Graco My Ride 65 Car Seat Bartlett Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)We are committed to keeping our son rear facing as long as possible (for more information visit the Kyle David Miller Foundation online), so when he hit the 33lb rear facing limit on his Britax Marathon we were delighted to find the My Ride with its higher 40lb rear facing limit.The day after he weighed in at 33lbs we went and bought the My Ride and set about installing it and giving it a try.
We have a 2008 Chrysler Town & Country and were installing in the captains chair, an easy install with most seats thanks to the amount of room and availability of latch, but we were unable to get this seat installed firmly (with less than 1 inch movement at the head).Unlike the Britax, which has a latch strap and buckle for each side of the carseat, the My Ride has a single latch strap (with two buckles on it) that runs underneath the seat.This seemed like a good idea, except that no matter how hard we pulled to tighten the single strap the seat seemed to slide around on it--two points of attach and adjustment (on the seat) seems more secure than one.This loose fit is my biggest complaint, but not my only with regards to safety.We also found the harness difficult to tighten over our son (who is 33lbs) to an acceptable point.Safety is our number one concern, and no seat, no matter the safety rating, can be considered safe in your car if a successful install cannot be achieved, so we returned the seat after a few days trial.

Some additional thoughts, related more to quality than safety:like stated in another review, this is a bulky seat, from back to back, side to side, and top to bottom (seat height)--it was difficult for my son to climb into and out of.It also has a pretty steep recline, which is safe for rear facing, but I can't imagine my 50lb forward facing child wishing to remain reclining that far, so I fear that the seat would have become obsolete before the weight limit.The cover on this seat has no elastic on the sides, and every time my son pulled on one of the cup holders (the cup holders themselves are only loosely set into the seat, not latched or clicked in) the seat cover pulled off the arm of the seat as well.Lastly, the seat is very deep which means that there wasn't a lot of room for my son to cross his legs and it was hard for him to get comfortable, which was not a problem still rear facing in the Britax Marathon because it had low sides on the lower seat allowing more room for his legs.

Ultimately, the idea of this seat is an excellent one.Keeping your small child rear facing is the safest choice you can make, and this seat, for a low price, will allow you to do this, but a proper install and proper use are necessary for this to be true, and the My Ride, with its single latch strap, does not make this easy.Be sure to have a certified safety technician check the install (look online for local car seat safety check points in your area).If you cannot get a safe install with Graco don't give up--look at the Sunshine Kids Radian seats or Safety First Complete Air.Rear facing is safest.For more information and seat recommendations visit the Kyle David Miller Foundation online.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Graco My Ride 65 Car Seat Bartlett

Product Description:
To help ensure your baby is protected as he grows, go convertible. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends your child ride rear-facing and stay harnessed as long as possible. Our side-impact tested My Ride 65 Convertible Car Seat stays rear-facing up to 40 lbs and secures your child forward-facing in a 5-point harness until they are 65 lbs.