Graco Grows4Me Review | Most Affordable All-in-One Car Seat

The Grows4Me can be used for up to 10 years after the date of manufacture and will accommodate your child from 5-110 pounds. As far as all-in-one seats go, this new Graco seat is among some of the more affordable options. Despite the budget-friendly price tag, this seat still comes with plenty of features that make it a top contender for parents. 

In this post, we will look into the specs, top features, pros, cons as well as one-on-one comparison to other seats.

For starters, the seat is LATCH equipped and uses the Simply Safe Harness adjust system. The seat can be adjusted using one hand and has 10 different headrest positions along with six different reclines. This is nice because you’ll definitely get a secure and personalized fit for your child.

Specifications

The seat can be used in rear-facing mode from 5-40 pounds, forward-facing harness from 22-65 pounds, highback booster from 40-100 pounds, and backless booster from 40-110 pounds. If you choose to use this seat to the maximum weight limit, you must take care to convert it to backless booster mode once your child surpasses 100 pounds.

The Harness Compartment 

It also comes with a handy harness compartment to store the harness when using it in booster mode. Along with these factors, the seat is made with a steel-reinforced frame to promote stability and durability. The Graco Grows4Me is FAA air-travel approved and the information for this can be found on the side of the car seat.

The infant insert is removable and provides plenty of padding for new babies. Along with that, there are also two removable harness pads to help get the right fit for your infant. There’s also one integrated cup holder and an easy-to-read level indicator to help with the installation process.

Pros

• One-stop-shop
• Less expensive than other all-in-one seats
• Two different colors to choose from
• Easy to adjust straps
• No-rethread harness
• Installation isn’t difficult

Cons

• Straps tangle easily
• The seat is really tall when accommodating older kids
• LATCH connectors can be tricky

Sale

Graco Grows4Me 4 in 1 Car Seat, Infant to Toddler Car Seat with 4...

• 4 seats in 1: 4-in-1 seat gives you 10 years of use--it seamlessly transforms from rear-facing...
• Simply Safe Adjust Harness System: Adjust the height of your harness and headrest to 10 positions in...
• 10-position Headrest: One-hand, 10-position adjustable headrest is easy to use and grows to properly...

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One-Stop-Shop

Having a baby is expensive, there’s no doubt about that. Especially when it comes to car seats, the price tag adds up pretty quick when you factor in an infant carrier, convertible, and then booster seat.

All-in-one seats are nice because you’re making one single purchase rather than three. Plus, you usually end up saving some money this way depending on which seat you choose.

Embraces Familiarity

Children thrive on familiarity and routine. With that said, having one single car seat that grows with them into tween-hood helps reinforce the stability that comes with a familiar seat. Plus, you won’t have to worry about making them try a million different seats each time you need to size up.

Less Stressful in the Long-Run

All in all, these seats will create less stress for you. They take away the stress of having to budget for a new car seat every few years and the stress of choosing one that is both safe and comfortable among other things. Not to mention the reduced chance of a tantrum in the event your child doesn’t like switching to a new seat.

Benefits of All-in-One Car Seats

Of all the car seat categories out there, all-in-ones are a popular choice among parents for a variety of reasons. Not only can they last the entirety of your child’s car seat days, but many of them can be used with babies as small as 4 pounds. This makes it a prime seat option for preemie babies. Let’s take a second to explore some of those benefits

The Parent-Approved Brand

As amazing as all-in-one seats can be, choosing the right one can prove to be difficult with the number of seats out there. With that said, there’s one brand, in particular, that seems to be a popular choice among parents and kids.

Graco is a long-trusted brand built on the idea that safety shouldn’t be difficult. Their car seats are designed with special technology to help make installation easier for parents. In terms of all-in-one seats, Graco has a few options available. For this post, we want to focus on one seat in particular.

Safety Ratings

Not only is the Graco Grows4Me budget-friendly and kid-approved, but it’s also been rated “best booster seat” by the IIHS in terms of safety. The seat has gone through rigorous crash testing and meets/exceeds all federal US safety standards. It has also gone through special side-impact testing to ensure the seat will keep your child safe in the event of a crash.

Honest Customer Reviews

All in all, parents seem to really like this seat for a number of reasons. Judging from our research, the only real complaint we’ve found is that the straps have a tendency to twist themselves. This can make it difficult to untwist them and still get a tight fit when buckling your little one. Despite this setback, there are a few key things parents seem to love about this seat that are listed below.

Only One Purchase

Parents love that this seat accommodates their kids for such a long time. From what we found while reading reviews, parents really appreciate only needing to buy one seat for the duration of their child’s first years.

Comfortable for the Bum

Another common perk parents have mentioned is the comfortableness of the seat’s padding. This may seem trivial to some, but if you have a fussy child who doesn’t love the car, having comfortable padding to sit on helps make that ride a little bit easier.

Best Bang for Your Buck

Luckily, this seat is a fraction of that price and parents love that fact. It’s always good to remember that just because something is expensive, doesn’t mean it’s the best seat. Parents love that you still get prime safety with the Grows4Me without having to compromise on the price.

Key Features

• One integrated cup holder
• 10 different headrest heights
• 6 different recline positions
• Steel-reinforced frame
• Removable insert and harness pads
• Level indicator to help with installation
• LATCH equipped
• Integrated harness storage compartment

Graco Grows4Me vs. Graco 4Ever

These two Graco all-in-one seats are very similar to each other. They both have four different seat modes and the same number of harness and recline positions. The key differences between the two are mainly the price and the weight limit in booster mode.

The 4Ever will accommodate up to 120 pounds while the Grows4Me caps off at 110. However, the Grows4Me is much cheaper than its counterpart, so that extra 10 pounds isn’t worth paying the extra money for.

Similarities

• Four different seat modes
• 10 headrest positions
• 6 recline positions
• Integrated harness storage
• SimpliSafe harness adjust system
• Same safety features

Differences

• 4Ever has two cup holders, Grows4Me has one
• 4Ever has rapid remove cover
• Grows4Me is cheaper

Graco Grows4Me vs. Britax One4Life

These two seats are also very similar. They both come with comfortable seat padding and can hold babies as little as 5 pounds. Both seats last up to 10 years and can be adjusted with one hand. There are some features, however, that set them apart from each other.

For example, the Britax One4Life caps off at 120 pounds rather than 110. While this is more than the Grows4Me, our Graco pick can be used in backless booster mode while the Britax seat cannot. The Grows4Me is also more budget-friendly.

Similarities

• Both accommodate as little as 5 pounds
• Lasts 10 years
• Easy to install
• One-handed adjustments
• Side-impact protection
• Both have comfortable padding

Differences

• Britax seat is much pricier
• Grows4Me caps at 110 while the One4Life caps at 120
• Britax One4Life doesn’t have backless booster mode

Optimal Safety & Great Value

We chose to highlight this seat because of its value. For the price you pay, you get optimal safety features along with comfort and convenience too. Besides safety, comfort is the most important feature for a car seat because let’s face it, what good is the seat if your child refuses to sit in it? While the other seats briefly mentioned above are good options to consider, we recommend the Grows4Me because you get the most for what you pay for.

Last update on 2020-09-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API