Evenflo Embrace - Rainforest Infant Car Seat

I actually have two of these Embrace car seats from Evenflo. One in the rainforest print and the other in a light blue checkered print. I favor the light blue checkered print, (although that is just a personal cosmetic opinion). I have three boys, 8 years, 6 1/2 years and 4 months. I have always had an Evenflo car seat. With my first two boys I enjoyed the Z shaped handle as it seemed a more comfortable way to carry an infant car seat. So, this time around I bought the newest model from Evenflo -- the Embrace. OK - PROS: The handle is a definite pro. The other handles seem awkward to me. There is also plenty of room in the seat for a growing baby. The shoulder straps have 3 positions and the buckle between the legs has 2. The handle itself has 3 positions, for carrying it stays upright, for taking the baby out or rocking it stays back and for using the car seat as a seat the handle will lock back even further to prop the seat up more. It has a large canopy to keep the sun, rain and wind out. It also has the new locking mechanism when installed into the base. Extremely quick in and out of the car and easy to use. The lining and belts are fairly easy to remove and are machine washable. For anyone who has a spit-up happy baby you know how important this feature is! The patterns for the seat are all adorable and it looks and acts like a quality, good name seat. OK now the CONS: This seat is heavier than Evenflos previous models. The seat itself isn't a problem carrying but add a chubby baby and its an arm breaker. My first two sons were born 9lbs each by the time they were 5 months, I couldn't handle carrying the seat around anymore. My oldest was 20lbs by 6 months and my 4 month old is 16lbs already! So, all I am saying is keep an eye out for how much the actual car seat weighs before the baby is in it and do the math. You will probably be able to determine how long you will be using the car seat by how much weight you are willing to carry on your arm. Of course my girlfriend's daughter was a peanut and was in her infant car seat until she was 1 years old! Just something to consider. The new Embrace car seat also DOES NOT work with any other Evenflo base. Much to my disappointment. I was hoping to use my old base as an extra in my husband car. New extra bases, ordered from Evenflo were like $40, which I thought was too much considering the seat and base sell for $65-70 together. I was lucky to find another Embrace car seat with base on E-bay that was only used for 5 months and was in excellent store bought condition for less than the price of a new base. All around it is a very cute, extremely safe car seat that I would more than likely go with again. Fortunately for us, I can not say how it stands up in a car accident but with the high sides, solid construction and the locking mechanism into the base, I am confident in this car seat.

Make / Models : Model/Build Years:
EVENFLO / EMBRACE 9999

Manufacturer : EVENFLO COMPANY, INC.

NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 07C003000 Mfr's Report Date : MAY 10, 2007
Component: CHILD SEAT:HANDLE (INFANT)
Potential Number Of Units Affected : 448000
Summary:
CERTAIN EVENFLO EMBRACE INFANT CAR SEAT/ CARRIERS MANUFACTURED BEFORE APRIL 8, 2006, WITH MODEL NUMBERS BEGINNING WITH 317, 320, 397, 398, 540, 548, 549, 550, 556, 597, 598 OR 599. WHEN USED AS AN INFANT CARRIER, THE HANDLE CAN UNEXPECTEDLY RELEASE, CAUSING THE SEAT TO ROTATE FORWARD.
Consequence:
WHEN THIS HAPPENS, AN INFANT INSIDE THE CARRIER CAN FALL TO THE GROUND AND SUFFER SERIOUS INJURIES.
Remedy:
EVENFLO WILL NOTIFY REGISTERED OWNERS AND OFFER TO PROVIDE A FREE REPAIR KIT AND REPAIR INSTRUCTIONS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 8, 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT EVENFLO’S TOLL-FREE NUMBER AT 1-800-233-5921 BETWEEN 8AM AND 5PM EST OR VISIT THEIR WEBSITE AT WWW.EMBRACEHANDLE.COM.