Infant Seat...What would you do?

[cindys]

I have a graco infant seat that I am going to pass on to my niece who is expecting her first baby..

The infant seat doesnt expire for another 3yrs..

I am also giving her my Snap N Go...

Would you trade in the graco for a graco 32 or 35?

Thanks!

Cindy
Mama to 3 boys...18, 3 & 15mos :heartbeat::heartbeat::heartbeat:

[zag95]

I wouldn't- I think those higher GRACOS are so heavy- imagine lifting a baby in that that weighs 30 lbs, plus the weight of the seat! We had a standard 22 lb Graco and it worked fine-

Another thing to consider is that it reclines more. Our daughter cried when she was in her seat- and when we moved her rearfacing to her Britax Marathon, she was a much happier camper! I think she moved around 7-8 mos- and we kept her rearfacing until she was about 18 mos old.

[wellyes]

I wouldn't. I think the 22 lb weight limit is fine, once a kid gets that big they're not really comfortable to lift in the infant seat anyway.

Someone lent me a hand-me-down graco & snugride - it was far & away the baby gift I used most. Nice of you to share!

[chozen]

I wouldn't- I think those higher GRACOS are so heavy- imagine lifting a baby in that that weighs 30 lbs, plus the weight of the seat! We had a standard 22 lb Graco and it worked fine-

Another thing to consider is that it reclines more. Our daughter cried when she was in her seat- and when we moved her rearfacing to her Britax Marathon, she was a much happier camper! I think she moved around 7-8 mos- and we kept her rearfacing until she was about 18 mos old.

i have to agree, they do get heavy. our daughter is 2yrs old and is #29.

[AshleyAnn]

I have a higher weight limit SR and no I would not trade it in unless you have the lowest grade sr22 (ie - 3 pnt harness, back adjust, ect). The SR32/35 is heavier and bulkier to carry around so its harder to use than the smaller seat. I do like that the larger seats have EPS foam and not all the 22lb models do and the lock off is easier to install but niether feature is great enough to upgrade for someone else IMO.

[cindys]

Thanks everyone!

Yeah, my niece has hit the jackpot, she is getting all my baby gear except for my Maclarens...

We still use those!

Cindy
Mama to 3 boys...18, 3 & 15mos:heartbeat::heartbeat::heartbeat:

[AnnieW625]

I have a higher weight limit SR and no I would not trade it in unless you have the lowest grade sr22 (ie - 3 pnt harness, back adjust, ect).

There is no such thing as a 3 pt. harness Graco, at leas there hasn't been since before 2006. Yes the back adjusters can be a pain, but they aren't a deal breaker for me, esp. if the seat is in good condition. I wish I had gotten a seat with better foam, but now that I am looking at just getting a replacement cover for mine (that might be a nice gift for her too; email Graco for what's compatable), and hope that I can get one of the Gracopedic foam ones now. I am a little excited to be using my seat again:) (I had always thought I'd just upgrade for #2).

[edurnemk]

I had a Graco SafeSeat (30 lb limit), it was impossible to carry once DS was about 4 months. I needed to snap it in the stroller just to take him from the car, up to our apartment (using the elevator, not stairs) if he fell asleep in it. Also, DS HATED that car seat, once we switched to a Britax Boulevard it was a different story (he's still rear facing in it), boy I wished I had switched seats sooner.

[MamaBear]

I had a Graco SafeSeat (30 lb limit), it was impossible to carry once DS was about 4 months. I needed to snap it in the stroller just to take him from the car, up to our apartment (using the elevator, not stairs) if he fell asleep in it. Also, DS HATED that car seat, once we switched to a Britax Boulevard it was a different story (he's still rear facing in it), boy I wished I had switched seats sooner.

We also have a SafeSeat, and found our first slept better in it than his Britax Marathon!

The SS was brand new to the market when we bought it, and I'm glad we went with it as our first turned out to be very tall, 95th-97th percentile. Which meant he outgrew pretty much on his first birthday. We moved to Europe when he was 9 months old and didn't bother bringing the carseat adapter for our Bug, but my husband still carried him in the carseat if needed. (I gave up long before.) If we'd gone with the Snugride or Peg, he'd have outgrown the seat by height long before we'd even left for Europe, and I'd much rather travel with an infant seat than a convertible! I also find the tightening mechanism for the harness to be easier to use in the SS than the Marathon when rear-facing. I'm hoping #2 will fit in the SS a bit longer than his brother.

[GraceH]

IMO, this thread should be moved to car seat land...

I must say that I love my big Graco infant seat (I also have/had an older SafeSeat version)
DS made it to age 2 in it - a friend's DD outgrew her original SR at 10/11 months and still has some room to spare at 15 months in our SS1 that we've lent to her
for Chicagoland winter weather, it was nice to have the option to carry the seat in through 2 winters (but you don't have to carry the seat everywhere, just put the handle out of the way and it functions like a leave-in-car convertible) - also, since I'm a suburban in-and-out of car Mom, it was great to pop it in the stroller for a 5 minute 'we need a gallon of milk' stop with a sleeping baby - I could still carry it when DS was 2yo (although not well for long distances), I found that to some extent, my muscles grew and baby grew
regarding recline, an older baby with good head control can have the seat adjusted to a more upright angle

However, I really think that it comes down to lifestyle... I don't know that I would want to carry a larger seat upstairs to a fourth floor apt., for instance... for my in-and-out of non-LATCH equipped car suburban lifestyle, the larger Graco with the built-in locking clip in the adjustable base was a great fit

[cindys]

Grace -

Yes, I guess it should be moved....

I think I put it here cause I was also mentioning the Snap N Go.

I am not sure how to move a thread.

[GraceH]

(I think one of the mods has to do it)