Come one, Come all !! #Graco #giveaway

One of the things I love most about being on the Graco® Nation team is the opportunity to tell all my readers about the newest great thing that Graco® has come out with.  And giving away things is always a bonus!   Don't worry, there will be an awesome giveaway at the end of my babblings!!

Graco® gave me the chance to test out one of their brand new carseats-  the Graco® SnugRide® Click Connect™ 40 and boy did we have fun!  The Click Connect™ 40 is an infant car seat (the only one!) that provides rear-facing protection from birth -2 years, as is now recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.  There are so many things I loved about this car seat, it's hard for me to shorten it into decent review.    Let's just hit the highlights -

• 4-40 pound weight limit ~ a full 2 years =  I love that someone has finally thought enough to come out with an infant car seat that will go to the full 2years of age.  Although the AAP has only recently changed it's recommendation to keeping your children rear-facing to at least 2years, it's been widely know that you should rear-face as long as possible.  It's simply safer.  Don't make me break out the youtube videos because you don't want to see , just trust me on this one.  I know many parents who have good intentions but once their baby outgrows the infant seat and they see how bulky a convertible car seat can be rear-facing, they simply turn them around for convenience.    I am hopeful that having seats like the SnugRide® Click Connect™40 will help more kids stay rear-facing longer. 
• Base adjusts with 8 recline positions for the most leg room of any rear-facing carseat = simply put, the baby is more comfortable for longer.  No more of the worries/complaints that you can't leave your child rear-facing because they "don't fit".  Yes they do.  I have Miss X (1yr later this month) who is an itty bitty thing in the seat right now.  We have it set at a 4 recline and there is plenty of room for her.  I also tried Dimples (4yrs , 32lbs) in it just for giggles and he actually fits at the 8 recline comfortably and wanted me to let him have it.. HA! Sorry dude, you are a smidge too tall for the harness. 
• The Simple Safe Adjust™ harness system allows parents to adjust the harness and headrest w/ just one hand. = Gone are the days of taking apart the entire car seat to adjust the straps just because your kiddo finally grew that tiny bit that threw him into the next slot on the car seat.  I LOVE this option.  Not only are you adjusting the harness but also the headrest (safety surround, people.. love it) with one hand.  Honestly, I feel like you get a better fit with this option. The convenience of it all is just the cherry on top.

Now that you have watched the video (you did watch the video, right?) and heard my thoughts on this amazing new car seat,  you are dying to get one yourself.. Right?

The Graco® SnugRide® Click Connect™ 40 is available online and in stores at Babies R Us.  They are retailing for $219, which quite frankly seems like a pretty good deal to me.   However, since I love you all so much and Graco® is an awesome host- I'm giving one away here on the blog!

Enter the rafflecopter below for your chance to win your very own SnugRide® Click Connect™ 40!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Good luck!!

Reviewing Graco's new MyRide 65 with Safety Surround

One of the things I love most about being a part of the Graco Nation is learning about all the new technology they come up with for our babies & kids.    We are pretty much Graco all the way.. The girls ride in either the Graco TurboBooster or the Nautilus (depending on which vehicle we are in), Fishing Pole rides in either then Nautilus or the MyRide 65 (again depending on the vehicle-- and yes I have carseats for BOTH vehicles b/c I hate moving them once they are securely installed.. I'm a bit of a safety freak like that..)  and Dimples rides solely in MyRide 65's.

So, when I heard that Graco was planning on coming out with a new improved MyRide 65 I was excited to see what was different.   I was lucky enough to be allowed to do a review and BOY do I love the changes.

Introducing the MyRide 65 w/ Safety Surround :

•Safety Surround™ Side Impact Protection that truly grows with your child at each stage
•Headrest featuring Safety Surround™ Protection moves & removes to grow with child

I love how much more plush and filling the padding is.  Little Miss X is such an itty bitty (barely 12lbs at 5months ) but she actually fits really comfortably in this one.  Plus you can see the new head surround that moves up as your child grows.  LOVE IT! 

•Meets BOTH Graco's Side Impact Testing and Europe's Side Impact standard

- More rigorous testing?  Yes please!!

I'll be one of the first to admit, a MyRide65 (safety surround or not) is a big carseat.  It takes up some space in the vehicle.  That can be a downfall if you have a small car or multiple kids.  However, to me, it's worth the space for a more comfortable fit.  When I first received the new MyRide 65 w/ Safety Surround, I assumed it was just a regular MyRide w/ a little more added padding.  Ha.  Although it takes up basically the same car space as the original MyRide 65, the new version is deeper & taller and kids - little and big seem to fit in in even more comfortably.  Even Dimples (almost 4yrs) if given the choice would prefer to ride in the "new" seat vs his old one.  He just looks more relaxed and sits deeper in it.

Graco MyRide 65

Graco MyRide 65 w/ Safety Surround

**Please note that Dimples is not buckled in the regular MyRide, so that may make a tiny bit of difference but overall you get the point :)

   On top of getting to try out the new seat , I was also able to ask the Graco team a few questions..

   --  Is the only difference between the original MyRide65 and the new MyRide 65 w/ Safety Surround - the safety surround  feature?

This model has its own design to support the Safety Surround Technology and its ability to grow with child, and it also offers an extended weight range.  The My Ride 65 featuring Safety Surround weight range starts at 4lbs.   This seat truly offers best head protection starting at 4lbs.  

Now normally I could never imagine putting a newborn in a convertible seat, maybe that's just me.. But with this one and the way the padding & head support is designed, I actually would do it.  I just love how it really seems to cradle little ones yet still fits as they grow.

-     ---     What made Graco decide to come out with this new safety advancement? 

As reported by NHTSA, side impact collisions are one of the leading risks to infants/children today.  In response to these findings, Graco developed a technology that provides improved protection against these types of collisions.   To validate improved side impact protection, Graco tested its seats in Europe which has a draft side impact standard in place.    We launched Safety Surround Side Impact Technology on My Ride in 2011 and plan to expand the technology to more platforms in 2012.

That's right everyone, you heard it here.. Graco will be expanding the technology into some of their other car seats coming this year! :)

In conclusion, my *expert* Momma advice- if you have the room for a bigger seat, I would 100% go for the new MyRide 65 w/ Safety Surround.  It's only slightly more expensive than the previous MyRide 65 and still a decent price at $179 but the comfort and safety is well worth it! 

Happy Shopping !!


xoxo,