Graco My Ride 65 40-Pound Rear-Facing Limit
Heather has already done a full review of the Graco My Ride 65 convertible car seat. It was a great overview and also very thorough, so I’m not going to repeat it with another full review. Instead, I’m just going to add a few comments along with some photos and video.
Without a doubt, the 40 pound rear-facing weight limit is a very welcome increase. Rear-facing provides the most crash protection in the most common and severe frontal and side impacts. There is a stigma for a lot of parents regarding rear-facing. Many have the impression that kids should be front-facing once they are 1 year and 20 pounds. Even some physicians still give this obsolete advice, contrary to the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Other parents just think their kids need to be front-facing for comfort or some other issue, or that turning front-facing is some sort of rite of passage or graduation award for being a year old. Well, now there’s a reason why front-facing shouldn’t be a reward for many kids until they turn 4-years old!
My son is 4-years old, plus a few weeks, and right at 40 pounds. At his 4-year checkup, he was over 39 pounds and over 42″ tall, above the 80th percentile for height. That also puts him right at the rear-facing height limit of the My Ride 65, as the top of his head is about an inch below the top of the shell. This tells me that the vast majority of kids can remain rear-facing until they are 3-years old (depending on their vehicle) and many could make it to their 4th birthday. That is a noteworthy and unique benefit of the My Ride 65.
Other likes? Need I mention what every parent wants? Dual Cupholders. Standard. The head pillow is a great touch and the infant insert and harness pads are nice, too. Installation with LATCH is relatively easy and the recline feet are straightforward and easy to adjust, though didn’t seem very robust. The 65-pound forward-facing weight limit is also nice, though like other similar 65-pound models, many kids will outgrow it by height well before they reach the weight limit. I also think it’s nice that Graco provided two separate sets of LATCH attachments. So, no re-routing of any kind is needed to convert from rear-facing to forward-facing or back, though one can envision other types of misuse from having an extra pair of attachments. Graco also touts that it is crash tested to the higher NCAP test pulse standards and is side impact tested as well.
I also have to rave that the My Ride 65 is made in North America. Kudos to Graco! In this case, the carseat itself is labeled as Made in U.S.A. and the cover appears to be made in Mexico. Speaking of the cover, while not particularly thick or plush, I like the look and feel of the Edgemont Dots pattern on mine. I do notice a strong new fabric odor and also that the elastic tended to slip off the side of the My Ride, as Heather noted.
Dislikes? Only a few things beyond what Heather mentioned. The crotch buckle depth is not generous and with no adjustment, it’s tight on older kids. Also, I do prefer separate LATCH attachments with their own adjusters on each side of the seat to make installation even easier. It would have also been nice to have push button releases, rather than basic hook hardware. These can make it a lot easier to uninstall, especially with only one adjuster in a very tight installation. Even so, the My Ride installed easy enough with LATCH. Plus, if it had four deluxe attachments and four separate adjusters, the cost would be higher, and the My Ride 65 is certainly a nice value at $149!
The last thing I’d mention is the wording in the manual about rear-facing limits, “When the child can no longer comfortably fit and knees remain bent, child should use car seat forward-facing only if child is over 20 lbs. and can sit upright unassisted.” This is a very subjective guideline. What does comfortably mean? Can the knees bend at all, if so, how far? What if the child hangs his legs to the side? What if the vehicle seat can recline? Or what about the photo to the right, “Look, no bent knees!” It may also imply there is some risk to having bent knees while rear-facing, though I am not aware of any data that has ever shown this. In any case, it is a confusing guideline, in my opinion.
Installation wise, it installed quickly and solidly in my 2006 Honda Odyssey 2nd row captain’s chair. Rear-facing, it installed easily with LATCH or seatbelt. The angle was somewhat more upright than 45 degrees without a noodle and still in the green indicator zone, perfect for an toddlers and those pushing that 40 pound rear-facing limit! A noodle would probably be needed for the 45 degree angle necessary for a newborn or small infant.
Installation was more difficult in our 2000 Subaru Outback using a lap/shoulder belt. It took some fiddling and a lot of compression with my weight into the seat in order to get an acceptable forward-facing install. The seat tended to move side-to-side. Part of the issue may have been the combination of a very upright vehicle seatback combined with a generous natural recline angle on the My Ride. Nonetheless, I did get an adequate installation and I will have some more photos and comparisons in another blog in the very near future. Given the size and recline of the My Ride, it may not fit well in some vehicles, especially forward-facing.
Overall, the My Ride 65 is a very nice convertible. It doesn’t set any trends for how well it fits small newborns or by extending weight/height limits for older kids who are forward-facing. It does set an important trend for extended rear facing (ERF), and it does this very well. In doing so, it allows older toddlers to remain more safely restrained in a vehicle. If the few drawbacks of the My Ride 65 aren’t an issue for your situation, it’s also very reasonably priced for a convertible child seat with a 65 pound harness limit. If you haven’t already, be sure to read Heather’s full review!
Hi there!
I had my 5 year old in this carseat for a while and LOVED it. Unfortunately it was damaged and we moved onto something else. She’s only 43 pounds now and about 42″ tall and I’m considering buying this carseat again but can’t seem to find any information on height limitations. We really liked this carseat because forward facing installation didn’t leave her head lolling around when she napped. Let me know if you have any information about what height we’d max out at in the My Ride 65.
In the evening when you want to relax, would you seek out a high back barstool with no foot rest or a recliner?
A forward facing car seat has no place to rest the feet.
A rear facing car seat is reclined, you can prop up your feet, cross your legs like we often do on the floor.
Setting aside safety, it is simply more comfortable to be reclined with a place to prop and rest your feet than to be upright (where your head will slump to your chest should you snooze) with your feet dangling aimlessly about.
Someone asked a LONG time ago about this seat fitting in a smaller car – I have this seat in my Toyota Carolla and my 6 foot husband can still sit comfortably in the passenger seat in front of this seat when rear facing. The seat is not as far back as he might like if he could adjust it anywhere, but he is still a safe distance from the airbag. My almost 3 year old has figured out how to undo the chest clip, BUT we have talked with him about how his seat belts keep him safe and he is NEVER to unclip it while the car is moving. We let him unclip it when we’re parked and this has satisfied his toddler need to exert independence.
Thank you for all your great reviews, I have spent 2 days on your website driving myself crazy deciding which car seat to get for my 11 mo old son. I am a new mom and have no experience with car seats! I love the onboard air 35 we have for him now but he is out growing it and we need to make the switch! My mom bought us the Alpha Omega Elite and I have heard so many bad things about it, I think I am going to take it back. I am considering the MyRide 65, Mysize 70 and Headwise 70. Our budget is within $100-$180. Which would you recommend? My son is average height and weight and I would prefer rear facing. I have a Jeep Cherokee and my husband a 4 door dodge so size is not an issue. Thank you for your help!
Amber,
My daughter is 2 and when we switched her car seat from her infant seat my mother-in-law bought us the alpha omega elite. I’ve become increasingly paranoid about car seat safety and after reading reviews also saw negatives about our seat that I can’t simply overlook. She is my first child and now I’m feeling a little lost and crazy trying to find a good car seat for her so I feel ya!
Thank you, Julia. It’s always amusing to see the trolls who post from ignorance. When pressed for any evidence, they usually produce some obscure opinion column or something that actually contradicts their claims. Then they lament about “online” evidence from published, peer-reviewed studies and publications, but expect others to simply take their word that all the facts are wrong. These types of responses are all too common on news websites, especially those that allow anonymity. As they say, ignorance is bliss. Fortunately, it’s usually pretty easy to refute ignorance, too. That is the key for other parents reading such responses.
Others aren’t actually trolls, they simply have come to believe their own contorted view of reality, despite all evidence to the contrary. It’s far easier for some people to imagine some grand conspiracy than to accept the advice and evidence from numerous non-profit, health care, insurance and government agencies. No amount of proof is good enough for the most vocal of these people, but they are entitled to an opinion. These are typically anti-establishment men, many of whom don’t have kids, and nearly always those who oppose any type of law that contributes to the health and well being of children by requiring some type of protective action. They assume since they survived without child seats at all that they must not be necessary. They simply don’t realize that a lot of their peers did die in crashes. In fact, there were significantly more fatalities to children in car crashes back in the 1970s than today, despite the fact that there were so many fewer vehicles on the road and fewer miles traveled.
Fortunately, all of the advances in transportation safety have reduced fatal injuries to children over the years, to where motor vehicle crashes have recently dropped to the second leading cause of fatalities for some ages (behind drowning). Occupant restraint systems and education have also helped considerably for passengers of all ages in the last 30-40 years. Some people still won’t wear seatbelts, of course, and sadly they become statistics at a far faster rate than those who accept the proven safety benefits. Maybe the Dons of the internet will be able to produce some peer-reviewed, published data to support their outlandish claims someday? Until then, it’s pretty clear that the safest practice advice from organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics are the best way to keep your child safe in motor vehicles.
Dear lord I can not believe the ignorance of some people. My sister-in-law is much like Don, and would I ever love for you to tell her where to go in car seat speak lol. She has no regard for her son’s safety, has let him ride in the FRONT SEAT a few times because he would unbluckle himself from his booster seat and crawl up. Oh yeah, did I mention that he was two at the time? She had also given us his old baby car seat to use for our daughter, and I looked it up and believed it to be recalled (it wasn’t missed the recall dates by literally a week) and she said “LOL who even looks stuff about car seats up?” and then proceeded to tell her brother that I’m crazy, that someone in need could use the car seat, that it would be better than not having a car seat at all and that I read too much. Yeah. She had her son switched to a big boy car seat when he was four months because his legs were touching the seat, and she is not a rear facing believer. THIS is why people that go on about rear facing not being safe, comfortable, blah blah whatever gets to me so much. It is so much safer, and if you’re more worried about how comfortable your child is, or if it just looks silly because they’re so old, maybe you should reevaluate your parenting. Sounds harsh, but parents need to think about their kids safety. End of rant.
We just bought this seat for our almost-15 month old. She is very small, maybe still under 20 lbs (we’ll know for sure at her 15-month apt next week). She is short, too, as we are only going to use the second set of slots. The headrest seems to push her head forward. It looks uncomfortable and I’m afraid it will be bad for her neck on longer trips. We want to RF at least until 2 years, even though our state law says 1 or 20lbs. Any thoughts on this?
Bought this car seat less than one year ago and the harness buckle failed. Luckily this happened parked at home. I attempted to use pliars to release the buckle but that did not work so the buckle remains jammed. I had to gently lift my son’s leg through the belt and out of the seat, which was very awkward but it worked out ok. Needless to say I reported this failure on the nhtsa.gov website. Thankfully Graco acted very courteously regarding this incident.
Also, for whether your tall 2.5 year old will fit in the MR or not… measure her from bottom to head (sitting criss cross applesauce usually gets a more accurate reading) and compare it to the shell height listed in the following link. That won’t be a guarantee, but it would give you an idea of whether she’d still fit RF or not.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AvfUm4x64h3AdFZ0c0pkbkRlV1hfeklSWmpZY0kweEE&hl=en
In a crash, the legs of a RF child fly up and away from the child. There have been no reports of pelvic injuries or facial injuries from legs when RF.
http://carseatnanny.blogspot.com/2012/01/is-rear-facing-safer-when-youre-rear.html
http://www.carseatnanny.blogspot.com/2011/03/why-i-do-what-i-do.html
In both of these crashes, the RF child was in a place where you’d think if any child were to break a leg, have an injury related to leg length when RF, etc. that it would happen here. It just doesn’t happen.
In fact, broken bones are actually more common FF than RF, as are head, neck, and spinal injuries (which are much more difficult to fix).
I am considering this seat for both of my kids. I have a 9 month old son and I know he will fit fine in the seat, but my daughter is 2 1/2 and on the tall side at 38 inches. The seat isn’t in my local store so I will have to order it online, but I was concerned about her head being above the top too soon. I can’t really tell how tall the back of the seat is so I was wondering if this might be a problem.
Also, on the RF argument, is putting your child RF with their legs bent like that putting their pelvic bone at risk? If you were hit from behind it seems like their legs would just smash up into their chest and affect it? Maybe I am wrong. Just wondering. 🙂 Thanks for the help!
My daughter has been riding in this car seat since the day we brought her home from the hospital, and I’ve loved it (I’ve even suggested it to numerous friends and family members) Now I have a problem. At 19 months old, my daughter can easily unbuckle her chest clip. She won’t leave it buckled. I thought maybe it was so easy for her to unbuckle and pull apart b/c the straps were too loose, but nope. After looking online and reading hundreds of consumers with the same exact complaint, I’ve realized it is just a defect that Graco needs to address, but is refusing to do. Others have contacted them only to be sent the exact chest clip, which doesn’t fix the problem. This is a serious safety issue! Other companies would recall a carseat with this issue and number of consumer complaints.
There is such a misconception about leg room in Rear facing. My son is over 3 years old and still rear facing in our car and he does JUST fine. He just crosses his legs if he needs to. It’s more dangerous for their legs to be dangling in a forward facing seat in the event of an accident. The force of the impact will jerk their legs every which way, causing them to break or to be crushed by the seat in the front of them. The impact to a rear facing seat is minimal. We were in a T bone wreck last year and my almost 2 year old at the time was rear facing and it saved his life. He had to cross his legs even then. Had he been forward facing, his neck would have likely suffered severe injury. My husband and I were in chiro care for a year because of our shoulder and neck injuries. Imagine what it would have done to my son. The EMT’s told me at the scene that he was uninjured because he was rear facing. I’m glad we didn’t put comfort before safety. We didn’t have to anyway..he doesn’t know anything different and he has not once complained about his legs and he is VERY verbal, he would let me know. Please make sure you research and get the facts and don’t assume they can’t be comfortable in a rear facing seat until 3 or 4. They can and it’s safest. My son is getting so close to the limit in his seat and it makes me very nervous. There are too many drivers texting and not paying attention or making horrible judgement calls. The wreck we were in was the fault of the other driver turning without yielding to oncoming traffic and we were the ones that struck him going 30 mph. That is 60mph of force to the passengers inside. It’s not something to take lightly. Please, rear face as long as possible..don’t be mis led by false information about comfort and their legs. It’s their NECK you are protecting..legs heal.
I have a BIG issue with the MyRide. But let me start off with the positives: I absolutely LOVE that my daughter has stayed rear-facing due to this seat. She is almost 5 and is still rear-facing – thanks to the MyRide. 🙂 She is 34 lbs. I will be moving her forward facing this weekend, however, because she is about to outgrow the seat in rear-facing position due to her height. She now only has about an inch of shell above her head. My issue with the MyRide has been the HORRIBLY twisty straps! And they twist at the place where the buckle is – which means I spend many frustrating hours trying to untwist them. And yes, sometimes I just don’t have time to untwist. 🙁 I’m somewhat surprised the twisty straps were not mentioned. I can’t be the only one with this problem? If Graco would fix that (my Marathon’s straps NEVER twist!) this seat would be *awesome*! 🙂
I have a question that I have not found the answer to anywhere so I am hoping you can help me:) We are considering the MR 65 for our son. He is 4.5 months and already 17+ lbs. The problem is we have a 2008 Ford Focus Coupe (2door). His infant seat barely fits in it since the backseat is so much smaller than on regular small sedans. Will the MR65 fit in the car safely?
The other option we have is my old 2001 Dodge Neon which the seatbelts don’t do the racheting thing and even with the locking clip that came with his infant carrier we couldn’t get a tight enough fit. So we decided to just use the 2 door car for whoever has the baby. We even took both cars to an inspection fair at the hospital before the baby was born and they said for now the 2 door would be best. Should I forget about finding a seat that would fit in the Neon since it is so hard to get it tight enough even though there is more room with a 4 door car and it is easier to get the baby out?
Thanks for the help!
There is research to promote RFCSs and I’m seriously considering turning my newly turned 3 year old BACK AROUND!
A question. We have this seat and have it installed rear facing using latch. As tight as it can possibly be it is still able to rotate back towards the seat. Basically it seems like in an accident my child would smash his face on the headrest of the seat in my car because the car seat actually tilts since the GRACO does not have a rear facing teather system. Any suggestions? Is this normal? By the way…yes the little ball is in the green…
This type of rotation is not uncommon with many rear-facing seats. To my knowledge, it has never been associated with serious injury. There will always be a lot more movement at the far end of a rear-facing seat. The “one inch” rule to determine a correct installation applies only to the base, near where the seatbelt or LATCH system is routed. As you mentioned, some models do include a tether that can be used rear-facing to prevent this type of rotation. Others have an anti-rebound bar that braces up against the vehicle seat back. These features may provide additional stability and perhaps even a slight increase in safety, too. Rear-facing is inherently so safe that there are no statistics I’ve seen that show these features to be any significant improvement in protection overall.
Yes, rear-facing is safer for everyone Don. However, it’s not practical for everyone. It is practical for kids though and considerably more safe for kids under 4 years old because their heads are disproportionately larger than their body and they cannot hold it like an adult does. See… a baby doesn’t have the same body type as an adult, and ask any artist and they’ll show you how the head is a larger part of the body in kids, especially in the toddler (under 4) stage. Under 4, it simply makes sense.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sssIsceKd6U
On the My-Ride, I do have to say that the Britax Decathlon we have has a shorter crotch strap and was more of an issue. My daughter chose to move to her My-Ride so that she could continue to rear-face (she’s over 3 now) and there’s plenty of room there for her now. I can see it being a problem with larger kids (she’s in the 3% for weight, 22% for height…) but it actually worked better for her.
I’ll do you one better. I went directly to Graco, the manufacturer. Their reply:
Response (Melissa R.) 03/01/2011 11:09 AM
Don,
Here is what we are showing would be the correct way using the seat per our instructions. Top of head must be at least 1” below the top of the child restraint. When child can no longer comfortably fit and knees remain bent, child should use car seat forward-facing only if child is over 20 lbs. (9 kg) and can sit upright unassisted.
So the MANUFACTURER of the seat says that the children you subject to this treatment are seated incorrectly. The 4-year old in the video above does NOT fit the 1″ requirement and has more than bent knees, he has BOTH HIS LEGS hanging out the sides. I don’t care that you say he looks fine – HE’S NOT THE PARENT! Parents are supposed to make those decisions FOR the child. And you are dropping the ball on your responsibility. So BY ALL MEANS, ignore what the MAKER of the child seat says and continue to subject your children to improper seating. And you feel free to come back to me when YOU find me a manufacturer who agrees that children like the 4-year old above should be seated like that.
I’ll let you all get back to patting yourselves on the back for doing the wrong, stupid, and ultimately dangerous thing.
Hi Don,
Actually, you did not do me “one better.” I specifically asked, twice, for any statisticis or research from a respected, peer-reviewed journal that proves your claim that you “sacrifice your child’s comfort AND safety – YES, SAFETY (emphasis yours)” by having an older child rear-facing instead of forward facing, when within the limits of the child seat of course. I personally have no issues for most children 2 years or older to be forward-facing in a properly installed and used child restraint system. The issue is your claim that is basically contrary to all available evidence and policy on the topic. Here’s the irony. Instead of trying to prove your claim with published data that I requested, you are now trying to convince others with something they are reading online, and third-hand at that! That’s ironic because you previously mocked people for taking something they read on the internet at face value. So, I will actually do you one better and come back to you since Graco actually agrees, in print no less, that the child above is seated correctly.
Here is the actual manual for the Graco My Ride 65 from the Graco website. If you don’t believe it because it is on the internet and you won’t take it at face value as authoritative and true, I note that it also ships in print booklet version with the product itself. I refer you to page 13 for Rear-facing height & weight limits. I see no contradiction in the printed manual whatsoever with what is shown in this review. In the video in the review, it discusses the 1″ margin and it is clearly demonstrated. In addition, on Page 14, you can find the footnote that refers to the American Academy of Pediatrics guideline, ” that children should be at least one year of age before being positioned forward facing. They also recommend that the child should ride rear facing as long as possible.” So, far from ignoring what the maker of the child seat says, this review is completely consistent with the spirit and letter of the limits established in the manual. In fact, even in the email you copied (if we take it at face value), I don’t see any wording from Melissa R. about limits regarding [in your words] “more than bent knees” or “LEGS hanging out the sides.” Did you actually read the email? You are right about one thing, though. The parent does make the decision, and in this case, it is completely within the printed limits set by owner’s manual and also the safest practice established on the topic of rear-facing.
Anyway, since you have still failed to produce any actual data or research, I can only conclude that you are now simply trolling for heated or emotional responses on a topic that you have not actually investigated. I’m not sure what else you hope to accomplish with such claims in CAPITAL LETTERS on a small blog. If it really upsets you so much that agencies like the AAP, NHTSA, Safe Kids USA, CHOP and others recommend rear-facing as long as possible, my suggestion would be to take up the issue directly with them. After all, CarseatBlog does not issue policy, we are simply re-iterating what is established as best and safest practice from the experts that do set this type of policy. It may interest you to know that the injury prevention experts at the American Academy of Pediatrics are apparently due to update this policy within the next 1-2 months. My bets are that the policy will suggest increased emphasis on keeping kids rear-facing longer. But, maybe you are right and they will back-track. If you are sincerely concerned, there may still be time to send them whatever evidence you can find before they send out any new policy to physicians and other agencies, who will then be telling parents about it!
I agree with what you said 100%. Over three for sure is excessive to rear face a child.
Hi Don,
Your non-sequitur analogies aside, thank you for your interesting point-of-view. As I asked before, do you have any legitimate research or statistics whatsoever to prove your claim that a child’s safety is being sacrificed when they are rear-facing? I realize some conspiracy types believe anything from a government agency like the NHTSA can’t be taken seriously. There’s no convincing them otherwise. Some still believe the earth is flat and the moon landings were faked. But this goes beyond government to agencies like the Children’s Hopsital of Philadelphia researchers, the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, the IIHS, the American Academy of Pediatrics and all those listed in the link I provided. If you are afraid you cannot trust anyone that has information online, many of these organizations have published information on the topic in professional journals as well as numerous research papers. Ultimately, the unanimous consensus of experts in transportation safety is summarized that, “Keep your toddler in the rear-facing position up to the maximum weight allowed by your convertible seat as long as the top of her head is below the top of the safety seatback.” Yes, it’s a free country. You’re welcome to believe that the safety of children can be equated to Oreo diets, but most parents take it far more seriously. Seriously enough that they wouldn’t take some random person’s word on the topic when there is a wealth of compelling evidence to the contrary. Parents would like to see some substantial evidence before putting their child at what has been shown to be a greater risk. Again, can you provide some?
As for the “poor” 4-year old. Does he look unhappy or uncomfortable because he is seated as safely as possible in a motor vehicle?
THIS is the most dangerous thing about the internet. Something can be put into print, and just because someone else finds it on the internet they take it at face value that it is authoritative and true – when in fact it is opinion and dangerously false. If someone posted on a blog that rubbing dish detergent in your child’s eyes would improve their eyesight, some of you sheep would actually do it.
The poster above argues that there’s no drawback to RF 2 or 3 year olds, but doesn’t mention the poor FOUR year old that was the subject of this blog. Unless you count the asinine statement that adults should be rear-facing as well. Do any of you even realize how ignorant you are?
Oh, by the way… I just read on the internet that you can lose up to 3 pounds a day by eating 5 packages of Oreos in addition to three full meals a day.
Have at it, sheep.
Can parents really BE this stupid? Evidently they can. And the sad thing is you sacrifice your child’s comfort AND safety – YES, SAFETY – for your asinine beliefs. And to pretend that installing the seat in a FF position is difficult while installing it in RF position is easier in order to justify your beliefs is pathetic. If your seat moves side-to-side after installing a FF seat, you haven’t installed it correctly. Whether I install a seat FF or RF, it AIN’T MOVING after I do it properly. There’s a reason your child doesn’t have anyplace to put his legs when you put him in a RF seat at age 4 – YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO DO IT! What’s even more pathetic is that you’ve found a bunch of idiots on here who are just as blind to reality as you are, thus further justifying your ignorant beliefs.
How can people be this STUPID???
Hi Don, what part of the physics and research on the topic don’t you understand? I’d be willing to go through it further, but you can start with our rear-facing links guide. There’s no mystery why new convertible seats have moved to 40+ pound rear facing limits. Quite simply, rear-facing is safer for everyone, but especially for kids. The American Academy of Pediatrics supports rear-facing as long as allowed by the child restraint manufacturer, as does almost every other traffic and child passenger safety agency. It’s not a grand conspiracy to subject children to the torture of looking backward while they ride. It’s actually a grand conspiracy to inform parents how to best protect their children based on research and data from motor vehicle crashes. I welcome you to contribute any published, peer-reviewed article in a respectable journal that shows that you sacrifice a child’s SAFETY by having them seated rear-facing in a vehicle. Lacking that, I’m content being one of those idiots with ignorant beliefs who has been tricked by research, data, public policy and the laws of physics into doing something STUPID. By the time a child is 3 or 4 years, it is certainly quite safe to have them forward facing in a properly installed and used child restraint system. On the other hand, there really is no drawback in terms of safety to continue rear-facing past 2 years or even 3 years old. Adults would be safer rear-facing, too, if we had the restraint systems to allow it.
Thank you for this in-depth review. We plan to keep our child rear- facing for as long as possible. The video of the 4 year old actually eases our fears! That is the safest way to ride! You can fix a broken leg, you can’t fix a broken neck! Thank you.
Glad you found a seat that works well for you, Tierra! Here’s to many safe rides in it for your dd :).
My daughter is 10 months old and was in need of a convertible car seat because she’s growing out of her infant car seat already! I have a 1998 Jeep Cherokee and was worried about what car seat would fit! I searched and searched online and in stores and was just unsure altogether. I didn’t want to spend money on a car seat to only take it back and return it or by another one. So I was told by a store associate at babies r us that My ride 65 by graco was great as for safety, comfort for my baby and reasonably priced ($159.99). We tried it out in my jeep before buying it and put her in it to make sure it was perfect for her! It fit perfect! I bought it and I’m so confidant in my purchase and my ride 65 by graco. It’s easy to install, buckle, straps dont twist.