Is a Graco Snugride 30 versus the Snugride 22 worth the extra money?

[wahchintonka48]

Hi. I am 19 weeks pregnant with twins and was looking at car seats. The double Snap and Go stroller I received as a gift from my in-laws when I told them I was having twins will fit both the 22 and the 30 so the weight of carrying them around isn't an issue. The pro of having the 30 is that it goes down to 4 pounds and since I'm having twins, I'm much more at risk for preterm labor so this could wind up being a nice feature to have plus and with it holding up to 30 pounds I can use it for longer. And they can adjust in front which seems like it would be more convenient. The major con to that is how expensive they are(priced at $120) compared to the Snugride 22(priced at about$80). The Snugride 22 is much cheaper as mentioned above but the con to that is that I can't make use of it for near as long and if my babies are born premature I risk having to get two preemie-friendly car seats in addition to the Snugride 22s. What do you think? Do you think the Snugride 30 would be worth the extra money? Thanks!

[darvell]

I think your situation makes it challenging. We used the Graco Snugride 30 for my daughter and she was actually too long for the carseat before she reached the weight limit, so paying the extra money ended up being for nothing - we had to switch to a convertible anyways. The MyRide 65 we are using now actually goes rear facing 4-40 pounds and then forward facing up to 65 pounds. I had instantly thought to purchase an infant seat being that she was our first child for the convenience of carrying it around, but honestly for my next child I would consider just purchasing a convertible to begin with. It saves the money of purchasing another car seat in a few months even though you forfeit the option of carrying the seat around. However, with twins, you would have to decide if the convenience was worth the extra money. Just some things to think about! I would play it by ear for just a few more weeks to get a better idea of how your pregnancy will go. There is only a one pound starting weight difference between the SnugRide and SnugRide 35, but I would rather pay the extra money up front for the Snugride 30 than risk purchasing new seats altogether if the babies are preemies.

[sherborne16]

Well first i would try to get info on what are the cons for ur baby's,particularly,then Wait put ur money aside for the car seat just in case! and see if your baby's are more then likely to be preemies cause the Doctor's 9 times out of 10 tell u what is more likely to happen about the whole baby proses in 1 to 2 months usually, in "advance" buy the car seat no offense keep ur receipt and if they are preemies get the smaller if not Still keep the bigger 1 for when they get a little older they will get some use out of it then. Dont worrie ;.)

[kyledyr]

Minimum weight ratings don't really mean anything. The problem is the lowest harness slot positions. When rear facing, the harness must be at or slightly below the baby's shoulders. This is to prevent your baby from ramping up in a crash. "Ramping" means sliding towards the top of the car seat's shell.

It is OKAY to have the harness above your baby's shoulders as long as the harness can be properly tightened.

http://carseatblog.com/9256/graco-snugride-30-review-the-snugride-infant-seat-for-smaller-babies/
Above link: Here is a review written by a child passenger safety technician (CPST) on the Graco Snugride 30. As you can see from the review, the harness was slightly above the preemie doll's shoulders, which is not the best harness fit. The Graco Snugride 30's lowest harness slots are at about 6 1/2 inches. The Graco Snugride 22 is about 7 1/2 inches.

I recommend the Cosco Comfy Carry Elite (has to be Elite or Plus model) infant car seat. It has very low slots of about 5 1/2 inches. I'm just not sure if it would be compatible with your stroller. Here is a review written by CarseatBlog (this is the PLUS model): http://carseatblog.com/10346/dorel-safety-1st-comfy-carry-elite-plus-infant-carseat-review/
It is also very affordable as shown here on Walmart's website: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Safety-1st-Comfy-Carry-Elite-Infant-Car-Seat-Droplet-Tan/16617597

The higher rear facing weight limit on the Graco Snugride 30 does not necessarily mean that you will get to use it longer. Infant car seats tend to have very short shells. I know that most children will outgrow their higher weight infant car seats by height before weight.

A rear facing car seat is outgrown when ONE of the following happens:
-the child has hit the maximum rear facing weight limit of the seat
-the child's head is less than 1 inch away from the top of the car seat's shell as shown below:
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=30201

Car crashes are the leading cause of both disability and death for children under 12 years of age. Statistics show that more than 95% of child safety seats are used or are installed incorrectly. That is why I recommend all parents get their child's seat checked by a child passenger safety technician (CPST). You can find one at http://www.seatcheck.org/

If you have any questions regarding your child's car seat installation, you can ask a CPST online at http://www.car-seat.org/