Full Review ⭐ Graco Extend2Fit Convertible Car Seat: Ride Rear Facing Longer with Extend2Fit, Gotham

The Graco Extend2Fit is an excellent convertible car seat that accommodates children from rear-facing infants to forward-facing toddlers. It's designed to provide extended rear-facing capabilities, allowing children to remain rear-facing up to 50 pounds. The Extend2Fit can then transition to a forward-facing seat for children up to 65 pounds.

The Extend2Fit stands out for its ability to provide extra legroom for rear-facing toddlers. An adjustable foot panel extends out, giving up to 5 inches of additional space. This allows children to remain rear-facing comfortably for longer. Once transitioned to forward-facing, the headrest and harness automatically adjust together. Overall, the Extend2Fit prioritizes safety, comfort, and ease of use.

Rear-Facing Capabilities

The Graco Extend2Fit convertible car seat allows children to ride rear-facing longer, with a rear-facing weight capacity of 4-50 lbs. This increased rear-facing limit provides enhanced safety and support for kids as they grow.

The seat's unique Extend2Fit extension panel provides 5 inches of extra legroom, allowing toddlers to stay rear-facing comfortably up to 50 lbs. Without the leg extension, many parents have to turn their child forward-facing before age 2 when their legs start to cramp in rear-facing seats. The Extend2Fit panel prevents this issue.

Kids are safest riding rear-facing as long as possible, since this orientation better supports the head, neck and spine in a crash. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children remain rear-facing until at least age 2. The Extend2Fit's expanded rear-facing limits allow parents to follow this recommendation with ease. The Extend2Fit is an excellent option for parents looking to keep their child rear-facing longer for maximum safety. It provides extra legroom toddlers need while allowing them to remain rear-facing up to 50 lbs.

For parents needing an infant car seat, the Graco SnugRider Elite Car Seat Carrier is a top choice. This lightweight infant carrier clicks right into the SnugRider stroller frame, creating an easy travel system. The stroller weighs just 14 lbs, making it one of the lightest infant travel systems available. This light weight makes it easy to lift in and out of the car.

The SnugRider Elite accepts all Graco infant car seats, so parents can use it with seats like the SnugRide SnugLock or SnugRide DLX. Once baby outgrows their infant seat, the stroller frame works with the Graco Nautilus 65 convertible car seat. This lets parents continue using the same travel system stroller as their child grows.

The SnugRider Elite features a one-hand fold, standing fold, and storage latch for compact storage and portability. The front wheels swivel for maneuverability and can be locked for stability on uneven terrain. A parent tray with cup holders and storage area provides convenience on the go. For maximum comfort, the stroller seat reclines in multiple positions.

With its light weight and ability to accept all Graco infant car seats, the SnugRider Elite provides an excellent travel solution. It makes transporting baby in their car seat easy, whether running errands or taking a trip. Parents will appreciate the convenience of clicking the car seat in and out of the stroller frame.

When combined with the Extend2Fit convertible seat, parents have a complete travel system that safely accommodates children from infancy through the toddler years. The Extend2Fit provides extended rear-facing capabilities while the SnugRider Elite offers lightweight portability for infants. Together, these Graco products provide an ideal travel system for safety and convenience.

Forward-Facing Capabilities

The Graco Extend2Fit convertible car seat has excellent forward-facing capabilities. It is rated for children 22-65 lbs and up to 49 inches tall in the forward-facing position. This allows you to keep your child rear-facing longer, up to 50 lbs, before making the switch to forward-facing. Once you do switch to forward-facing, the Extend2Fit will accommodate your growing child for many years.

The forward-facing weight range of 22-65 lbs will provide a good fit for most children from around age 2 up until they are ready to transition to a booster seat, usually between ages 4 and 7. With the maximum height of 49 inches, even tall children should be able to stay in the Extend2Fit forward-facing for quite some time.

The five-point harness system on the Extend2Fit is another great safety feature for the forward-facing position. This harness system keeps your child securely contained in the seat as you drive. Many parents feel the five-point harness provides more peace of mind compared to a booster seat with only a vehicle seatbelt at this stage. The Graco 4Ever 4-in-1 Car Seat is another option that provides excellent safety through all stages with its TrueShield side impact protection.

The 4Ever car seat accommodates children from 4 to 120 lbs rear-facing and 22 to 120 lbs forward-facing. This wide range means you can use the 4Ever from infancy through the booster seat stage, getting over 10 years of use from one seat. The steel-reinforced frame and impact absorbing base provide strength and stability while TrueShield technology surrounds your child in multiple layers of side impact protection.

Like the Extend2Fit, the 4Ever keeps kids secured with a 5-point harness when forward-facing. The harness has 10 positions to adjust to your growing child. You can easily change the harness position without rethreading, allowing proper positioning as your child gains height. The 4Ever simplifies installation with easy-to-read level indicators and InRight LATCH connectors that make proper latching a breeze.

When you're ready to transition to a booster, the Graco 4Ever is ready. It has a backless booster mode that uses the vehicle seatbelt to secure kids from 40 to 120 lbs. The back support can be removed when no longer needed. This versatility is what makes the 4Ever such a smart investment for families.

Overall, the Extend2Fit offers parents a lot of flexibility and security with its wide weight range and five-point harness in the forward-facing mode. Kids can ride safely and comfortably as they grow. And when you're ready for an all-in-one car seat, the Graco 4Ever is a top choice to accommodate your child through every stage.

Size and Dimensions

The Graco Extend2Fit is a substantial car seat, measuring 22.1 x 19.2 x 25.5 inches and weighing nearly 23 pounds. The seat is designed for children from 4 to 50 pounds when rear-facing and 22 to 65 pounds when forward-facing.

The added width and depth compared to other convertible seats allow more leg room for extended rear-facing use. Even taller kids can remain rear-facing with their legs unbent until around age 4. When forward-facing, the seat still provides ample room and adjustability for growing kids.

Despite the larger dimensions, the Extend2Fit can fit well in most vehicles. The seat may be more difficult to fit 3 across in a compact back seat. But the ability to keep kids rear-facing longer can allow more years before needing to transition to a booster seat. So the tradeoff in size is worthwhile for safety and comfort.

Safety Features

The Extend2Fit has excellent safety features to protect your child in the event of an accident. It has a steel reinforced frame that provides strength and durability. The steel bars help transfer crash forces away from your child's body in a collision.

For side impact protection, it has deep side walls lined with energy-absorbing foam. This helps absorb crash forces and shield your child. The headrest also has EPS foam to cushion and protect your child's head.

The 5-point harness system keeps your child securely in place. It has an upfront adjustment to easily get the right fit without rethreading. The harness holders also keep the straps out of the way for hassle-free buckling and unbuckling.

Adjustability

One of the standout features of the Graco Extend2Fit is its adjustability. This allows the seat to grow with your child, providing a better fit over time.

The seat has a 10-position headrest that adjusts easily from the front of the seat. This allows you to get the proper height fit for your child as they grow taller. No need to rethread the harness each time - the headrest adjusts the height of the harness automatically.

The harness itself has 6 height positions and no rethreading is needed as your child grows. Simply adjust the headrest and the harness moves to the proper height.

The harness can also be adjusted for a snug fit around the shoulders with the front-adjust harness system. This makes it easy to get the right fit without having to work from the back of the seat.

With multiple harness positions and an adjustable headrest that grows with your child, the Extend2Fit provides a customized fit for safety and comfort over time. The easy front-adjustments make it simple to get the proper fit as your child grows.

Installation

The Graco Extend2Fit Convertible Car Seat features a hassle-free installation using either the LATCH system or the vehicle's seat belt.

The LATCH system consists of lower anchors and top tether anchors that are built into most vehicles manufactured after 2002. The Extend2Fit has connectors that easily attach to these lower anchors for a secure installation without using the seat belt. There are audible clicks when attaching to the lower anchors to confirm proper installation. The top tether strap should also be attached to the vehicle's top anchor for maximum stability.

For older vehicles without LATCH anchors, the Extend2Fit can be installed using the seat belt. The seat belt is routed through the rear-facing belt path when rear-facing and through the forward-facing belt path when front-facing. The seat belt is locked into place so it stays tightly secured. Graco recommends a certain amount of seat belt slack depending on the child's weight. Always refer to the instruction manual for proper seat belt installation.

The Extend2Fit can be securely installed in either configuration to safely transport children. The LATCH system provides an easy, standardized installation while the seat belt method offers compatibility with older vehicles.

Fabric and Cleaning

The Graco Extend2Fit has a machine washable seat pad that makes cleaning simple and convenient. The seat pad can be removed and tossed in the washing machine to get it looking like new again. No need to spot clean or hand wash the fabric. Just remove the seat pad and throw it in with your regular laundry.

The seat pad is made from a soft fabric that is comfortable for babies and toddlers. It's durable enough to withstand frequent washing cycles. The pad attaches securely to the seat with Velcro straps so it's easy to remove and reattach as needed for cleaning.

Being able to machine wash the seat pad helps keep the car seat clean and hygienic. As spills and messes happen, you can simply remove the seat pad and wash it. This allows you to get stains out completely and sanitize the fabric properly. It's an easy way to refresh the seat and get that "like new" feel again after heavy use.

The convenience of a machine washable seat pad makes the Graco Extend2Fit easy to maintain. No need to scrub the seat by hand or use spot cleaners that might not get stains out fully. Just toss it in the washing machine for a deep clean whenever it's needed. This is a useful feature for parents wanting an uncomplicated car seat fabric that's simple to clean.

Additional Features

The Graco Extend2Fit has several convenient additional features that make it stand out from other convertible car seats.

• Cup holders - The seat has two built-in cup holders on either side that can hold cups, bottles, or snacks. This is a really useful feature as kids always seem to want drinks and snacks in the car. The cup holders keep everything contained and avoid spills.

• Storage - There is a handy storage compartment at the back of the seat. This is great for storing small toys, books, wipes etc to keep your child occupied on journeys. The storage pocket is easy to access when putting your child in the seat or when they want something.

• Extendable leg rest - As the name suggests, the Graco Extend2Fit has a leg rest that extends to provide extra support and comfort for your growing child. This is a great feature as it means the seat can truly grow with your child. The extendable leg rest provides an extra 5 inches of space so older kids have enough room.

Pros and Cons

The Graco Extend2Fit Convertible Car Seat has many excellent features, but also some downsides to consider.

Pros

• Allows extended rear-facing up to 50 lbs, letting children ride rear-facing longer
• Steel-reinforced frame provides strength and durability
• Simply Safe Adjust Harness System with 10 positions adjusts the height of harness and headrest together
• Fuss Free harness storage holds buckle out of the way for easy in/out of child
• Machine washable seat pad, body insert, and harness covers make cleaning easy
• InRight LATCH system for easy, one-second LATCH attachment
• 6 recline positions help keep your child comfy

Cons

• Large and heavy, making it more difficult to transport and switch between vehicles
• May not fit smaller cars well, with front-to-back length on the larger side
• Fabric and inserts can be hot for warm climates
• Installation with seatbelt can be tricky and take some effort to get tight
• Only goes up to 65 lbs forward-facing, so may need to transition to a booster seat sooner than some other models

Overall, the Graco Extend2Fit offers great safety features and lets kids stay rear-facing longer, but its large size may pose some challenges. Considering your needs and vehicle space can help determine if the pros outweigh the cons for your situation.