Choosing a car seat for your baby can be a daunting task. There are dozens of car seat brands on the market and every mom wants to get the best products for her little one.
Regarding car seats, you probably must have heard about Nuna and Graco. These two brands are among the best car seats available. Choosing between Nuna and Graco can be tricky because many factors come into play.
If you’ve narrowed your search to Nuna and Graco, this article will help you make an informed decision.
Whether you want a Nuna or Graco infant car seat, convertible car seat, all-in-one car seat, or booster seat, we will go through it in this write-up.
To give you a clearer picture, we will first talk about the different types of car seats. After that, we will list Nuna and Graco car seats under each category, then draw a comparison to see which is better for you.
Related: Do Nuna car seats recline?
Table of Contents
Types Of Car Seats For Kids
When buying a car seat, you should understand that car seats come in different categories. Below are the different types of car seats available.
Infant Car Seats
Infant car seats are designed for infants from birth until about 18 months old. They are rear-facing seats and have inbuilt harnesses to secure your baby.
How long you use an infant car seat depends on the growth of your little one. There are always maximum weight and height limits for these seats. Always check to know when to transition to a bigger car seat.
Infant car seats are what you see on strollers and are the only type of car seat that is compatible with infant carriers.
Convertible Car Seats
As the name implies, a convertible car seat can be used as a rear-facing or forward-facing seat. Convertible car seats have longer usage periods than infant car seats, thus, can be considered a good investment.
You can use a convertible car seat from birth until your child is about 4 years old or reaches the maximum weight or height limit of the seat.
However, if you plan to use your car seat on a stroller, you can’t do so with a convertible car seat. Convertible seats are bulky and heavy (when compared to infant car seats), thus, not suitable for use on strollers.
All-In-One Car Seats
An all-in-one car seat is an upgrade of a convertible seat. It can be used as a rear-facing, forward-facing, as well as a booster seat.
Buying an all-in-one booster seat means you won’t be needing any other car seat until your child is grown enough to use your vehicle’s seatbelt.
Booster Seats
If you do not have an all-in-one seat, you’d be needing a booster seat as soon as your child outgrows the convertible seat.
The minimum weight requirement for a typical booster seat is between 30 and 40 lbs, and you can use this seat until your child is grown enough to use your vehicle’s seatbelt.
A booster seat can either be a highback booster or a backless booster. In some cases, you can convert your highback booster to a backless one.
Highback boosters have harnesses to keep your child in a secure position (if your child is not big enough to use the vehicle seatbelt). As for the backless booster, you’ll make use of your car’s seatbelt.
Nuna Infant Car Seat Vs. Graco Infant Car Seat
Nuna has 6 models of infant car seats – PIPA, PIPA RX, PIPA Lite, PIPA Lite RX, PIPA Lite LX, and PIPA Lite R. You can use a Nuna PIPA infant car seat from 4 to 32 lbs, and up to 32 inches.
You might want to read about everything to know about Nuna PIPA car seats.
Graco also has a long list of infant car seats. Below are Graco infant car seats:
- Graco Premier SnugRide SnugFit 35 Lite
- Graco Premier SnugRide SNugFir 35 XT
- SnugRide SnugFit 35 DLX
- SnugRide 35 Lite
- SnugRide 35 Lite LX
- SnugRide SnugLock 35
- SnugRide SnugFit 35
- SnugRide SnugLock 35 LX
- Premier SnugRide SnugFit 35 XT (with load leg technology)
- SnugRide SnugLock 30
You can use a Graco infant car seat from 4 to 35 lbs, and up to 32 inches.
Our verdict on Nuna and Graco infant car seats will be based on different factors. You can choose the one that appeals to you the most.
Safety – As long as you install the car seat correctly, you should be fine with either of the two brands.
Pricing – Graco infant car seats are almost half the price of Nuna infant car seats. Considering the fact that you won’t be using an infant car seat for so long, you may not need to invest heavily in an infant car seat.
Ease of Installation – Both Graco and Nuna use technology that gets a car seat installed in just one click.
Stroller Compatibility – If you plan to use your infant car seat with another brand of stroller, Nuna car seats tend to be more versatile in terms of stroller compatibility. Here’s an article on Nuna car seats and stroller compatibility.
Aesthetics and Extra Features – If you want an infant car seat with great design and added features, Nuna PIPA should be your pick. Nuna car seats are made with premium materials.
***Judging by these factors, we’d recommend the Graco infant car seat because it is cheap and offers some good features just like the Nuna car seats. Again, you only need an infant car seat for about 18 months.***
The Graco SnugRide 35 Lite LX should be your best option if you want a Graco infant car seat. With more than 4,000 reviews with a rating of 4.8 out of 5, you can’t go wrong choosing this infant car seat.
Recommended: How much does a Nuna car seat weigh?
Nuna Convertible Car Seat Vs. Graco Convertible Car Seat
Nuna has two convertible car seats – Nuna RAVA and Nuna REVV. The Nuna REVV is a rotating and modern car seat that can rotate from rear-facing to forward-facing. However, the Nuna RAVA seems to be more popular.
As for Graco, the most popular convertible car seat is the Graco Extend2Fit convertible car seat. Therefore, our comparison will be between Nuna RAVA and Graco Extend2Fit convertible car seats.
Nuna RAVA Vs. Graco Extend2Fit – Which One Is Better?
In terms of capacity, both the RAVA and Extend2Fit are similar. With any of these two, your child can ride in rear-facing up to 50 lbs. Also, your child can ride forward-facing up to 65 lbs if you purchase either RAVA or Exten2Fit.
For recline positions, the Nuna RAVA and Graco Extend2Fit have 10 recline positions each. This means you can adjust the car seat until you get the best angle for your child.
Judging by safety, both Extend2Fit and RAVA meet and exceed the minimum safety requirements set out by the US safety agencies. All you need to be concerned about is making sure you install the seat correctly.
For aesthetics and materials used for making the car seats, the Nuna RAVA leads. Nuna has some of the most beautifully designed and premium car seats on the market. Nonetheless, Graco is not doing so badly in design.
Finally, we need to talk about pricing. While Graco Extend2Fit convertible car seat costs just about $200 or less, the Nuna RAVA goes for $500+.
There is a huge difference in the pricing of both car seats and any parent on a budget will likely choose Graco Extend2Fit. Extend2Fit has over 67,000 reviews on Amazon with an excellent rating of 4.9 out of 5.
However, if you are thrilled by aesthetics and don’t mind doling out extra cash on a car seat, the Nuna RAVA is a beautiful and durable car seat to consider.
Recommended: Are Nuna car seats good? (Read this first!)
Nuna All-In-One Seat Vs. Graco All-In-One Seat
In this category, our focus is on the Nuna EXEC and Graco 4ever DLX.
If you decide to buy the Nuna EXEC or Graco 4Ever DLX, you don’t need any other car seat until your child grows to use your vehicle’s seatbelt.
While Nuna EXEC can convert from rear-facing to forward-facing, and highback booster. Whereas, the Graco 4ever DLX can convert from rear to forward, to highback booster, and to backless booster.
The Nuna EXEC and Graco 4Ever DLX are two of the best all-in-one car seats on the market. They are both safe and made with quality material. However, the EXEC has an upper hand in that it is made of flame-retardant-free fabric.
As for the pricing, it is always tempting to go with Graco because is way cheaper than Nuna. The Graco 4Ever DLX costs $330, while the Nuna EXEC goes for as high as $750. The price difference can be a huge factor in deciding which to buy.
Conclusion
When it comes to choosing between Graco and Nuna car seats, there are two major factors to consider – Price and esthetics. In terms of safety, they are both safe as long as you read and follow the instruction manual.
Therefore, if you want something classy and don’t mind doling out extra cash, a Nuna car seat is what you’d want. On the other hand, if all you want is something safe and not overly pricey, Graco is the perfect car seat for your child.
If you want an all-in-one car seat that will last for 10 years, we strongly recommend the Graco 4Ever DLX 4-in-1 car seat. it has everything a car should have and the price is low to mid-range.
