My thoughts about the Graco SnugRide®️ SnugLock®️ 35 (at last!)

A few months ago, I first wrote about how my brother and I unboxed the Graco Modes Bassinet LX, my son's travel system that is composed of an infant car seat and a stroller. Back then, I didn't write my thoughts down about the infant car seat because my son's not there yet. But now that he's used the car seat several times (mostly to the doctor's office), I think that I can write about it.

Duration of use depends on the baby's growth.

Based on the user's manual, the infant car seat is useable by the baby until he reaches the car seat's height and weight limits. Thus, I was fully expecting that my son wouldn't graduate from this stage for a long time. However, my son outgrew the infant insert when he turned three months. I just realised this when he started crying whenever I placed him in the car seat after adjusting his harness straps to get the right fit. So I removed the body insert. I would have loved to keep his head support too, but he still cried when it's attached to the car seat. So I had no choice but to remove the entire infant insert. Once the infant insert was removed, my son seemed more comfortable. He even enjoyed sitting in it, I think. For the next four months, he knew that we'd be riding the car when he saw the car seat at the bottom of the stairs (and he'd squeal in delight and excitement). Seven months in, on our trip to Vacaville, I noticed that the top of his head was already one inch under the top edge of the car seat and his feet were already hanging off the edge of the car seat. By that time, I knew that the days of the infant car seat were running short... just when my son started feeling snug in the car seat.

Carrying it with my baby definitely counts as an upper-body workout.

The SnugRide®️ SnugLock®️ 35 is, by itself, not heavy. But with a growing baby seated in it, I soon realised that I couldn't carry my son in the car seat safely, particularly up and down the stairs. So either Daddy carried my son in the car seat or I parked the car seat downstairs and then brought my son with me. The occupied car seat was so heavy that it was becoming increasingly difficult to lift and attach it to its base in the car's backseat. 

But attach I must. Hence, my upper limbs are becoming more defined.

I found videos about how to carry the car seat without blowing my back. When I tried the "experts'" recommendations (using the empty car seat), I found that these recommendations made me contort my body in awkward positions while carrying the car seat. Needless to say, I ended up not following these recommendations.

It helps make travelling a breeze.

I could just imagine how difficult it is to transfer a sleeping baby without waking him/her up. Which brings me to the next thing I like about the SnugRide®️ SnugLock®️ 35: I can attach it to the stroller frame once we get to our destination (if we're driving). It's such a convenience! Yes, there's a bit of a learning curve because it's quite difficult to line the stroller frame and the car seat up). But once I got the hang of it, it became easy (conceptually; difficult to lift so I needed help). 

Moreover, the stroller frame has a container for the diaper bag, extra clothes and toys, and an ice chest (for reconstituted milk or other food that needs to be kept cool).

I will definitely miss this convenience once my son sits on the convertible car seat which I don't attach to the stroller anymore.

Have spills? No problem.

The SnugRide®️ SnugLock®️ 35 is relatively easy to clean. I just wipe it after my son's spills (he is what the pediatrician calls a "happy spitter") and it's all clean again. Fortunately, I never experienced cleaning diaper blowouts but I think that's because we never travelled far enough for him to wait too long in between diaper changes (I change his diapers every two to three hours).

That's it! I have nothing but good things to say about the Graco SnugRide®️ SnugLock®️ 35. I wish that it's capable of growing with my child so I don't need to change his seat anymore. Alas, that's not possible.