Graco Affix High Back Car Seat Review
We like
- Easy to assemble
- Passes all safety regulations
- Crash tested to protect your child from any kind of vehicular impact
- Comes with storage for toys and snacks and a cup holder
- Made from EPS shock absorbing foam
- Designed with a latch system that locks your seat into the rear seat of your car preventing the risk of the seat projecting when your child is not in the seat
We don’t like
- The latching system may be difficult to use
- Once latched the base of the seat may become tighter on one side more than the other
How it works
The Graco Affix Highback Booster Car Seat with Latch System is regarded as one of the safest and most durable car seats on the market. The construction of the car seat has been proven to not only withstand high impact vehicular accidents but has also been proven to be comfortable for children and easy to install. The Graco Affix Highback Booster can also be reconfigured to yours and your child’s needs. You can either leave the back on the seat so your child can be covered on all sides when they are little, or you can take the back off and leave just the base seat for when your child is older and needs more room. The versatility of the seat plus the high safety rating make the Graco Affix Highback Booster Car Seat with Latch System one of the most popular car seats today.
Design
The Graco Affix Highback Booster Car Seat's design has made the seat lightweight and easy to install. The seat weighs about ten and a half pounds and is made of materials that will protect your child in the event of a minor or major accident. The entire seat is made with EPS foam that will absorb any shock or energy during an impact keeping your child stable and securely protected in the event of an accident.
The entire seat is also made of a lightweight plastic that is easy to clean. The headrest is multi-layered, which adds comfort and contour for any type of child, and the headrest is adjustable so as your child’s height changes the headrest can change with them. The high back offers back support for your child throughout the years as they grow to enable them to always remain comfortable while remaining secure. The base of the car seat has a cup holder where kids can keep their drinks and their snacks, and underneath the seat is a storage compartment that can fit smartphones, toys, and additional small snacks.
The entire seat is also made of a lightweight plastic that is easy to clean. The headrest is multi-layered, which adds comfort and contour for any type of child, and the headrest is adjustable so as your child’s height changes the headrest can change with them. The high back offers back support for your child throughout the years as they grow to enable them to always remain comfortable while remaining secure. The base of the car seat has a cup holder where kids can keep their drinks and their snacks, and underneath the seat is a storage compartment that can fit smartphones, toys, and additional small snacks.
Storage
The storage drawer underneath the seat is small. It is best used if your child has small toys, a smartphone device for playing games or watching videos, or if they have small snacks that they would like to keep underneath their seat. The storage compartment is good to keep things in a certain place that are essential for your child when they are traveling in the car. The cup holder is also added storage for a sippy-cup, bottle, or cup of snacks for your child. These two items allow the parent to drive and operate the car without having to pull over and attend to their child’s needs. Everything your child would need for their trip will be right within their reach.
Safety
The Graco Affix Highback Car Seat has been designed and tested to adhere to the US Standard FMVSS 213. The car seat has also been certified side impact tested. The tests were conducted with a standard seat belt system, so it is always recommended to research the limitations of your own seat belt system before purchasing the car seat.
The Graco Affix Highback Car Seat also comes with a latch system that allows the car seat to be attached to your car’s rear seats by being clipped into clips located between the back of the car seat and the seat of your car. This allows for the car seat to not become a projectile if there is no weight to hold the seat down because your child is not sitting in the car seat. You will, however, still need to use your car’s seat belt to keep your child safely in their seat by buckling them in as you would yourself with the car’s seat belt.
The Graco Affix Highback Car Seat also comes with a latch system that allows the car seat to be attached to your car’s rear seats by being clipped into clips located between the back of the car seat and the seat of your car. This allows for the car seat to not become a projectile if there is no weight to hold the seat down because your child is not sitting in the car seat. You will, however, still need to use your car’s seat belt to keep your child safely in their seat by buckling them in as you would yourself with the car’s seat belt.
Crash Test Certified
The Graco Highback Car Seat has been crash tested and received high rankings for crash test safety. It has been tested to exceed or meet the US standard FMVSS 213. Customer testimonials regarding the car seat in the event of an accident have proven that the Graco Highback Car Seat protects your child in every way possible. Children have been completely protected in rollover accidents, side-impact accidents on the child’s side of the car, rear-ending accidents, and head-on collisions. In all of these events, the child had sustained no to very minimal injuries.
Height and Weight Requirements
Due to federal and state laws, children must remain in a car seat or booster seat until they are of a certain height and weight. The Graco Affix Highback Car Seat has very detailed height and weight requirements. There is no age requirement as children develop differently, and a child of 10 may outgrow the seat, while another child may need to remain in the seat until the age of twelve.
The height and weight requirements are as follows: if your child needs or wants to use the back of the car seat they must be between 30 and 100 pounds. With the back attached, your child must be between 38” and 57” tall, or 3’2” and 4’ 9” tall. In order to use the Graco Affix Highback Car Seat without the back, your child must be between 40 and 100 pounds with a height that falls between 40” and 57” tall, or 3’4” and 4’9” tall. Once your child exceeds either the height or weight requirement, or both, they will then graduate out of the seat and only require a seat belt.
The height and weight requirements are as follows: if your child needs or wants to use the back of the car seat they must be between 30 and 100 pounds. With the back attached, your child must be between 38” and 57” tall, or 3’2” and 4’ 9” tall. In order to use the Graco Affix Highback Car Seat without the back, your child must be between 40 and 100 pounds with a height that falls between 40” and 57” tall, or 3’4” and 4’9” tall. Once your child exceeds either the height or weight requirement, or both, they will then graduate out of the seat and only require a seat belt.
Latch System
The Graco Affix Highback Car Seat’s most notable feature is the latch system that keeps the car seat firmly in place whether your child is in the car or not. The back of the car seat base has two latch clips. These clips are easily clipped into two harness retainer clips that are located between the back of the rear seat and the seat itself. Place the base with or without the back attached depending on your child’s needs, onto the seat. Take the two clips and attach the clips to the harness restrainers.
Once you do that, there is a single-hand adjuster pull on the front of the base of the seat. With one strong pull, you can pull the rope and tighten the latches until they are extremely tight preventing the seat from sliding off the rear seat to the floor or projecting off of the seat throughout the vehicle in the event of a short stop or quick break of the car. No matter how often or how much your child moves or how many times your child gets in or out of the seat, the base of the car seat will never move. Although it may come loose, it will remain attached, and you can tighten it whenever needed.
Once you do that, there is a single-hand adjuster pull on the front of the base of the seat. With one strong pull, you can pull the rope and tighten the latches until they are extremely tight preventing the seat from sliding off the rear seat to the floor or projecting off of the seat throughout the vehicle in the event of a short stop or quick break of the car. No matter how often or how much your child moves or how many times your child gets in or out of the seat, the base of the car seat will never move. Although it may come loose, it will remain attached, and you can tighten it whenever needed.
Assembly Required
The only assembly necessary for the Graco Affix Highback Car Seat is attaching the back to the base, which consumers have found to be relatively easy, along with putting the arms and cup holder in place.
The back of the car seat comes unassembled. To attach the back all you have to do is snap the back into the base seat in the indicated areas. After attaching it, you can adjust the back to add extra security to the connection. If your child outgrows or does not want the back, you can simply unsnap the back from the base seat and store it away for a younger child who may use the seat, or keep it stored until your child has outgrown the device entirely and you can give it away or dispose of the device according to your needs and the age of the car seat.
Other items that need to be assembled onto the seat are the armrests, which are labeled “left” and “right” for your convenience and the cup holder. There are no screws necessary to attach the armrests, and the cup holder snaps into its designated place. Once all of that is put together, the seat is ready to be latched into the rear seat and ready to use.
The back of the car seat comes unassembled. To attach the back all you have to do is snap the back into the base seat in the indicated areas. After attaching it, you can adjust the back to add extra security to the connection. If your child outgrows or does not want the back, you can simply unsnap the back from the base seat and store it away for a younger child who may use the seat, or keep it stored until your child has outgrown the device entirely and you can give it away or dispose of the device according to your needs and the age of the car seat.
Other items that need to be assembled onto the seat are the armrests, which are labeled “left” and “right” for your convenience and the cup holder. There are no screws necessary to attach the armrests, and the cup holder snaps into its designated place. Once all of that is put together, the seat is ready to be latched into the rear seat and ready to use.
Easy To Use
One of the consistent compliments about the Graco Highback Car Seat is the ease of use in assembling the car seat and the subsequent attaching of it to the rear seat. With no screws needed to put the seat together, it can be assembled in under ten minutes. With the latch system attached to the back of the base, once clipped into the seat, the car seat is ready to be used. The back also comes with a harness system that your child can put their arms through for the extra security of a secondary restraint system. While harnessed to the seat, the regular seatbelt can then be used with the seat ensuring that your child is fully secure in the seat and safe. The headrest is also easily adjustable creating more comfort for your child while keeping them safe.
Versatility
The Graco Highback Car Seat is most known for its versatility as a car seat and a booster seat. The seat can be purchased either with or without the back. If your child is three to four years old, it is recommended that you buy the seat with the back because it is safer for your child to travel with extra security. If your child is 4 years old and older at the time of purchase, you can use just the booster seat while traveling with your child, although as long as your child can fit into the seat with the back, the back adds comfort and gives your child reclining capabilities.
Without the back, your child will be able to recline as long as your own rear seat reclines. The seat also comes with a cup holder and storage drawer for child’s belongings. If you are purchasing the backless version of the car seat, the cup holder is located in the base of the seat in an additional compartment.
Without the back, your child will be able to recline as long as your own rear seat reclines. The seat also comes with a cup holder and storage drawer for child’s belongings. If you are purchasing the backless version of the car seat, the cup holder is located in the base of the seat in an additional compartment.
Price
The Graco Affix Highback Car Seat is available at a mid-range price. The price is extremely reasonable considering you will receive top-of-the-line safety for your child with extreme ease. The lifespan of the car seat is about 10 years, which is also a benefit for the price. With minimal assembly required and no need for screws or difficult instructions to deal with, the Graco Car Seat becomes a more attractive purchase. The car seat is easily detached from the rear seat in the event that you have a car full of adults, and easily reattached when your child is riding in the car. The versatility of the car seat is perfect what you will be paying for.
Conclusion
It’s easy to see why the Graco Affix Highback Booster Car Seat with Latching System is one of the safest, most popular car seats on the market. With its durable materials, protective design, and safety harnessing and latching systems, the Graco Affix Highback Car Seat is also one of the safest car seats being sold. It has been crash tested for safety, and it has been known to completely protect a child in a real crash.
Children that have been involved in roll-over crashes, rear collisions and head-on accidents have all sustained minimal to no injuries because they were in the Graco Affix Highback Car Seat. While being completely protected, your child will also find comfort in the seat with its attachable back that is contoured to fit any child, and the adjustable headrest that can be adjusted to the needs of any aged or sized child. With all the amenities that come with the Graco Highback Car Seat for the price that it costs, this is an item that parents should consider when shopping for a car seat for their children.
Children that have been involved in roll-over crashes, rear collisions and head-on accidents have all sustained minimal to no injuries because they were in the Graco Affix Highback Car Seat. While being completely protected, your child will also find comfort in the seat with its attachable back that is contoured to fit any child, and the adjustable headrest that can be adjusted to the needs of any aged or sized child. With all the amenities that come with the Graco Highback Car Seat for the price that it costs, this is an item that parents should consider when shopping for a car seat for their children.
