And it’s irritating that if you do decide to shell out half a grand on a Foonf, you’d still have to buy a cupholder. The Boulevard can be used in the rear-facing position for kids up to 40 pounds—the size of a typical 4-year-old. When you switch the Extend2Fit Convertible from rear-facing to forward-facing, you’ll have to take the seat cover off to reroute the LATCH straps; it’s a bit of a nuisance, but hopefully a rare one. We spoke to dozens of caregivers about their car seat experiences, scanned hundreds of online reviews, and read articles and recommendations from other media sites like BabyGearLab and Car Seats for the Littles. The Graco Extend2Fit 3-in-1 has many of the same qualities we like in our top convertible pick, the Graco Extend2Fit Convertible, plus it converts to a booster seat. To avoid confusing tether anchors with other hardware such as luggage tie-downs, be sure to read your vehicle’s owner manual carefully to find out where they are located in your particular vehicle.
Pushing in the pongs takes a little more force than the average option. The chest clip pinch release is on the left shoulder strap and is easy to use; while not in the usual location, it didn’t hinder the process. When the seat itself needs more cleaning, we take it inside to remove the cushions and wipe down the plastic. We machine-wash the cushions (as instructed by Graco) using regular detergent and let them air-dry overnight. According to the company, the five-point harness and buckles can also be wiped down with mild soap and warm water.
Once your child outgrows the forward-facing car seat with a harness, it’s time to travel in a booster seat, but still in the back seat. Many parents prefer an infant-only rear-facing car seat graco car seat for the first few months of their child’s life. An infant car seat can be taken out of the car with the baby still in it, while a convertible car seat is designed to remain in the car.
Let your little one tag along everywhere you go, with the perfect car seat to keep them safe and snug in the back seat. At Target, you can pick from great brands like Britax, Chicco & Maxi-Cosi to find just the infant car seat you need. From all-in-one variants to convertible car seats, the collection has it all. Keep your kiddo comfy with the one you think works best, be it a forward-facing or rear-facing booster seat.
Overall, the 4Ever is an impressive top scorer that offers a lot and will make most families happy. The Graco 4Ever DLX is a great all-around seat suitable for most families, regardless of your car seat goals. We love the better crash test sensor results and believe the 4Ever potentially offers an additional margin of protection based on our analysis of the results. This seat is good-looking, easy to use, offers straightforward installation, and comes with a reasonable price. Although the Foonf feels roomy to its passengers, this is one of the narrowest car seats on the market, at only 16.9 inches wide, making it a good candidate for families that need to fit three seats across. And it doesn’t have any parts that flare out to compete for space with neighboring car seats or riders.
The design of Radian seats may help stave off carsickness, as well, since they have an L shape, rather than a more typical C shape. “For some kids who get queasy, sitting in a C-shaped seat isn’t great because it puts pressure on the stomach,” said CPST Lani Harrison. However, we found the Radian 3QXT more difficult to install than other seats we tested; it requires a lot of physical effort to get a snug install. And unlike any other seat we tested, the 3QXT is so top-heavy that it can’t sit upright on its own. So if you need to uninstall it to change the SafeStop or to remove the seat cover, you have to prop it up against something. Additionally, the Radian 3QXT’s anti-rebound bar—an added safety feature that helps to prevent the seat from rebounding in an accident—was not fully flush to the seat.
Christina has three children, ages 4, 6, and 9; she can frequently be found ferrying them to soccer practice and play dates in her Honda Odyssey minivan. Lower anchors have weight limits set by the vehicle and car seat manufacturers. You can determine the lower anchor weight limit by checking the warning label or installation diagrams located on the graco car seat side of the car seat. If your car seat does not have a label, you can determine the maximum allowable child weight for lower anchor use by subtracting the weight of the car seat (usually available in the car seat’s instruction manual) from 65 pounds. You can also use NHTSA’s car seat recommendations to choose the right car seat for your child.
Or you could consider hiring an expert to come to your home to do an installation and training on one or more seats; just be sure that the person you choose is a trained CPST. Even without the extension panel that the Graco Extend2Fit Convertible has, a rear-facing Foonf gives even a larger child plenty of legroom. Plus, the Foonf’s lower sides make it easy to get a rear-facing child into the seat and buckled. The Boulevard’s weight minimum for a child to sit in the forward-facing position is 20 pounds, although experts recommend waiting as long as possible before turning a child around.
Tightening the harness on the Extend2Fit was more complicated than the average option. It kept getting caught on something, making it harder to pull for a snug fit. It is much easier to release, so whatever gets caught during tightening isn’t involved in the release process. Still no lock-off or color coding on the forward-facing installation of the Extend2Fit. While the seat has some varying colors, it doesn’t appear that they mean anything, and you’ll need your manual nearby to reference. Without Isofix or rotation, and being a large and heavy seat, the Enhance doesn’t tick all the boxes for ease of use, but it does provide superior comfort and is a safe model that is great value for money.
If you are looking for a car seat that is compatible with a travel system or need it to be taken in and out of the vehicle often, this isn’t a convenient option. Weighing 8.95kg, it is much heavier than the infant-only carriers, and you graco convertible car seat can’t use it to carry your child around. Some parent might miss the sense of safety that Isofix connection offers, but if you make sure you follow the installation guides to the letter, then seatbelt installation is just as safe.