Review of Graco Snugride Click Connect 35 Rear-Facing Car Seat For Babies

With Froot Loop, we opted to get a single, convertible car seat. After much agonizing, I chose the Graco MyRide 65. It served us very well. (see post HERE) When Cocoa Puff came on the scene, however, I wanted to go with an infant car seat that had a removable seat that could be transferred from car to car or car to stroller or car to floor or whatever.

I wanted one like this since I knew I’d be running a lot more errands and driving around more with two kids and it was always a nightmare trying to keep Froot Loop asleep while getting him out of the other carseat. I didn’t want to have to deal with that again with a newborn.

I chose a "clicky" car seat: The Graco Click Connect 35. Plus, I thought Froot Loop could stay in the Graco 65 until he outgrew it or Cocoa Puff outgrew the Snugride 35. Then, I could put Cocoa Puff in the 65 and move Froot Loop to a booster seat. 

I just moved Cocoa Puff to the Graco 65 and Froot Loop to the Turbobooster. Cocoa Puff can still fit into the Snugride 35, but just barely, and he's going through a growth spurth right now...

I wanted a lightweight car seat because I have big babies. At 7 ½ pounds without the base, this is among the lightest out there. I can still carry Cocoa Puff at 24 pounds, but it’s getting harder to do. It was great when we went to church or I took Froot Loop to a playdate or wherever. He would often sleep through them. We carried him around in it several times as a newborn. It was so convenient.

When we went on vacation, Cocoa Puff was able to nap in this carseat. I wouldn't let him sleep in it overnight or when someone wasn't watching him, but he did take several naps in it in its year of use!

We went to a pep rally once and he was zonked out and stayed asleep through the whole thing!

Cocoa Puff even stayed in the car seat when I had to go to my therapy appointments when he was only a week old. It was so convenient and I didn’t have to wake him up to get him out of the car. He snoozed through those too!

Tiny 4 pound babies can fit in this seat as well as babies up to 35 pounds/32” long. It is very likely that your baby will reach the height limit before the weight limit though, as was the case with Cocoa Puff.

Click Connect works between bases and strollers. We technically have two cars, but I don’t put any car seats in the Neon anymore since the accident. I bought a base so we could put it in anyone else’s car (like my mother in law, or my parents when they visited, or our friends, or whatever). It was GREAT not having to uninstall and reinstall the base when my parents were here. Granted it didn’t take that long, but still, it was nice to not have to deal with it every day. I have an older Graco stroller (not a click connect), but the car seat rests nicely in it so we did use it that way a few times. 

It attaches to your car via Latch or seatbelt. We have it using the seatbelt because it fit better next to Froot Loop’s car seat in our car, but in my parents’ car, we used the latch and it took like 5 seconds to install. It took maybe 30 seconds to install using the seatbelt. 

The snugride 35 has a newborn head support, which is removable when your baby outgrows the need for it. We used it for a couple of months, but that was it. I don’t really know what to do with it now… 

It has a rotating canopy, which is nice so you can block the sunlight from more angles. The only downside to the canopy is that you can’t really carry the car seat with the canopy up though. It’s doable, but it’s difficult. However, I’m glad it’s there because it has really saved us in the car. 

It has a 5 point harness, which is what the AAP recommends anymore anyway. The chest strap is easy to latch and unlatch and the crotch strap is easy enough to operate as well. I like that the straps are adjustable from the front too. That makes life so much easier. 

The fabric is Washable! That is a MUST for car seats since all sorts of fluids get all over them. Cocoa Puff has managed to puke, pee, and poop all over this carseat several times, but you'd never know it! The fabric is kind of hot though. When Cocoa Puff gets mad or upset while in the car seat, he tends to get hot. I thought maybe that was just him, but I looked at other reviews and other people say the same thing! 

The car seat has been super duper tested through Graco’s testing procedures. I trust we have one of the safest car seats on the market. 

It’s a bit on the big side, but it (barely) fits next to the Graco 65 in the Equinox. It fit just fine next to our smaller convertible car seat that we got for my parents’ car though. 

I’m very glad we got this seat. I’m glad I decided against getting another convertible even though we love the one we have. I think financially wise, we made the right decision, because car seats are EXPENSIVE, but are absolutely necessary! 

By the way, I wrote a Car Seat Safety post HERE that's totally worth checking out. 

What's the most expensive baby item you bought/received?