Verified answer

This will be a long explanation so please bear with me.

What model year was your brother's vehicle made in? If it was made in 2003 or newer, then the vehicle has the LATCH system and locking seatbelts. If your brother's vehicle was made after 1996, that means his seatbelts have child lock mode to keep the seat belt tight. Vehicles made before 1996 do not have a child lock mode for seat belts. This means that a locking clip will be needed to keep the seat belt tight. Some car seats come with built in lock offs to make installation easier. Even if his seat belts have child lock mode, the shoulder belt tends to push up on the base, causing the car seat to tilt, so having a car seat with a built in lock off is a really nice thing to have if your brother's vehicle does not have the LATCH system.

I will explain a little about the LATCH system- the LATCH system is a government standard that was suppose to make installation easier. Vehicles made after 2003 have factory installed lower anchors between the seat cushions. All car seats in the market have connecting straps and hooks. Some lower anchors are well in the seat cushion, making it difficult to connect a hook to an anchor. Here is a picture of push-in LATCH connectors: https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=push+in+latc...

The government always messes up everything they do- so there are flaws with the LATCH system. Sometimes a tight and proper installation will alude you, so again, it may be easier to install with the vehicle's seat belt. And if you install with the seat belt, it will be very helpful to have a child seat with a built in lock off. The center seating position is about 43% safer than the outboard seating positions, and the lower anchors are usually 99% of the time only made for the outboard seats. This means that if they choose to install in the center, they will need to use the vehicle's seat belt.

Here is more about the LATCH system: http://www.thecarseatlady.com/vehicles/the_latch_s...

Using a locking clip can be a pain in the @ss because the car seat needs to be less than 1 inch side to side and front to back. It is a huge pain to re-buckle after putting the locking clip on. For example, here is an installation video with a locking clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nc5CLIok3eU

The person makes it look easy, does't she? Normally, it is a 2 person job to get the seat in nice and tight. One person would hold it while another person would rebuckle. It can be a one person job, if you learn how to do it.

And here is an installation video with built in lock offs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7koBM82iYlw

The Chicco KeyFit 30 comes with push-in LATCH connectors and a built in lock off. The Graco Snugride 30 you were looking at does NOT come with a built in off and has hook style LATCH connectors. This makes installation more difficult.

I would go with the Chicco KeyFit 30. If you go with Graco, I would choose the Snugride 32 or 35 model as the base comes with a built in lock offs.

A newborn's car seat needs to be installed at a 45 degree angle in order to keep a baby's airway open. Car seats take up a ton of front-to-back space at the 45 degree recline. The Chicco KeyFit 30 takes up less front-to-back space than the Graco Snugrides. And if your brother and girlfriend have more children in the future, the Chicco KeyFit is narrower than most infant car seats making it ideal for a 3 across situation.

Both of these seats have their pros and their cons. I would read these super detailed reviews below. The reviews below were written by a child passenger safety technician.

http://carseatblog.com/9256/graco-snugride-30-revi...

Above link: Graco Snugride 30

http://carseatblog.com/16957/graco-snugride-35-inf...

Above link: Graco Snugride 35

http://carseatblog.com/5364/chicco-keyfit-30-revie...

Above link: Chicco KeyFit 30

And remember that infant car seats can be outgrown really quickly- from as little as 6 months to as much as 18 months (for the tinest of children). The weight limit on infant car seats is an illusion- as the infant seats that go up to 30 and 35 lbs will normally be outgrown by height before the child hits the weight limit. Rear facing car seats are commonly outgrown when the child's head is less than 1 inch from the top of the seat and infant car seats have really short shells.

We used the Cortina stroller and a convertible car seat. I won't waste money on a seat that lasts only for a few months. We liked the Cortina, as it reclines flat. No sticking baby in some plastic bucket all day on a mall shopping trip. It's healthier for baby to lay flat. Plus, taking them in an out of the car at a younger age means they are used to this routine, and fall right back asleep.

My whole family have always used Graco

Chicco looks better.