Although the seat did seem a little on the larger side, we had no issue using it in both an SUV and a smaller car. When installing forward-facing, the original Extend2Fit must be installed on a specific recline setting for a child who weighs less than 40 pounds. This is a problem because this recline requirement makes it impossible to safely install the seat sometimes, usually because the bottom of the car seat hangs too far off the vehicle seat. And, in vehicles with non-removable headrests, this awkward recline can make it difficult to raise the headrest high enough for a proper harness fit, too. LATCH storage is arguably less important for convertible seats than infant carriers since they do not impact installation or inhibit connection between the seat and base.
The thickness and quality are good, but maybe a slight step down from a higher-quality memory foam. Each connector is on its side, so no worries about twisting the strap. The strap is easy to thread with helpful color coding and easily fits in the holes. It is essential to follow the manual as there are parts you don’t use until booster mode. The straps are easy to tighten with little effort, and the stability is great.
We’ve tested more than 200 car seats, including 52 convertible seats. If you are not sure which kind of car seat is right for you, check out our Best Car Seats Review to get the skinny. Look at our best booster seat review for the next stage in safety car seats. Installing the Foonf in the forward-facing position graco car seat is substantially easier. In fact, of all the seats we tested, the Foonf was our favorite to install forward-facing. When we had visitors and I suddenly needed to put a car seat in the third row of our minivan, I opted for the Foonf out of about eight models in our garage at the time to choose from.
We liked all of the padding in the seat and felt that it was safe and secure. The fabric, while not incredibly luxurious, is soft and comfortable enough, and also easy to clean, with a removable seat pad. There’s no need to buy two car seats when you could just buy one that will grow with your child. We’ve been using the seat for 2.5 years, and it has held up great. Bulky but wonderful I’m thankful that we haven’t gotten into any car accidents so I have been able to keep the same car seat that I bought for them when they were just a few months old. My oldest has always been off the charts in her height for her age, so the extend to fit really helped give her leg room when she still was rear-facing.
However, if you have a petite child, neither the 3-in-1’s rear-facing LATCH limit nor its harness limit are likely to become an issue. The Extend2Fit 3-in-1 is similar in appearance to the Convertible; it’s not going to win any design awards, but it’s not offensive. The cover is a polyester blend that’s available in dark colors (black and dark gray) with lighter accents.
The 4Ever harness height adjustment is a no-rethread process with ten possible levels and two placements for the buckle strap. Moving from one level to another is easier than the average option. graco convertible car seat The headrest comes out from the seat and moves smoothly up and down, but the pinch mechanism is slightly harder than others. Graco has previously sold this separately as the Graco RightGuide.
Overall, it was a positive experience, but we weren’t super impressed by the final stability. Forward-facing lacks an indicator and lock-off, but it does have color coding. The pathway for forward-facing is different than rear-facing, so you need to move the strap with forward-facing being orange, blue for rear-facing, and yellow for booster mode.