And there also didn’t seem to be enough space for a larger child between the crotch buckle and where the seat back begins to slope upward. When my tall-for-his age son sat in the seat rear-facing at almost age three, his legs were scrunched up. A convertible car seat is sure to make travelling with your little one a breeze. At Target, find a wide range of convertible car seats to choose from. Browse through a range of 3-in-1 convertible car seats, all-in-one car seat and 2-in-1 convertible car seats.
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. Keep in mind that babies should not be left to sleep in a car seat when not traveling, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. With the extender completely tucked in, she was still comfortable, and able to cross her legs, but she definitely preferred having more room. Of course, that is one of the benefits of this seat over the other 50 pound rear facing seats on the market. The manual specifies that the panel must be extended when the seat is used with children who weigh over 40 pounds, however Graco has clarified to us that the panel doesn’t need to be out.
Unlike the Extend2Fit Convertible, the Extend2Fit 3-in-1 converts to a high-back booster seat. In order to switch over to booster mode, your child must be at least 40 pounds and 43 inches tall, and have the emotional maturity to maintain correct posture while in the seat. To turn the Extend2Fit 3-in-1 from a five-point harness seat into a booster seat, you remove the bottom crotch buckle strap, move the harness straps behind the padding, and stow away the buckles in a compartment behind the padding. 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. With any car seat, it’s important to follow the height and weight restrictions for that particular model.
The Foonf performed well (PDF) in the NHTSA’s front-impact crash testing, with good Head Injury Criterion (HIC) and chest acceleration scores. We graco convertible car seat love the Foonf’s sleek, minimalist look; it’s a handsome seat. It is available in a range of colors, with either white or black plastic sides.
Britax has released two new convertible car seats, the Poplar and the Poplar S, both of which rely on the company’s ClickTight system. Welcoming a new baby to the family is a fun and exciting time. It can also be very expensive as you add up the price of all the necessary gear. Given this, it makes sense that items that can grow with your child are invaluable to new parents. One such item is the Graco 4Ever 4-in-1 Convertible Car Seat, which is immensely popular for keeping children safe and comfortable.
Kids will be able to rear-face comfortably for much longer because of this feature. Also, easy to adjust as kids grow or switching between two kids. We’ve been using the seat for 2.5 years, and it has held up great. We have two for our two girls and plan on buying another when our third is old enough. The seat is comfy for the girls, has cup holders, and is easy to install and clean.
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. Installing the Extend2Fit is relatively easy using LATCH, earning an above-average result for this group, with only a handful of seats earning higher. There is no lock-off, a bubble indicator on one side (Rear-facing use only), and push-connectors on a flexible strap.
Thankfully, the entire seat cover can be removed (video), machine-washed, and drip-dried. (Depending on which fabric option you choose, some of the Clek and Britax fabrics require hand-washing only.) Machine-washing the Extend2Fit Convertible’s cover improved the appearance of the peanut butter stain but didn’t erase it completely. The light gray color of our test model didn’t do much to help hide the stain, either; for this seat, solid black is probably a better bet. The fabric on the Extend2Fit Convertible is not the smoothest or the softest—we prefer the material on our runner-up Britax Boulevard ClickTight and our also-great Clek Foonf picks. The Extend2Fit Convertible’s fabric feels a bit like that of a wetsuit, slightly nubby and rough.
For this reason, we advise rearward facing up to 4 years (18kg). What is the difference between SlimFit R44 and SlimFit R129? There are currently 2 different car seat standards in the EU.
After three months you just need to make sure the bubble is within the darker blue line when the seat is installed correctly. Graco makes this simple graco convertible car seat with their easy-to-read level indicator. The 3-in-1 seat has six recline positions so you can determine what’s most comfortable for your child.