Graco My Ride 65 Convertible Car Seat - Spiral

Comments about Graco My Ride 65 Convertible Car Seat - Spiral:

We have several Graco products (travel system, high chair, etc.), and have been extremely pleased with the quality and functionality of everything we'd purchased so far. Our son is in the 97th percentile (both height and weight) for his age (8 months), so he's nearly outgrown his infant carrier, and we once again turned to Graco for his next carseat.

We bought the My Ride 65, and immediately tried to install it at home. While installation wasn't too terribly difficult, it did not feel securely installed. No matter what we tried, the seat seemed to move and shift with the slightest force or pressure. (We were trying to install in an '08 Honda Pilot.)

Additionally, it didn't appear to be much wider than his current infant carrier -- so he while he had ample head/foot room, his shoulders were "squished."

After 45 frustrating minutes, and feeling terribly uneasy about ever placing our son into that seat, we returned to the store and returned it -- opting to go with the much sturdier Britax Boulevard CS. The Britax is GREAT -- easy to install and VERY sturdy, with plenty of room. As for the Graco? Truly disappointing!

Comments about Graco My Ride 65 Convertible Car Seat - Spiral:

bulky seat, needs to be in reclining position to sit forward in my vehicle due to the seat setting. sits too close to front seats, can't imagine how my son's legs will fit as he continues to grow.

Comments about Graco My Ride 65 Convertible Car Seat - Spiral:

I absolutely love this car seat. I did tons of research online and was torn between this one and the Britax Marathon. When we went into the store to actually see them in person the Britax Marathon looked uncomfortable and didn't seem soft enough for our baby. So we decided on the Graco even after hearing reviews that it is hard to install. I think the problem is most of the people trying to install it are women. I am a woman also but I installed it just fine. If you can't install it maybe your husband can and the seat will work out perfect. I also love that it has cup holders. It makes it easy to hold toys and sippy cups. It is extremely sturdy and easy to install. I do recommend fitting your baby for the seat in the house before you install it in your car, it will make it a lot easier. For the price it is perfect and we love it and our baby is safe. I definitely recommend this over the Britax Marathon. I noticed that people only chose the Britax Marathon over the Graco because they said the carseat didn't budge. But if you install the Graco properly you are getting the same type of safety for a way better price. Right now they are on sale for [$] at a lot of stores.

Comments about Graco My Ride 65 Convertible Car Seat - Spiral:

I have been through my share of carseats with my two kids. I finally settled on the Graco Nautilus for my daughter who is 3. When it was time for my son to get another carseat, we debated between the Nautilus and the MyRide. I ended up with the myRide. When we first purchased it, he was still rear facing. Had been in a Graco Comfortsport and surprisingly, the Myride actually allowed more room to push the front seat back than the Comfortsport. Second, it is a wider seat in the front, but actually in the back, it is narrow. It appears really wide, but the actual seat is narrow. It is shaped and comes out from the sides at the edge of the carseat. For this reason, I can put 3 carseats acrossed the seat in my car. the way this is made, it fits 'over' the middle carseat. Granted, there is no way that I could get 3 MyRides acrossed, because they are wide at the front sections! This carseat does recline a little bit more in the forward facing position, but I have had so many people say that they are upset that their kids heads fall forward in other carseats--my son sleeps fine in this seat! His head has never fallen forward, and he is able to recline and yet he is still sitting upright enough that he can see out the windows.

Two things to note: I've learned to adjust the straps to tighten, you pull down towards the floor of the vehicle with the strap. The way the tightening mechanism is made, the strap gets stuck on the mechanism and doesn't get a realy tight fit when you pull up. I just learned to pull down and I get it tight immediately. Of course, it is more difficult in the rear facing because the seat back is in the way.

Second, The sides of the carseat 'bend' a little bit with the side impact. If you push on the sides, it moves--but the carseat doesn't move at all. I've heard so many people say that the carseat moves side to side--not if you have it installed correctly! The side may bend a bit but that is all part of the side impact! The carseat itself is tight and doesn't budge if you push on the side of the seat itself!

I am very pleased with this carseat and happy I got it. I have always been pleased with Graco products!

Comments about Graco My Ride 65 Convertible Car Seat - Spiral:

Purchased to use with my 3 month old. It fits him well and he likes being higher to be able to look around but it is IMPOSSIBLE to adjust the straps with it installed rear facing. I would rather be able to loosen & tighten them to get him in and out so it is more comfortable for him. You can loosen them somewhat easily but not tighten them at all. My husband could barely get them to tighten even the slightest. Fits our 3 year old great and she loves using the cup holders and the sides keep her head from falling when shes sleeping. Just can't keep considering we need it for our 3 month old who will be rear facing for quite some time still. Can't see fussing so much with it every time, not safe with it loose.

Comments about Graco My Ride 65 Convertible Car Seat - Spiral:

I bought this a few months ago and have been using in the rear-facing position and loved it!! It is a little large, but super comfy. But when I went to test it out as a forward facing I was super disappointed. Because my seats slope down, which most cars do, the seat seems like it's still in a reclined position. The seat weight goes up until 65lbs which is great, but can't imagine that when my daughter is 4 or even 3 for that matter, that she will be comfortable so reclined. I was told I could prop a towel underneath to help, but I feel this to be somewhat unsafe. So....yesterday i bought the Britax Roundabout, less bulky, and does not sit back soooo far.
Like I said, the MyRide is great until they are ready to forward face, but I don't recommend it if you are looking for something to take them until they are ready for a booster.

Comments about Graco My Ride 65 Convertible Car Seat - Spiral:

I typically do not by anything unless I've read all the research/reviews for something[...] As I'm sure many before me, I had 2nd thoughts about spending so much $ on a carseat so I went with the Graco. I should've listened to all the rave reviews for the Marathon because we had the Graco less than a week before I couldn't wait to return it! Like others, I couldn't stand that the fabric didn't fit well enough over the seat, and the styrofoam was exposed. Also, the pillow was very poorly constructed. But perhaps I could've looked passed that if the important things, (straps, son's comfort, etc.)worked out....They didn't. I couldn't get the straps tight enough, no matter what, and it was a pain every time I tried to get my son in and out of the seat because the straps constantly fell in the way. After we got the Britax Marathon, I thought "money well spent!!" It doesn't budge at all onced installed, and the seemingly insignificant velcro pieces that hold the straps in place are a LIFE SAVER! I can get my son in and out in no time. Plus my son loves being in his seat. And most importantly, the safety ratings on the Marathon can't be beat! If Graco wants to compete with the Marathon than they need to make a better carseat. Skip the My Ride 65 and go for the Britax!

Comments about Graco My Ride 65 Convertible Car Seat - Spiral:

I bought this seat because of the high rear-facing limit and the low price.

Unfortunately, you get what you pay for. It's harder to install than the Britax seats, the straps are more flimsy but most of all they are very hard to adjust well. Most of the time, once you tighten them on your child, it will be much tighter on one side than another... a problem I never had with the Britax seats. It's fixable but it can take a while.

So overall I'd say it's a good seat for a second car, but for the main car I'd get something more expensive but easier to install and adjust... you get what you pay for.

Comments about Graco My Ride 65 Convertible Car Seat - Spiral:

I did extensive research before we bought this convertible carseat. There was no way I was spending the money on a Britax. I love my son, and his safety is VERY important to me, but the prices are ridiculous! I saw that Graco had just come out with the MyRide and I checked it out. I loved everything I read and it got great reviews. It was very easy to install, not hard at all. We don't switch it between vehicles often, but it would not be a huge pain to do so. My son seems so comfy in it! He had started becoming pretty uncomfortable in his infant carrier, and almost never slept in it anymore. Once I put him in this, he started dozing off right away! It is easy to adjust the tightness of the straps, and they haven't gotten tangled up yet. I would recommend this carseat to everyone! I used a borrowed seat while I was out of town and it was ok, but I was so glad we had chosen the MyRide 65!

Comments about Graco My Ride 65 Convertible Car Seat - Spiral:

We needed to buy a minimum of two convertible car seats since our 9 month old twins had outgrown their infant (Graco) car seats. We tried out a few seats in the store and strapped each child in to let him sit for a few minutes and see how he responded to it. We most liked the functionality and price of the Graco. The parts we didn't like were that the cup holders were not removable so that meant cleaning them would be more difficult, and the knob to loosen the chest harness was up against the the seatback so it was probably going to be difficult to loosen it every time getting the kids in and out. We hoped we were wrong on that one. The good thing was that the straps were just like our infant car seats, and we were happy there wasn't going to be a 'learning curve' - we already knew how this one worked. So we bought two and left the store.

The next day, after more research online and talking to friends, we went back to the store to try out the Britax Boulevard which we had never tried the day before because we thought it was too expensive. There were a few minor problems with it (the crotch strap seemed to be too short and we weren't crazy about the color) but otherwise, both boys seemed pretty comfortable in it.

A few days later, after more research, I decided to return the Graco seats and pick up the Britax, since everyone (online and to me personally) seemed to be raving about the Britax and it seemed to be the 'standard' that all other seats were compared to. When I got to the store, the clerk convinced me that the Graco was just as good and that I should try it out in the car before deciding to return it. So, I had my husband install the Gracos (it took him moments - he did it while the car was parked outside and it was raining, AND he double checked everything he did with the manual). All the while, I didn't feel right about not getting the Britax. My husband could feel my discomfort and decided to go to the store and pick up a Britax and install it alongside the Graco so we could have one of each in the minivan and we could see which one we and the kids liked better.

When he got back, he installed the Britax (still quickly, still raining) and came inside the house and announced that we were returning the Graco. He said the difference in the safety of the installation and the difference in how sturdy the seat was, was night and day. We went outside later (when it wasn't raining) and he told me to push each seat as though it were a side impact force on the car, and when I pushed the Graco, it completely moved and gave way, to the point that if there was a child in the seat, he would have been definitely feeling pain in his neck (let alone anywhere else). When I pushed the Britax, I hurt my arm. It was ridiculously solid and it didn't move an inch.

OK. Sold. If I'm in an accident, I want my kids to be THAT kind of safe, not the Graco kind. My husband went back to the store that night, and bought the 2nd Britax and installed it. Research done.