Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Many reviewers have commented here that the crotch strap is incredibly short. I spent some time agonizing before I finally ordered, since I did not want to have to return it. But it turns out, the crotch strap is plenty long. I even bought a second one for my other child. Here's what you need to do. 1. Once your child is too large for the smallest setting on the 5 point harness, follow the instructions to REMOVE THE BODY SUPPORT. This is the thing that looks like extra padding in what would be the lumbar region if you could somehow squeeze an adult into the seat. In my copy of the manual it is shown on page 6 under "Features". If you fail to REMOVE THE BODY SUPPORT, yes, indeed, the crotch strap appears to be ridiculously short. So, in conclusion, REMOVE THE BODY SUPPORT per the instructions. 2. Also, as many have commented, move the crotch strap to the second slot. Make sure you are using the second slot in the hard plastic base, not just the second slot in the fabric insert. 3. Congratulations, you now have a ton of space in the crotchular region. I have a 56 lb 43 inch tall son who, even while wearing ski pants, fits just fine in the seat when configured according to points 1 and 2. He is not 'sitting on' the crotch buckle as so many have alleged. I think a child who doesn't have enough room is likely too large for the weight limit on the harness anyway, in which case you remove the harness and migrate to #2 of the "3-in-1" scheme and secure the child in the booster with the vehicle belt. PROS: The kids love them. The price is right. They are quite a bit cheaper than the corresponding Britax model. A consumer research magazine, which I'm not sure if I can name here, rated this seat highest among convertible seats for safety and usability. Looks better than the Britax, at least in my car. CONS: Not many, but here they are. -Straps feel a bit flimsier than the Britax. -Clips/buckles are a bit harder to operate than the Britax. Maybe they will get better with use. -In my opinion, the metal junction plate is too small compared to the width of the straps. The metal junction plate is shown on page 38 in my copy of the manual. It looks sorta like something Batman or a ninja might throw at a villan if it was sharpened. It is there to hold the loop ends of the shoulder straps behind the seat. The slots in the plate are only about 3/4 as wide as the straps, thus the straps get bunched up a bit, which is a weaker configuration than if they had enough space to lay flat. But that consumer magazine rated it tops for safety, so it probably doesn't matter. Again, the Britax does not have this issue. I don't feel the cons are worth paying another $100 or whatever for the Britax, but that's my budget. The main thing is that the crotch strap is not an issue. Go try it in a store if you don't believe me. Edit: After a month of use, the clips/buckles on one of the seats has loosened up a bit and is easy to operate. The other one is still a bit stiff. However, the flimsier straps tend to twist up so they are not flat in the buckle slot. That's a little disappointing. I'd knock off a half star for that. Edit #2: A year later, and everything is holding up fine. On their own accord, Graco sent me a new center strap and 3 point buckle assembly for both seats. The old one seemed fine, but the new one is beefier and operates more smoothly. The center strap is still plenty long. I would guess that if you buy a new seat today, you're going to get the new buckle assembly. I still think the straps are too flimsy and they do still twist up. Yo, Graco! How much extra can it cost you to use a strap wide enough to match the buckles? Thank you. Edit #3: Almost 3 years now. Still going strong, no issues, other than the strap-twisting. Edit #4: 4+ years now, still going strong. My kids are all large enough now that I'm just using them as booster seats (using only my vehicle's seat belts). I have to take the fabric seating covers off routinely and throw them in the wash, but what parent doesn't? These were an excellent purchase. I hope the current models are as good, but I'm not inclined to have more kids just so I can check that out.