The Pros and Cons (Graco Mirage)

Member Name: Vicki H

Product:	Graco Mirage
Date:	27/05/02 (1282 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: 3 in 1, Good price, Comfort

Disadvantages: Washing problem, Size, Heavy

Prams and pushchairs have become a major investment and it is crucial therefore that you make the right choice. When I was pregnant my mind was in a whirl with the sheer number of designs and models on offer. I didn't really know what I was looking for but spent hours looking anyway!

I eventually decided on a Graco Travel System. These are 3 in 1 in that there is a car seat which when added to the pushchair base makes a pram and then as they grew older you have the pushchair. The 3 in 1 option seemed to make the most economic sense at £149 for the lot. A good car seat costs round about £80 so if you bought all 3 items separately you would have a hefty bill.

At the time this made sense to me as I needed both a pram and a car seat. I was concerned that many of the prams are not supportive and I hate to see babies flopped into them. I became an expert on 'feeling' prams and thought that the Graco ones offered the best support whilst being comfortable.

My pram was in blue with a cream and beige cheque trim. This model is seldom available now although it appears to be only the covers that have changed in order to remain fashionable. I notice now that it is the grey colours that seem to be the in shade. At the time of choosing I wanted something unisex as I didn't know what the sex of my child was. All Graco prams seem to be suitable for both blue and pink babies!

The car seat was very sturdy and could also be used as a seat in the house. In fact my son liked it so much that sometimes it was the only way to get him to snooze. There is a headsupport for the tiny baby so that they are snug when placed in the seat and the straps are adjustable too. It is important that you get to grips with fitting the car seat prior to babies arrival. Me and my husband spent many an evening practicing fitting it into the car, as you can imagine the hours just fly by in our house!

It is easy to fit though once you get
into it. There is also an indicator on the side which shows you at what angle to tip the seat up. When the orange part is showing you have got the seat in at the correct angle. This is based on the spirit level system where an indicator moves between two points to show that the item is level. Important note here is that the carrying handle has to remain upright. I can't believe the number of these seats that I have seen where the parent has put the handle down. It clearly states in the instructions that it must remain up. The seat belt straps across the front of the child and has guides to fit it under. The other part of the seat belt fits behind the car seat making it very secure. Another point here is not to use the car seat in the front if you have passenger air bags.

My son used this car seat until he was 9 months old. He was a huge baby and finally outgrew it. I think that it was terrific value though considering he used it for all that time. I never had a problem with it except as he got bigger it became very heavy to carry. I started to leave it in the car rather than taking the whole lot out each time as you would if you had a smaller baby.

I put him in the pushchair part for walks at a much younger age. I found that he was trying to sit up and look round so made the switch at about 5 months. Now the problem with the pushchair is that it is huge! I find it a real pain to get round the shops to be honest and I have just bought a cheap buggy to replace it. It is obviously very comfortable and padded and the straps are fully adjustable. It comes with a snack tray too though I never used this as Joe used to try and kick it off at every opportunity!

The pushchair can be reclined too although Joe hated this and prefers to be almost upright at all times! We had terrible sleep problems with him when he was younger and although the Health Visitor disapproves he will only fall asleep at night in his pushchair. OK s
o it's not ideal but at least we can carry him up to bed once he is in the land of nod. To me this proves how comfy it must be though!

I love the fact that the pushchair has a basket at the bottom and it is massive. You can get your coat in there and lots of shopping too. The shape of the handle however means that it is difficult to put shopping anywhere else. Bags do not easily sli over the handles. Also don't forget that your shopping on handles can uptip your little one.

Now for the major disadvantage to the whole system! In order to wash it you have to unscrew goodness knows how many screws. All the material is attached to the frame with these screws. Once you do get it all undone it has a plastic backing and therefore can't be machine washed. I found this out when Joe was incredibly sick all over the thing. It took at least half an hour to get it off which isn't ideal when it is dripping in vomit and then I had to clean it in the bath. If I had realised this when I bought it I would have looked again I'm sure.

I have updated my op as I now only use the chair in the house or garden due to its shabby appearance. Joe has done another spectacular vomitting act in the last week and I had another battle to get the thing clean. You would think that manufacturers would be aware of the need for cleaning such products with ease. This is the hardest thing to clean in the world. I have tried cleaning it without unscrewing everything but unfortunately as it is padded you just cannot get rid of the smell (sorry for so much detail but if you are going for a crown you need detail!) Even Fabreze has failed on it and it has been drenched in the stuff. I would like to be able to wash it on a regular basis in order to keep it hygienic.

I had fully intended to keep the travel system for the next baby (if there is one - if Joe doesn't sleep soon this is extremely doubtful!) I would not put a baby in th
e system now though as it clearly looks second hand and worn.

All in all it was initially a great buy though quickly became grubby. Also it is way too big and takes up too much room in the boot of a small car (I drive a Renault Clio). I cannot go to the supermarket with it in the car as there is no room for the shopping. Because of the sheer size of the pushchair it is also very heavy to lift - you do get nicely toned arms though! Hope this has helped someone out there make a decision.

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