Best Graco Convertible Car Seats

Rex Thomas, an engineer for the company, was in charge of coming up with new ideas that would put the Graco on the map. Inspired by his wife and child, Rex partnered with David graco booster seat Saint, another Graco engineer, to create the Swyngomatic, the world’s first automatic baby swing. It took them a total of 18 months to create this revolutionary product.

As we found in our testing, there are all sorts of incompatibility issues between vehicles and car seats. The belt path could be too low, the tether might hang loose or a car seat’s height might interfere with the vehicle’s front seats. Or it just might be challenging for you to lift your kid into and out of a particular seat. Ask retailers if you can try installing the floor model in your vehicle to see if it’s a good fit. And when you’re buying a new vehicle, be sure to take your car seat to see if it’ll work—or be prepared to shell out for a new car seat if you love the car. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children should ride in a rear-facing seat until they reach the highest weight or height limit allowed by their car seat manufacturer.

graco convertible car seat

We like handwashing methods over spot cleaning only, but because there is a high potential for throwup, spit-up, and poopy blowouts, it is ideal to have a machine washable cover you can remove quickly. The Clek Foonf is the only option in our review that doesn’t provide a removable cover; it is spot clean only, and while you can purchase a cleaning kit from Clek, you will likely require a steam cleaner for bigger messes. The Evenflo Tribute LX is a top-performer for removing the cover and straightforward, parent-friendly cleaning. This straightforward cover removes quickly, is machine-washable and dryable, and fits back on the shell without a hiccup. This clean-up process is far better than most contenders that often include handwashing and air drying, such as the Britax ClickTight four-part cover. Almost half of the car seats in our review have non-rethread harness adjustment methods.

It also allows for on-the-go recline, a feature that Saxton particularly likes. “You can basically have the baby, when they’re newborns, laying really flat, and then as they get bigger, you can get them a little bit more upright, and that’s all built into the base,” she says. The new Pipa Rx and Pipa Lite R models come with the Relx base, but you can also buy it separately if you’d like to upgrade the base on your older Pipa car seat. The TrioGrow SnugLock three-in-one car seat is billed as being usable for kids from five pounds to 100 pounds. Keep the Cheerios picked up and the seat tidy, and it just might last you that long. It has a rear-facing harness position up to 40 pounds, can be forward facing from 22 pounds to 65 pounds, and works as a highback booster for kids from 40 up to 100 pounds.

This product is warranted against defective materials or workmanship for 1 year from the date of original purchase. This button opens a dialog that displays additional images for this product with the option to zoom in or out. For more information, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the NHTSA offer guidance graco jogging stroller on when to transition your child’s seat position. For a convertible seat that will last for years to come while not breaking the bank, the Graco 4Ever All-in-One is the perfect pick. “You can keep your little one rear-facing in this seat for longer than most others, even if your baby has a growth spurt early.”

Britax is one of the top leading brands to produce high-quality car seats and strollers. They’ve been in business for more than 70 years and have made their presence known across Europe, China, North America, and Latin America. Britax is most famous for its revolutionary ClickTight Installation System that makes installing your car seat as easy as fastening a seat belt.

While every car seat includes a five-point harness, Alisa Baer, MD Pediatrician & Co-Founder of The Car Seat Lady, LLC, notes that parents should be mindful of strap design. She advises parents to, “Look for straps that don’t twist, and pull smoothly” because properly buckling your child into their seat for every ride is just as important as installing the seat correctly. You can keep your kids comfy on long rides with a car seat like the Britax Marathon. This popular convertible car seat works as both a rear and forward-facing model, and it has a variety of features that ensure your kids are comfortable at every turn. When choosing the right convertible car seat for your child, it all comes down to fit, comfort, and safety.

If you purchase a convertible seat that is back facing only, you can expect it to last until your child is at least two years old or later depending on their size. The University of North Carolina Highway Research Center tells Verywell Family, “Kids should ride rear-facing as long as possible protect the head neck, and spine. If you’re on the hunt for the best inexpensive convertible car seat, you’ll find luck with the Evenflo Tribute LX, which works as both a rear and a forward-facing seat. This budget-friendly car seat is tested for structural integrity at twice the federal crash test standard. With the aptly named Graco 4Ever, you’ll only need to buy one car seat for your child—which is why it’s the best convertible car seat on the market. This 4-in-1 seat does it all, starting as a rear-facing harness and adapting to every stage of your child’s growth.