Graco 4Ever DLX 4-in-1 Review – Worth the Hype?
Table of Contents
When luxury and high-end value becomes a basis for a car seat for you, the Graco 4Ever DLX 4-in-1 car seat is an option to consider.
But let’s not start from this angle.
The Graco 4Ever is a 4-in-1 convertible car seat that features usage in 4 modes with extensive usage in each mode:
- Rear-facing: 4 lbs. – 40 lbs.
- Forward-facing: 22 lbs. – 65 lbs.
- High-back belt-positioning booster seat: 40 lbs. – 100 lbs.
- Backless belt-positioning booster seat: 40 lbs. – 120 lbs.
This offers you move value in the long term, and you may only have to use 1 car seat for your child.
Basis Of This Graco 4Ever® DLX Review and Why You Can Trust the Assessment
So far, I have reviewed other car seats and baby products from my research, personal experience, and usage.
The Graco 4Ever comes to me as different from other models with its features. I’ve spent several hours researching this product, reading feedbacks, and assessing the features.
Beyond what the manufacturer claims about this model, I can tell you more that can help your decision-making process beyond words of mouth (of the manufacturer) and save you time searching further. Make sure to read up to the “detailed insight” section in this review.
This review is devoid of bias and sentiment and is as blunt as it should be.
Graco 4Ever Car Seat Review
If you are in a hurry to know what my assessment is, here are the highlight of the pros and cons of the Graco 4Ever car seat.
Pros and Cons
Unbiased Review on the Graco 4Ever DLX 4-in-1 Car Seat
This car seat doesn’t give you all the ‘luxury’ you would imagine for a car seat pegged at this price. However, the several other features, especially the following two, gives you a good run for your money:
- Easy installation features
- Easy to remove the car seat cover
Nonetheless, there are complaints of discomfort when using the car seat in rear-facing. This is due to wrong installation by some parents. The car seat comes with 6 recline positions – 3 positions for rear-facing – to allow you to install it to fit in your car and give your child that comfort of positioning their head safely.
The car seat manual will help you get the installation right for absolute satisfaction.
- Super easy to install and secure (follow the manual religiously)
- Super easy to remove the seat cover without uninstalling the car seat
- 6 recline positions (1-3 positions for rear-facing and 4-6 for forward-facing
- Suitable for newborn (min. weight of 4 lbs.) and preemie
- Very comfortable for a child
- Soft plush fabric – offers more comfort
- Well padded
- Easy to use – great ease of use features (easy to adjust headrest, harness)
- Very easy to clean – machine washable
- Enough leg room
- You don't need to rethread the harness
- It has 2 removable cup holders
- Steel reinforced frame
- Extra safety features and extensive crash tests carried out
- Exceeds federal safety standards and other rigorous tests – Graco ProtectPlus Engineered™
- Durability - excellent for long-term use (expiration – 10 years)
- FAA Approved: rear-facing and forward-facing – must not use as a booster seat
- Expensive
- Heavy (expected for a convertible car seat) – can’t be used as a carrier
- Limited use of the LATCH system (cannot use the 'LATCH' system in forward-facing when a child weighs more than 45 lbs.)
- The seat is quite big/wide – may not allow for multiple seats installed in a row (more than two)
- Not compatible with a stroller (convertible car seats are not compatible, to begin with)
- Contains flame retardants (as required by regulation) (Graco claim their chemical contents are safe and only uses a minimum quantity)
- Any other 'CONS' are avoidable by following the manufacturer's instructions in the car seat manual.
Graco 4Ever DLX 6-Recline Positions
- Recline position 1 – rear-facing – perfect for newborn
- Recline position 2 – rear-facing
- Recline position 3 – rear-facing
- Recline position 4 – forward-facing – children weighing less than 40 lbs.
- Recline position 5 – forward-facing – children weighing less than 40 lbs.
- Recline position 6 – forward-facing – children weighing over 40 lbs.
- Recline position 6 – highback and backless booster
Table 1: Graco 4Ever DLX 4-in-1 Specifications
| FEATURE | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
Product Dimension | 20D X 24H X 21.5W (inches) |
Product Weight | 23 lbs. (heavy) |
Recommended Weight Range | 4 – 120 lbs. (really wide) |
Recommended Height Limit | 57 inches |
Rear-facing Weight Limits | min. 4 lbs.; max. 40 lbs. (enough room for growth) |
Rear-facing Height Limits | 19 - 49 inches |
Forward-facing Weight Limits | min. 22 lbs.; max. 65 lbs. (more comfort) |
Forward-facing Height Limits | 29 - 49 inches |
Highback belt-positioning Booster Seat Weight Limits | min. 40 lbs.; max. 100 lb. (more value) |
Backless belt-positioning Booster Seat Weight Limits | min. 40 lbs.; max. 120 lb. (extra value) |
Belt-positioning Booster Seat Height Limits | min. 43 in.; max. 57 in. |
Life span (expiration) | 10 years from the date of manufacture (sticker on back of the car seat) (extra value for money) |
Table 2: Graco 4Ever DLX Seat Features
| FEATURE | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
Safety Features |
|
Installation |
|
Ease of use |
|
Comfortability for a Child |
|
Longevity and Suitability |
|
Who is it best for? | New parents and growing families who need a car seat that offers much value in the long term. |
Quick Overview of Key Decision-making Factors for a Convertible Car Seat
Here is a quick overview of key decision-making factors to help you decide if this Graco 4Ever 4 in 1 convertible car seat is the right one.
Outrightly, an all-in-one car seat caters to your child’s car seat needs from infancy to near adolescence, needing you not buy another one. However, you need to be sure you’re making the right choice of a seat from the onset.
- Installation features: this is perceived as the most difficult challenge in securing a car seat in a vehicle. Depending on your car, you want to ensure your vehicle has the features to install a car seat in any position. Some manufacturers make installation super easy by including extra features to enhance the process.
- Compatibility with a vehicle: this has to do with the size of your car and how many seats you’ll want to be installed in the back seat. Most convertible car seats are big, bulky, and take up space. You need to check the seat’s dimension and match it with the size of your vehicle seat. A car seat base must take 80% of the vehicle seat.
- Size: as a new or first-time parent, you may want to be carrying your child in their seat often. A convertible car seat does not offer that luxury as it’s meant for a more permanent usage in a car. You may want to consider starting with an infant seat which is lightweight and convenient to carry.
- Ease of usage: beyond the safety purpose a car seat offers, it also has to be easy to use, such as getting out your child easily, removing the car seat cover quickly, and many more. This is one aspect to pay attention to when choosing a convertible car seat.
- Comfort and growing room space: you need that extra comfort for your little bundle and enough room for growth. On the other hand, for preemies, you want to consider car seats with newborn inserts to accommodate a tiny baby and still give that comfort.
- Weight and height requirement: many states’ car seat laws require that children ride in a particular seat position for a specific age according to their weight and height. It would help if you were conversant with your state of residence car seat laws. You are usually also required to follow the car seat manufacturer’s weight and height limits requirements.
- Safety features: this is coming last since every car seat must pass federal safety standards; as such, all car seats are safe to use. Nonetheless, some parents desire even more safety assurance. Many car seat manufacturers exceed the federal standards and even add more safety features to enhance a child’s protection.
Table 3: Comparing the Factors above with What the 4Ever DLX Offers
| Key Decision-making Factors | Graco 4Ever Features | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
Safety |
| Excellent |
Installation Features |
| Excellent |
Compatibility With Vehicle |
| Good |
Size |
| Excellent for regular cars |
Ease of Usage |
| Excellent |
Comfort And Growing Room Space |
| Excellent |
Weight And Height Requirement |
| Excellent |
Detailed Insight Based on the Features – PROS and CONS
Beyond what the manufacturer says and what we can see from the features, what more have parents who have used this car seat said about it?
Does it meet its true expectations, or is it just a money bag seat with no actual value? Is it worth the hype?
Here is a detailed insight into the Pros and Cons of Graco all in one car seat.
PROS
Safety
The primary reason for a car seat is to protect a child during an accident. To confirm the safety feature of the Graco 4ever, one would expect to be involved in an accident which we don’t hope for.
Unfortunately, there were parents and families who were involved in car accidents with this car seat installed and their child strapped in it. Fortunately, their kids were safe with no scratch.
Safe to say the car seat is indeed safe.
Beyond that, the car seat manufacturer carries out several rigorous tests on their products to ensure it offers the protection your child deserves.
Installation
Car seats are generally challenging to install or tighten. This is common across many brands.
However, Graco considers this challenge and provides additional installation features to make it easier when using either of the two methods – the InRight™ LATCH attachment when installing with the LATCH system and the Integrated belt lock-off when installing with the Seat belt.
Many parents attest to the ease of installation and give it an excellent rating of super easy to install and secure in both rear and forward-facing.
Note: do not install using the LATCH system in forward-facing when a child is weighing more than 45 lbs.
Comfort
This car seat is really comfortable for a child. The fabric is breathable and permits good airflow. The newborn inserts also provide extra comfort for smaller babies (min weight – 4 lbs.).
While this car seat is designed for use from rear-facing and newborns weighing a minimum of 4 lbs., some parents find it a challenge to keep their newborn comfortable in the car seat.
You need to be aware that the seat allows for reclining in 3 different positions (1-3) when rear-facing. This allows your child to be in the perfect position to keep their head in place and also keep them comfortable.
On the other hand, you can use this car seat right from the beginning for a newborn; some parents will prefer to start with an infant seat for up to 10 – 12 months before transitioning to a convertible car seat when the child has more control of their neck.
If you must use this convertible car seat for your newborn, then position 1 would be the perfect recline position as it helps keep the baby’s head in position.
For the head and body support, you are to use both at the same time and not one alone. Head and body support must be used in rear-facing ONLY. When forward-facing, they must be removed.
CONS
Where does this product lack?
The Graco 4Ever DLX car seat does not have major cons; however, it is necessary to mention some challenges some parents face due to a wrong approach taken and other details you need to be aware of.
Contains Chemicals
The Graco 4Ever DLX contains flame retardants. Graco claims their chemical contents are safe and that they use below the minimum quantity. Graco also claims their products meet or exceed the American Safety for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) guidelines. These regulatory bodies set the procedures and requirements for chemical substance use. Such chemicals include; halogenated flame retardants, phosphorus-based flame retardants, lead, PFOA, BPA, ortho-phthalates, heavy metals, AZO dyes, etc. However, Graco does not use antibacterial finishes.
Installation
As easy as it is to install, it is not exactly the same when uninstalling. It’s not as difficult as you may imagine though; it’s just worth mentioning so as to know what to expect.
Comfort
While many parents praise the Graco 4Ever for being comfortable, some say otherwise.
What many parents do wrong in common is not installing the car seat properly at the right angle (recline position). Many parents complain that their baby’s head slouches forward in the car seat.
The Graco 4Ever DLX convertible car seat comes in 6-recline positions. These recline positions are for installation to fit in your car and, at the same time, fit your child and give them comfort.
You should note that the car seat should be rear-facing for children weighing under 40 lbs. and should be installed in recline positions 1, 2, or 3, with 1 being perfect for newborns. Positions 4 and 5 are ideal for forward-facing (children less than 40 lbs.), while position 6 is for the belt-positioning booster modes or children weighing more than 40 lbs.
Graco 4Ever DLX 4 in 1 Car Seat Installation
It would be best if you referred to your car seat manual for proper installation guide.
This article on Graco car seat installation guide will help you. You must also use your manual for the exact guideline for the Graco 4Ever DLX model.
Note: do not install using the LATCH system in forward-facing when a child is weighing more than 45 lbs.
Graco 4Ever DLX Review and Unboxing Videos
Graco 4Ever DLX Installation - All 4 Modes
Rear-facing using LATCH
Forward-facing using Seat Belt
How to Remove and Replace Car Seat Cover
Transforming Graco 4Ever to Backless Booster Seat
Graco 4Ever DLX 4-in-1 Car Seat Manual
You are recommended to always use the manual that comes with your car seat. You can find the manual here also.
You can find car seat manuals for other Graco car seat models and learn how to check when Graco car seats expire here.
Final Wrap-Up – Should You Still Consider The Graco 4Ever?
Going over this Graco 4Ever DLX car seat review, it is worth every penny for the several features it offers.
The safety features are not enough reasons to consider this car seat even though it has passed through several crash tests; all car seats are made to meet very stringent federal safety standards. Hence, all car seats are safe.
The other features – ease of installation, ease of use, durability – are great reasons to consider the Graco 4Ever car seat.
However, if you are constrained by budget, there is a near similar model from a rival brand, Safety 1st, the Grow and Go. You will find a detailed comparison between the Graco 4Ever and the Grow and Go here.
There is another popular model from Graco, the Extend2Fit 3-in-1 which features an extended usage of up to 50 lbs. and a 4-position adjustable extension panel for extra legroom. You can read a detailed comparison between the 4Ever DLX vs Extend2Fit 3-in-1 here.
While the Graco 4Ever is not designed with vehicle compatibility in mind, a rival model from Graco, the SlimFit 3-in-1 match this purpose. A compact slim car seat for small cars. Here is a comparison of the Graco 4Ever vs Graco Slimfit.
