Question Why does graco still make snugrides with back adjust harnesses?

toothfairymama · Aug 18, 2009

Anyone know? It just seems weird that they make some with a front adjust and some with a back adjust. Why not make them all front adjust for ease of use? There are a lot of patterns of the snugride that I really like (especially the Little Hoot one at Target!) but they're all back harness adjust.

Maedze · Aug 18, 2009

Because, for whatever reason, they sell, and I guess they're cheaper to make than the front adjust seats, so they're quite popular at Walmart, Target and other discount box stores.

susanx4 · Aug 18, 2009

i wondered about this also, till i had a friend with a 6 lb baby who couldn't get the straps tight enough in her front adjust,a smaller baby could get a tighter harness with the back adjust... ( in her case the straps where at baby's shoulders but harness wouldn't tighten enough!)

Maedze · Aug 18, 2009

susanx4 said:
i wondered about this also, till i had a friend with a 6 lb baby who couldn't get the straps tight enough in her front adjust,a smaller baby could get a tighter harness with the back adjust... ( in her case the straps where at baby's shoulders but harness wouldn't tighten enough!)

Did she not have the straps set to the smaller harness loops? A lot of people make that mistake. If the straps aren't on the right loop, the harness can't be tightened enough for tiny babies.

BookMama · Aug 18, 2009

susanx4 said:
i wondered about this also, till i had a friend with a 6 lb baby who couldn't get the straps tight enough in her front adjust,a smaller baby could get a tighter harness with the back adjust... ( in her case the straps where at baby's shoulders but harness wouldn't tighten enough!)

Honestly, I think that if they were still making it just so that they had a seat to accomodate itty bitties, they's make one or two versions of it - not make mainly rear-adjust versions. I'm sure they do it for the same reason businesses do most things - money. I assume it must be cheaper to continue using the same mold(s) for the back-adjust seats than to create (and get certified) a new mold, the seat still sells like hotcakes, etc.

I also bet they probably don't get that many complaints about them - most people don't use their seats correctly, including tightening the straps adequately, so they don't realize how hard it is to do correctly with the back-adjust seats.

(I was just thinking "why do they still make these" last night as I was browsing online for infant seats - there are a few cute patterns I like, but they're all back-adjust! Grrr!)

ShumNum · Aug 18, 2009

I wish they could keep the Assura shell, but replace the bar harness adjustment with the back-adjust snugride device! It must be cheap to make those two little 'teeth' in the back, right?!

HEVY · Aug 18, 2009

Am I the only one who likes the back adjuster?

BookMama · Aug 18, 2009

HEVY said:
Am I the only one who likes the back adjuster?

Apparently!

SavsMom · Aug 18, 2009

Same with Evenflo....on their site 2 out of 16 infant seats have the front adjustment on them...3 out of 15 in the travel systems.....:thumbsdown:
Then again I hate the Evenflo infant seats anyways...that dang handle is a nightmare - lol!

bobandjess99 · Aug 18, 2009

why dsoes the comfortsport still exist?
$$$$

susanx4 · Aug 18, 2009

Maedze said:
Did she not have the straps set to the smaller harness loops? A lot of people make that mistake. If the straps aren't on the right loop, the harness can't be tightened enough for tiny babies.

you know, i never even thought of that at the time ( Said baby is now almost 2yrs old)

snowbird25ca · Aug 18, 2009

Maedze said:
Did she not have the straps set to the smaller harness loops? A lot of people make that mistake. If the straps aren't on the right loop, the harness can't be tightened enough for tiny babies.

I've never had a back adjust and front adjust graco side by side to compare, but I know in the case of evenflo seats that the back adjust harness can be tightened much further than the front adjust. In the case of a tiny baby, I could definitely see it being the difference between tight enough vs. marginal or not quite tight enough, so I could see it happening with the snugride as well. Though I know that the front adjust snugrides adjust a lot tighter without a baby in it than the front adjust evenflo seats do, so maybe it's more an evenflo problem...

I think if more people quit buying back adjust they'd quit making them or greatly reduce the number being sold. I know the walmart snugride is back adjust here in the city, but all of the travel systems and stand alone snugride seats we carry at work are front adjust now. They certainly must have enough of those molds that it shouldn't be that hard to switch the ratio of production.

BookMama · Aug 18, 2009

snowbird25ca said:
I think if more people quit buying back adjust they'd quit making them or greatly reduce the number being sold. I know the walmart snugride is back adjust here in the city, but all of the travel systems and stand alone snugride seats we carry at work are front adjust now. They certainly must have enough of those molds that it shouldn't be that hard to switch the ratio of production.

I think people buy them because that's all the mass market stores carry.

I haven't been to my local BRU lately, but my local Target/Walmart/Kmart/Meijer stores (where I bet the majority of seats are purchased) carry NO front adjust infant seats. At all. If only those stores would get a buyer with a CPS clue to tell Graco/Evenflo "Look, we're not going to carry those hard-to-use back-adjust seats any longer. Give us a few front-adjust seats with cute covers," they would totally do it. Target and Walmart especially must account for a HUGE portion of Graco's sales.

disbugsmomma · Aug 19, 2009

HEVY said:
Am I the only one who likes the back adjuster?

Nope, I don't mind it at all. :thumbsup:

ketchupqueen · Aug 19, 2009

I know I was the exception but I tried my second in front- and rear-adjust SRs shortly after birth, and the rear-adjust gave a better fit on her. And she was NOT small (21 inches, almost 8 lbs. at birth, and a 9 inch torso.)

*Spoiledinmyhouseofblue* · Aug 19, 2009

I liked my back adjusting snugride :duck:

Leenybean · Aug 19, 2009

I didn't mind my back adjusting one either

emandbri · Aug 19, 2009

I hate them. I think they do it to make more money. A parent buys one for their first kid because they don't know better. Then after the baby is born they see other babies out and about and discover that the front adjuster ones are out there and then buy a new seat for second baby.

Maedze · Aug 19, 2009

I took my son home at 5 pounds, 13 ounces and the Snugride set on the smallest loops provided a perfectly tight and safe fit

Simplysomething · Aug 19, 2009

HEVY said:
Am I the only one who likes the back adjuster?

Nope. I didn't mind a back adjust, for a rear-facing infant seat. Now, for a front facing seat, it's pretty much useless, but rear-facing, no problem.

Question Why does graco still make snugrides with back adjust harnesses?

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