The seat easily transitions from rearward facing infant car seat (birth to 18kg) to a forward facing 5-point harness car seat (9-25kg) or up to around 7 years of age. I don’t find picture diagram instructions particularly helpful, especially when they are not accompanied by words, so we played a demo video (available on the Graco website). The colour-coded installation paths on the back of the car seat were helpful. In addition to continuing to use a harness to its capacity, CSFTL recommends backless boosters for older children who have outgrown their high backs, and do not need the support of a back to remind them to sit correctly, even when sleeping. Children who weigh between pounds may use recline positions 4, 5, or 6 for forward facing installations. Recline position 4 MUST be used for a forward facing child who weighs between 20 and 40 pounds in the United States.
The remaining end of the seat pad tucks behind the seat when it’s in use. With the infant padding in the seat, the doll fits quite well and has plenty of room to grow. The 4Ever’s low sides mean graco turbobooster that loading a newborn in and out of the seat shouldn’t be too difficult. We’ve added a rolled up washcloth behind the crotch buckle to help with the fit — this is permitted by the manufacturer.
We think the trade-offs and inconveniences of keeping your child rear-facing for as long as possible—ideally until your child reaches their seat’s rear-facing height or weight limit—are worth it for the added safety and security. The Britax Boulevard ClickTight, our runner-up pick, is being phased out, as is the Marathon ClickTight, a less expensive convertible car seat that we list as an Other Good in this guide. We are now testing the Poplar and Poplar S and will update this guide with our findings. It’s also vital to follow child seat safety laws that are designed to protect your child. You can start by learning about the four types of car seats and what they’re designed for. We love that the Graco 4Ever 4-in-1 car seat complies with all Federal Aviation Administration guidelines and can be used on an airplane in the rear or forward-facing positions with the five-point harness.
The manual clearly outlines weight limits of the rear-facing position (40 pounds) and forward-facing harness position (65 pounds). As mentioned above, states may also have specific laws about car seat use. Graco recommends graco car seat checking with the state you live in to make sure you’re following all regulations. As they do with infant car seats, most kids will probably hit a convertible seat’s height limit before they hit its weight limit.
There is no lock-off, a bubble indicator on one side (Rear-facing use only), and push-connectors on a flexible strap. The Graco Extend2Fit earned one of the highest crash test analysis scores in this lineup. They indicate a potential additional margin of protection over the average seat in this review, where all pass the federal minimum and should be considered safe. This is a feature I would have used a lot, but we leave the car seat in the car and simply pop baby in and out with ease so it has not proved a huge problem. And as mentioned above, the rotating feature usually comes at a much bigger price.