2nd time Moms+: Graco product opinions???

smccorkill · August 2015

Hey, I am a FTM and noticed a deal at Costco for Graco products-- $779 for the Stylus Click Connect Roundabout series including Travel System (Car seat and stroller), High Chair, Motorized Swing and Play yard. It looks like a great deal and I want to jump on it if it is right for us but I'm getting totally swamped in reviews about all sorts of car seats and strollers etc.... What are your opinions on these or similar Graco products? Do you think this is a deal worth snapping up? (For the record this was on Costco canada and in Canadian dollars, no idea if it exists in the U.S.

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CassidyACD · August 2015

Do you have to get all of them? I love graco. I've had evenflo and graco car seats and I think graco is much better. I just like the clips better, that may be just me. Personally, I hated the high chair so I got a little plastic one that sits on a chair (easier to clean) and my son hated the swing so that was a waste, even of he loved it they only use it till they can sit up on their own (I bought a used one this time around). The play yard is a life saver. If you have multiple floors cause you can have them nap downstairs and can even set it up as a changing area. The bucket seat and stroller are nice if you like that. A lot of moms I know say that is a lifesaver, I'm very strange in that I hate strollers and rather carry my baby even if I risk waking them up taking them out of the car. (As a result my son will sleep though anything, thunder, dogs barking, etc) so I'm skipping that this time and going straight to a convertible car seat that will last till he or she is about 4. Up to you, my sister in law bought everything and loved everything. So there is that...

parenthood4 · August 2015

We got a Graco travel system for my first and I really didn't like it. The car seat buckle was awful, the stroller was difficult to fold, and I didn't like pushing it.

We ended up getting a city mini baby jogger stroller which I love. When my daughter was born, we got a new infant seat (Britax) because I disliked the Graco one so much.

I don't have any experience with any other products, but that's my two cents. If I had to do it over I would get what I have (city mini and Britax car seat) or just a Britax seat and stroller.

ETA: actually we have a Graco high chair too. It's fine. If I had to do it again I would get one that attaches to a regular train to save space, but there's nothing wrong with the high chair

meg_2006 · August 2015

I've loved everything Graco I've had, but I'm not too picky. That price doesn't sound great to me though. I remember the travel system I registered for was $170, high chair $40, baby swing was $50, and pack n play was around $60. They weren't top end, but they weren't the cheapest ones at the store either. They were nice for the short period they were used.

smccorkill · August 2015

@meg_2006 at least for the Graco items the prices are as follows if I remember right: play yard: $219, swing: $189, high chair: $198 and travel system: $389 and the shipping and handling is free. Costco says the retail is about $1000 total. The Canadian prices could be higher than what you are used to. Perhaps it would be better to look for cheaper options though for the more superfluous items like the motorized swing-- @CassidyACD I've heard the swings are hit or miss but my sister thought it was a total lifesaver and said its a must haha. Also- no, you don't have to get every product but of course the deal is much better if you do. Costco is also selling the items separately. Which high chair did you have? The one included is the 4-in-1 convertible which converts to a seat you can put on a chair kind of like what you are describing? Maybe you had a different one but I'm not sure because I don't know much about this stuff :P

smccorkill · August 2015

@kh1824 I have heard wonderful things about britax and was also considering the B-safe/B-agile combo or the B-ready if I want it convertible to a double---- anyone decide to do this?? On Lucie's list it says if you are thinking of having another child within 3 yrs you may want to opt for a convertible.... Anyway it's just that things start getting crazy expensive and I don't know if it's worth it... Also we could always upgrade later I thought maybe when I'm working and/or second child? My sister has the baby jogger city select and loves it but paid like $900 or something for just the stroller and accessories. Also apparently this particular Graco high chair is the 4-in-1 as I mentioned above and does attach to a regular chair so maybe that's a good feature from what you're saying?

CassidyACD · August 2015

The attaching to a chair is a big plus. Does it have fabric? Just be prepared to need to clean it a lot. I got tired of that so I got one of these: https://t.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3553506&cp=2255957.2273443.2255981.2256180.2256180&parentPage=viewall&isTopSellingItem=true

smccorkill · August 2015

For more info here is the high chair--- looks to be some a decent amount of fabric but it says it's supposed to be easy to pull off and machine wash... I'm sure something all plastic would be easier to clean as you say.
https://www.gracobaby.com/products/pages/blossom-4-in-1-seating-system-roundabout.aspx

Here is the travel system:
https://www.gracobaby.com/products/pages/stylus-click-connecttravel-system-roundabout.aspx

Here is the swing:
https://www.gracobaby.com/products/pages/glider-lx-gliding-swing-roundabout.aspx

The play yard:
https://www.gracobaby.com/products/pages/pack-n-play-playard-with-newborn-napper-station-dlx-roundabout.aspx

meg_2006 · August 2015

smccorkill said:

@meg_2006 at least for the Graco items the prices are as follows if I remember right: play yard: $219, swing: $189, high chair: $198 and travel system: $389 and the shipping and handling is free. Costco says the retail is about $1000 total. The Canadian prices could be higher than what you are used to. Perhaps it would be better to look for cheaper options though for the more superfluous items like the motorized swing-- @CassidyACD I've heard the swings are hit or miss but my sister thought it was a total lifesaver and said its a must haha. Also- no, you don't have to get every product but of course the deal is much better if you do. Costco is also selling the items separately. Which high chair did you have? The one included is the 4-in-1 convertible which converts to a seat you can put on a chair kind of like what you are describing? Maybe you had a different one but I'm not sure because I don't know much about this stuff :P

You're right, re-reading my post I didn't make what I was trying to say very clear. If you want that specific line of products, you're right- the price is good. But in the big picture you can get different products of theirs for less. It's up to you if you want the top of the line items with all the bells and whistles or can go a little lower and save some moolah. Hope that makes more sense

CassidyACD · August 2015

meg_2006 said:

smccorkill said:

@meg_2006 at least for the Graco items the prices are as follows if I remember right: play yard: $219, swing: $189, high chair: $198 and travel system: $389 and the shipping and handling is free. Costco says the retail is about $1000 total. The Canadian prices could be higher than what you are used to. Perhaps it would be better to look for cheaper options though for the more superfluous items like the motorized swing-- @CassidyACD I've heard the swings are hit or miss but my sister thought it was a total lifesaver and said its a must haha. Also- no, you don't have to get every product but of course the deal is much better if you do. Costco is also selling the items separately. Which high chair did you have? The one included is the 4-in-1 convertible which converts to a seat you can put on a chair kind of like what you are describing? Maybe you had a different one but I'm not sure because I don't know much about this stuff :P

You're right, re-reading my post I didn't make what I was trying to say very clear. If you want that specific line of products, you're right- the price is good. But in the big picture you can get different products of theirs for less. It's up to you if you want the top of the line items with all the bells and whistles or can go a little lower and save some moolah. Hope that makes more sense

This is what I was going to say, you can get simpler versions of all of these for a lot cheaper, but if you want this level and want to spend your money on it then I don't think it is a bad choice. The pattern is super cute.

parenthood4 · August 2015

smccorkill said:
@kh1824 I have heard wonderful things about britax and was also considering the B-safe/B-agile combo or the B-ready if I want it convertible to a double---- anyone decide to do this?? On Lucie's list it says if you are thinking of having another child within 3 yrs you may want to opt for a convertible.... Anyway it's just that things start getting crazy expensive and I don't know if it's worth it... Also we could always upgrade later I thought maybe when I'm working and/or second child? My sister has the baby jogger city select and loves it but paid like $900 or something for just the stroller and accessories. Also apparently this particular Graco high chair is the 4-in-1 as I mentioned above and does attach to a regular chair so maybe that's a good feature from what you're saying?

I wish I had bought nicer stuff from the beginning, just because we ended up paying more because I didn't like the first stuff! It's just hard to pick because you don't really know what features are important to you until you actually start using it.

The city select must be pricier than the city mini, because I know we didn't pay close to that. But I have heard good things about the city select too.

I guess our high chair did come with a booster seat as well, which has been nice because my son was still using the booster seat when my daughter started using the high chair, so that was good. The high chair is just driving me crazy right now, space wise

irenewslee · August 2015

I do have a lot of Graco products at home and they are well worth their value. With that said, there are other options out there that you may consider. For example, I don't have a big high chair at home. I bought a portable one for $25 and hook it on one of the chairs at home because we don't have a lot of space, and I will not feel bad if we end up only using it for a short period of time. Our playpen only got used a few times, mostly with travelling and during the first two months when she was sleeping in my room. It was a hand-me-down that looked brand new. I also got a Fisher Price swing that we used extensively and I bought it from a coworker for half the price. There are lots of options out there and especially if you know people with young kids, the chances are, they will have something that they put in the garage and feel bad throwing them away. If you want brand new stuff though, you have 6-8 more months to search for discounts and good deals.

smccorkill · August 2015

@irenewslee thanks for your input! I am searching for some used things for sure I think that's the way to go for lots of stuff, just wanted opinions on whether this would be good for value anyways! I'm definitely not set on new stuff. Unfortunately, I am going back to school in 10 days and will be in school right up until I deliver. My program is extremely busy and I wanted to get a head start on things especially if I'm trying to find deals

I wish I had the luxury of lots and lots of time to shop around! Also, most of the people I know have one child under one-- just starting their families. At this stage unfortunately most people aren't looking to get rid of stuff yet!!

irenewslee · August 2015

@smccorkill I see your pain. It is tough to have to jiggle. Are you going to have a baby shower? If so, people may buy you some of those items that you like. Since you still have another week, maybe you can start looking into your baby registry. If you really want to go ahead and buy the package from Costco, you can always return it if you end up finding better deals or if someone ends up buying it for you. Returning stuff can be a pain but it may help you to get some relieve knowing that you have a back-up plan.

smccorkill · August 2015

@irenewslee yes my sisters have said they will throw a baby shower for me-- my friends and family were extremely generous for our wedding a few years ago so it'll probably be similar (*blush*... But so helpful). I have a hard time asking for big stuff like this so I was thinking of just not registering, but today my DH and I had a talk and he thinks we definitely should and we should put some of the big stuff on the registry too (which I thought maybe we should buy ourselves but he says he thinks his parents and grandma would really like to buy us something big and meaningful like a stroller or car seat). So that being decided and after researching a ton today I think we will forego the Costco bundle and probably register for the Baby Jogger City Select stroller because of its ability to convert to a double and so many good recommendations and the Britax Be safe car seat. For the extra other stuff like play yards and rockers etc I will either get more recommendations, see if I can find used or allow guests to buy us ones they have experience with and/or like. Thank you all for weighing in! I really appreciate it

I still have some feelers out for used City Select strollers but they really seem to hold their value... People are selling 3 yr old ones for like $100 less than retail so my hubby said he would prefer just getting a new one if that's the case...I can see where he's coming from.

smushi · August 2015

I did not like our Graco infant car seat. There was not enough head support and the fabric was such that LO would saturate his outfit with sweat after just five minutes. I think we'll get a chicco infant car seat this time around. The Graco pack n plays are just fine.

jmathi0149 · August 2015

I have the Graco click connect carseat and modes travel system. I cannot say enough good things about them. The carseat is so light but roomy. My son has loved it and several of my friends have bought them since seeing mine. The modes stroller is the best thing ever. It is so sturdy and has so many options. We have traveled the world with the thing. I am a huge Graco fan!

Danni7535 · August 2015

CassidyACD said:
The attaching to a chair is a big plus. Does it have fabric? Just be prepared to need to clean it a lot. I got tired of that so I got one of these: https://t.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3553506&cp=2255957.2273443.2255981.2256180.2256180&parentPage=viewall&isTopSellingItem=true

This chair is awesome! The back collapses, so it's easy to travel with. I had a Graco high chair and gave it away. Fabric is impossible to keep clean. Crumbs will get into crevices. You basically have to throw the cover in the washing machine to really get it clean, and we were almost washing it every other day. Ain't nobody have time for that! Anyway, I got the plastic chair (linked above) from Amazon, and I think it was only $25.

Danni7535 · August 2015

Also, like other posts said, a swing is so hit or miss. Borrow one from a friend to see if your lo even likes it. Then, you can always buy one. You don't have to buy everything before the baby gets here (you really don't need a high chair until you start introducing solids at 6 months.) Surprisingly, you'll have plenty of time to shop online when baby is a newborn. Most newborns sleep a ton!

CassidyACD · August 2015

PSA. Zulilly has 40% off graco stuff, just got the email.

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