Customer Reviews

Graco SnugRide 35 Infant Car Seat

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

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.

Overall, a great seat for it's intended use!! We love the Graco SnugRide 35 for our daughter! The fabric is soft, and it did get a little warm for our summer baby, but that's the same with almost any infant seat I think. The head support was not great for our 6 pounder when we left the hospital, but we rolled up thin blankets and placed on either side of the head support and that helped tremendously!

We have 2 bases, which makes it easy to use in both of our cars without too much planning ahead. You have to do enough of that with a new baby!

Other pluses- the fabric is cute! Argyle works great for our girl, but will be great if our next child is a boy! The straps adjust easily. The canopy- as others have said- has a full range of movement and that's great for sun and rain!

We are thrilled that she will last in this seat until she is 35 lbs or 30 inches long!! Some people think that one has to turn a child to forward facing once his/her feet can touch the back of the seat; that's not true! Baby should stay rear facing for at least a year, MINIMUM, and can stay that way longer. Child just folds up legs "froggy style" instead of having them go straight out.

Yes, it is heavy, as others have noted. We have UPPAbaby Eco-friendly Vista Stroller, Orange/Alex with a bassinet attachment on it, but chose to get the UPPAbaby Car Seat Adapter for Graco for the frame as well. Makes it easy to tote the carseat into a store for a quick trip if we won't be doing a lot of walking. (otherwise we take her out of the carseat and lay her down in the bassinet, as that's better for infant spinal development, or put her into a sling/carrier.) Now that we've been using the seat for over 3 months, and our DD is almost 15 lbs, it's getting pretty heavy! But she is also easier to maneuver now, and I imagine we could leave the seat in the car sometimes and just buckle her in once we get outside. I do think one gets accustomed to carrying more weight as the child gets bigger!

As others have said, this seat is wide. We have been to dinner at several casual restaurants where the space between booth and table is not wide enough to slide this in. She is still small enough that we just pop the seat onto the table (after asking if the restaurant mgr minds, of course!) We prefer not to put the seat on a high chair in the middle of the aisle but the new sling things at some restaurants work great!

Another consideration- this does not fit into the tops of grocery carts snugly. We usually take her out and wear her in a carrier or sling. But if necessary, we have figured out how to position it "just so" and it is stable enough, but we still keep a hand on it, and never ever leave the cart unattended for even a second, especially now that she is kicking and wiggling all over. Some smaller seats snap in easily in the top of the cart. If this is something that's a deal breaker, look elsewhere.

Also, this does not fit in the standard Graco SnugRide base. Only the Snugride35 base. We found this out the hard way at the babysitter's house!

We highly recommend this seat for its longevity of use and other great features!

For our first son, we used the older model that went to 30 lbs. We found that he outgrew the seat before 30lbs and was ready for a front facing seat by 15 months (he's a tall boy). As far as I can tell this seat is slightly bigger. It is also heavier. For kids like ours the limiting factor for a rear facing seat is how long until their legs don't take up all the room between the seat back and the car seat. I don't see how this chair will change that limiting factor - but my newborn is still only 2 months old. I'll try to update this review in 10 months.

Other than that, these are great seats. Secure, well built and having a solid reputation. We thought about going with a more expensive seat, but the safety reviews seemed pretty similar (some put this one higher). I just borrowed a friend's less expensive car seat (Eddie Bauer) and it was hard to get the fit right and it really seemed flimsy and much less secure.

I recommend getting the 'Graco SnugRider Infant Car Seat Stroller Frame" for about 55 bucks. It works perfectly with this seat, and is super light and convient for keeping in the car - good for grocery store etc.

UPDATE: By 14 months we moved on to a different seat (don't worry - It's still rear facing). Still, this was a great car seat - just don't expect to make it all the way to 2 years in it. Our boys are pretty tall, but I suspect most kids won't make it to 24 months in this one. We did buy a new car (Subaru Outback 2010) which really helped with the leg room on rear facing seats. That said, this one was limited by the should straps (I suspect any seat of this style would be similarly limited). Our new seat is more of a toddler seat, that allows for rear facing. I suspect that this is the way to go. Use a seat like this for the first year. Transition to a rear facing toddler seat for a year and then move on to a booster style seat.

We purchased the Snugride 35 in Flint and could not be happier. The picture does not do justice. The padding is very soft and plush. Will be very comfortable for baby. With the 35 lb and 32 inch max, this is definitely gonna last > 1yr. The side impact safety feature makes this a 5. The only con is that the infant head support is way too big for a newborn. Otherwise, we love this car seat.

After doing research and reading reviews, we decided to get the Graco Snugride 35 for our daughter-to-be. After having used it for 14 weeks, I have to say I'm not particularly enthusiastic about the Snugride 35. Some days I just plain hate it.

My complaints are are mainly about the small things that can make daily usage a pleasure or pain. Since I use this seat every day, the small things that are minor annoyances at first tend to get really, really irritating after awhile.

My list of irritants:

1. Floppy Head Syndrome (Actually less of an irritant and more of a safety issue)
My daughter's head always flops quite forward when she fall asleep in the car. It happened when we had the (useless, in my opinion) infant insert in, and it still happens now with a different head support piece we bought separately (I think it's by Summer). The seat is installed correctly, but the angle of the seat itself pitches my daughter's head forward when she's sleeping, so she's slumped over. I don't know if this is because the seat is designed to last longer, so it has more of a seat incline, or if there's some other reason. Regardless, it's unnerving.

2. The Canopy
The canopy may be self-supporting, but the way it is attached to the seat seems rather loose. As a result, it tends to flop down under the back of the seat when the seat isn't locked into the car. This is not only annoying as a design feature (and means that the canopy may pick up gunk if you set it on the ground), but I've had it actually interfere with the swinging motion of the SnugGlider by catching on the ground, waking my baby up. Since she's a terrible napper in general, mama is *not* pleased when this has happened.

I also find the clearance between the back of the carseat and the handle a touch too narrow, so that the canopy often gets a bit stuck when moving it from the rear to a more forward position, while the seat cover also gets pulled a bit away from the seat itself.

3. The Harness
I know some reviewers are a fan of the harness; I'm not. I find that the upper buckle sometimes sticks when I'm trying to take my daughter out, which is particularly trying when she's screaming her head off. I've also found that the tightening mechanism for the harness is inconsistent--sometimes one side of the harness tightens much more than the other, and I have to finagle the straps a bit to get even tightening.

In general, I find the harness makes it a huge hassle to get her in and out of the carseat, especially when the seat is in the car.

4. The Weight
I know this is a sore subject for some reviewers, but the weight can be annoying, especially when the bulk of the seat is factored in. I live in an apartment building and getting the carseat into my apartment involves stairs, an elevator, and a long hallway. When I'm trying to carry something else at the same time (e.g. groceries), the weight and size of the carseat are definitely annoyances.

5. The Size
I own a 1998 Honda Civic. Even though I read online the seat would fit, it really barely fits. We placed the carseat behind the passenger seat and initially had to move the front seat up every time we put the carseat in or took it out. We have finally found a magic distance that allows for a barely comfortable ride for the passenger in the front without having to move the seat for the Snugride; however, getting the Snugride in and out involves some careful maneuvering and usually a smooshed finger.

We thought this would be a great purchase, since we wanted a carseat that could be used for awhile. However, if I had to do it again, I would have gotten a smaller, lighter carseat. As it is now, I'm too cheap to buy another bucket seat, so I'll just continue to grumble each time I use the Snugride 35.

This is a popular infant seat because it offers the best longevity out there, giving your child up to 35 pounds before needing to upgrade to a larger seat. I took my kids to the zoo last week and saw no less than 3 other parents with the exact same Snugride 35. We like ours very much, but have noticed a few things about it that can be drawbacks. For one, it is quite heavy to lug around. Second, it is wider than other seats and has trouble fitting into tight places (like restaurant booths, shopping carts and flipped-over high chairs).

First, This is a GREAT car seat ... Except for the fact that it leads to everyone hating you.

I would Instead recommend the non '35' Graco car seat. This is the one all of our friends have, and it does not suffer from the below issues:

-- Snugride 35 Issues --

1. This thing is Heavy. A good 2-3 lbs heavier than normal car seats. That 2-3 Lbs just sucking life out of your arm as you carry it.

2. Size -- This thing is longer and wider than the normal Graco. This leads to the following issues:

a. Doesn't fit well behind driver/passenger seats.
b. Makes it a real pain to get in and out of the middle seat due to it's size and weight (when occupied).
c. *** Too Wide to fit in a 'upside down high chair' At a restaurant ***
d. *** Too Wide to fit in a booth at a restaurant ***

3. Due to #1 & #2 It is very difficult to gracefully remove or put in a sleeping baby from your vehicle, usually ending up in a non sleeping baby.

4. Due to #2 you are stuck with a car seat in a chair or on a table at restaurants. Which is not only crazy unsafe, but usually inconveniences others.

etc. etc..

Seriously, Our world is not built for this large of a car seat... My wife hates me for buying it. My pets hate me since it takes up so much of their car space since it only fits in the middle of the seat. My kid hates me since I'm always waking em' up. Every person in every restaurant I have been in the last 6 months hates me. And I hate myself for choosing this car seat.

But, other than that, it's a great car seat, and I have nothing bad to say about it.

Got this seat to replace a hand me down, was looking between peg perego and this but decided on the graco. Have been using for a month and agree with the other reviews

1. Adjustable shade cover is worth it alone, being able to adjust to block out the sun but still allow air in, especially when in the back of the car.

2. Quite comfortable - foam is decent and is roomy so plenty of room for growth left, 4 month old average size daughter is quite comfortable in it - has not cried when being placed in it like the older car seat.

3. It can get warm - out and about in a stroller on a warm day can have her sweating - this is probably the only drawback - but from what i have seen fairly common across car seats.

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.