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 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.
MGA tests the seats using a faster speed and a slightly firmer sled than the FMVSS 213 safety standard. We chose this on purpose to mimic late-model vehicles better and to see if faster speeds helped differentiate the seats from one another. All seats graco convertible car seat in this review are assumed to have passed the federal guidelines and should be considered safe. Based on test results, those we identify as better than average are options that potentially offer an additional margin of safety over the average seat.
If this recline position does not recline the seat enough for a newborn (per the bubble indicator), a rolled towel or pool noodle may be used to recline the seat further. The insert itself has a separate head and body support, with an adjustable elastic to raise the head support as the child grows. The Graco 4Ever (above left) is an impressive all-around seat we think parents will appreciate.
(My almost-3-year-old’s legs were scrunched up, even with the Rava’s footrest extended.) Also, the higher sides on the Rava made it difficult to get a large, almost-3-year-old into the seat and buckled. Additionally, our Frost-colored test model (it’s a pale gray fabric) didn’t perform well in our food-and-drink test. Grape juice, peanut butter, and jelly left stains that we couldn’t get out with spot-cleaning.
Browse through a large collection of infant car seats and find the perfect pick for you and your little one. The Boulevard can be used in the rear-facing position for kids up to 40 pounds (the size of a typical 4-year-old, and an average rear-facing weight limit for a convertible car seat). But we think it could be difficult, in practice, to actually keep a kid rear-facing in the Boulevard for that long.