When it comes to deciding whether a product is good or not, a lot of factors come into play. For kids’ car seats, the first thing to consider is how safe is it to use the seat for your little one.
Among other products, Graco is known as one of the top brands that deal in car seats for children. The company has different types of car seats that may leave some people puzzled when it comes to choosing one (more on the different types of car seats as you read on).
Nevertheless, can you trust Graco car seats? Is the Graco car seat good enough to rival other car seat brands in the marketplace? That is what we shall look at in this article.
We will focus on things like the safety of Graco car seats, do they contain toxic substances? Are they compatible with strollers? Are the seat covers machine washable? Finally, we will look at the average price of a Graco car seat.
Table of Contents
Graco Car Seats And Safety
To know if Graco car seats are good, the first thing to consider is the safety of the car seat. To use a baby car seat in the United States, there are certain safety standards by FMVSS that the car seat needs to meet.
All the different types of car seats manufactured by Graco meet and exceed the safety requirements laid down by the US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard.
Now, meeting the required safety standard set out by the relevant law enforcement agencies is the bare minimum. To further guarantee the safety of its car seats, Graco has a crash test facility for testing products.
With decades of operations in the baby product industry, Graco knows the implications of making unsafe products. The company has a team of experts that independently test every before being sold to the public.
Certain features make a car seat safe for use. To read more about the safety of Graco car seats, the features of Graco car seats, and the safest Graco car seats to buy, here’s a more detailed article on Graco car seats and safety.
Do Graco Car Seats Contain Toxic Substances?
It is believed that more than half of baby car seats contain chemicals, which make them toxic. Why is that so? It is because of the Flammable Fabrics Act of 1953, which mandates manufacturers to make products that are not highly flammable.
To reduce the effect of fire outbreaks, most manufacturers use flame retardants, which are considered to be toxic. Therefore, Graco car seats are treated with chemicals that can be considered toxic when exposed to the chemicals.
Nevertheless, the fact that a car seat contains flame retardants doesn’t mean it will cause harm to your little one. Graco has materials testing professionals that determine the number of chemicals safe for use in car seats.
The only time these chemicals might affect a baby is when you use an expired car seat. Every car seat has an expiry date and you should stick to it for the safety of your child.
For Graco, the expiry date for its car seats is usually about 7 years after the date of manufacture. You should check the instruction manual for the accurate expiry date of your car seat.
Here’s a detailed article on Graco car seats and toxicity.
Are Graco Car Seats Compatible With Strollers?
Having an infant car seat that is compatible with strollers to form a travel system is a good one. Graco has different infant car seats that are compatible with strollers, which makes Graco car seats good.
However, there is a catch! Graco infant car seats are only compatible with Graco strollers.
While other brands of strollers such as UPPAbaby, Britax, Evenflo, Baby Trend, etc. have adapters to accommodate other car seat brands, Graco doesn’t recommend other brands of strollers for its car seats.
Therefore, you should only use a Graco car seat on a Graco stroller for safety purposes. Even at that, you must understand that Graco has Click Connect System and Classic Connect System for car seats and strollers.
Although the Classic Connect Technology has been discontinued, you can still find them on sale and some parents still have them. If you have a stroller with a Classic Connect system, you should only use a car seat with the Classic Connect system.
Read this “are all Graco car seats and strollers compatible?” to have a clear understanding of Graco car seats and strollers.
Can You Machine Wash Graco Seat Covers?
A good infant car seat should have a machine washable cover to save parents time and effort. Graco car seat covers are machine washable which is another factor that confirms that Graco car seats are good.
However, you should use a delicate cycle and mild laundry detergents to wash the seat covers. Having a machine washable cover is good because children can easily mess up their car seats and it is a good thing to always keep kids’ environment clean.
Now, even though these car seat covers are washable, you should only do so when it is necessary. Putting these covers inside water too frequently would affect the fabric.
Except there are tough stains that are difficult to get rid of, you should always do spot cleaning. You can also clean the harness strap, car seat canopy, and other parts of Graco car seats.
Read more on washing Graco car seat covers and other accessories.
The Price Of Graco Car Seats
When it comes to pricing, Graco car seats can be classified as mid-range. To give a clearer picture of the price of Graco car seats, we shall be looking at the various types of Graco car seats and picking the best from each category.
Our choice of selection is based on parents’ reviews and the number of items sold in different online stores. To begin with, let’s start with the infant car seat.
Graco Infant Car Seat
Infant car seats are usually rear-facing because that is the best position for babies between 0 and about 6 months old (depending on the car seat specifications).
For infant car seats, the Graco SnugRide 35 Lite LX ($119.99) and Graco SnugRide SnugLock 35 LX (219.99) are the two most popular Graco infant car seats. These car seats can be used on Graco strollers and a few other brands of strollers with the use of adapters.
Graco Convertible Car Seat
A convertible car seat is designed such that you can use it for both rear and forward-facing. If you have a convertible car seat, there would not be a need for the rear-facing infant car seat anymore.
However, you can’t use a convertible car seat on a stroller.
For convertible car seats, the Graco SlimFit 3-in-1 ($175.99), Graco Extend2Fit convertible seat ($234.97), and Graco 4Ever DLX 4-in-1 ($329.97) are among the best and safest convertible car seats in the marketplace.
Graco Booster Car Seat
A booster seat is designed such that it can place a child high enough to use a car’s seat belt. When your child outgrows the rear and forward-facing car seat, you need to transition to a booster seat.
A booster seat can either be a backless booster seat that uses a car’s seat belt or a highback booster seat that comes with a five-point harness.
If you are interested in buying a booster car seat, Graco Affix Highback Booster Seat ($89.99) and Graco TurboBooster LX Highback Booster Seat ($89.99) are two of the best.
Conclusion – Are Graco Car Seats Good
Graco has several car seats and most of the car seats from the brand are good. Graco car seats meet and exceed the safety requirements laid out by the relevant agencies, which is the first thing to consider in a car seat.
After safety comes other features such as compatibility with strollers, price, etc. In terms of compatibility, Graco car seats are compatible with Graco strollers.
Although some brands sell stroller adapters to accommodate Graco car seats, it is always better to use the same brand of car seats and strollers. The price range of Graco car seats is wide enough to accommodate different budgets.
Overall, Graco car seats are good and remain some of the best car seats in the marketplace.
