Recommend: Graco My Ride 65 Convertible Car Seat

List Price: $159.99

Several months ago we had to upgrade to a convertible car seat for our son, as he had outgrown the infant car seat we were using (see Baby Trend travel system review). I did some research and tried to find the best quality car seat that was in our budget. I was repeatedly led back to this car seat. We purchased one for my car, and several weeks later we went back and got a second one for my husbands vehicle. Overall we are very pleased.

Pros:
~comfortable
~easy to install
~feels very secure when installed
~i found that it is almost always on sale
~gender neutral color
~also available in pink
~comes with an extra pad for when use with an infant
~2 cup holders
~easy to tighten & loosen the straps
~reputable brand name
~easy to use harness system
~comes with a pillow attachment (which we never used)
~comes with shoulder strap pads (which we never used)
~great weight range (5-65lbs)
~"approved for airplane use" - not something that we looked for, but the description of the item mentioned it so i thought i should as well.


Cons:
~big (though not necessarily bigger than other convertible car seats)
~difficult to adjust (rise and lower) the shoulder straps

So far we are very happy with the car seat. Yes, I would recommend it

Swings

Fisher-Price Rainforest Open Top Take Along Swing

Price: $69.99

Another Fisher Price Rainforest product. What can I say, it's an adorable line!

Pros:

-adjustable music volume

-easy to collapse and take places

-3 cute dangling toys

-adjustable harness system

-varying swing speeds (5)

-fun bright colors

-head cushion for added comfort

-fabric is easy to remove for washing

-the mobile swings, making it easy to get baby out of the seat

Cons:

-swing speed is too fast for a newborn

-batteries not included (four C)

-says its good for up to 25 lbs but at 8months old and only 20 lbs I stopped putting my son in the swing. I found that he would lean himself forward so that his head was upside down, and then get himself stuck (if he wasn't strapped in, he would face plant or do a flip). It looked very uncomfortable - a little painful even. I'm not sure if its the swings fault for tipping forward easily, or not, but it's something I thought was worth noting.

Recommend: Absolutely. But again, the swing is a bit powerful for a newborn, in my opinion.

Graco Silhouette Swing - Deco

Price: $139.99

This is another item that was purchased mostly because of the pattern. It matched all the other Deco items that would be cluttering my living room, so why not?

Pros:

- Good brand name

- has a dial you can turn to adjust swing spead

- seat has a recline feature so they can sit up or recline back (good for different ages, with different amount of neck control, etc.

- has a cute hanging mobile (could be more attractive and eye catching) and fun toys on the tray in front

- when the chair rocks, it sets the mobile in motion

- plays through a series of classical style songs or you can play nature sounds.

- volume can be adjusted

- has a timer for the swing (I have never personally used it, so couldn't begin to tell you how it works)

- has 'soothing vibrations' in the seat

- when baby is older there's a spot on the tray in front of him for snack, etc

- seems to be large enough for older infants.

Cons:

- expensive in comparison to the travel swing above

- larger than travel swings (not transportable and harder to move around the house)

- Tray in front needs to be opened to put the baby inside and usually knocks into the mobile when opening. (a minor annoyance)

Would I Recommend: Jude personally is not a huge fan of the swing. He's used it a small handful of times since he's been home. I hope that as he gets older he gets some use out of it because of the price. But I've heard some kids love the swing and others hate it, if he never grows to like it, maybe #2 will. As far as quality and whether I would purchase it for a child who did like the swing, I'd say sure! It could be brighter and more eye catching/entertaining, but I like that it goes with my set and has a lot of nice features. In general, there aren't many graco products I have that I wouldn't recommend.

Graco SnugGlider Infant Car Seat Swing Frame

Price: $49.99

When I first saw this, I immediately fell in love with the idea of it. Basically you set your infant car seat in the frame and it turns your travel system car seat into a travel swing.

I have honestly NEVER used it. I originally got it because I thought not only would it be great for if he's a sleep when we come home, but it'd be nice for when I walk in the door and need to let Buddy out. We could have this by the door and drop Jude in it while I run out to let Buddy out in the front yard. Really, Jude has not been much of a swinger, so it never got used. That being said, I won't have much to say about how it functions.

Pros:
- Folds up small for cramped quarters
- fits a variety of size car seats
- keeps car seat off the ground (as I type this I plan to pull it out of the closet because I hate having my car seat just sit on the ground - at least it will get SOME use)

Cons:
- In my case, because it folds up so small I threw it in a closet and forgot all about it.
- was a little difficult putting it together. It's a series of gray bars that all looked a like and therefore made it difficult to determine which went where.

Would I Recommend: I plan to pull this out in the next few days and I'll come back to update whether I recommend this item. It seems very practical though for a small space and a baby who likes the swing.

Baby Trend Pack n Play vs. Graco Pack n Play (in Deco)

Baby Trend Pack n Play (Orange Oak)
Price: my playard came from BRU, however, it is no longer on the website and I do not remember the price. Walmart has this item on their website for $109.98

Once again I chose this item because I liked the way it looked.

Pros:
-lovely music box/night light/vibration device
-has wheels to make it easy to slide across the floor. also has locks on the wheels
-MP3 attachment option (i never used)
-once you fold it up it's easy to transport and takes up minimal space
-nice pattern (if you like orange)
-Great "parent organizer" tray
-great changing table feature. We used it well beyond the recommended weight (tsk tsk) and found that it held up nicely
-changing table has a buckle for baby
-fairly easy to clean
-a great height for me (im 5'-0")

Cons:
-plain mobile
-mobile only played music for a minute or two
-the sunshade kept unbuttoning so we took it off all together
-very difficult to fold up and unfold
-just too wide to fit through doorways

Would I Recommend: I'm torn. We used this product all the time (even on vacation), and we will use it again for baby #2, but I probably would not recommend it to others. I found it impossible to collapse by myself, and my husband really struggled as well. Again, you should play with all the playards prior to purchasing or registering for one. Looks should take a backseat to usability

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Graco Pack n Play (in Deco):
Price:$189.99



When picking out registry items, I had heard of Graco, I had heard good things about Graco, so I registered for Graco. In addition I found the Deco pattern and just about all the large baby-gear items I was registering for came in that pattern. It might be lame, but I liked the idea of everything matching (from bouncing seat to highchair).

Pros:
- The bassinet feature makes it nice to not have to bend to put baby all the way in the bottom of the play pen.
- changing table makes it convenient to change in the living room.
- nice/neutral pattern (a personal opinion of course)
- has wheels to make it easy to slide across the floor
- has a 'soothing vibrations' pack to put under the bassinet and MP3 player/soothing sounds player, etc.
- seemingly sturdy frame
-pretty easy to put together initially
- folds up fairly easy - and collapses for easy transportation
- fitted sheets available for the mattress/pad

Cons:
- the changing station folds up and down easily, but it'd be nice to have the release button on both sides (slightly difficult to put up/down with baby in hands) or on the bar/in the middle.
- canopy/sunshade is only held up by little pieces of velcro - and a pretty boring mobile (little hanging bears)
- Bassinet portion and changing station doesn't fit into the travel bag so you can't take it with you. This is poor planning on Graco's part because one would think if you're taking it on vacation it'd be nice to have the changing station.
- main support bars for the bassinet are a tight squeeze making it a little difficult to put together - but not impossible.
- has a handy changing station storage system, but not very practical for us (we use cloth diapers though, so it might work out better with disposables).
- Just SLIGHTLY too large to fit through door ways so you have to break it down if you're moving it from room to room (this involves removing the bassinet, unhinging the sides and pulling up the base - nothing too difficult, but annoying if you'll just be moving it back in a day or two).

Would I Recommend: Comparing the two reviews I feel like the main benefit is that it's easier to collapse (it's up to you whether that's worth 80 dollars). I'm pretty happy with my decision on this particular item and I'm sure it will get plenty of use out of it not just for Jude, but with baby number 2 - but I may have been just as pleased with any other brand. Really, they could have skipped the soothing vibrations pack and the music player though because I don't think batteries even made it in this particular item. It has served it's purpose as a pack n play without any major complaints though.

Baby Trend Travel System vs. Graco Stroller and Car Seat

Baby Trend Travel System (Orange Oak):

Travel System Price: I believe the system was approximately $169.99

The travel system I own is no longer available on Babiesrus.com, therefore I can not provide an exact price. The reason I chose this travel system is because I liked the way it looked. We did not know if we were having a boy or girl, so we needed something gender neutral. I'm on a big orange kick right now, so majority of our large baby items have orange in it. In hindsight I wish I had played with the travel systems on display for a bit before choosing one to register for.

Pros:

-affordable

-nice colors (if you like orange)

-car seat attaches to, and removes from, stroller easily

-stroller has a nice window feature so you can peak in on the baby if he's sleeping

-stroller has a nice cup holder tray with storage compartment

Cons:

-car seat handle is very difficult to adjust

-stroller was oftentimes difficult to collapse

-strollers storage basket on the bottom is not very large and barely holds my diaper bag

-harness system on car seat is a pain to deal with

-car seat is very heavy and awkward (though, I'm assuming all car seats are heavy and awkward to handle)

-car seat does not come with a head positioner for newborns

Would I recommend: No. My husband actually had a woman come up to him in BRU saying she was about to register for this system, and she asked if he liked it. He immediately told her it was junk and he had her check our out. It didn't take long before she realized it was not the best system out there.

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Graco Quattro Tour Stroller and SnugRide Car Seat:

Stroller Price: $149.99
Car Seat Price: $149.99

Total Set Price: $299.98

Note: I have the Quattro Tour Stroller and the Safe Seat, not the Snug ride in "french roast". The Safe Seat was recently replaced by the SnugRide. When comparing them in the store, I determined they're very comparable and it seems the biggest difference is that the SafeSeat holds babies up to 30 pounds and the SnugRide up to 35 pounds. In addition the "french roast" pattern was discontinued.

There is no particular reason why I chose to buy the two separately as opposed to in a set other than I liked the green and brown color better than any other Travel Systems I saw. It offered the same convenience as a Travel System though and really is no different.

Pros:

-The car seat goes up to 30 or 32 pounds - most other infant car seats only go up to 20-some pounds, so you'll get more time out of it.
- They both seem to be of great quality and very durable.

- Car seat adjusts easily

- When comparing how easy it is to move the carrying handle recently (compared to above brand), the Graco won hands down.

- Comes with a built-in head rest. This is nice because 'technically' you shouldn't be using a head rest/head positioner unless your car seat comes with one that is crash-tested.

- Window on the side to confirm that car seat is positioned correctly

- Easy to get car seat in and out of base

- Car Seat attaches easily to stroller and has locks to keep it in place

- Stroller is a great height for us - and seems like it wouldn't be too low for taller couples.

- Stroller moves easily - not difficult to steer.

- Convenient to leave baby in the car seat when sleeping or going in a restaurant.

Cons:

- Price! More expensive to buy the two pieces individually than in a set.

- Even though it holds babies up to 30 pounds, it's already getting heavy, so pretty impractical that we'll need it that long - it's not uncommon now for me to just carry him in a store, etc.

- Strollers storage basket on the bottom is not very large and barely holds my diaper bag

- Stroller seat needs to be straight up to get items into/out of the storage basket, but down to put the car seat in making it difficult to access quickly.

- While the harness system on the car seat is great, in general I'm not a huge fan of the harness system on the rest of my graco products. I still haven't totally figured out how to adjust the sizes and the way they fit together is almost annoying.

- Stroller is large and takes up a significant amount of space in your vehicle.

Would I recommend: I'm very torn about whether I'd recommend a Travel System to any one at all (no matter what the brand). Part of me loves it, part of me hates it - the car seat gets heavy quickly, the strollers are pretty bulky, but it's nice to be able to move baby easily while sleeping and I'm sure would be great to get him in his car seat inside during the winter instead of in the cold. If I had to recommend a Travel System though, I would say that the Graco brand is all around wonderful. To save some money though, try to find a pattern you like that comes in a set and be sure to check the weight capacity on the car seat to get more bang for your buck.