He could still safely ride rear-facing in any convertible car seat in terms of height and weight, but he looked uncomfortable in many seats, and I had a hard time buckling him in since his legs were all scrunched up. However, with the panel extended on the Extend2Fit Convertible, he had more room to stretch out, and I had more room to get him buckled. I found it much less tempting to turn the seat forward-facing than I had at this point in the past, when my two older children were in rear-facing seats that didn’t accommodate their long legs as well. One of our favorite things about the Extend2Fit Convertible is how exceptionally well it facilitates extended rear-facing riding, with a 50-pound rear-facing weight limit. There are four different settings on the panel, so it can be extended for a total of 5 inches of additional legroom when rear-facing. (The panel is not intended for forward-facing use.) It’s perfectly fine for a child’s legs to dangle over the side of a seat without a footrest—or to rest on the back of the vehicle seat.
There was absolutely no slack or extra space once the seat was installed, and the click you hear once the seat is properly in place gave us a sense of relief that it was done correctly. It’s also easy to adjust as needed, since the headrest and harness can be adjusted together without rethreading, and the buckle system is straightforward and secure. There are primarily two methods for adjusting the harness height on convertible car seats. The simplest method is a non-rethread style that involves moving the headrest/harness shoulder strap assembly up and down (video above). The more intricate design includes removing the shoulder straps from a splitter plate on the back and physically moving the straps from one slot height on the seatback to thread them through different slots. Alternatively, the non-rethread method adjusts quickly with your little one in the seat as soon as you notice a need.
The Extend2Fit 3-in-1 is a half-inch narrower and an inch taller than the Convertible, and it weighs a little less than 2 pounds more, but it’s still lighter than our other convertible seat picks. And like the Convertible, the 3-in-1 can accommodate a forward-facing child in a five-point harness up to 65 pounds or 49 inches. The Boulevard has more going for it than just the ClickTight system; it’s also a very pleasant seat to use on a daily basis.
Looking for a car seat that is going to last you and keep your children safe? Each of my 3 kids have had this car seat (2 currently in car seats still) I love that they can grow with it, because there? S nothing better than not having to buy a new car seat every year. For forward-facing kids under 40 pounds, you must use recline 4 when installing the Extend2Fit. Frequently, this will cause the car seat to hang off of the vehicle seat more than is allowed. This would make it incompatible until the child is above 40 pounds.
It also has a lower weight and height limit for both rear- and forward-facing compared to some other seats. Most notably, this seat does not convert into a booster, so you’ll need to purchase a separate one when your child has sized out of this. And since this already has a slightly higher price point than some other car seats, that can definitely be a downside. In addition to its generous 50-pound rear-facing weight limit (with a seat belt install), the Extend2Fit 3-in-1 facilitates extended rear-facing riding with the same unique design feature as the Convertible has.
Still, if you need or want to install this seat frequently using the seat belt method only, then it’s something to consider. For the first version of this guide, published in 2018, we elected to perform independent crash testing on the convertible car seats we considered to be our top contenders. We commissioned Calspan, an independent lab in Buffalo, New York, to conduct the tests.
My only tip is to get a crochet hook before attempting to put the cover on. The only slight negative about this seat is it is a little difficult to get it tight enough, so it is not great if you have to take it out of your car frequently. However, since it was less and 1/4 the price of the first car seat I purchased, I ended up buying three for the multiple vehicles my little one frequently rides in and still ended up saving money. Your child can start using a convertible car seat in the rear-facing position from the day they are born, as many convertible car seats offer weight limits that start at just 4 pounds. The AAP recommends infants and toddlers use rear-facing seats until they reach the maximum height or weight requirement, then switch to forward-facing.
The Extend2Fit is easy to adjust, offers him plenty of leg and growing room, and is comfortable to sleep in. The recline options make for a very compact installation graco turbobooster when needed — it fits nicely rear facing in my tiny car. This Chicco car seat has an attractive and sleek look to it that makes it aesthetically pleasing.
Explore a large collection of convertible car seats and find the perfect one for you and your little one. The term convertible refers to the fact that this type of car seat can be installed either rear-facing or forward-facing, whereas infant seats are meant to be installed facing the rear only. Although the laws vary, many states require that a kid remain in a car seat with a five-point harness—which all infant seats and convertible seats have—until they’re at least 40 pounds or 4 years old. One of our favorite infant car seats is made by Chicco, so we were eager to try the company’s convertible seat, the Chicco NextFit Zip. For the LATCH install, the NextFit Zip has a so-called SuperCinch system, which allows you to tighten the straps with minimal effort. However, once your rear-facing child reaches 35 pounds, you must switch over to a seat belt install, which isn’t as easy.