Features:

  • 4-in-1 Graco car seat gives you 10 years of use from four to 120 pounds
  • Rear-facing baby car seat from 4 to 40 pounds
  • Forward-facing toddler car seat from 22 to 65 pounds
  • Booster seats in high back belt-positioning mode from 30 to 100 pounds and backless belt-positioning mode from 40 to 120 pounds
  • InRight LATCH system for an easy, 1-second LATCH attachment
Love it :) Comparison review (Safety First, MySize65, 4ever)

Since so many compared the two models in my photos, I ordered both to make my decision. Safety First Go three-in-one and Graco four-ever Both recline to the same point when sitting on a flat surface! They have different intervals to get there, but both get to the same point. Taking a closer look, though, the Safety First model will sit in a more reclined position when the line is parallel whereas the 4 ever required more incline (books) to achieve a centered bubble (child would be more upright in the Graco than the Safety First). See photo. I stacked booked under the hind-side to adjust to the proper level. Both seats are in the most reclined setting. The Graco has more height in the headrest. Significantly so. I was surprised how little adjusting there is with the Safety First. The Graco is more narrow so will fit in the car better. It is still sufficient in size for a boost-aged child. I fit in it (barely). Plenty of padding for a little baby. I would feel safe putting an infant in either. Graco material seems more water-resistant and the foam feels denser like a memory foam. Both adjust easily in regard to recline and headrest positions and strap tension. Both have the easy release button. The Graco is much heavier than the Safety First. Others have mentioned the latch system to be different. (Graco being easier). I have not installed them in the vehicle yet and cannot attest to that. I hope this helps! This is the review I was looking for when trying to make a decision. In the end, we'll be keeping the 4 ever and either returning the Safety First or keeping it for our second vehicle. Photos: upright & highest setting, upright & lowest setting, all the way reclined in lowest setting, and side view to show amount of lift required on solid ground in order to achieve proper line/bubble placement when fully reclined. UPDATE: we still love our Graco 4ever. We recently needed a second seat and didn't want to spend as much. After looking around, we decided to buy the MySize65. We actually find the MySize65 to be superior in a few ways: - price - the head cushion is a better design. I removed the one for the 4ever because the stem wasn't long enough the stay in and it seemed like the cushion behind her head ended up pushing her head forward. The MySize65 slides in behind a sleeve of fabric so it can adjust up and down, but doesn't fall out every time we put her in. The MySize doesn't have all the extra padding directly behind the head which was pushing her head forward in the 4ever. - the MySize65 shoulder pad straps extend down underneath the chest buckle for comfort (& to remind dad how high the chest buckle needs to be). - The MySize65 doesn't have as many recline options, but appears to have the same range - just not as many in-between options. I can't see that to be a problem. - the cupholder is within reach for the child on the MySize, but is just out of reach for the 1 yr old in the 4ever. Downside: only 1 cupholder with the MySize and it is not removable. Overall, if purchasing again, I think we would go with the MySize. I haven't removed either for washing, but it looks like the MySize65 will be slightly easier. Also, our 1 yr old cannot reach the cupholder on the 4ever and she can with the MySize65.

My experience with the two biggest complaints from other reviews

I spent a lot of time researching car seats, and ultimately chose this one (the runner up for me was the Extend2Fit) because it can be used for longer and there were less potential compatibility issues with our vehicles (Rav4 and Q50), cup size, etc. There were two complaints that I'd read about in other reviews, and I'm writing this review because of those. It might be relevant to know that my son is 7 months, and we (obviously) are using the seat rear-facing. First "complaint" - a good amount of reviews commented that their baby's head would fall dramatically forward when s/he slept. I saw someone wrote that they put the infant insert back in and that raised their baby up enough to fix the problem. I've included photos to show what a difference this made for us. I was worried that this would have an impact on the "breathability" this seat has over the infant carrier we were upgrading from, but my son still emerges from this new car seat considerably less sweaty (if at all). Second "complaint" - the warning labels get very hot and can burn your child. Because of this warning, I knew to check the labels before putting him in the carseat. I live in Texas and we are in 100*+ weather and my vehicle spends all day outside while I'm at work, baking in the sun. I drive about 4-5 miles to pick him up after work, and by the time I arrive the labels are perfectly fine for him to be against. I have not experienced any issues (yet), but I still recommend you check them every time, just in case. I'm a new parent, and I have to say that the coolest thing of this whole "milestone" was watching my son look around while he was in the 4Ever seat for the first time. I hadn't realized how little of his surroundings he could see in the infant carrier until we put him in this seat!

One Car Seat for 10 Years

We bought this seat at Babies R Us for $247 with discounts during their trade in event. Our son had outgrown his infant seat and I was primarily looking for a good quality convertible that would rear-face up to 40 lbs (for maximum safety) and would also convert to a booster so as to last as long as possible. I didn't want to have to buy another car seat so soon. I only got the infant seat (plus stroller and extra base) 1.5 years ago and it cost near $500! I was really hoping to get more use out of it, but it is what it is. So this time, I was definitely looking for longevity and safety. I only found a few seats on the market that can go from rear-facing to forward facing to booster. We looked at the other brand that does an All-in-One type seat, the Evenflo Symphony DLX, in the store. The one-hand height adjuster for the back and harness felt flimsy, wobbly, compared with the Graco 4Ever and Milestone (we never found a Smart Seat to look at in person). When we would adjust it there was must more side-to-side give that made the back jiggle easily as you were pulling up or pushing down. It just didn't seem as sturdy as the two Graco models. We picked the 4Ever over the Milestone, even though they were very similar because it looked like it is better constructed. You know, after filtering down to those 3-4 seats they all were pretty great seats that have what we're looking for: the no-rethread harness, rear-facing up to 40lbs, 7-10 years before expiration, conversion to booster, harness storage in booster mode, and multiple crotch positions. It was the little things that made the 4Ever stand out. The padded armrests, the way the cupholders are more forward-facing than off to the side (they looked like they would be more in the way on the Milestone), and the extra recline positions. The only way the Milestone wins out is in price and it has 3 crotch positions, whereas the 4Ever has 2. We eliminated the Smart Seat because we couldn't find one to look at, and we figured that these seats are all so heavy it's not likely we'd want to take it out of the car regularly anyway. With the coupons we had for different retailers where these seats are offered, the price difference between the 4Ever vs. the Milestone and the new Safety Surround model vs. the older model without the extra side-impact protection came down to $20 - $30. Since that amount isn't a big deal for us, we picked the very best safest seat we could find, the 4Ever with Safety Surround. So far it works perfectly, we couldn't be happier! It took me ~18 min to install (with our son running around the yard and getting into things). It took my husband a lot longer because didn't read the instructions first and couldn't see well at night. So, instructions help. I found just a few negative reviews on Google Shopping during our research that claimed the cupholders were loose and didn't snap in well. That's not the case. The users must not have been installing them correctly, because they will NOT come out. There's a T-shaped groove in the armrest and a matching T-shaped notch in the cup holder. It's kind of hidden by the padding, but you're supposed to slide the notch into the groove and then snap the pin on the bottom of the cupholder into its hold in the seat. If you just try to mash the pin into the hole without securing the top side of the cupholder (like my husband did a few times), it probably will fall out. I've included some pictures from when I did the install myself so you can see how securely it fits. Also, you should keep pushing the cupholder down until the bottom meets the seat and they're flush. On one that I installed, I thought it was in but there was a gap. So I pushed again until it clicked again. One thing I really love over our old bucket infant seat is the way the straps rest when not in use. With the infant seat getting our son in I was always digging behind him to pull the harness buckle out and it made getting ready to go a real power struggle. With this new seat, Monkey still throws a mutiny sometimes but it's definitely easier to buckle and takes less time. When not in use I pull the harness buckle through the side slot where the lap belt threads in booster mode. Then when it's time to use the seat again I don't have to dig for the buckle, it's right there on the side. I don't know that this is an intentional feature or just a side-benefit of the way the belt path is designed for booster mode, but it works so well! I've also included a picture of how I do this.

Carsest held up in accident

First Amazon review because I feel strongly about this carseat. 2 days ago a driver didn't see me and pulled out in front of me. We ended up flipping and settled upside down. I was able to crawl in the backseat and get my almost 1 year old out of his graco carseat. Now this was a little hard because he was in there, which is a good thing. Not a scratch on him and he is completely fine. Looking in the car after the wreck everything was everywhere except the carseat. It was still firmly in place. Since you don't use a carseat after a wreck I went straight to Amazon and just bought the same exact carseat again. Highly recommend.

Beat out the Britax

Chose this over the Britax Marathon G4.1... the 10 year expiration (vs. Britax 7 year expiration) and extended weight range (Graco 120 lbs vs. Britax 65 lbs) were the biggest deciding factors. We could have bought the Britax (a great car seat) but would have ended up purchasing a booster when our child hit the 65 lb mark. The Graco just made more sense in the long run. We also consulted carseatblog.com and their recommended convertible car seats. The 4ever comes fully assembled in the box, aside from the cup holders. Fits perfectly in the bucket seats in our 2008 Acadia. The 10 position headrest is well thought out and doesn't impede on the front passenger or driver seats (not sure why you'd need to extend it all the way out for rear facing, but I tried it anyway!). Even rear facing at a Level 1 recline (most reclined position), the front seats have plenty of room. Love the fact that it doesn't require rethreading, whether you're adjusting the headrest and shoulder straps, adding/removing the infant insert, or washing the cover... so convenient!! Even though this seat is meant to stay in the car, removing it is incredibly simple whether you use LATCH or a seat belt. Graco customer service has always been easy to get in touch with and I'm so glad we chose to stick with them for this purchase.

Happy Baby, Safe Baby, Happy Momma

I am very happy with this purchase. I own a Britax advocate 70 G3 series that I'm using for my 15 month old (and expires once she transfers to a booster), and this seat is actually much easier to install. Its actually slightly wider, and makes loading and buckling my 4 month old very easy. He seems happy too, because he can easily look out the window. I like my Britax, and know that it is very safe, but I think this seat is a little easier to manuever and looks just as safe and sturdy. I contemplated getting a second for my 15 month old, but don't see a point in spending the extra money if the other seat will last until she is 4. Very very happy with this purchase. For anyone having trouble getting it to not wiggle, look up thecarseatlady.com I followed her tips on how to install (press down against it with stomach and sway) and the car seat does not even budge in rear-facing mode.

Great so far!

So far so good! My baby is currently 3 months old & we’ve had this seat since day 1. My daughter was born 1 month premature and only weighed 4lbs 6oz when we left the hospital. She was able to pas a the car seat test that the hospital required to be able to leave. For such a tiny baby the seat really was giant. We had to roll washcloths and place them under her butt to make the smallest strap settings work (hospital’s suggestion). Thankful it does work for tiny babies. (Picture is from when she was 2 weeks old, approx 4lbs 10oz)

In fact I had it set to the smallest setting and had to adjust the harness height for her (she was 20 in at birth) which was eas

We brought our daughter home from the hospital in this seat, I was concerned weather a newborn would fit or not, but she fit perfectly. In fact I had it set to the smallest setting and had to adjust the harness height for her (she was 20 in at birth) which was easy to do as you can easily adjust without rethreading. My daughter is now a month old and so far we are very pleased with this seat.

Best Car Seats Around Saved My Kids Lifes!!

My wife, son (17 months) and daughter (3 months) was hit my a semi last month and rolled over 5 times. While my daughter was ejected 50 feet still strapped in her car seat she only got a hair line crack on her skull between her growth plates (released that night). My son has a broke leg and is doing fine rocking his leg cast. And wife has a couple bones broken in her face. All tho those are terrible injures I feel that with the grace of god and these car seats the out come of this couldnjave been far far worse.. As soon as I was able to check them out I went and bought 2 more of these same seats. I know just how well they work and can take so hard hits and keep the kids safe.

Truly worth its weight in DIAMONDS!!!!

I just purchased this car seat and installed it easily. My daughter got to ride in it one day before a truck t-boned my wife's car. Both my wife and daughter are safe now but even though my wife got pretty beat up my daughter didn't even have a scratch on her. I know I owe the blessing of their safety to the Lord but I will also be forever grateful to the manufacturer of this car seat!!! I know it's on the pricier side of things but I will be buying another one and am forever sold!! Even the fireman on the scene of the accident commented on how nice the car seat was and asked my wife the make and model because they wanted one for their child. Thank you Graco!!!

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