As a mother I do everything I can to protect my them, but sometimes protecting them is out of my control. In my case, two teenagers were drag racing, one on the wrong side of the road when I was hit head on. Although I can’t always prevent them from getting hurt, I can take steps to protect them including making sure they are always properly restrained graco travel system in the car. Unlike some Graco convertibles, the 4Ever All-in-One has only one set of LATCH straps for both rear and forward-facing, so you will need to switch the straps manually when converting. There is no lockoff device for seat belt installations, so you’ll need to know how your seatbelts lock, particularly if you have an older vehicle.
When he was ready to transition out of an infant car seat, we wanted something that would grow with him. We first used it when he was 12 months old in the rear-facing position with the five-point harness. When he was a little more than 2 years old, we moved it to the forward-facing position, still graco jogging stroller using the five-point harness. We like that he stayed in a familiar seat through that transition and that we didn’t have to keep buying new gear and equipment as he grew. Graco’s 4Ever, convertible, and all-in-one car seats feature a few models in the line-up, which we will review below.
The 4Ever ships with the lower anchor connectors in the rear facing belt path and stored on the front of the seat. To install the seat rear facing, remove those lower anchors from their storage spots, then secure them to the lower anchors in the vehicle. There’s a very handy opening in the cover that makes accessing the belt path pretty easy. Overall, we found the seat belt installation of the Graco 4Ever a little easier than the UAS installation because it required a bit less upper body strength to properly secure the seat. As with the UAS installation, the belt path for seat belt installation is colour-coded to match the manual, so it’s easy to find the seat belt path. Seat belts in newer vehicles have a locking mechanism, which holds the car seat securely in place.
We’ve installed the 4Ever forward facing at the required recline for a child who weighs less than 40 pounds. This is the required recline position for forward facing passengers who weigh less than 40 pounds in the United States . We’ve added a rolled up washcloth behind the crotch buckle to help with the fit — this is permitted by the manufacturer.
The seat will be installed in your car and not removed unless moving to another vehicle or using in a new seat configuration. Backless-booster configuration allows a child who’s outgrown the harness but who don’t meet the standards for riding without a safety seat to sit safely, and comfortably in a booster. There is no additional legroom featured in this model. It features 10-position headrest and the SimplySafe, easy-adjust harness.
Remember that Contender 65 only has rear-facing and forward-facing modes, which could last until the child is 6 years old. In another review, a mother shared that they had a horrible accident when a semi-truck cut her off on a freeway. This caused her car to spin and afterward flip over. Although hanging upside down, her son remained unscratched and secured on his Contender 65 that was still intact on the vehicle seat. We should keep the same weight limit in mind with either Graco Slimfit or Contender 65.
To be on the safe side, consult your vehicle owner’s manual to see if there are specific instructions for car seat installations. The Graco 4Ever 4-in-1 is not a cheap car seat; it retails for $299.99, though you can often find it for less through online retailers like Amazon. For my family, the price is worth it as the car seat offers quality and longevity. If we bought a cheaper car seat, we’d likely be replacing it before our children were out of car seats or booster seats. We are confident that the quality of the pads, the actual structure of the car seat, and the four position options will allow us to use this car seat for years. Our children spend a lot of time in the car, so a comfortable car seat is a must-have.
Thankfully, Graco makes it simple to determine your car seats expiration date. Most of their seats contain an imprint or sticker that explicitly lists the date on which a car seat should be retired. The seats manual should also contain the expiration date information. The Harness storage compartments for containing unused harness straps is great. This feature can only be used while in the belt-positioning booster mode.
The adjustment is super easy and moves smoothly up and down when you squeeze the lever on top. This process can be done with your child in the seat. Graco Metal Products decided to make new products in 1953 after hiring an engineer to create new designs. With inspiration from an outdoor glider, Rex Thomas and David Saint designed the first swing for babies.