Thank you for Michelle from Mama's Baby Cupcakes for this review and thank you to Graco for providing her a Graco SnugRide 35 Click Connect Infant Car Seat to facilitate this post. Here's Michelle with the review:
When we had our first child six years ago, we purchased our first infant car seat. Over the years (and more children) we were lucky enough to be able to use the same seat with each child. Fast forward to our fourth child's arrival and our infant seat was set to expire just weeks after her due date. Car seats suddenly felt so overwhelming and I was constantly looking at different brands to read and compare their features to see what made them better than the next. Having always been a fan of Graco, I fell in love with their SnugRide infant seats and the features that are offered on them.
We were sent the Graco SnugRide® Click Connect™ 35 Infant Car Seat to review in the pattern Grapeade. As soon as it arrived, I couldn't wait to open it and see how different it is compared to our older seat.
The SnugRide Click Connect 35 infant car seat is designed to protect babies rear-facing from 4-35 lbs and features a comfortable seat to keep baby safe and cozy. SnugRide Click Connect 35 is equipped with Click Connect technology providing a one-step secure attachment to all Graco Click Connect strollers making it easy to create a travel system that best fits your lifestyle.
The first thing I noticed when taking this seat out of the box is how light it is compared to our old seat. One thing about carrying around a baby is how heavy they feel. Even with a newborn, you're carrying around close to 15+lbs once the baby is inside, and I felt a lot more comfortable carrying Mya around without feeling like I instantly gained my 20lbs of pregnancy back.
Installation:
We've never used a latch system with a car seat, and while our first thought was to use the seat belt, we decided to try the latch installation with our mini-van and I'm so glad we did.
With our old seat, we were constantly tightening and adjusting the base because it seems to move over time or loosen with the belt. While its not something you want in a base, we thought it was the shape of the seat, and continued to ensure the base was proper in place and tight when putting our daughter in. With the quick and easy latch system, it never budges. Macyn is almost two years old and tries to use the base when getting in the van because of her little legs, and it stays securely in place. You'll notice on the side of the base is a level indicator which also ensures it's installed correctly and safely. I like this small feature because a child's safety in a vehicle is so very important, and all pre-cautions to help with safety is a big plus.
With a picture right on the base, you're able to quickly see how placement goes when using different types of seat-belts, along with a latch system. While I was looking through the manual, my husband pointed it out, and I thought "well isn't that neat!" This is also handy if you have a friend or relative taking your child and needing to install in their own vehicle.
Adjusting Straps:
Besides safety, the straps are my favorite feature. With our old seat, you have to pull the whole thing apart, chest clips off, and feed everything through each slot before putting it all back together. When it came to adjusting the tightness, you'd have to have the baby in the seat and then pull in the back at the straps until they were just right, but with any growth or change of outfit, it seemed as though the straps needed adjusting again. Now with this seat, there's an adjustable strap at the front of the seat that you can adjust each time you put your baby inside. When its time to adjust in height, you simply unhook from the back and move the strap through to the next slot. It took me about three minutes to put the straps where Mya needed them vs our old seat where it would take about ten minutes for my husband to adjust them.
Fit:
In this photo Mya was about a week old and in the eight pound range. While she doesn't seem happy, I love this fit for her. The straps are nice and thick but lay flat against her body and support her in just the right places. The buckles glide with ease and its a quick pop in and we're ready to go. Having the adjustable strap so close to her feet, means I'm not hunting for it when I want to adjust the fit based off what she's wearing. I do have to go under the cover to unlock the button to feed the strap through, but that only takes a couple seconds extra and we're good to go.
Features:
- Helps protect rear-facing infants from 4-35 lbs. and up to 32 inches
- Click Connect™ technology offers a one-step secure attachment to all Graco® Click Connect™ strollers to create a travel system that can be customized to your needs
- Top rated by leading consumer magazines and publications
- Rigorously crash tested to meet or exceed U.S. safety standards
- Safe Seat Engineered* (*safeseat engineering includes side impact testing, testing at 2x car seat standard, and testing to extreme car interior temperatures)
- Side-impact tested* (*In addition to meeting or exceeding all applicable US safety standards, the SnugRide® Click Connect™ 35 car seat has been side impact tested for occupant retention by the harness system)
- EPS, energy absorbing foam for effective impact energy management
- Convenient, LATCH-equipped stay-in-car base with on-base level indicator for hassle-free installation
- Stay-in-car base with 6-position dial adjustment makes proper installation easier
- 5-point, front-adjust harness helps you get baby in and out
- Removable infant head support cushions baby
- Removable all-weather boot helps protect baby from the elements
- Online videos help ensure proper installation
- Hide Features
Buy it: You can purchase the Graco SnugRide 35 on Amazon. Although the MSRP is $149.99, I've seen it for as low as $120.
Disclosure: Michelle received this item free of charge to facilitate this post. I did not receive any compensation for hosting this review or giveaway. Amazon links are affiliate links.
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