Buying the right travel system (car seat, base, and stroller) guarantees safety and gives your child the best comfort. Graco is one of the brands that ring in parents’ minds when buying baby gear.
With over 80 years in the industry and regularly improving their products, it is no surprise that most parents rely on Graco products.
In this short article, we will check whether Graco car seat bases are universal. Can a Graco car seat base be used on any Graco car seat? Is it possible to use a Graco car seat base for another brand of car seat? These are some of the things to consider in this write-up.
Related: Are Graco car seat covers machine washable? (Beginner’s guide)
Table of Contents
Are Graco Car Seat Bases Universal?
Graco car seat bases are not universal because they are designed to be compatible with some specific car seats. Graco has 5 different car seat bases, and each works best for a list of car seats for safety reasons.
If you have a Graco car seat base or are planning to buy one, you must ensure you buy a car seat that is compatible with the base.
While there are a few cases where a car seat base can accommodate another car seat brand, it is always advisable to buy your car seat and the base from the same company. That way, you’d eliminate all the guesswork.
For example, I have seen a lot of parents asking if an Evenflo car seat will fit in a Graco base. No, an Evenflo car seat won’t fit a Graco base properly because Graco only considers its car seats when making its car seat bases.
Recommended: Find out if Graco car seats are toxic!
Understanding Basic Terms In Graco Infant Car Seats & Car Seat Bases
As you read on, you will notice that terms like SnugRide, SnugFit, SnugLock, 30, and 35 are constantly used throughout this article. These terms can be confusing if you don’t have a basic knowledge of what they mean.
To help you understand better, let’s go through these basic Graco terms before looking at Graco infant car seat bases and the infant car seats they are compatible with.
SnugRide
The term SnugRide is a general name used for all Graco rear-facing infant car seats. Basically, there is the rear-facing infant car seat and the convertible car seat.
The rear-facing car seats are meant for only infant years, while the convertible car seats are meant to serve for a longer period (they can be converted from rear-facing into front-facing car seats).
Therefore, whenever you hear the word “SnugRide,” just know that it is talking about Graco’s rear-facing infant car seat.
SnugFit
We also mentioned SnugFit and SnugLock several times during the course of this article. Both SnugFit and SnugLock are car seat base technology.
The SnugFit car seat base uses a special anti-rebound bar that ensures the base fits snugly in your vehicle and reduces movement in case of any impact. This helps to reduce injury peradventure there is an impact.
SnugLock
Whenever you see a Graco infant car seat with the word SnugLock, it means that the base is meant to be installed in a minute or less using either your vehicle’s seat belt or the LATCH system.
The SnugLock uses a special technology that helps to lock off the belt nicely and tightly for a secure install.
30 & 35
30 and 35 are two common numbers you will see on Graco travel systems. 35 is usually more common, but in some cases, you will see 30.
You don’t need to crack your head over it anymore because these numbers only mean the maximum weight limit of the car seat. For example, a Graco SnugRide SnugFit 30 car seat means your baby can use the seat until he/she reaches 30 lbs.
Now that you understand these basic terms, let’s look at the various Graco car seat bases and the car seats they are compatible with.
Recommended: Are Graco car seats airline approved? (Beginners’ guide)
What Car Seats Are Compatible With Graco Car Seat Bases?
To give you a clear understanding of Graco car seats and bases, we will go through the 5 Graco car seat bases and the car seats for the best fit.
1. Graco SnugRide Infant Car Seat Base
The SnugRide infant car seat base uses the Click Connect Technology that makes it pretty easy and fast to attach a car seat to it. This Graco SnugRide base is primarily designed for Graco SnugRide 30 and 35 Click Connect infant car seats.
The SnugRide Click Connect base features an integrated belt lock-off that makes seat belt installation easier. Also, it has a special level indicator feature that gives you the best accuracy when installing the car seat, thereby removing any guesswork.
With 6 adjustable recline positions, you can customize the SnugRide infant car seat to give your child the best position as he/she grows.
Therefore, if you have the Graco SnugRide 30/35 Click Connect car seat, you should buy a SnugRide Infant Car Seat base for the best fit.
2. Graco SnugRide SnugLock Infant Car Seat Base
The SnugRide SnugLock infant car seat uses the SnugLock technology that makes installation possible in less than a minute. This car seat base uses either the LATCH system or a vehicle’s seat belt.
If you have any Graco Click Connect infant car seats, you can use the SnugRide SnugLock base with them. The Snuglock base also comes with a level indicator that makes the installation process easy and accurate.
The SnugLock car seat base has 4 adjustable recline positions that make it easy for customization. No matter the vehicle you are using, this base can easily fit in.
3. Graco SnugRide SnugFit 35 Infant Car Seat Base
The SnugRide SnugFit 35 infant car seat base is a perfect fit for the SnugRide SnugLock family with the Click Connect system. They include SnugRide SnugLock 30, 35, 35 LX, and 35 XT car seats.
The anti-rebound bar feature of this car seat base provides an extra layer of rear-facing safety. The SnugLock technology makes installation super fast, using LATCH or the vehicle seat belt.
The bubble level indicator on this car seat base makes installation accurate without any guesswork. The SnugRide SnugFit 35 Infant Car Seat Base offers 5 adjustable recline positions, making it easy to install on any vehicle.
4. Graco SnugRide Lite Infant Car Seat Base
The Graco SnugRide Lite infant car seat base is compatible with all the current infant car seat models by Graco. The installation process is easy, using the LATCH system, and the level indicator helps to remove any guesswork during the installation process.
The 4 adjustable base recline positions provide a perfect and accurate install that matches your child’s growing needs. You can easily adjust the base to fit in any vehicle.
The Graco SnugRide Lite infant car seat base is one of the latest bases that fit any Graco car seat with Click Connect technology.
5. Graco SnugRide SnugLock Extend2Fit Infant Car Seat Base
Apart from being compatible with the SnugRide SnugLock Extend2Fit 35 and 35 LX infant car seats, the SnugRide SnugLock Extend2Fit infant car seat is also compatible with all Graco Click Connect car seats. They include Graco SnugRide Click Connect 35, Graco SnugRide Click Connect 35 LX, and Graco SnugRide Click Connect 30.
You can install the SnugRide SnugLock by using either a seat belt or the LATCH system. The 4 adjustable recline positions of the base foster easy customization to fit your vehicle.
Related: Differences between Graco car seats.
How To Know The Right Graco Car Seat Base For A Graco Car Seat
From the 5 Graco car seat bases listed above, it is easy for parents to identify the Graco car seat base that will fit a particular Graco car seat model. In most cases, there is always a buyer’s manual that tells you the car seats that are compatible with certain car seat bases.
In fact, all Graco car seat bases designed from 2020 upward are interchangeable with all Graco car seats. Therefore, if you are buying the latest Graco car seat base, it should fit any Graco car seat, thanks to the Click Connect technology.
Conclusion
If you are buying a Graco car seat base, you should understand that they are compatible with only Graco car seats. Graco car seat bases are not universal, thus, they do not accommodate car seats from other manufacturers.
Even within Graco, some Graco car seat bases are only designed to pair with some particular Graco car seats. Ensure you choose the right car seat base for the right car seat to avoid any safety breaches.
Once you are able to do the right pairing, you shouldn’t worry about any safety concerns because Graco car seats are designed to meet the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Graco car seats are also crash-tested to meet or exceed US FMVSS safety requirements.
