Graco 4Ever All-in-1 Graco Milestone All-in-1
The Graco 4Ever All-in-One and Graco Milestone All-in-One car seats are designed to be used from birth all the way up until your child is either 100 or 120 lbs in weight.
The Graco 4Ever is also called a 4-in-1 seat because is essentially has 4 different modes of use, whereas the Graco Milestone is also called a 3-in-1 seats due to its 3 different modes of use.
They are both regarded to be premium car seats, but the 4Ever model comes with more safety and convenience features, which is why it also has a higher recommended retail selling price.
This is my comparison review of the Graco 4Ever All-in-One and Graco Milestone All-in-One car seats and I hope that it helps you to decide which seat is most suitable for your child.
So, let’s look at the similarities and differences between these 2 combination car seats.
Graco 4Ever vs Milestone All-in-One – Similarities
1. InRight LATCH System
Both of these seats come with Graco’s InRight LATCH installation system.
The inRight LATCH system is very quick and easy to use and there are some pretty clear instructions within the User Manual.
You can also install these seats using the vehicle seatbelt if you either do not have LATCH anchor points within your vehicle or your child has exceeded the maximum weight limit for safe LATCH installation.
Here is a useful video demonstration of how to install the Graco 4Ever seat using the vehicle seatbelt and the process is the same for the Milestone seat.
2. Easy Adjust Harness & Headrest
Both seats come with Graco’s “Simply Safe Adjust” system, which basically means that you can adjust the height of the harness straps and the headrest at the same time by pulling upwards on the large button at the top of the headrest.
There are 10 different headrest positions to choose from according to the height of your child.
So, the harness straps and headrest are adjusted with a simple single movement and the other great thing about this system is that there is no need for you to un-thread and then re-thread the harness straps through the seat in order to make these adjustments as your child grows taller.
Anyone that has ever used a car seat that required the harness to be re-threaded repeatedly in order to make height adjustments will tell you what a great time-saving feature this is.
3, Steel Re-inforced Frame
Easy installation and adjustment is important, but ultimately the safety of your child is the most important feature of any car seat.
The 4Ever and Milestone All-in-One seats both come with a steel re-inforced frame to add strength and stability to the car seat in the event of a collision.
4. Collision Protection Systems
These seats also both come with similar collision protection systems.
Surprisingly, the standard Federal safety tests do not currently involve side impact testing, despite the fact that these types of collision often cause very serious injuries to children.
Some manufacturers, however, voluntarily perform side impact crash testing on their seats prior to being released for sale onto the market, and Graco is one of those companies.
Both seats have passed the relevant Federal safety tests, but they have also been subjected to side impact testing when used in the 5-point harness mode.
They also come with EPS energy-absorbing foam to help manage crash forces.
5. Other Shared Features
The other features that can be found on both seats are:
- Machine-washable seat cover, accessible without removing the harness
- Integrated harness storage compartment
- Plush infant inserts
- Simply Safe Adjust Harness System
- NCAP peak crash force – approximately 2x Car Seat Standard
- Extreme Car Interior Temperature Tested
- Harness Storage Compartment
- Top Tether Strap
- 10-year seat expiry
Graco 4Ever vs Milestone All-in-One – Differences
1. Modes of Use
The Graco 4Ever has 4 modes of use:
- Rear-facing Harness;
- Forwards-Facing Harness;
- Highback Booster;
- Backless Booster.
The Graco Milestone has 3 modes of use:
- Rear-facing Harness;
- Forwards-Facing Harness;
- Highback Booster.
This explains why the Graco 4Ever is also commonly described as the 4Ever 4-in-1 seat and the Graco Milestone is often described as a 3 in 1 seat.
Whilst the Milestone will probably need to be replaced with a backless booster once your child’s weight exceeds 100 lbs (or they exceed the height limits), the 4Ever seat can continue to be used as a backless booster seat until 120 lbs.
In order to convert the 4Ever seat into a backless booster, you simply have to remove the back of the seat from the base.
2. Child Height & Weight Ranges
One of the main differences between these 2 seats is that the 4Ever All-in-One has an extra 20 lbs of usage. The maximum height limit on the 4Ever seat is 120 lbs and on the Milestone seat it is 100 lbs.
The Full Height and Weight Ranges for these seats are as follows:
4Ever All-in-One
Rear-facing Harness: 4 to 40 lbs / head at least 1″ below headrest handle
Forwards-facing Harness: 20 to 65 lbs / 27 to 52″
Highback Booster: 30 to 100 lbs / 38 to 57″
Backless Booster: 40 to 120 lbs / 40 to 57″
Milestone All-in-One
Rear-facing Harness: 5 to 40 lbs / head at least 1″ below headrest handle
Forwards-facing Harness: 20 to 65 lbs / 27 to 49″
Highback Booster: 30 to 100 lbs / 38 to 57″
Don’t Forwards-Face At 20 Lbs!
Just because a seat is said to be suitable for forwards-facing use from 20 lbs, that does NOT mean that you should stop rear-facing at such a low child weight. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends rear-facing for at least 2 years and I strongly advise you to keep your child rear-facing until they reach the height or weight limits for that mode of travel, which is 65 lbs or 52 inches in this case.
Don’t Remove the Harness At 30 Lbs!
Do NOT use the seat in booster mode if you can safely continue to use it in harness mode. The harness provides a much better method of restraint for small children. Also, I wouldn’t use a seat in backless booster mode with a child that weighs just 40 lbs!
You will note that the 4Ever seat can also be used with babies as low as 4 lbs in weight rather than the 5 lbs limit that comes with the Milestone seat.
3. Recline Options
The Graco 4Ever has 6 different seat recline settings, whereas the Graco Milestone has just 4 settings.
Both have a very useful sticker on the side of the seat that reminds you about which recline options can be used in specific modes of use, as they vary.
One other difference is that the 4Ever seat comes with a bubble indicator to tell you when the seat is reclined at an appropriate level, but the Milestone simply has a “red line marker” to use as a point of reference. Make sure to double-check the sticker, the level indicators, and the User Manual to ensure that you fully understand the recline safety requirements of these seats prior to use.
As you can see from the short video below, the recline settings are adjusted using a lever that is positioned under the front of the car seat.
4. Cup Holders
The Graco 4Ever as 2 cup holders integrated into the sides of the seat and the Milestone seat comes with a single cup holder.
5. Styling & Fabric Color Options
These seats come with different styling and fabric color options.
Here are some of my favourites …
4Ever All-in-One
Milestone All-in-One
Graco 4Ever vs Milestone All-in-One – Videos
This video explains the differences between the Graco 4Ever All-in-One and the Graco Milestone All-in-One Car Seats.
Here is a Video Review of the Graco 4Ever All-in-One Car Seat.
Graco 4Ever vs Milestone All-in-One – My Verdict
The Graco 4Ever All-in-One is undoubtedly the better seat of the two.
It comes with better recline options, will last you all the way from birth to 120 lbs, and has some nicer fabric color options to choose from.
The bubble level indicator also helps to make the 4Ever seat a bit more user-friendly than the Milestone seat.
If you can afford the higher price tag of the 4Ever All-in-One, I would definitely recommend it to you over the Milestone All-in-One.
When considering whether or not you can afford it, please bear in mind that it has an extra mode of use (as a backless booster) and so in the long run the prices of these seats probably work out about the same if you have to buy an extra backless booster seat after your child has outgrown the Milestone seat.
Check Price of the 4Ever All-in-One
User Reviews of the 4Ever All-in-One
Check Price of the Milestone All-in-One
User Reviews of the Milestone All-in-One
Safety Information
After purchasing any child car seat, you should always read the User Manual thoroughly before using it. It is also advisable to visit your local Fire Department or NHTSA Child Car Seat Inspection Centre to ensure that the seat is definitely suitable for your child’s specific requirements and that you have installed it correctly. These services are usually provided free of charge.
You can find your nearest NHTSA Centre here.
Get in Touch
If you have any comments to share or questions to ask about my Graco 4Ever All-in-One vs Milestone All-in-One Comparison Review, please leave a comment in the box below.
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