Graco SafeSeat vs Snugride....please help a first time mom-to-be!

[LnW]

I went to check out strollers at BRU this weekend, and had in mind that we'd be going with the Graco Snugride. But then we saw the SafeSeat, and I liked the idea of having the carseat with larger weight/height limits. But after thinking about it for several days now, I'm not sure how I feel about buying a carseat that just hit the shelves and really hasn't been reviewed that much. (Both snap into the Peg P3, which is the stroller we think we're going with.)

I understand that there are benefits to having a carseat with higher limits...but I'm not sure what all of these benefits are. Why not just get the Snugride, and get a Marathon (or something similar) for once the baby outgrows the Snugride?

Please enlighten me...my head is spinning!!!

Thanks!
Lana

[mariza]

A lot of people love the convienece of the infant carrier, but honestly I can't imagine lifting a 30lb baby with a 10lb seat and carrying it around. By the time DD was 7 months she hit the 27" mark on her Snugride and I was ready to move on.
When is your dure date? If you are newly pg you may not want to decided until there is more feedback on the Safeseat. Or you can go with the Snugride2 which has a slightly higher weight limit than the original. 5-22lbs and 29 inches compared to the original 20lbs and 27"
It depends on the size of your DC too, mine is going to be one year old on Sunday and is 19lbs and 28.5 inches. Suprising since DH & I are not small people! I'm 5'7" and he's 6'2".

[Niki_n_Abby]

A lot of babies out grow Snugrides in a matter of months - like 4-6. For a $150 or so investment, 4-6 months of use seems like a total waste when you then have to spend $250+ for a new seat.

I'm considering a SafeSeat for our next baby because I can easily move it between cars and with a 32 inch/30 lb limit, I can almost gaurentee that I'll be able to use it for a year+ which makes the money spent much more worth it. FWIW, I never carry my baby in the car seat. Just because the option is there doesn't mean you have to use it, but with the higher limits, you can still use the seat and not be forced to replace it so soon.

Niki

[OneOfEachHowSweet]

I think the SafeSeat is a great choice ~ once your baby/toddler is too darn heavy to carry around in the SafeSeat ~ leave the SafeSeat in the car and use it until your baby/toddler outgrows it by height or weight ~ just because it can be a carrier doesn't mean it can stay in your car just like any other convertable/booster car seat.

HTH ~
Shannon
Mommy of
Carter & Lilly

[Neatfreak]

I kind of agree with the other posters - as long as you don't intend to carry your baby around in it until he or she reaches the height and weight limits, it's a good value.

[bensmom]

I have only seen the Safeseat once and have not really played with it, so this is truly just based on my initial impressions, and I could be wrong. But, my concern with the Safeseat is that although my child would fit in it for a significantly longer period than the Snugride, I'm not sure that the baby would be as happy in it, compared to a convertible seat.

I think that it's a great option for travel, short trips, etc. or for a baby that otherwise outgrows the Snugride in January and the infant seat would be really nice.
But, the Safeseat is a larger infant seat and I believe reclines like an infant seat. By contrast, a convertible seat, while still RF, can be installed significantly more upright. My DS has no problems being RF still (he's almost 2, almost 30 pounds), but for at least the past year and probably longer, he's been happier sitting more upright.

So, for baby #2 due in a few months, I'm just using my Snugride, then moving on to a convertible seat.

JMO!

Ilana

CPS Tech and mom