safety first

I know an infant carseat isn't "needed" but not knowing how big my 3rd would be I decided I felt better having one. My oldest was big enough she could have skipped it but my 2nd would have been lost in a convertible. I opted for the Snugride because it is widely recommended amoung carseat technicians and mommies alike.

However, the best carseat for anyone is the one that fits your car the best. The Graco apparantely wasn't it. I had a sedan from the 90s and baby would be sitting in the middle where there was only a lap belt, it was the only option. According to the "manual" though the carseat cannot be used with lap belt only seatbelts forward of the seat "bite" (crack) and our seatbelts did that. Before baby was born we bought a minivan though and this problem became a non issue. I thought I would mention it though so anyone with seatbelts as such can check the manual of the carseats before buying.

Anyway, our van has LATCH. I adjusted the angle then I installed the carseat in a LATCH position easily, however tightening took lots of work. Even after lots of work I found that the carseat is installed acceptably by Graco standards but I would prefer better. It does not move at all at the LATCH/buckle path and moves less than 2" at the forward end but I would prefer less movement.

The seat itself is easy to put in and out of the base. It has also been easy to install securely without the base in my husbands 2 door car's backseat as well as my sister's minivan. It features an easy to adjust 4 position handle. It also has a machine washable seat cover. The boot in my opinion is fairly useless except for toes, it doesn't cover enough and the elastic in mine has already broke (my daughter is only 7 weeks old). It also has a head support, I like that the head support comes with it (so is safety tested with it, unlike possibly unsafe after market head supports) and doesnt go completely under baby only under the head so is easily removable. I do not like the support it offers though, it works OK for a light and small newborn head but after that it is not large enough to offer much support and even then it is minimal support. The straps are easy to adjust from near babies feet except I am finding the strap is getting stuck if not perfectly straight in the lever, if it gets stuck it is hard to adjust and that strap has already started to fray so will need to be replaced. It features 2 shoulder heights and those have been easy to adjust or take out to remove and wash the cover. The chest clip and buckle are easy to use though coming home at less than 20" tall the chest clip seemed huge almost engulfing my daughter making it difficult to get the straps tight enough. Though I haven't had a problem with the straps getting twisted, which is nice. It also has a place to store the included instructions and locking clip so they don't get lost.

All in all it is a decent seat but I expect more from all the hype.