The Graco 4 in 1 is not a perfect car seat, but, it’s close enough. Meanwhile, both seats allow for easy harness adjustment, and have a recline indicator and an easy LATCH system – all important safety features. They also both have cup holders and machine-washable fabric . Those may not be safety features, but they definitely add points for convenience. Also, both seats have a place to store their LATCH tethers when not in use. It is the only 4-stage car seat which you can use from the day your baby is born until age 9!
Very small babies who can sit safely in a semi-reclined position usually fit better in rear-facing–only seats. Babies born preterm should be screened while still in the hospital to make sure they can sit safely in a semi-reclined position. Babies who need to lie flat during travel may be able to ride in a car bed that meets Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213. They should be screened again while in the hospital to make sure they can lie safely in the car bed. Can be used rear facing and, later, “converted” to forward facing for older children when they outgrow either the weight limit or the length limit for rear facing.
It’s important to note that even though this seat can technically fit a 4 pound (1.8 kg) preemie, the harness straps may not fit every preeemie properly. The 4Ever car seat expires after ten years – by which time your little one will probably be able to use your vehicle’s seatbelt. First of all, the Radian R120 is only good as a harness car seat for 8 years , while the Graco is good for ten years, no questions asked. All three seats offer easy harness height adjustment and are good for ten years.
Many car safety seats have an integrated lock-off system to keep the seat belt locked. If your seat has one, follow the manufacturer’s recommendations on how to use it. If you can move the seat at the belt path more than an inch side to side or front to back, it’s not tight enough.
For sedans and compact cars, definitely take measurements first. Some parents noted that there wasn’t much legroom left for the front passengers when this seat was in rear-facing mode, even on the minimal recline setting. All-in-One in this case means a 4-in-one car seat, with four different configurations.
The harness should be positioned at or above the shoulders and the buckle should be in the position nearest to but not under the child. 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 that loading a newborn in and out of the seat shouldn’t be too difficult. The 4Ever is fairly compact front graco jogging stroller to back, here we see one installed rear facing next to a rear facing Graco Contender in a Ford Edge. The bottom of the seat is smooth and solid, designed to minimize the pressure marks that occasionally result on vehicle upholstery from a tightly installed seat. The harness mechanism pulls quite smoothly and does not require significant strength to tighten.
This leaves the upper body unprotected and adds extra slack to the seat belt system, putting your child at risk of severe injury in a crash or with sudden braking. Move the harness shoulder straps to the slots or position that is at or just above your child’s shoulders. Check the instructions that came with the seat to be sure you are positioning the shoulder straps correctly.
In order to use the Graco 4Ever as a high back booster, the child must be four years old, 40″ tall, AND 40 lbs. The Heir only meets the age and height criteria at this time, and he’s far from being mature enough to sit still in a booster seat. One of the first things he did was pull the shoulder belt forward and tuck his arms under it “for fun”. This is why it’s so important that you wait until your child is mature enough to sit properly in their booster seat at all times.
In recent years, extended rear-facing has become a popular topic, and I plan to rear-face baby boy until at least 2 years old. My older two children quickly outgrew the rear facing mode in their convertible car seat and were turned around shortly after they turned 1. Now there are all in one car seats on the market with higher weight and height capacities including the new Graco 4Ever Extend2Fit 4-in-1 Car Seat that Graco recently provided for baby boy to try out.