The hardest part of the cleaning process was having to carry the bulky, 22.75-pound car seat in and out of the car and house. With our younger son, we started using the Graco when he was around 1 year old and still use it in the rear-facing position. We found that, even in this position, there is plenty of room for his legs. We have not used the Graco 4Ever 4-in-1 as a booster seat but are confident that the familiarity of the seat and ease of use will make it the best choice for our family. If you’re looking for one car seat that will last through all your child’s ages and stages, the Graco 4Ever 4-in-1 Convertible Car Seat is prepped to grow with them for ten years.
It also came fully assembled, with the exception of two cup holders, which slid easily into place. After my initial inspection, I was pulled away briefly, and my 3-year-old son took over testing. He liked it so much that it became his kitchen chair of choice for the better part of a week, crying when his seat finally “left” for the car. We can find the key specs and features of graco travel system TrueShield and 4Ever DLX in the table of comparison below. It’s important for us to look at their specs and features before we talk further about the key difference between those two 4-in-1 convertible car seats. Since the 4Ever All-in-One Car Seat truly takes your precious passenger from “baby to booster,” the last stage is the backless, belt-positioning booster.
Graco recommends checking with the state you live in to make sure you’re following all regulations. Many parents prefer an infant-only rear-facing car seat for the first few months of their child’s life. 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. The integrated cup holders are great features and I really like that there are two. My little lady likes to drink a lot, so it’s not unusual for her to have one sippy in each cup holder.
Graco allows the seat to be reclined and that may cause there to be a gap between the car seat and the vehicle seat around the lower back area. As long as the install is tight at the belt path 1″ or less, and the base of the seat is flat on the vehicle seat, then it is acceptable. I found that the 4Ever didn’t work well with the headrest graco jogging stroller up in the higher slots with vehicle head restraints that jut forward and are not removable. This seat is a mix of the 4Ever and the Graco Extend2Fit. Like other convertibles, it will not serve as a portable infant carrier, nor will it fit on strollers. The good thing is you don’t have to remove the harness when switching to booster mode.
Graco Milestone also has the Simply Safe Adjust Harness System with 10 selectable headrest positions. So, the harness adjustment is also very easy and convenient. You don’t need to deal with any manual re-threading. You only need a single hand to adjust the headrest and harness. We love that we won’t have to buy another car seat or booster seat in the future.
It’s not a big deal and I don’t know where else to have it. The quick release is under the seat cover near the foot area. My wife would like to have more accent color on the seat cover. If we remove the side bolsters and the head rest insert, there is not much left for accent/trim color. Additionally, the integrated harness storage compartment holds any excess unused harness when you set the car seat to booster mode.
Overall, i definitely recommend this car seat for it’s safety features and design. My son initially enjoyed the 4Ever on the kitchen floor, but wound up just as happy with it in the car. Even though he has to share it at times with his siblings, two buckle positions and six seat recline positions allow the car seat to adjust each time to best fit him. The 10 position headrest can also be adjusted one-handed for optimal safety.
If you’re worried about setting up this car seat in your vehicle, the graco travel system DLX has you covered. One of the best features of the Graco 4Ever car seat is the construction quality. It comes with a steel-reinforced frame and EPS Energy-absorbing Foam. A lot of parents get frustrated when installing car seats, but with the Graco 4Ever, you don’t need to worry about it.
Second, it can be used as a forward-facing car seat for a toddler between 20 – 65 lbs with a maximum height of 52 inches. Third, it can serve as a high-back booster seat for a child between 30 – 100 lbs with a maximum height of 57 inches. Fourth, it can convert into a backless booster seat for a child between 40 – 120 lbs with a maximum height of 57 inches. The Graco 4ever DLX car seat does exactly what it is supposed to do.
It is easy to install with a latch system or a seat belt. I love how easy it is to adjust the seat belt and headrest on this seat with a push of a button. It has a bubble indicator on the side to let you know that tge seat is reclined properly in your vehicle. The cover to the seat is easy to remove to be washed or wiped clean. I love that it has 2 cup holders, one for a drink and one for a snack. We love this seat so much that we bought 2, one for each vehicle.