highly. It isn't perfect, but no stroller is. This has the most important features to us, and our kids are happy when we go on long walks, which is so nice! They are close enough to share food and drinks with each other, but not so close that they are bugging each other the whole time. Good luck finding the perfect fit for your family!

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I wanted to love this stroller and was a little disappointed withe the number of little things that I don't like about it. None of them are major but when added all together I can see how much better the stroller could have been.

Pros:

This easily holds both my daughters. My three year old loves that she can sit or stand and thinks getting to ride in the stroller with her little sister is a lot of fun.

The stroller collapses easily and is just as small as our single travel stroller when collapsed.

The stroller is light enough to move easily when collapsed.

The stroller steers easily even with both kids in there.

There are lots of cup holders and places for snacks.

The basket underneath is a good size.

Cons:

My husband said the instructions for putting the stroller together were not great and when he pushed down (as instructed) to attach the foot rest one of the clips to hold it on broke easily.

The stroller fully collapses to the ground which means you have to pick it up to move it which is not easy when holding on to the younger child. (My other stroller collapses to a standing position and can then be moved on the rear wheels.)

When the front seat is in the reclined position, my three year old really needs to stand to have enough room. If she wants to sit, she ends up leaning forward because the other seat is in her back.

The five-point harness for the front seat is not easy to use pieces are all separate and must be fitted and held together while trying to buckle the child in.

The sun/rain cover for the front seat is stiff and not easy to adjust.

The way the seats are positioned makes it difficult to get anything large into the bottom basket even though the basket is large enough to hold it. I'm not sure I could fit our diaper bag in there.

The rear wheels have separate brakes so you have to push on each of them. The child in back can also easily reach the brakes with their feet and push on the while you are moving. (I have no idea how this one could be avoided though!)

We will definitely be using this stroller when we go places outdoors that require a lot of walking. It is a good stroller that could have been made even better with a few small adjustments.

Honest reviews on Graco RoomFor2 Stand and Ride Classic Connect Stroller, Metropolis

I ordered this for our 3rd and 4th child (almost 3 years and 2 months old). With my first two children I owned a Baby Trend Sit and Stand. We have owned many many strollers. My favorite was the Metrolite by Graco. That is the reason I picked this stroller over the Joovy and Baby Trend sit and stands.

Cons:

-The front tray of the stroller is flimsy and the release is awkward to grip to open/close.

-When the front seat is reclined there is no room for toddler to sit without leaning way forward (causing toddler to lose balance). Same thing when using the carseat.

-The parent cupholder is on the inside of the stroller facing toddler. It does not securely attach and only holds 3 lbs. I don't see why Graco didn't permanently attach parent cup holder.

There are no secure clips to lock in carseat. You are instructed to use the front lap seat belt to secure infant seat.

-The Sunshade is small and extremely hard to move. I did go ahead and purchase the Protect-a-Bub to shade my toddler and I was able to make it work. My toddler likes having a little tent above his seat.

-The basket seems small and is hard to access with toddler in stow. Had to hang diaper bag on handle of stroller making it harder for my toddler to get in and out of his seat.

-The front seat's straps are very very tall.. I put my 2 month old in just to get an idea of how long it will be before she can ride without the carseat and it will be months. The lowest straps were level with the top of her head.. I was hoping she'd be able to sit in it around 4 or 5 months.

-The front tray is very tall also. I will add pictures just to give you an idea.

5pt harness is a pain all pieces are separate and must be fitted and held together to buckle.

Pros:

-It is compacta bit heavy but seems pretty durable (other than the flimsy cup holders).

-It drives very well for a double.

-I find it easy to fold and lock (with the exception of the shade).

Overall I would not buy it again. I do not plan on returning it since I'd pay a lot with shipping. I hope I will like it better once my baby is able to sit in the front seat without her carseat. Then my toddler will have more space. I don't remember having these complaints with my Baby Trend Sit and Stand. I choose the Graco over the Baby Trend because it accepted my carseat and from the experience I had with the Graco Metrolite.

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I was so glad to see that Graco came out with a sit and stand stroller since I have always liked their products and had good luck with them. There wasn't much to put together and it seems to be really sturdy. My Graco carseat snaps right in the front When you use the stroller with the carseat the front seat is in the upright position so there is plenty of room for my todder to sit on the bench or stand. When comparing the RoomFor2 to my Graco one-seat stroller there isn't too much differnce in lenght. The wheels are almost exactly the same just the tray on the RoomFor2 sticks out a little farther. The handle is padded with a nice material that won't tear like my old Graco stoller did. The bench seat for the toddler has a little padding and the standing platform has some bumps on it to help with traction. The front seat is nice and there is a bar on the back of it that you lift up to recline the seat. It folds up so easily and is actually smaller when folded then my Graco one-seat stroller. It easily fits in my trunk. It is easy to steer and push with a toddler and baby in a car seat. I haven't used any other sit and stand strollers so I don't have anything to compare it to, but I am sure this will work great for my kids.