Graco Extend2Fit: Moving the Latch Strap

Graco Extend2Fit: I've found that moving the latch strap from one belt path to another requires just a touch of finesse. So, here I am, struggling to make it look easy! Or at least...not so difficult.
UPDATE: Several months after the Extend2Fit was released, Graco stated that it is NOT necessary to move the lower anchor strap when doing a seat belt. So long as the strap does not interfere with the seat belt install, the strap and the seat belt can be in the same belt path.

[@alexbartels9305]

I started to panic when I pulled the strap on the bottom halfway through. This video helped me a lot. Thank you for sharing!

[@jermyzy]

Thank you! I couldn't switch my child's RF to FF for the life of me until I watched your video!

[@robowolv]

Glad I could help :)

[@erinc3157]

Thank you so much for sharing, Your video is super helpful, I spent almost an hour in the car, sweating, trying to figure out how to do FF latch installation. You're a life saver.

[@BallinWallin7]

Thank you so very much for going through the trouble of making this video. The actual effort of making the adjustment is incredibly frustrating and can only be amplified by trying to make a video of it. You are a life saver.

[@Carolina_Berean704]

This was not in my manual and I just happened to click on your video. Thank you so much for making this!!! I washed my son’s seat and was in the process of putting it back together for FF. Thank God for you!!! ❤️❤️❤️🙏

[@deadfan1964]

Takes one to know one if I have to say so myself .... You have a great ability to explain. Nothing taken for granted... you explain every step (without assuming users somehow know various steps) Great job.

[@ShawnCottier]

I spent half and hour trying to take that silver bar off to move the belt. Way over thinking it. Thank You very much!

[@snichend]

Me too! I got myself worked up over that.

[@dmaduram]

Me too

[@BrandonAnderson1982]

Same :(

[@Eyerusalem_]

Thank you so much! My husband installed this at first this weekend He took the car seat out to get some stuff in the car and I was the one putting the car seat back. Perhaps I did not have the Manuel your video helped me tons :)

[@EO-cu8un]

Oh wow this woman is amazing I would have never figured this out and I will tell my wife I did on my own to get more points so thank you!

[@robowolv]

Glad to help out :)

[@rebeccarye7293]

Thank you for explaining that if you're not using the latch system, the latch needs to be stored in the opposite belt path. !!!

[@robowolv]

Oh, um...did I never go back and add something about that? In the months (years?) since this video was uploaded and today, Graco said it's okay to have the lower anchor strap stored in the same belt path SO LONG AS the strap doesn't interfere with the seat belt install. If they interfere, obviously moving the lower anchor strap will be necessary ;). I'll add a notation to the video to correct this, thanks for mentioning it!

[@soulglowsheen]

This video hella helped me out and followed it and it works... Anyone new ... How to remove lower cloth part by the extension panel.. pull out on the bar clamps. There's two. Be Careful don't break em. When done snap em back in. Don't break em. Once I got going it was easy.. you might need manual when following vid and doing this hands on.

[@vladimirbachynsky1035]

A masterclass instructional video. This is the only video you need. Whadda teacher!

[@claudiaandrews6346]

Was able to follow your directions without a problem. Thanks!

[@TheVentureaaron]

A hero in my time of need! Thank you.

[@jear7661]

Thank you fora very clear well explained tutorial. You are the best

[@andyf8347]

Me: “Hey hun I’m just gonna flip the car seat real quick, back in 5” 45 min later...

[@MoonGirl3]

Thank you for sharing this video! It helped me save so much time!

[@RajatTiwari-HabituallyHappy]

This is a great video and really helped me. Thanks a lot for doing this.

[@Sabrina-yw6hv]

This really helped me figure out a few things about my car seat. I was trying to figure out how to loosen the harness straps. Had no idea that would mean adjusting the headrest. I also didn't know about the storage area for the latch strap. My car seat is a little newer so I will see if it's in the same place as yours!

[@robowolv]

Hi Sabrina! To be clear, when you're loosening the harness straps, you shouldn't be adjusting the headrest at all. Moving the headrest up or down is necessary to place the straps at the proper height relative to the child (at or below the shoulders for rear facing, at or above for forward facing). When you're just loosening and tightening the harness on a daily basis, you'll want to use the little lever between the kiddo's knees. You might check out my unboxing video (kzbin.info/www/bejne/iIaaXmCDm82Ig7c) for more information on that :) This seat was one of the original Graco Extend2Fit car seats. They've had a few different versions of this seat come out in the years since, but Graco generally keeps their latch storage hooks in the same place. Glad this video helped :)

[@Dchiorel4405]

Thanks for the video! Your instructions were so helpful.

[@Jack-us9gm]

Thanks for the video. You saved me a lot of time!!

[@alleshafridley8013]

Thank you sooo much!! You just made my life easier!!

[@Kelseyzj]

I am in a rush but I just needed to say THANK YOU you saved my life today 😆

[@kristinagutierrez0815]

thank you so much for this video. I was wondering about the latch strap being In the same path as my seatbelts strap. now I can go fix this as we just installed it in our car.

[@usamaahmed4139]

Thank you, it was helpful. Way better than the manual.

[@madankundu6035]

Thank you very much - I had no clue how to use latch strap for forward facing installation. Wonderful explanation. And yes, your camera works well!

[@nimamaghari]

Thanks for sharing.. they really should have put this in the manual!

[@kristynsalcedo2805]

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! This saved me.

[@SusanFernandois-qv9eo]

So Helpful!!!! Thank you so much!

[@karlakate6267]

THANK YOU FOR THIS!

[@movedbythemoon]

Very helpful thank you. If you could do a video on the chest straps facing forward if you take them out to wash how to place them back properly.

[@dantupu]

Thank you, this part was missing from my Graco 4ever manual. The demonstration really helped!

[@richkid2k]

Great help thanks

[@philp1072]

EXCELLENT VID!!!! ..THANK YOU!!

[@danielcastro1303]

Very helpful. Thanks!

[@alainhain9765]

Thanks so much! Life saver!

[@patriciacolon9787]

Thank you for sharing. This was extremely helpful to me!

[@SLmDonDada]

I was going mad trying figure out how to do this. The instructions are very misleading and make no mention of the chrome bar holding it in place. Thank you.

[@Bee07]

Thanks, you help me some headaches

[@kareemlhbrown8473]

You are golden!

[@anishmalik]

This video should have a millions views, awesome explanation. One question, any specific reason why should pads be removed in forward facing ?

[@ambereller750]

Do you happen to have a video on how to make it into the high back booster? I'm having a hard time following the manual

[@olamachala]

It works very well.

[@seels7256]

Much much appreciated!

[@musicayvideojuegos728]

Thank. With this i can swith the latch to the other rail. And the baby is already super safe.

[@rorybellows5195]

Thanks!

[@biswajititer]

Thank you!

[@tinabrown6690]

To loosen the harness do you push the tab down or pull it up? On the contender 65 you can pull it or push it and I really like that feature since it is easier to pull up.

[@robowolv]

I apologize for the extreme delay in my response. I don't check my KZbin notifications very often. Anyway, given that I currently have the seat installed rear facing, I find it easier to pull up on the adjuster lever. However, this is very much a personal preference, as both actions are possible. I'll try to remember to compare the actions between this seat and the Contender, but I suspect they're very similar.

[@RealMark999]

I had to replace my son's $200 Graco Extend2fit car seat with a $100 Cosco Easy Elite All In One because the harness strap on the Graco was not long enough to allow for me to adjust the harness to the point where the buckle didn't dig into my son's crotch. The car seat is supposed to be extendable, but I think someone put the wrong strap in because my son is only 2 years and 7 months old and shouldn't already be too big for this car seat at only 30 pounds. The Cosco on the other hand has plenty of adjustable strap and the harness buckle isnt tight up against my son's crotch. I love the build quality of the Graco, but wish the strap was longer to allow for it to adjust like its supposed to. If you buy this car seat, be advised that as your child ages into a toddler, you might not have enough harness strap to keep the harness from being too tight...

[@anphillips8110]

Thank you thank you thank you!

[@pradeepsagwal]

Thank you so much

[@cecicruz1637]

THANK U. I DIDNT REMOVE ALL THE THINGS I JUST STUCKED MY HAND AND SLIDE THE LATCH ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP I KNEW THAT IF I REMOVED EVERYTHING I WOULDNT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PUT IT BACK.

[@chelseaplatt9827]

Thank you!!

[@tankdeezel76]

Life Changing

[@johnlagreca6288]

Very helpful video, thank you. I really wish the latch strap wasn't designed as captive in the seat. I don't use it and it just rattles around. I want to remove it completely as I could with my other seats.

[@robowolv]

According to federal standards, the lower anchor strap must be attached to the seat when it is sold. Different car seat manufacturers choose to handle this requirement in different ways. The fact that you have the strap removed from your other seats actually has me slightly concerned. Would you be willing to meet with a local CPST to review your installs and make sure everything is set up properly?

[@dtuliao]

Thanks for this! I was about to throw this thing out the window

[@kenzieholmes6847]

My manual says you have to use the front slot for front facing on the crotch strap.

[@kristinagutierrez0815]

you mentioned that the shoulder strap pads can only be used while rear facing. in my manual, I have he Graco 4ever Extend 2 Fit All In One, the manual says that the body support pillow MUST be used if the child is 25lbs or less. my daughter is 2 years old and approximately 32 to 33 lbs. can I still use the body support pillow for her?

[@robowolv]

Hi Kristina! So long as she is rear facing, you can continue using the body support pillow.

[@jessiycas1]

Where do I store the latch for FF belt install? The strap will not lay flat when stored in the rear facing belt path.

[@msnatalie826]

I can’t figure out the the 10adjust headpiece part any video in that? I always feel like my son is scrunched when I pull it up I feel like it’s too high!

[@robowolv]

Hi Natalie19! Check out my unboxing video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iIaaXmCDm82Ig7c. That link should take you to the last few minutes of the video where I show how to loosen the harness at the adjuster strap as well as how to raise and lower the headrest. I'm curious, is your son rear facing or forward facing in the car? The placement of the headrest will be different depending on which way he's facing. And finally, if you're attempting to tighten or loosen the harness by raising and lowering the headrest, that's not actually the way it's supposed to be done. I barely touch on it in the linked video, but there is a lever near the kiddo's feet that you use to loosen the harness. Let me know if you'd like more information on that, I can easily whip up a video :)

[@loucorda3249]

Thanks for sharing!!

[@Chiro_ASMR]

How do I lengthen the seat strap. As she’s gotten bigger it needs loosened

[@robowolv]

Do you mean how do you raise the headrest as she grows taller, or how do you loosen and tighten the harness? My unboxing video shows both actions.

[@Chiro_ASMR]

Wife showed me how. Raising the headrest loosens the straps.

[@robowolv]

Raising the headrest positions the straps higher or lower, depending on the child's needs. In order to loosen the strap, you need to use the harness adjuster strap. That's the single strap coming out of the very front of the seat. There's a lever holding the strap in position. You'll pull or push (depending on where your finger is) on that lever to loosen the straps. I demonstrate this at 1:47 in the video.

[@elizabethpineda5316]

hey i was wondering why does the shoulder pads have to come off when they are foward facing

[@robowolv]

Hi Elizabeth! I thought I responded to your question last week, I apologize for the delay. Graco does a lot of testing with their seats, and different Graco seats have different rules regarding when the shoulder pads can, cannot, or must be used. Based on the testing they did and the results from their testing, they have deemed it safest for the children using this seat if the shoulder pads are removed when the seat is installed forward facing. Graco's tests and test results are not released to the public, so we don't know the exact WHY behind this instruction, only that Graco has deemed this the safest use of the seat. Keep in mind, if your child prefers the shoulder pads, this seat can be used rear facing until the child weighs 50 pounds, is 49" tall, or their head is within an inch of the bottom of the headrest adjuster button :)

[@brittanyayala2013]

Why do you need to remove the shoulder pads when forward facing?

[@DianaRodriguez-su3ei]

se que tal vez mi pregunta no tenga nada que ver con su video, al cual debo decir que aunque no hablo su idioma he entendido a la perfeccion todo lo que hizo, pero mi duda surge que al momento que usted levanta la funda del asiento me doy cueta que es puro plastico !!! no tiene nada de proteccion de la espuma blanca la que es realmente la que protege mas a los niños de los golpes a la hora de un choque y como estoy por comprar esta silla queria saber si tendra proteccion en la cabeza o tampoco?? gracias

[@robowolv]

All seats are very safe when used properly. Testing is very strict so you can feel confident that your child is safe as long as the seat is properly used and properly installed. For this seat, Graco has chosen to use molded plastic instead of the EPP/EPS foam you are used to seeing. This seat has already protected my youngest when we were in an accident earlier this year, in no small part because the seat was installed correctly :) I'm not a Spanish speaker, so I used Google translate. Hope this makes sense! Todos los asientos son muy seguros si se usan correctamente. Las pruebas son muy estrictas, por lo que puede estar seguro de que su hijo está seguro siempre que el asiento se use correctamente y se instale correctamente. Para este asiento, Graco ha elegido usar plástico moldeado en lugar de la espuma EPP / EPS que está acostumbrado a ver. Este asiento ya ha protegido a mi hijo menor cuando tuvimos un accidente a principios de este año, en gran parte porque el asiento se instaló correctamente :)

[@haileycampbell1147]

i’m curious as to why the shoulder pads have to come off when forward facing?

[@robowolv]

HI Hailey! Graco does a lot of testing with their seats, and different Graco seats have different rules regarding when the shoulder pads can, cannot, or must be used. Based on the testing they did and the results from their testing, they have deemed it safest for the children using this seat if the shoulder pads are removed when the seat is installed forward facing. Graco's tests and test results are not released to the public, so we don't know the exact WHY behind this instruction, only that Graco has deemed this the safest use of the seat. Keep in mind, if your child prefers the shoulder pads, this seat can be used rear facing until the child weighs 50 pounds, is 49" tall, or their head is within an inch of the bottom of the headrest adjuster button :)

[@latoyaa.718]

how do I lengthen the seat belts..its winter and I need more room

[@christinagreco7335]

Your not supposed to strap kids into carseats with their coats on. Its not safe.

[@RonHutchCraft2]

I just bought this child seat on Amazon and I've been looking for videos to help Me Understand how to properly install my new child seat (when it arrives) but this video confused me more than you know because all I needed was a rear facing install guide, but what I got was some knucklehead going way too fast about an issue that doesn't even make sense.

[@robowolv]

Hi Ronald! I'm sorry my talking was too fast for you to understand. Fortunately, this is KZbin and not a livestream. You can always rewind to catch what was missed the first time. This video is meant as a follow-up to my unboxing videos: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iIaaXmCDm82Ig7c and kzbin.info/www/bejne/nHXIZZqvjshmaJY. I suggest you watch those videos, read the car seat manual (which I stress several times in my unboxing video) and then, if/when you need to move the lower anchor strap, come back and watch this video again. It'll make sense then ;). Hope you enjoy your new seat, I sure loved it while my kids were using it :)

[@PRmomma823]

Ive seen somebody take the strap from back and over the top and attached to a hook on headrest

[@robowolv]

I believe you are referring to the top tether and the top tether anchor in cars. In the US, there are very few (if any) seats that allow using the top tether while rear facing. However, it is best practice to always use the top tether when the seat is installed forward facing. You can read more about installing this seat in a rear-facing position as compared to a forward-facing position here: csftl.org/graco-extend2fit-review/. You can find information about when and how to use the top tether here: csftl.org/why-tethering-is-so-important/

[@allisonakans1710]

what if he’s too short to move it up but too big for the straps??? do I still move it up??

[@robowolv]

If he's rear facing, the straps should always be at or below his shoulders, never above. There should be lots of strap. If you're having issues, you might message Car Seats for the Littles on Facebook. They can help you figure out how to make sure the seat is adjusted for your little one 😁

[@julietjones1310]

OMGOODNESS. This is a nightmare. Gonna find help. I give up.

[@sandy99922]

Does anyone know how to extend the crotch strap? I have arthritis in both my hands and watch my grandson every day. I cannot pick him up and pull that little strap out from underneath him and it always goes underneath him. Anybody’s help would be appreciated. I also called Graco and they have no extender

[@robowolv]

Hi Sandy! Unfortunately, if Graco does not have a longer crotch strap, it is unsafe to attempt to extend it yourself. However, there are potentially some other workarounds that may help pre-position the crotch strap before you buckle your grandson in. Figuring out what those workarounds might be would require more information than I'm comfortable sharing in this venue. If you message the Facebook page "Car Seats for the Littles" (facebook.com/CarSeatsForTheLittles/) and they can help you find an easier way to get the straps positioned for safe buckling. Good luck!

[@peacedarlynn]

God bless you😂😂

[@raisingthebar8472]

Thanks for a 5 star video about what is now a 1 star product. It seems these werent selling in spanish speaking countries so they dumped them on the US market and Baby's R Us. (The spanish instructions are on the right side with english on the left making it horribly awkward to reference them when in the car). On top of that the latch belt twisted in the metal tightening piece and is too tight for anyone to tighten or loosen which renders this expensive carseat useless for us. Graco has become too corporate to understand it's vulnerable customers real world needs. I'm hoping for the failure of the company soon so other parents wont waste saturday mornings dealing with Graco's "exceptional" products.

[@KotinKandy21]

I wish she would show the whole car seat

[@VincentVonDudler]

Came here for the bit at 6:42.

[@patriciacolon9787]

Do you know how to move the crotch strap as well?

[@robowolv]

Hi Patricia! I haven't made a video for moving the crotch strap yet, as there are several videos that cover this. Have you been able to figure it out? I can try to get something done up in the near future if you still need a visual.

[@Mconeedles]

Car seats have the worst instructions and procedures to install and adjust ever. Most of the time I want to throw the car seats away

[@hunterperry101]

This is ridiculous

[@robowolv]

Hi hunterperry101! Just curious, what do you find to be ridiculous about this?

[@nathane2243]

Too much talking

[@Hairybuffalo]

what the fuck. why wouldn't they just make the latch longer? You pay 350$ for a damned carseat and the latch strap is 6" to short. Won't be buying graco again.

[@MrBillygoat]

Do you think you could slow done with your fast talking and action so people can follow you ????? huh ??

[@robowolv]

That's the beauty of KZbin videos: you can pause, rewind, and rewatch as much as you need to :). If you think I'm fast, you should try some of the videos put out by several car seat manufacturers!

[@asaelee86]

Bridget Welch exactly! good response.

[@MissFlorida90]

@@robowolv what a bitch

[@brandonpryor7684]

12 minutes too long

[@robowolv]

I'm glad you were able to get your question answered in the first 3 minutes :). That's the beauty of KZbin videos, you can leave the video as soon as you have what you need.