My oldest is now 7, we are still using it as a high back booster and its been great. I’m not a fan of how big they are in the car, because I have two in the backseat, but have a Honda Pilot so I have enough room to fit. I wouldn’t recommend if you needed three in a small car, but they’re very safe and reliable. The Ease of Use metric includes the functionality of standard features, including harness adjustment and chest clips, ease of tightening or loosening the harness, fabric cover removal for cleaning, and more.
With Extend2Fit, the adjustable extension panel and 50 lbs rear-facing weight limit allow the seat to grow with your child in rear-facing mode, providing extended rear-facing use. The foot panel sets the Extend2Fit apart from every other convertible car seat on the market. As the child grows taller, the panel can be extended to help them feel more comfortable.
The key to the ClickTight install, fittingly enough, lies within a 1.5-inch-diameter circle called the ClickTight Key (sometimes referred to as a dial), located at the front of the seat. When you press down on the key and turn it clockwise, the bottom of the seat lifts up, opening to reveal the guts of the operation. You then weave both the lap and shoulder portion of the vehicle seat belt through the appropriate slots—they’re labeled for either the rear- or forward-facing graco turbobooster position, depending on which you’re using. Finally, you push the seat bottom closed; you’ll know the lid is secure when you hear a satisfying click. The LATCH (lower anchors and tethers for children) system present in cars made after September 1, 2002, allows you to secure your car seat more safely and securely than using seat belts. Installation was amazingly easy in my ’11 Acura MDX using either the vehicle seat belt or the lower LATCH strap.
For the rear-facing install, we think the car’s seat belt is a better choice than the LATCH method because it will save you from making the switch in the not-so-distant future. (And both methods require about the same amount of effort.) The Foonf can only be used rear-facing graco car seat with LATCH for babies who weigh up to 25 pounds; about half of all babies will reach that weight by 12 months. To begin the process, first you’ll remove the seat cushion and set it aside; it comes off entirely, allowing access to the inner workings of the seat.
This Diono car seat has a slim fit that our tester found fit neatly inside both a Subaru Outback and a smaller European model. The cup holder is also removable in case you do need to place this right next to another car seat. We have two for our two girls and plan on buying another when our third is old enough. The seat is comfy for the girls, has cup holders, and is easy to install and clean. How wide a seat could be important to you if you need to fit multiple people or car seats across a back row in your vehicle.
If a child is tall, they could reach that harness limit, and you’d have to switch them over to booster mode—possibly before you would have ordinarily put them in a booster. The SafeWash fabrics can be machine-washed and -dried up to 30 times, whereas the other fabrics must be hand-washed and line-dried. If you’re installing the Boulevard with the LATCH system (and again, we can’t think of a scenario where you would or should), the process is the same, but you use the included LATCH straps in place of the seat belts. We began this process by examining online customer reviews and existing media coverage from other media outlets, including BabyGearLab, Car Seats for the Littles, and The Car Seat Lady.