Graco SnugRide 32 Infant Car Seat, Rittenhouse

Comment: I picked this seat because the reviews were good, it wasn't outrageously expensive, seemed safe, was neutral, and looked cushiony. My husband said it was easier to install than our cheaper Evenflo, which was a hand-me-down. It is also easier to adjust than the Evenflo, and we love the fact that it fits in the Metrolite stoller and the swing. My daughter falls asleep in it in the car and we can move her to the swing without waking her up, which is nice. All that said, it is MUCH heavier than the Evenflo seat, which makes it difficult for me to transport the baby easily in it. Because of the weight difference, I opted to use the Evenflo in my vehicle and let my husband use the Snug Ride. I would love to find a seat with all the positives of this seat but light enough for a mom with very little upper body strength to carry easily.

Comment: The Graco Snugride 32 is a great car seat for the tiniest of infants... but doesn't actually hold a larger infant. Our family has a history of big babies, so we were excited to get a car seat that will hold a baby up to 32 pounds. Unfortunately, our daughter is currently 6 months, 18 pounds and we are no longer able to fasten her into the car seat. The straps are too short to snap into the crotch buckle. She is using the topmost height setting, so all of the extra length in the straps is used to accomodate the distance. We were hoping to be able to use the seat until she turned one. Other than that issue, it has been very comfortable for the baby and easy for us to move her while sleeping with the snap in base. It's really lightweight, enough so that I can carry my 18 pounder short distances with ease.

Comment: We've got the SnugRide 32 in Zurich. Overall, it does the job well. Our baby likes it so much she's been sleeping in it overnight (mainly to help with her gas discomfort for now).

Would've gotten 5 stars but for the following:
1) Thought it was just us, but I thoroughly second all of the other comments about the shoulder straps. We use a Bundle Me in there for the winter, so there's something to kind of tuck the straps behind when placing the baby in the seat, but they are annoyingly short.

2) Weight - it's heavy. Our baby likes to be swung. We'll blow out a few disks in our back if we swing this seat for too long as she gets bigger, as we both got very sore on our last vacation where we only had the car seat having left the swing at home. The comfortable handle does help in that situation though. It also makes using it in the Graco frame stroller or with a BOB Revolution feel a bit top-heavy.

3) Size - it is a bit large, but we did expect that somewhat in a seat that's supposed to allow 2 extra inches of growth. In an 09 Forester, the front passenger seat felt pretty snug when it was moved up far enough to accommodate the SnugRide 32 behind it.

4) Bummed the car seat base is so pricey (currently $60) compared to the regular Snugride (currently only $35). But, the upside that it is very easy to switch between our two vehicles given the ease of use associated with the LATCH system.

Haven't experienced any of the overheated baby episodes that others have reported, but it is still winter here in New England. Also have not noticed the base being loosey-goosey - seems pretty secure, and we do move it between vehicles fairly often.

And we are glad we bought the 32, as our baby is 25" at only 10 weeks.

Comment: Solid construction and functionality, but might be overkill if you're on a budget. Keep in mind the weight is more than the regular Graco snugride. You won't be carrying it for long before finding a cart or stroller anyway.

Comment: I ordered a Graco car seat, which came as promised, in good condition, but I failed to notice that it wasn't a convertible model. I called and got the ok to return the seat, no hassle, no headaches. So this is more of a comment on the service than the product, I will continue to use and recommend this service. A satisfied customer, John