Some testers struggle to tighten the LATCH straps to properly secure the convertible car seat to the vehicle. If you opt to do the rear-facing install using LATCH, you’ll remove the top of the seat cushion and take out the rear-facing LATCH strap (with connectors on either end) from its storage location. Once you’ve adjusted the strap to give you enough length to reach your vehicle’s LATCH anchors, you thread the two ends with the clips through the rear-facing LATCH belt path and connect the clips to the anchors. Of extra legroom allowing your child to ride safely rear-facing longer.
The head and back support can only be used until the child is 20 pounds. The lumbar support can be used anytime rear-facing but must be used forward-facing until the child is over 25 pounds, at which point it must be removed. This car seat offers multiple recline positions, which are easy to adjust.
Im.always driving her around and decided to get my own seat for her to make it easy. If you are traveling internationally, you may be able to get away with installing with the lower anchors if the child is under 45 pounds and if the vehicles you end up in have lower anchors. But we would recommend contacting Graco for a free locking clip in case you need to do a seat belt installation since most vehicles outside of the US and Canada will not have locking seat belts.
A. graco car seats have cornered the market on mid-priced convertible car seats that include extra safety and convenience features that are typically hallmarks of pricier options. Some models will last until your child graduates from a booster seat, between the ages of 10 and 12, eliminating the need to buy multiple car and booster seats. For a durable, budget-friendly option, this Graco seat is a great pick.
Removing that lower buckle is harder than it sounds; it can take several minutes of maneuvering to guide it out of its tight slot. This is not a flaw that’s particular to this seat—we’ve found readjusting crotch buckles to be a nuisance on plenty of other car seats—and you’re unlikely to be changing from convertible to booster mode all that often. While many babies outgrow their rear-facing infant seat quickly, studies show that children under age two are 75% less likely to die in a crash if they are seated in a rear-facing car seat. With any car seat, it’s important to follow the height and weight restrictions for that particular model.
The Marathon was previously the top pick in this guide, and we still think it’s a solid choice. But ultimately we opted for the Boulevard because we thought the headrest’s cushiness would be more conducive to naps. The seat has a no-rethread harness, so making height adjustments to the harness straps as your graco turbobooster child grows is a quick and easy process—no dismantling and rethreading required. The harness and headrest height automatically adjust together in one smooth motion—you just squeeze the lever at the top of the seat and pull up or push down—so they always remain in the correct proportion to each other.
Because manufacturers do not publish comparison test data to analyze, it is impossible to determine their efficacy. We understand parents are curious about side impact protection (SIP) or an anti-rebound bar (ARB), and these features could factor into your decision-making process. Still, we encourage you to proceed cautiously when deciding based solely on these features. There is no way to tell what each manufacturer means when they use terminology that lacks an agreed-upon meaning (like SIP). This lack of information makes it impossible to compare seats with similar-sounding claims, especially without a universally agreed-upon language to describe what the claims genuinely mean.
But many kids will likely appreciate the extra support this unique feature provides. The 4Ever Extend2Fit includes a seat belt lockoff that can be used for forward facing vehicle seat belt installations only. It’s the same type of lockoff we’ve seen on other Graco combination car seats. It’s fairly easy to use — just thread the vehicle seat belt through the lockoff, remove the slack from the belt with your non-dominant hand while applying counter pressure to the car seat, then close the lockoff. Some convertible car seats can be quite pricey, and the truth is, you don’t need to spend more to get better quality.
However, some children may be old enough to safely forward face before they reach 45 pounds, so they may make use of the anchors. To switch the anchors, the manual says to pull the cover aside and slide the lower anchor strap along to the forward facing belt path. It might be easier to simply use the lower anchors rear facing, but when switching to forward facing, just use the seat belt. The forward facing belt path is more open than the rear facing one, so seat belt installation is easier in the forward facing position.