We’ve seen a lot of excitement around Graco’s Smart Seat™ All-in-One Car Seat. We’ve also seen a lot of questions! Here are some of the questions we’ve heard most frequently so far and the answers from the team here at Graco:

Will the Smart Seat fit my infant?

Yes. The Smart Seat is approved for children 5-100 lbs. Graco has conducted extensive testing to ensure that the seat offers a proper fit for both infants and toddlers. The Smart Seat also comes with an infant insert to help ensure the right fit for infants.

Does the Smart Seat fit into a stroller to become a travel system?

No, the Smart Seat is not designed to be a travel system, or to act as a carrier. The Smart Seat is designed to stay in your car and either move from rear-facing to forward-facing, or from car-to-car if you have an extra base. The base allows this seat to easily be installed one time so you don’t have to reinstall it every time you need to change the direction of the seat or move it to another car.

This seat seems pretty large and heavy…

Yes, the Smart Seat is heavy – both the seat and the base are steel reinforced for durability and strength.

When does the Smart Seat expire?

The Smart Seat expires 10 years after the manufacture date.

Can you talk more about the amount of recline that is recommended on the Smart Seat?

The amount of recline will depend on the pitch of the seats in your vehicle. When rear-facing, as long as the car seat is within the approved area of the level-indicator, the level of recline is acceptable. Typically, 2-3 recline positions are available in the rear facing mode while staying in the window of the level indicator. When your child turns forward-facing, all levels of recline are acceptable up to 40 lbs.

What other Smart Seat questions do you have? Let us know and we’ll answer them here!

Gracie’s mom, Kate, and x-man’s mom, Deanna, love getting these two tykes together for playdates at their favorite park.

Do you have a picture of your precious little one that you’d like featured in our ‘Babies, Bundles, and Bumps’ series?

Share it with us at blog@gracobaby.com, and you might see it featured here!

After years of developing the Graco products so many of you love, Erin and her husband will be welcoming their very first little one in just a few weeks! We don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl yet, so we’re all anxiously awaiting the answer to this big surprise.

Any advice for the *very* soon-to-be parents?!

Congratulations, Erin – we couldn’t be more excited for you!!

Want to be next month’s Bump of the Month on Graco’s I Love My Baby Bump Facebook page? Find out how by checking out last month’s winner!

“My family was been a Graco family long before I joined the Graco family.  Case in point – when my daughter was little her favorite activity was jumping in her Graco Jump ‘n Jive.  It provided all of us with hours of entertainment.  One day she was going especially crazy, so we filmed it and set it to music.  It was hard to hold the camera because my wife and I were laughing so hard.  The video is in real-time…we didn’t speed it up!”

We hope you have a fantastic holiday with your family and here’s to an even better 2012!

Is there something you’d like to see here on the Graco blog in the New Year? Please leave a comment and let us know!

Check it out here.

And in the meantime, here are a few things you told us you’re thankful for:

- I am thankful that I don’t have to pick just ONE thing to be thankful for! Even though I complain sometimes…LIFE IS GOOD! – Laura M.

- My sweet baby boy who will be 15 months old on thanksgiving. It took us 2yrs and lots of heartbreak to have him. For my husband who works hard so I can SAH. My parents who have always been there for me and my brother. My extended family and friends. 
- Rebekah T.

- I’m thankful that my hubby has a steady job after having been unemployed since january. – Diana W.

- That I only have 8 more days until D Day! -Jackie P.

We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday!

If you’re flying, here are a few tips on how to more easily take your car seat along:

- It is highly recommended that all passengers should be buckled into their own seat for safety – regardless of age – just like riding in a car.

- Before you go, confirm that your car seat is approved to fly. You can find a note that says “certified for aircraft use” (FAA Approved) directly on most car seats if they are approved, or in your instruction manual.

- Keep in mind, some convertible car seats (depending on size) and all belt-positioning booster seats are NOT approved for airplane use.

- Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions when using a car seat. The FAA recommends that a child weighing:
- Less than 20 pounds use a rear-facing car seat
- From 20 to 40 pounds use a forward-facing car seat
- More than 40 pounds use an airplane seat belt

- Next, confirm your car seat will fit on the plane. Measure the car seat base and length to ensure it will fit in aircraft rows and seat. Contact airlines about specific aircraft or use seatguru.com for dimensions. According to the FAA, a car seat should fit in most airplane seats if it is no wider than 16 inches.

- Reserve the window seat for your car seat. Avoid Exit Rows and the row in front of, or behind the Exit Row (where car seats are not allowed).

- Use your stroller or a car seat transporter to help you more easily carry the car seat through the airport.

- Strategize in advance on how to carry all of your belongings, your car seat, and your child from the jet way to the airplane seat after gate-checking your stroller. It might not seem like a long distance, but it can still cause a challenge! (Backpacks, quality-versus quantity packing, delegating, etc. can help).

- Board early when possible to install your car seat and get the family situated before the chaos of general boarding.

- Consider other passengers. Offer empathy and kindness (earplugs and chocolate?) for passenger unable to recline the seat ahead of yours because of the car seat position.

- Take-off, landing, and turbulence are not safe times to breastfeed. Use a bottle to help with ear pressure and keep your infant safely restrained in their car seat whenever possible.

- Give kids a break from the car seat while you’re in the airport. Allow them to stretch, walk, or be held before boarding the flight so they aren’t as anxious to get out of the seat once they are on the plane.

If you’re looking for additional information on how to travel with a car seat, check out the following sites:
- Importance of buckling up infants: http://www.jetwithkids.com/blog/lap-child-policy
- Considerations for flying with car seat: http://www.jetwithkids.com/blog/faa-approved-car-seat-restraint-considerations
- FAA sticker: http://www.jetwithkids.com/blog/infant-toddler-car-seat-faa-approval
- Window seat: http://www.jetwithkids.com/blog/best-location-for-car-seats-on-airplanes
- Empathy & chocolate for others: http://www.jetwithkids.com/blog/chocolate-for-airline-employees-is-it-a-bribe

Happy Thanksgiving and safest travels to you!

Thanks to Travel Comfort Specialist, Anya Clowers, RN, from www.JetWithKids.com for this post!

How are you spending your Thanksgiving?

Here’s how it will work:

1. Become our fan on Facebook and subscribe to updates from Graco – that way you won’t miss a deal!

2. We’ll announce a new deal on ONE product every Friday, which will be good for that day only from 9:00 a.m. EST until we are sold out.

You’ll need to act fast – we’ll only offer a select number of products at the deal price! If you get to our site and it says “Out of Stock” for that week’s product, it means the deal has sold out.

3. We’ll share a link or discount code that you’ll use to get the deal. All you need to do is click the link or enter the code and finish your shopping from there.

4. We will also announce each deal here on the Graco blog each week, so subscribe to our updates to stay informed!

We’ll announce our first weekly deal on Friday, November 18 – so be sure to check back then for the details!

Offer valid in the US only. Redeemable only at www.gracobaby.com. Not valid with any other offer. Offer has no cash value. Offer cannot be applied to previously purchased products. Purchaser is responsible for all applicable sales tax and shipping costs. Void where prohibited.Graco reserves the right to offer deals at its sole discretion and makes no guarantee that deals will be offered every week. Graco reserves the right to cancel any deal at any time for any reason without notice. For full terms and conditions, please e-mail us at blog@gracobaby.com.  

Well now here’s your chance!

All you have to do is take ten minutes to speak your mind through the survey link below. We want to hear your thoughts on fashion swatches, colors and fabrics for future Graco backless TurboBoosters.

And, even better? You’ll automatically be entered to win a Graco TurboBooster of your choice, just for telling us what’s on your mind!

So what are you waiting for? Let us know what fashions you’d like to see on the next Graco backless TurboBooster by clicking this link. Thanks for your feedback and good luck!

*This survey and the chance to win will be available for a limited time only. Valid in the US only. Void where prohibited. For full rules please email blog@gracobaby.com .

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