Snugride 35 in Edgemont As Good As Hoped
February 21, 2012
We bought the Graco Snugride 35 Infant Car Seat in the Edgemont pattern. Our 8 lb newborn daughter fit snugly in with the included infant positioner actually being ENOUGH (for once!) to hold her in a comfortable position. With past baby seats (4 different ones prior to this one) the infant positioner included with the seat has always been a joke. But this one is great! The straps are easy to adjust, and we've had no problems with the buckle being hard to use at all. I really like the pattern a lot, mostly because it's mainly gender-neutral, with only the fabric design having a hint of femininity. It looks just as good as in the photo. When I first got it, I was a little concerned about a single report from CNN saying that this particular pattern, Edgemont, had issues with some sort of chemical smell, so as a precaution, I got it out of the box and stuck my face right in it to smell it. It was a little chemically-smelling, but not much different a smell than past new cars seats we've owned. I chose to simply leave it out for the couple of weeks up until she was born. By the time I had to use it, the smell wasn't noticeable anymore, so it -may- have just been a fabric-finishing chemical, etc, than needed to be pulled out of the plastic packing bag to air for a bit. I know that's not a very scientific examination, but the single report about the possible problem wasn't very impressive in their "thorough" testing either, from what I was able to find out.Basically, we've liked everything about it except one small thing - the canopy doesn't have enough clearance between it and the handle. If we move the handle, the canopy often gets moved with it, especially when we have a blanket draped over it, as we often do in these colder months. We've been using it for one month, with many trips, including using it at a couple of different restaurants - Chick-Fil-A, and IHOP - with no problem, and in several different store's shopping carts. It basically fills a shopping cart basket completely, so be prepared to have an alternative plan for wear to put either your purchases or your baby. Either a baby-wearing device, or to use one of the store carts with a built in baby seat, etc. (We don't put it on the top part of a cart anymore like we used to.)This seat IS large, but not as large as some have complained. I am a pretty strong woman, though, and smaller, less muscular builds might find it a bit unwieldy, but just like people are safer in accidents if they are in the larger vehicle rather than the smaller... I do believe my child to be safer if the car seat is more on the bulky side. Having been in two major accidents thanks to other careless drivers, the Snugride has kept our kids safe before, and I feel confident that these would provide as good or even better protection in case anything (GOD FORBID!) happens again.
Cons
- Lack of clearance between canopy and handle.