Graco Modes Nest

“Lightweight”, below median

Reversible-seat full-size in which the toddler seat lies back into an infant pramette mode, and the seat or an infant car seat sits at one of three heights. It weighs 21.96 lb and costs $379.99.

Weight: 21.96 lb; maker's figure
Max child weight: 50 lb; in the seat

Best for: A newborn-ready seat with no bassinet to buy

~$380list price at the last catalog update

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What it does well

Infant pramette mode is built into the seat, with no separate carry cot to buy
Seat or car seat can be set to three heights
Costs $379.99 against $650 for the UPPAbaby Kona at a similar 22 lb
Takes all Graco infant car seats

What it gives up

26.77 in wide when open, against 21 in for the Kona
50 lb child limit
No other brand's infant seat is listed, so a non-Graco carrier stays out

What owners say

Parents choose the Modes Nest because it gives them a flat pramette for a newborn without buying a separate bassinet, plus a Graco car seat that clicks onto the frame, at a price well below the premium brands. Owners who bought it for the pramette used it heavily, taking babies out daily in the first months, and like that the same piece turns back into the toddler seat later.

Nothing owners raise is a dealbreaker: it takes some learning, it is large folded, and one owner found the wheels hard to push over uneven pavement and the frame clumsy. Others push it on grass and pavement without complaint, and the wheel problems some shoppers read about did not show up for the owners who reported back. Several owners found that the infant car seat in the bundle, not the stroller, is what gets outgrown first, sometimes within months, after which the baby moves into the stroller seat and a convertible seat stays in the car.

At its price, it is the budget route to a bassinet-style newborn ride and a Graco car seat in one purchase. Owners compare it most often with the UPPAbaby Vista, which costs far more, and with the Chicco Bravo, which lacks a pramette. Shoppers also weigh it against the Graco Modes Pramette and the Chicco Corso.

What owners like

The built-in pramette is the feature owners actually use: summer and winter babies alike rode in it on daily walks for the first months, until they started sitting up
Because the pramette folds back into the seat, owners switch between the two on the go, and one family flipped it flat for quick diaper changes while out
Several owners went in worried by complaints about the wheels getting stuck and say they never had a problem, pushing it on pavement and grass
Owners on a budget are glad they bought it: one has used it for eight months and calls it worth it at under half the price of an UPPAbaby, and another says they get it into the trunk faster than friends with pricier strollers

Common complaints

There is a learning curve: one owner says it isn't intuitive, and another took a while to work out how to set the seat up as a normal stroller once the baby outgrew the car seat
It is big folded. One owner with a large trunk says that is fine for them, but another found it bulky and clumsy to handle day to day, though a third finds it lighter and quicker to pack than their friends' strollers
The SnugRide infant seat in the travel-system bundle is outgrown early by some babies: owners report hitting the height limit at three and six months, and one parent was unhappy with its head support

Questions owners ask about the Graco Modes Nest

Do Modes Nest owners actually use the pramette?

Owners who reported back say yes, a lot. Families with summer and winter babies used it on walks every day until the baby began to sit up. One owner regrets not having a bassinet at all.

Are the Modes Nest wheel complaints borne out by owners?

Several owners who were worried by wheel complaints never had an issue and push it on pavement and grass. One owner found the wheels hard to push over uneven pavement, with the stroller sometimes jolting backwards over bumps.

Where does the baby ride after outgrowing the Modes Nest's SnugRide?

Owners move the child into the stroller's own seat and put a convertible seat in the car. A convertible car seat does not click into the stroller. Some babies outgrow the bundled SnugRide by three to six months, earlier than parents expected.

Is the Modes Nest comfortable for parents of very different heights?

One expecting family with a 6'7" partner had no complaints after trying it at home, but had not yet used it on walks. Another family chose it partly for a handle that suits two parents of very different heights.

What you lift

21.96 lb as Graco weighs it. Sold as lightweight, and under the 22.38 lb median single here.

Source: Graco spec table: "Stroller Weight 21.96 lb"

The first months: Seat is rated from birth. Graco: "Toddler seat converts to infant pramette mode"; also takes an infant car seat.

Why makers’ weights don’t always compare

Infant car seats

Seat family	How it attaches	Models the maker names
Graco infant seats	Clicks on, no adapter	All Graco infant car seats

Source: Graco: "Stroller accepts all Graco Infant Car Seats ... use from birth as a car seat carrier or travel system"

The whole car-seat matrix

Specifications

Approx. price: ~$380
Type: Full-size
Weight: 21.96 lb
Newborn lift weight: 21.96 lb (seat is from birth)
Newborn option: Seat is rated from birth
Unfolded size: 38.07 x 26.77 x 41.85 in
Fold: Stands when folded; Graco: "One-step self-standing fold"
Max child weight: 50 lb; Graco: "holds child up to 50 lb"
Recline: Multi-position reclining seat
Car seats: 1 seat family: 1 click in directly

Graco publishes no handlebar height for this model, so taller parents have nothing to check it against here.

The carry-on check

Graco publishes no folded dimensions for the Graco Modes Nest on the pages read for this catalog, so there is no carry-on verdict. A size is never estimated from photos or a sibling model.