Graco Extend2Fit

Thread: "Please just tell me what car seat to buy"

I love Graco Extend2Fit. Works well in my SUV you might vary in a sedan.

Thread: "I need… permission? To turn my 2yo’s car seat forward facing"

Try a different car seats: (cheaper than a car) Cybex infant seat Clek infant seat Graco extand2fit for the toddler, use it not extended. It’s ok for their legs to be bent.

Thread: "I need… permission? To turn my 2yo’s car seat forward facing"

CPST here - if it’s within budget, take a look at the graco extend2fit - it’s a really upright seat and you might be able to get it behind the driver. Driver may need to sit a little more upright than preferred, but should be able to be comfortable :) A two year old forward facing is safe, but a rear facing two year old is much safer and if possible, that’s what you want to go for. I have every trust in you being a safe driver, but not in the other idiots on the road. Feel free to DM me with specifics and I can see if there’s another seat that might work well :)

Thread: "Please just tell me what car seat to buy"

Extend2fit. My older kid is 6 and armpit height on me. Stayed rear facing in it until 4. Affordable. Easy to install. The 3-in-1 version of it also does high back booster which gets you through most of elementary school but the 2-in-1 is great, cheapest, and easy to find. But both have SO much leg room. We stuck with it for our second kid (3yo) and have it installed in a compact car (Nissan leaf) and a small SUV (Nissan rogue). Was t-boned last year and she barely noticed anything happened. Literally couldn't open the doors and she talked about how "we got bumped a little". Not the 4ever. It's ridiculously expensive and heavy. And by the time you get to low booster you're going to want a new & lightweight seat anyway, and that's if it hasn't expired.

Thread: "Anyone else’s 4yo still in a rear facing car seat?"

I just turned my 4.5 year old a few weeks back because she's about 40lbs now. It's amazing how many opinions people have about extended rear facing. I would max out the limits because keeping your child safest is 100% the best decision you can make, regardless of what's said by anyone else. You're doing great.

Thread: "Time for a toddler car seat--I'm so lost"

Just jumping on to say check the rear facing limits when selecting your convertible car seat! I will rear face as long as possible, as it is what is demonstrably safer (I can provide LOTS of data on this if you want it), so I chose a Grayco Extend2Fit which has a 50lb rear facing limit.

Thread: "Please just tell me what car seat to buy"

We have a Graco Extend2Fit and two Diono’s. I much prefer the Graco despite the $300 price difference.

Thread: "Please just tell me what car seat to buy"

Adding a vote for this one! Highest rear facing weight limit I’ve been able to find. I had one in my old 2 door sedan and it was tight but fit. Partner has one in his sedan and it fits well.

Thread: "Why are some not rear-facing the car seat until 40 lbs?"

Puking. driving with a puking rear facing child. And washing car seats after even a 10-15 minute ride is enough for me. I wanted to do extended rear facing too and bought into the whole “forward facing doesn’t make a difference” but it 100% did make a difference for us. He happier on car rides and we don’t have to give him dramamine which makes him drowsy and cranky at our destination. People have reasons no need to look down on them. Forward facing is also still incredibly safe.

Thread: "Please just tell me what car seat to buy"

Another vote for graco extend2fit. Has been my favourite one! And my kids have been very comfy in them. It’s also a steel frame which the ones at higher price points have, making it very safe.

Thread: "Why are some not rear-facing the car seat until 40 lbs?"

I’m a peds nurse with a background in ER/trauma nursing so when it was brought up in my mom group, I explained why my son will rear-face as long as possible for the height/weight limits. He’s a big boy (34lb, 38in at 2.5), so we upgraded to the Extend to Fit recently since he was close to his old seat’s limit. A large portion of my mom group turned their kiddos forward-facing so young/small, I was shocked. But I’ve had the displeasure of seeing some horrific things IRL, so my perspective is different than most. I’m just hoping we can get to age 4 at least before he reaches the limits of his seat!

Thread: "What baby stuff is a waste of money?"

So many baby products on the market are a huge waste! People feel like they need all the gadgets, especially the first time around but I haven't found that to be the case. I stick with the bare minimum so baby stuff doesn't take over the entire house. Basically what you need is: Baby carrier that's good from birth (lennylight, tula free to grow, a ring sling, or woven wrap) Somewhere to set the baby, such as a bouncer (more portable around the house), or a swing A car seat (my go-to is the Graco extend to fit) A bath or sink insert thing 4 bottles or so, in the 4 oz size About 8 onesies, 6-8 sleeper gowns or sleep sacks 4 footed sleep & plays 4 non-footed sleep & plays/ rompers (these are better when wearing baby) 4-8 baby legs (I use these instead of pants!) 8 pairs of socks Booties that won't come off when kicked, zutano or burts bees) 4 pairs mittens with the velcro straps so they won't fall off A few hats (not 100% necessary, I never use them tbh) 2-4 baby blankets 4-6 Muslin swaddles or a few swaddlers Diapers and wipes (we do about 20-30 cloth diapers and about 60 cloth wipes) Diaper cream, I go for a simple zinc based formula A crib & mattress A changing table and some baskets to organize things on the shelves Baby first aid kit that includes a nose sucker, infant Tylenol, a hair brush, rectal thermometer, and tiny nail clippers. A few teethers & toys Unscented lotion, soap, and shampoo

Thread: "Please help me pick a car seat!"

Highly recommend the SEATS for kids discussion group on FB. There are CPSTs that can offer the best options for your car and family stats. If you have a more compact vehicle, you’ll want to go with the Graco 4Ever, Extend2Fit, or Evertstage. There are a couple Britax that are compact front to back as well but I can never remember the names.

Thread: "Please just tell me what car seat to buy"

I have this in my Honda civic and it fits. The front seat is a little tight on leg room when rear facing but other than that I recommend it

Thread: "What car seats are we using?"

We switched to the graco extend2fit at 4 months and loved it! My girl was 22lbs at 4 months and it was perfect. She rearfaced in it until age 4, it goes up to 50lbs rearfacing

Thread: "Safest convertible car seat for baby?"

I read a lot on the Car Crash Detective to decide on a convertible seat for my toddler. Ended up getting the Graco extend2Fit. My runner ups were the Graco 4ever dlx and the evenflo every stage dlx

Thread: "What age did you change to forward facing car seat?"

My guy is a tall 4 year old and is fine rear facing with loads of space. You have to invest in an extended rear facing seat

Thread: "What age did you change to forward facing car seat?"

Yeah one of my friends had the same thing with the car sickness. I want to forward face so I can hear and see him better, but it's not worth it for the safety risk. He's still rear facing at 3 and he'll probably stay that way until he hits the weight/height limit. We have the extend to fit so it's 50 lbs, 49".

Thread: "Overwhelmed by car seat options"

We picked the Extend2Fit that converts all the way up. I didn’t want to pay for a car seat multiple times lol. It doesn’t rotate and it doesn’t come out of the car, and honestly it hasn’t been a big deal at all, even with a newborn. I love the simplicity of one car seat forever* (until it expires in 5 years or we get in a wreck)

Thread: "Please just tell me what car seat to buy"

We have the 3-in-1 and love it. It fits in our small hatchback and our mid size SUV both!

Thread: "I’m Overwhelmed With Infant Car seats. FTM"

We did convertible too and I never once regretted it.

Thread: "Why are some not rear-facing the car seat until 40 lbs?"

My kid is 30 lbs and 3.5 years old. She is forward facing and has been for some time. I put my other kid forward facing before 3 as well. In both cases they get carsick and throw up in the car. Having a restrained toddler vomiting while backwards facing is terrifying. Forward facing has stopped almost all of the sickness. For my first, he also got too strong and would wedge himself like a board using his feet against the back of the seat so it was impossible for me to strap him in. It was an epic battle every time we needed to get in the car. That stopped when we went forward facing.

Thread: "Anyone else’s 4yo still in a rear facing car seat?"

I think most people know it’s much safer to rear face but make the decision to forward face for a variety of reasons (carsickness or just because it’s easier to talk to their kid/hand them stuff) and so feel defensive about their choices. Stats are that if the car seat allowed for the weight it would essentially be safer to rear face in to adulthood.

Thread: "NUNA RAVA VS GRACO EXTEND2FIT"

It always makes me laugh a little when people say X does not look very comfortable for my baby or kid. My toddler frequently naps in his toy chest full of toys. Babies don't think about comfort like we do. I mean their prefer place to sleep us (for many of them) is on us. If you prefer the Rava, go for it! It might be slightly easier to install or more comfortable. I personnaly have 2 Extend2Fit (my oldest is almost 5yo) and they are totally fine. I live in Canada so the Rava is even more expensive and does not go up to 50lbs, so Extend2Fit is better for us. I still cannot fathom buying 500$++++ car seats. Especially that most of them are not even safer or anything.

Thread: "Anyone else’s 4yo still in a rear facing car seat?"

Yes! My daughter is tiny. Maybe 38 in and 30 lbs. I plan to keep her rear facing in our Graco extend 2 fit for as long as possible. She will be 4 in a few weeks.

Thread: "When did you flip car seat to forward facing?"

Not the original respondent but my 3.5 yo boy is 41 inches and 41 pounds. The extend-2-fit seat has a 50 lb weight limit and a 49 inch height limit. I’ll turn him when he’s 4.

Thread: "Please just tell me what car seat to buy"

Graco in general has really good options. Can’t go wrong

Thread: "What age/weight did you move LO to forward facing car seat?"

Im rear facing my daughter until she is 5 or 50 lbs (max rear facing weight for her seat) id rear face myself if that was a thing lol!

Thread: "Big baby car seats... Looking for recommendations!"

The Graco Extend2Fit is my go-to recomendation for a convertible car seat. It rear faces up to 50 lbs. It’s not a space saver so be aware of that, it’s a clunky big car seat.

Thread: "Car seat for tall baby?"

Grace extend2fit has been great for my giant 2.5 year old. We switched at like 7 months. It also rear faces to 50lbs!

Thread: "When did you turn your car seat?"

My guy just turned 4. He's 26lbs and 35". We have an extend to fit. Dude is going to be rear facing until middle school, lol

Thread: "I need… permission? To turn my 2yo’s car seat forward facing"

Seconding the Graco Extend2fit. It sits behind my driver seat in my subcompact car. I am 5'7" and it fits surprisingly well.

Thread: "What car seats are we using?"

Another fan of the extend2fit. OP, everyone has to go through the bucket to convertible transition and it can be a real adjustment and I personally hated the first week of it so much but you are going to have to do it at some point. There are no toddler seats that clip into a stroller.

Thread: "Difference between expensive infant seats and less expensive infant seats"

I also looked at baby gear lab and loved their reviews. One of the takeaways for me was that yes, there are definitely both comfort and safety differences between the different price points, but that expensive does not always equal safer. There are $500 car seats that didn’t perform as well safety wise as the $250 Graco we bought. Those seats may be more comfortable or convenient or higher quality materials, and they do exceed safety requirements, so at some point it’s about preference. It’s a lot like wine - the $20 bottle is pretty objectively better than the $7 bottle, but after a certain point, you’re not guaranteed a better bottle at the higher price point- it’s more about personal taste. The Graco extend2fit is what we got and it checked my boxes for safety, comfort, and ease of use.

Thread: "Please just tell me what car seat to buy"

Ditto ditto! My very tall, 40+ lb 4yo is still comfortably rear facing in my parents Kia sedan.

Thread: "Please just tell me what car seat to buy"

Graco extend2fit is the one with the pull out leg thing! It’s awesome. Also, Costco has a graco 4ever on sale in club rigbt now for $199.

Thread: "Did you use a convertible or infant car seat ?"

We skipped an infant seat and went straight into a convertible. It worked for us! My kiddo loved baby wearing so we opted for that when we were out and about somewhere if a stroller didn’t make sense (like the grocery store, for example).

Thread: "I need… permission? To turn my 2yo’s car seat forward facing"

Random question. What’s the height max out for rear facing on the graco extend to fit? I could only find weight limits and “two inches below top of seat” but I’d like a real number I’d possible

Thread: "NUNA RAVA VS GRACO EXTEND2FIT"

They’re both the top rated car seats in [crash tests](https://www.babygearlab.com/topics/vehicle-safety/best-convertible-car-seat). The fabric won’t make a difference to your baby, BUT the reason I prefer Nuna over Graco is that they don’t spray their seats with flame retardants. Nuna uses wool, which is naturally flame resistant. This was one of the top reasons for me choosing Nuna, as flame retardants are carcinogenic.

Thread: "Toddler car seat recommendation [bc]"

Graco E2F is goat IMO. Super easy install, comfy, RF until 50lbs, it’s also incredibly affordable . Agree with others about Canadian car seats, they either pass or don’t. I wouldn’t worry about any rating systems

Thread: "Why are some not rear-facing the car seat until 40 lbs?"

The challenge for us is the front-to-back length. We’re taller adults. The driver seat must be in a safe position for driving, and ideally the front passenger should not have knees touching dash for saftey (and comfort. It me, I’m passenger). Even in a mid-size SUV a 6’1” driver in front of a newborn recline RF seat does not fit. Some seats install compact front-to-back. Some allow the seats to touch. Some vehicle seats are weird and curvy and give you less room if you’ve got a no-touch car seat. But no, kids legs doesn’t have anything to do with it. He sat cross legged. Or splayed them to the side. Or whatever the heck he wanted. We have the Graco E2F with the panel that gives the child extra legroom when expanded. We never did that because he didn’t care and the adults needed the room. Car Seats For the Littles website has a list of compact seats and shows the install in several vehicles. It was helpful in selecting a seat.

Thread: "Our car is not small but the newborn car seat somehow doesn’t fit..?"

This may offend you. Did you read the instructions or watch a video? We skipped a critical step when installing our Graco extend 2 fit. It was secure but took a lot of work getting it that way. After watching someone installing on YT I installed the seat easier and it fit better it the car.

Thread: "When did you turn your car seat?"

I turned our son at a little after 2.5 yr. State law was rear facing until 2, I wanted to wait until at least 3 (and got the graco extend2fit) but husband didn't. One day we had to borrow a truck and car seat wouldn't fit in the back row rear facing so we flipped him and never looked back.

Thread: "I need… permission? To turn my 2yo’s car seat forward facing"

Agreed, the Extend2Fit works in my very small vehicle (Hyundai Elantra GT) both front and rear facing. The one inconvenience is that it sits on a high platform, so you have to be mindful not to clonk the child's head when getting them seated. Cosco seats are also great for small vehicles and budget-friendly. That's what we put in my husband's little Civic.

Thread: "Higher end infant car seats? [mb]"

We went with an Uppababy Mesa because we bought the Vista, and liked the ability to click it into our stroller. We JUST bought a convertible, and ended up going with a Graco Extend2Fit because we have a taller baby.

Thread: "Tell me your car seat recommendation!"

Convertible carseat or infant carseat? The most popular expensive option that's not rotating is the Nuna Rava. Very very easy to install and clean. For budget friendly options I think the Graco extend 2 fit is very popular. Not as easy to set up and what not but not a bad budget option. When it comes to rotating Convertible seats, a lot of people like the Evenflo 360 for its price. Problem with rotating carseats is the mechanism can be finnicky (depending on brand), and the rear facing weight/height limit being lower than most regular convertibles, but not all of them. When it comes to infant carseats it really depends on what stroller your getting, and if it's compatible with certain strollers to be used as a travel system, etc. I think the most popular option when it comes to premium brands is the Nuna Pipa RX. To more budget friendly brands I think Chicco has a good safety rating with the Chicco key fit 35.

Thread: "Pricey convertible car seat? Worth it or marketing?"

This. There are a few feature differences, but no one here can answer if they are worth the 200 dollar price tag difference. We have and love the Nuna Rava but looked at both that and the Graco Extend2Fit. - Nuna Rava is wider and has more padding. Is this better? Not if you have multiple children across the back or a small car. Not if you’re lugging the thing to check onto an airplane. - Nuna Rava’s upholstery is wool so you don’t have any fire retardant chemicals in the fabric. This is nice — but 200 bucks nice? - The Nuna Rava has nicer reclining features which we’ve used exactly once over five years and two kids on a really long roadtrip.

Thread: "Different car seat?! "

I always recommend the Graco Extend2Fit. This is a great resource that compares car seats: https://www.babygearlab.com/topics/vehicle-safety/best-convertible-car-seat

Thread: "Cybex Sirona car seat opinions"

Canadian CPST here. Certified with CPSAC (Child Passenger Safety Association of Canada) First, double check your son hasn’t outgrown the Mesa already. This seat is notorious for being outgrown super early (right around 5-6 months) because you need to maintain 1” of clearance above his head on the headrest, BUT you also need to keep the harness straps below the shoulders. What ends up happening is to keep the 1” rule, parents need to move the headrest up and by doing so the harness ends up above the shoulders. And then the seat is outgrown. Secondly, NO I do not recommend the Cybex Sirona 360. In fact I don’t know a single tech who does. There are CPSTs that were sponsored to write reviews of this seat, who refused to publish because it was just that bad and they could not recommend them. For a tall guy but without knowing your vehicle, I’d recommend the Graco Extend2Fit (regular, not platinum) It is the most compact seat front to back with the highest rear facing limits in Canada. It installs nicely in nearly every vehicle, and is easy to use. Feel free to ask if you have other questions.

Thread: "Who else is still rear-facing?"

My son will be 5 this summer also and is still rear facing. I purposely bought the car seat that has the highest limits for rear facing. Sometimes he asks to turn it around (ever since we did it once to see holiday lights). I tell him my #1 job is to keep him safe and and facing back is the safest. He complains and whines a bit but then moves on.