In this Graco Extend2 Fit review, we’ll show you how long you can use this convertible car seat and how its affordable features match up to the competition.
If you’re looking for a convertible car seat that will keep your baby safe for years to come, this may be an excellent option for you. Graco is a well-known company that offers premium features and reaches top safety ratings in car seats. In this Graco Extend2 Fit review, we’ll show you how this safe, top-selling car seat matches up to the competition and give you all the information to determine if this is the right car seat t keep your little one safe on long and short journeys alike.
Graco Extend2Fit is an inexpensive convertible car seat that allows your child to sit rear-facing longer, and it comes with excellent safety test results. The seat is lightweight, easy to use, and comes with attractive features that make it perfect for growing kids or a long road trip. The Extend2Fit can face either the front or rear of the vehicle, depending on the age and weight of your child, and it offers a harness you don’t need to re-thread to adjust the straps.
Because the Extend2Fit was designed to be able to use on children from newborn up until they reach a whopping 65 lbs, you can use this affordable car seat for an extended period. The features offer multiple positions when it comes to a head and feet rest as well, which allow your growing kids to stay comfortable and safe. Regular seats are only for infants up to around 25-30 lbs, and rear-facing seats maybe last to 20-25 lbs on average. With Graco, you may reach four years of rear-facing use.
The best part about this seat is that it allows your kids to sit rear-facing longer. Safety studies show that rear-facing car seats are safer, and with perfect crash safety ratings, Graco is built to perform well. This seat offers some of the best crash test results out of any car seat on the market today, and it’s made using a steel-reinforced frame for durability and added strength. In this seat, your kid can sit rear-facing from 4 to 50 lbs and sit front-facing from 22 to 65 lbs.
The trick is all in the design, which includes adjustable positions for the feet. While most convertible seats or extra comfy designs may offer multiple-point adjustable headrests or reclines to allow kids to lay down and get comfy, this Graco seat solves the cramped leg issue in rear-facing seats by including an adjustable footrest. You may need a larger vehicle, but your children are much safer this way.
The Graco Extend2Fit comes in various colors and patterns, which may alter the price (more on this later). The most popular combinations include:
The best part about Graco’s Extend2Fit seat is the features, which are much better than similarly priced seats on the market.
The adjustable features are what make the Graco extend to fit your child throughout the many growing stages in their life. You can expect to use this car seat for an extended period or with multiple children, which makes it an excellent deal for the money. Not only can you adjust the seat itself between the front and rear facing, but you can also alter the pieces of the seat. Some of the adjustable features include the following.
Because this car seat grows with your child, the headrest offers ten various positions to provide comfort for every stage of a growth spurt.
With a recline, your kids can lay back and take in the scenery or get a quick nap in while you drive. The six different positions offer plenty of comfy maneuverability, and the button sits directly in the front middle of the car seat for easy access. Recline positions, however, come with rules for use:
On the side of the seat, there’s a recline ball indicator to help you find the right recline position for your baby under three months of age. After your kid gets older and bigger, you can begin moving the recline positions more.
The leg extension feature is a huge part of what allows you to use this car seat in the rear-facing position for kids up to 50 lbs, as it provides an added 5 inches of legroom. Although you may need a slightly larger car, the extension fits well in most vehicles. The last two positions are recommended for kids over 40 lbs.
The no-thread harness means you can adjust the shoulder straps more quickly than most car seats. The Simply Safe Adjust Harness System also allows you to alter the height of the harness and headrest in one move. The harness is a standard among Graco products and using them are easy.
The cover and pad are machine-washable for easy cleanup, while you can wipe off the straps and plastic pieces using soap and water on a washcloth.
Plus, it comes with dual cup holders to keep sippy cups and snacks nearby. What parents really love though is the harness compartment, which is created to keep the buckle pulled back, so it won’t get in the way as you put your child in the seat.
Where the Evenflo Triumph LX is bulky and large, Graco Extend2Fit is compact. However, you can use the Graco model in the rear-facing position longer. Graco’s rear-facing option allows use on kids from 4 to 50 lbs, whereas most models can only be used in the rear-facing setting until 22 lbs. Then, you must move the seat into the front position. All models will allow a forward-facing weight of up to 65 lbs.
You may also be able to use the Graco Extend2Fit much longer than most convertible seats, which already offer at least a few years’ worths of use. With the adjustable recline, headrest, and footrest, your kids will sit comfy as they grow. Many convertible car seats are quite large, but Graco fits well in even small cars without people needing to move the front seat all the way up to the dash. Sitting front-facing with the footrest fully extended, however, will require a bit more space.
Features wise, Graco wins again. They offer premium options, such as a push-on latch connector, six various recline positions, ten different headrest positions, a foot extender with four positions, and two cupholders. The Evenflo option offers great features like this but not with so many position options, which makes Graco comfier for many different shapes and sizes of kids and allows it to grow comfortable with them.
In another Graco Extend2 Fit review, parents point out the seat is easy to install only when it’s in the rear-facing mode. As this seat is designed for use in this position longer than ever, most parents keep it here even if they transfer the seat to another car. However, moving it into the forward-facing positions isn’t so easy.
When it comes to the materials used to build the car seats, Graco tops the competition again. It’s designed to last, whereas the Evenflo feels cheap and the material isn’t the greatest, and the Britax is okay but cumbersome. Graco is easy to take apart to clean and slip back on, and it has a safe, sturdy metal frame to keep kids safe in the event of an accident.
Size wise, the Graco Extend2Fit isn’t the bulkiest option – especially in a seat that can fit such a wide age group of kids. However, you may not be able to fit three car seats in a row or offer enough leg space to the front seat passenger unless you have a bigger vehicle. Taller parents claim the foot extender doesn’t make much of a difference in their legroom, while parents with compact cars or premature newborns require a smaller car seat.
The padding of the seats come in various colors and patterns, and they’re also extremely comfy. There are other seats with more padding, but Graco feels sturdy and holds kids in place. With so many easy to use features, it’s easy to find the right reclined position or adjustment for your needs.
The Latch installation is easy for most parents to install in a snap, making it easy to switch the seat from one car to another with the snap of a button. It’s a little disappointing that you can only use the Latch feature on kids up to 45 lbs, but the easy-to-understand stickers on the base help parents find the right mode quickly.
While the seat design is insanely sturdy and safe, Graco’s car seat comes with one big flaw. As the warning labels say, you will always need to feel the temperature of this car seat before you place your child in. The seat is comfy and safe, but the labels are painted directly onto the seat, making it heat up in the sun during hot days.
Another disadvantage is that the seat belt installation when the seat is in rear-facing mode can be a struggle because the belt path is smaller than if the seat faced forward. Tightening the harness is easy with the single pull feature but getting the chest clip and seat belt in place may take time. Installation videos on YouTube are beneficial if you’re having any trouble.
The machine washable car seat cover is a nice touch as well, but parents claim it’s more difficult to remove than it appears. There are options with more easy-to-remove covers that truly are great to have, as kids can make a mess in no time. However, they cost extra and can become quite expensive. If this feature is important to you though, it’s nice that you have the option.
As our Graco Extend2 Fit review shows, this is a great convertible car seat. It’s easy to snap your child in, extremely safe and offers a machine washable cover for easy cleaning. Most car seats aren’t available for use on the same child as a newborn until they reach 65 lbs, and even fewer seats allow them to sit rear-facing for nearly as long. With so many adjustable features, Graco pulls it off. Expect to use this seat for longer than any other car seat, especially if you have a big vehicle.
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