Should you buy the Graco Milestone car seat for your child? While there are countless reasons to choose one car seat or another, it eventually comes down to your judgment. On the other hand, I am here to provide all the essential information to help you decide.
As a CPS technician, I've inspected countless car seats, so I know what features matter. I don't hesitate to point out negative sides and warn you about some things you probably wouldn't notice yourself.
I hope that after reading this Graco Milestone review, all your questions will be answered, especially the one I asked in the beginning.
Shall we start?
Hot Deal!
Before we embark, let me give you a heads up about Amazon's current discount of 20% on Graco Milestone, saving you $46 if you order it today. (Promotion may end at any time!)
- 3-in-1 car seat helps to protect your child from rear-facing harness (5 - 40 pounds), to forward-facing harness (22 - 65 pounds), to highback booster (40-100 pounds)
- Graco ProtectPlus Engineered to help protect your little one in frontal, side, rear, and rollover crashes.Do not use bleach.Do not use soap, detergents or lubricants
- No-Rethread Harness: Simply safe adjust harness system adjusts the headrest and harness in one motion, to ensure proper fit
- 4-position recline helps ensure a secure installation and helps keep your growing child comfy on your many journeys together
- Graco’s exclusive push-button InRight LATCH provides an easy, one-second attachment with an audible click to help ensure secure installation
A Few Words About the Brand
Before we proceed to the review, I'd like to say a few words about the brand itself.
Graco is a renowned manufacturer of baby equipment, founded in 1942 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It's one of the leading brands in the industry, known for its impeccable design and reliable safety features.
Price-wise, Graco car seats are leaning toward the high end of the market; still, they are not nearly as expensive as Clek or Peg Perego seats which are considered truly luxurious.
The brand has all types of child restraint systems to offer, yet the most popular are their convertibles like Extend2Fit, Recline N' Ride, and Milestone.
In the past, Graco has issued recalls for My Ride 65, Extend2Fit, and TurboBooster. The reason was misleading instructions, except for the My Ride 65, which had faulty webbing on the harness. Since 2017, there haven't been any recalls, and the brand has continued making safe and reliable car seats.
Is Graco Milestone a Good Investment?
Design
Graco Milestone is a convertible car seat with three different modes.
It's a combination of a rear-facing child restraint system, a forward-facing harness, and a high-back booster. This combination is a jackpot since convertibles usually include only two modes and rarely have a weight capacity from five to one hundred pounds like this seat has.
Your child can ride from five to forty pounds in the rear-facing position, while the forward-facing mode supports children from twenty-two to sixty-five pounds. On the other hand, the booster is allowed for children between forty and one hundred pounds.
This is a fantastic weight capacity, and I like the extended rear-facing use. Most car seats have a maximum capacity of thirty-five pounds in RF mode, but according to official recommendations, you should try to keep them rear-facing for up to two years. So it's a huge plus that Milestone allows you to.
Installation
The installation won't be a hassle at all.
Graco Milestone has patented the InRight LATCH system, which needs a push of a button, and you're ready to go. What is more, with an easy-to-read level indicator, it's a piece of cake to find the right angle and set the seat up perfectly. The transition from one mode to another goes just as smoothly as the installation. Graco even designed a special compartment to store the harness when you decide to use a booster.
If you're a novice in this, watch Graco's official installation video HERE.
Adjustability
One thing you should always check on convertible car seats is the adjustability.
For a car seat to correctly accommodate a child in more than one mode, you need to adjust the headrest, recline, take off some cushions, etc. Luckily, Graco Milestone is very adjustable.
First of all, there are removable plush newborn inserts that you can gradually remove as your child grows. Then, there are four recline positions so that you can find the most comfortable angle for your little one. The harness is a no-rethread one, and thanks to the patented Simply Safe Adjust™ system, you can lift up the headrest and the harness in one motion.
Read more —
Safety
Graco is undoubtedly one of the most reliable car seat manufacturers on the market. All their car seats comply with federal safety standards and go through rigorous testing to ensure your little one is super-protected under all circumstances.
Graco Milestone features a steel-reinforced frame that ensures durability and reliable use for up to ten years. It is covered in EPS foam, energy-absorbing, and excellent for impact management.
When it comes to the testing, this seat meets or exceeds all the standards: the US FMVSS 213 child restraint criteria for frontal testing, side-impact testing with a harness and a booster, and European Rear-Impact Crash Pulse testing. It even complies with Graco's RollSafe™ testing standard based on European rollover tests.
Maintenance
If you take care of your Graco Milestone, it sure can last for up to ten years and work just as efficiently as the day you bought it. But how can you clean it?
Cleaning the Graco Milestone seat is super-easy. The pads are machine-washable, harnesses should be only surface-cleaned, while plastic parts and buckles are to be cleaned with mild soap and water.
Additional Information
Besides being safe as a bunker, adjustable, and super-advanced, Graco features a nice design.
It is available in two color combinations: Gotham and Ayla. It measures 19.7 inches in width, 25.5 inches in height, and 21.5 inches in depth. It weighs 19.8 lb with the base, which for a car seat of this kind is very good.
Another great addition is the set of two cup holders. You can use them to keep drinks and snacks close to your child, and they are removable and effortless to clean.
Read more —
Disadvantages
While every parent can find many reasons to complain about child equipment, there is only one serious disadvantage Graco Milestone exhibits.
While the seat allows four recline positions, only two can be used in a rear-facing mode. As a consequence, there is not enough leg space to keep your child rear-facing longer. This can be frustrating because the weight capacity in a rear-facing mode is very high; therefore, you could keep your child in this position longer if there was enough leg space.
To my mind, this is the main reason why parents often choose Graco 4Ever over Graco Milestone. But, let's compare these two models.
- 3-in-1 car seat helps to protect your child from rear-facing harness (5 - 40 pounds), to forward-facing harness (22 - 65 pounds), to highback booster (40-100 pounds)
- Graco ProtectPlus Engineered to help protect your little one in frontal, side, rear, and rollover crashes.Do not use bleach.Do not use soap, detergents or lubricants
- No-Rethread Harness: Simply safe adjust harness system adjusts the headrest and harness in one motion, to ensure proper fit
- 4-position recline helps ensure a secure installation and helps keep your growing child comfy on your many journeys together
- Graco’s exclusive push-button InRight LATCH provides an easy, one-second attachment with an audible click to help ensure secure installation
Recap
To sum it all up, I give you the list of pros and cons for Graco Milestone 3-in-1 Child Restraint System:
- Excellent weight capacity
- Easy installation
- Four recline positions
- Rigorous safety testing
- Easy maintenance
- Premium materials
- Only two recline positions in a rear-facing mode
Final Verdict
So, to answer the dilemma from the beginning, I think you should buy the Graco Milestone. It definitely grows with your child, having removable cushions, many recline positions, and an adjustable headrest.
Also, it passed rigorous crash tests showing it won't fail when you need it the most. Installation is straightforward; you can adjust the seat in seconds, and if your little one gets messy, throw the pads into a washing machine, and it's good as new.
I hope you enjoyed my Graco Milestone Review, and I hope it actually helped you make up your mind.
- 3-in-1 car seat helps to protect your child from rear-facing harness (5 - 40 pounds), to forward-facing harness (22 - 65 pounds), to highback booster (40-100 pounds)
- Graco ProtectPlus Engineered to help protect your little one in frontal, side, rear, and rollover crashes.Do not use bleach.Do not use soap, detergents or lubricants
- No-Rethread Harness: Simply safe adjust harness system adjusts the headrest and harness in one motion, to ensure proper fit
- 4-position recline helps ensure a secure installation and helps keep your growing child comfy on your many journeys together
- Graco’s exclusive push-button InRight LATCH provides an easy, one-second attachment with an audible click to help ensure secure installation
