Graco Triride 3-in-1 Car Seat Reviews – In-depth Assessment
Table of Contents
The Graco Triride is a convertible car seat like other 3-in-1 car seats in the Graco product line and was introduced in 2021, albeit recent and more budget-friendly.
Notwithstanding, there isn’t much that makes this car seat different or stand out; therefore, your buying decision will be centered more around reviews from other parents.
On the other hand, as a new parent or a first-time car seat buyer, you’ll be learning all about this car seat in detail, beyond what is stated on the manufacturer’s website and in comparison with standard and other similar models across car seat brands, especially Graco.
The Graco Triride 3-in-1 car seat is a convertible car seat that can be used in three different modes throughout its 10 years lifespan;
- Rear-facing: 5 lbs. – 40 lbs.
- Forward-facing: 22 lbs. – 65 lbs.
- High-back belt-positioning booster seat: 40 lbs. – 100 lbs.
Basis Of This Graco Triride 3-in-1 Review and Why You Can Trust This Assessment
Researching a baby car seat to buy for your newborn or growing child comes with its challenge. From deciding on safety, comfort, and ease of use features, to brand and then the model to choose from can all be daunting.
It gets overwhelming when you don’t know what exact thing to look for in each car seat you research; hence ParentingWithHumility comes into the picture to help provide detailed information for a car seat review that can ease your decision-making process.
I have spent several hours researching this Triride 3 in 1 car seat to write this review and coupled with my experience on what a car seat should offer, I can assure you this Graco Triride 3 in 1 review is devoid of bluff or bias. As such, you can trust this assessment and all the information you have to read here.
Graco Triride 3-In-1 Reviews
A quick summary of my assessment will reveal the following PROS and CONS of this convertible car seat.
Pros and Cons
Unbias Asessment of the Graco TriRide 3-in-1 Car Seat
The Graco Triride is a 3-in-1 convertible car seat with a weight range of 5 lbs. to 100 lbs. As with other convertible car seats, it does not have a detachable base and cannot be used with a stroller. It is designed for permanent use in a vehicle. Therefore, this car seat is ideal for you if you need a seat that is relatively small (best fit for mid-size cars) and lightweight, grows with your child till booster stage (school-aged children), and is still very affordable with excellent easy to use features and is comfortable.
- Easy to install
- Features 6 recline positions to fit right in your car (1-3 positions for rear-facing, 4-5 for forward-facing, position 6 for booster)
- Comfortable for a child
- Soft plush fabric and well padded
- Removable newborn inserts (head and body support)
- You don’t need to rethread the harness - easy to adjust harness straps and headrest in 10 positions
- It has 2 removable easy-to-clean cup holders
- Easy to read the recline level indicator (ball) when installing
- Relatively lightweight – 17.2 lbs (can easily switch between cars)
- FAA Approved (sticker is on the back of the seat)
- Budget-friendly for a convertible car seat (save more over other models)
- Steel reinforced frame for durability - excellent for long-term use (expiration – 10 years)
- Exceeds federal safety standards and other rigorous tests – ProtectPlus Engineered™ and Graco's RollSafe™ Testing
- Lacks ‘some’ easy-to-use features that are present in many other Graco models (still very easy to use, nevertheless)
- Does not feature the inRight LATCH system that makes installing with the LATCH easier and quicker (common with other Graco models)
- Does not feature the integrated belt lock-off system (which makes installing with seat belt easier)
- Does not feature a harness holder, which makes getting your child out of the car seat easier
- ONLY certified for use in the USA
- Not compatible with a stroller (all convertible car seats are not – ONLY infant seats, so this is not a con)
- Non-detachable base (all convertible car seats are non-detachable, so this is not a con)
- Contains flame retardants (as required by regulation) (Graco claim their chemical contents are safe and only uses a minimum quantity)
Graco Triride 6-Recline Positions
The Graco Triride supports recline in six positions in rear-facing, forward-facing, and booster seat modes.
The essence of the recline positions is to allow you to fit the car seat properly according to your vehicle and offer more comfort to your child according to age or weight. The recline positions also help keep a newborn’s head in place and not to lean forward when they sleep off.
Rear-facing:
- Recline position 1 – rear-facing; perfect for newborn
- Recline position 2 – rear-facing
- Recline position 3 – rear-facing
Forward-facing:
- Recline position 4 – forward-facing; children weighing less than 40 lbs.
- Recline position 5 – forward-facing; children weighing over 40 lbs.
Booster seat:
- Recline position 6 – Highback booster mode
Table 1: Graco Triride 3-in-1 Specifications
| FEATURE | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
Product Dimension | 20D X 23.25H X 19W (inches) |
Product Weight | 17.2 lbs. (relatively lightweight) |
Recommended Weight Range | 5 – 100 lbs. |
Recommended Height Limit | 57 inches |
Rear-facing Weight Limits | min. 5 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. |
Belt-positioning Booster Seat Height Limits | min. 43 in.; max. 57 in. |
Life span (expiration) | 10 years from the date of manufacture (label on the side of the seat) (extra value for money) |
Graco Triride Crash Test
Graco is known to carry out extensive crash tests on their car seats using the Graco ProtectPlus Engineering, a crash testing system that involves the following crash tests
- Frontal impact
- Rear impact
- Side impacts
- Rollover crash
The Graco Triride has been extensively crash tested to sustain these impacts while keeping the occupant safe.
Table 2: Graco Triride 3-in-1 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 are within a budget for an all-in-one convertible car seat that will serve through a child’s growing years but wouldn’t mind the essential ease of use features for a Graco car seat. |
Key Decision-making Factors to Consider for a Convertible Car Seat
Earlier in this article, I mentioned the overwhelming challenge of knowing what to look out for in a convertible car seat when deciding to buy one.
I’ll cover those details in this section to help your decision-making process.
- Installation features: for a car seat to truly serve its purpose of protecting a child during a car crash, the car seat must be correctly installed in the vehicle. To ensure this, it has to be relatively easy to install, so parents don’t ignore the extra effort and assume it is safe. Some manufacturers consider this greatly and include additional features to make installation easier and quicker.
- Compatibility with a vehicle: as a new parent and first-time car seat buyer, you may be ignorant of this. Depending on the size of your vehicle, a car seat may not fit right in it. A car seat may be too big for the vehicle seat, or your car may be too small to accommodate two or more car seats in the back seat. You need to check the car seat dimensions and match it with the available vehicle seat. A car seat base should occupy a minimum of 80% of the vehicle seat.
- Size and weight: this goes alongside compatibility with a vehicle. The bigger the car seat, the less likely it will be compatible with a small vehicle. The bigger, the bulkier it’ll be; hence it will be challenging (heavy) switching between cars. Since a convertible car seat does not have a detachable base, you should consider the size and weight if you’ll be changing cars often.
On the other hand, some parents mistake a convertible car seat for an infant seat that can be used as a carrier or with a stroller. A convertible seat is designed for permanent use in a vehicle and is not compatible with any stroller; hence no detachable base or carrier handle. - Ease of usage: beyond the safety of a car seat, it should also be easy to use and handle, such as installing, cleaning, adjusting the headrest and harness, and removing the car seat cover. Some manufacturers include great ease-of-use features to enhance convenience. You should be on the lookout for such features in a car seat.
- Comfort and growing room space: according to the Academy of American Pediatrics, a child should ride rear-facing for as long as possible. A car seat should offer enough growing room space to accommodate a child in each seat mode and be comfortable at the same time.
- Weight and height requirement/limit: depending on your state of residence, you need to be aware of your state’s car seat laws. Many states require that you use a car seat according to the manufacturer’s weight and height limits for each mode. Moreso, most car seats have reasonable limits, allowing your child to ride long enough in each seat mode.
- Safety features: all car seats are safe as long as they are on the market and not recalled. All safety seats must pass very stringent federal safety standards before being sold. Nonetheless, many manufacturers exceed this standard and even subject their seats to more rigorous safety crash tests (frontal, rear, side, and rollover impacts).
Table 3: Comparing the Factors Above with What Triride Offers
| Key Decision-making Factors | TriRide Features | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
Safety |
| Excellent |
Installation Features |
| Good |
Size | Product dimension – 20D X 23.25H X 19W (inches) | - |
Compatibility With Vehicle | Compatible with mid-size, full-size vans, and SUVs cars | Excellent for regular size cars |
Ease of Usage |
| Good |
Comfort And Growing Room Space |
| Excellent |
Weight And Height Requirement |
| Excellent |
Detailed Insight Based on the Features – PROS and CONS
Despite my rating on this car seat due to its features as compared to other Graco models, the Triride car seat reportedly has excellent reports from parents who have used them. Nonetheless, there are also complaints as you would expect of any product.
This section covers the PROS and CONS in detail as much as can be reported from feedbacks.
PROS and CONS
Installation:
For some other Graco models that feature the inRight LATCH system that makes installing with the LATCH easy and quick, this Triride lacks it.
However, as with other brands with just the basic LATCH installation feature and parents still installing them properly, this seat is also as easy as others. Therefore, this may not be a reason not to buy the Triride.
Many parents report how easy it is to install the seat using either the LATCH or seat belt method. Some other parents also say they have difficulties getting their Triride seat tightened. A car seat should not move more than 1 inch when pulled or pushed at the belt path.
I recommend you follow the manual very religiously to get it right the first time, and subsequently, it will be an easy peasy installation ride.
Ease of use:
This Triride car seat doesn’t have the harness holders, which isn’t also available in a few Graco models, but it is still easy to get your child out of the seat (some parents still have some complaints on ease of getting their child in or out of the car seat).
The essence of the harness holders in the first place is to keep the harness out of the way while you get your child out. So, it’s not so bad it is absent. On the other hand, parents report it’s easy to get their child out of the seat, while others complain of difficulty.
The harness straps and headrest are easy to adjust and tighten. However, some parents report difficulty in tightening theirs. Watching a few videos will do the magic for you.
The car seat cover doesn’t also feature the RapidRemove cover like some other Graco models, which makes removing the seat cover super easy in under 60 seconds without uninstalling the car seat. For the Graco Triride, you have to uninstall the car seat to remove the seat cover, but that is also not much trouble. Some other brands and some Graco models lack this feature, and parents still get it done quite easily. On a good note, the seat cover is easy to clean and is machine washable.
Comfort:
As with other Graco models, this Triride is also very comfortable. Graco indeed doesn’t compromise on their seats’ comfort irrespective of pricing. Many parents report the car seat is well padded, has a soft fabric, and is very comfortable.
The car seat also has two removable newborn inserts (head and support). This is an excellent feature as it helps keep a newborn cradled and comfortable irrespective of their size (including preemie).
The car seat was not originally designed with consideration for enough leg room like the Extend2Fit (read the review) which is the only Graco model with such a feature. As such, you may be concerned that your child may not be too comfortable in the rear-facing mode for long. Nonetheless, safety comes first and foremost, so your child should remain RF as long as possible, depending on your state’s car seat law.
Close Rivals to the Graco Triride and Alternative Comparisons
As with any product, there are always rivals and alternatives that meet or beat them in terms of quality and features.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this Graco Triride review, the Triride does not stand out from other Graco models. There are other comparable Graco seats that are better and have more features, however, at higher pricing. It is worth checking them out if you have more bucks to add to enjoy those other features. In all, all Graco car seats are equally crash tested rigorously.
Graco Triride vs Extend2Fit – the Extend2Fit is a 3-in-1 convertible car seat that lives up to its name with the inclusion of an extension panel for more legroom as a child uses the car seat up to a weight limit of 50 lbs. in rear-facing. The car seat comes in four series with few differences among them.
Graco Triride vs Slimfit – the Slimfit is a 3-in-1 convertible car seat that is truly slim and compact, best for small cars, and can conveniently fit 3 across the backseat.
Graco Triride vs 4Ever – the 4Ever DLX, the highest model in the Graco league of seats with premium features, is the car seat from which to get an immense value. Featuring a weight range of 4 lbs. – 120 lbs. and an additional seat mode – the backless booster seat. It’s not without saying that a car seat like this is bulky and will fit better in bigger cars. Nonetheless, it is worth it if the financial resource is available for a ‘premium’ Graco model.
Installation and Manual
You can find resources on installing your Triride from the manual that comes with your car seat. You can find the online copy here.
You can also learn a detailed guide on installing Graco car seats and installing the Graco Triride here
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Graco Triride FAA Approved?
Yes, the Graco Triride is approved for use on forward-facing aircraft seats as far as they are used in rear-facing or forward-facing mode. The Triride is not approved as a booster seat since aircraft do not have shoulder belts. The FAA approval sticker can be found on the back of the seat.
How Long Is Graco Triride Good For?
The Graco Triride is suitable for 10 years. That is, the Triride will expire 10 years from the date of manufacture. You should stop using the car seat once it expires or after being involved in a car crash.
Final Wrap-up
The Graco Triride 3-in-1n convertible car seat is a budget-friendly car seat that comes with very basic features common to Graco car seats, albeit very safe like the others.
The car seat is great for parents who are within a budget and are on the lookout for an all-in-one convertible car seat that will serve through a child’s growing years without minding the essential ease of use features a regular Graco car seat would offer.
Many parents give this Triride car seat great feedback for its ease of installation, comfort, and basic ease of use features. It is also compatible with a good number of vehicles make including mid-size ones.
Cheers!
