Graco Tranzitions Vs Wayz Comparison – Pros, Cons & Recommendations
Welcome to the Graco Tranzitions Vs Wayz showdown!
I’ve spent the last month testing and trying to figure out what’s the difference between these two car seats. I got down to the nitty-gritty and put my kids into them to get an accurate assessment.
Besides driving around for a full month, I’ve also checked out reviews, asked other moms, and investigated recalls, while my husband was enjoying some quality quiet time alone (honey, the bill is due…).
Look:
These are almost the same car seats, so no wonder I had to drive around with my kids to get an accurate assessment. I’ve done this to save you time and ensure you make the right choice.
I’ve compared everything, from safety features to comfort, ease of installation, colors, design, and price. No matter which one you choose, it will do a perfect job at keeping your kids safe.
Let’s see what the differences are already!
Direct Comparison: Graco Tranzitions vs Wayz
| VS |  |
 |
| Safety | Side Impact Protection 5-point harness |
Side Impact Protection 5-point harness |
| Size Limits | Harness 22-65 High Back Booster: 30-100 Backless Booster: 40-100 57” |
Harness 22-65 High Back Booster: 30-100 Backless Booster: 40-100 57” |
| Installation | Latch and Seatbelt | Latch and Seatbelt |
| Fabric/Material | Machine Washable | Machine Washable |
| Cup Holder | 2 Built In | 2 Built In |
| Headrest Position | 8 | 8 |
| Rethread Harness | ||
| Extended Use | ||
| Price |
The Winner is the Graco Tranzitions
Here’s why the Graco Tranzitions is better than the Wayz:
- The Graco Tranzitions is the same as the Wayz. The main difference is that the Wayz can only be bought at Walmart, while the Tranzitions can be bought anywhere.
- Typically, the Wayz is a few bucks cheaper than Tranzitions, and the cover fabric seems cheaper, and I don’t believe it will last.
- Wayz comes in different shades of red and gray, while Tranzitions comes in black, green, and pink.
Here’s why the Graco Tranzitions is a must-buy:
- Safe, safe, and very safe: Thanks to the 5-point harness, your child will be protected, even if the worse happens.
- A comfortable throne: Even though it doesn’t have recline features, my kid’s heads didn’t flop. Plus, it’s very padded.
- For all budgets: This car seat is super affordable, even if you’re on a budget or have to get multiple seats for your several vehicles.
- Finally, a super lightweight car seat that’s easy to transition in and out of the car.
- It has a narrow profile, so three car seats can fit in the back.
- The cushion gives extra comfort, which is good for long road trips.
- The armrest feels short. You can only utilize them in backless booster mode.
- It’s not the prettiest car seat around as it gives a cheap feeling.
Breaking it down
The table above is my cheat sheet. Every time I have to look at a new car seat, I follow these steps.
So the most important part of any car seat is the protection it offers. Now all car seats on the market are safe, and a few go the extra mile.
Size limits are next on the list because you want to know ahead of time how much mileage you’re getting out of these seats. The more you get the best for your pocket.
Then comes the installation. For some brands, this is a real hassle. Let’s see how does the Graco fare.
The last important part is the quality of the material. Since it has to be washed multiple times, it’s a good idea to know how it will handle it.
Last but not least, I take a look at the secondary features. They might hide some true gems.
Safety
This incident happened to a friend of mine; they were using a Graco Tranzitions harness booster car seat.
It was an uneventful trip back from the grandparents. When they have stopped at a red light out of the blue, a drunken driver rammed the car at 50 mph. The crash was devastating. The trunk has disappeared. The backseat was bent into an unnatural shape.
The mother has looked back, wanted to see what happened to her 3-year-old daughter.
Then she saw her. She was okay a bit shaken up and wide-eyed, but there was not a scratch on her.
The Graco Tranzitions have delivered, and it kept the little girl safe. As you have probably seen in the table, the two seats have the same safety specs.
The 5-point harness keeps the little ones in place and safe. Both car seats have side impact protection. And as we have seen, the rear impact protection is powerful.
Size Limits
This is my favorite way to save some money on these car seats. I always plan. If I can get more mileage without sacrificing safety, I’ll take it.
Again everything is the same. Both car seats have three modes of use. They can be in forwarding facing harness mode or in high back booster seat mode or backless booster seat mode.
The lower limit is set to 22 pounds, and the upper limit is set to 100 pounds or 57”.
There’s no difference between the two seats for now.
Installation
The installation usually is the hard part of these seats. For some reason, the infant carriers are so easy to install. Now both car seats support the latch and seat belt install. Here’s a good reminder after your kiddo has reached 45 pounds only used the seat belt option.
To make either of the installations, you will have to remove the cover and use either the latch or the seatbelt through the pathway. This was the easy part. The tightening is the most difficult. Depending on your strength, you can use your hand to push down or your knees.
The wiggle room should be less than an inch.
The weight is the same 18 pounds.
The only thing that I don’t like about the latch system is that they used the first generation. It’s a bit cumbersome to use. It’s time to upgrade Graco!
So far, it’s the same.
Fabric/Material
The material is super important since kids tend to make a mess and spill things. This is why the material should be easy to remove and wash. Let’s see how the Graco Tranzitions and Wayz fare does.
Again everything is the same. Since you get practice removing the cover while installing, you will see how easy it is. The material is washing machine friendly, and it’s good to know to use a gentle program and cold water. Also it can be cleaned with a damp cloth.
As for drying, you should stick with air drying for the longest use.
This is getting annoying; everything is the same.
Bonuses and Features
There’s no difference here either. Both the Tranzitions and Wayz harness booster car seat have two cup holders. This is good since you can put toys in one of them and drinks in the second one.
The headrest can be adjusted by choosing one of the 8 positions. Now here’s the best news from them all. There’s no more manual harness rethreading. I hate that with a passion.
Graco Wayz High-Back Booster Car Seat
- It has a slim design and no assembly needed
- It’s great value for the money since you can do three across with ease
- No more manual rethreading of the straps
- It’s like the Model T. You can have it in one red color
- Many parents reported that their little one gets hot in this seat
Graco Tranzitions Convertible Car Seat
- Finally, a super lightweight car seat that’s easy to transition in and out
- It has a narrow profile so three car seat can be fitted in the back
- The cushion gives extra comfort, so it’s good on long road trips
- The armrest feels short you can only utilize them in backless booster mode
- It’s not the prettiest car seat around it gives a cheap feeling
Graco Tranzitions vs Wayz Verdict
What’s the difference?
And I finally found out. It’s the colors. Don’t shoot the messenger.
I don’t know what Graco was thinking. Like you release two products, and one is in a different color scheme?
The Graco Wayz comes only in red. That’s it, while the Graco Tranzitions have three options to choose from Basin, Kite, and Proof.
Are you disappointed? I am too. To add insult to injury, Graco sells Ways under the name Graco Tranzitions / Wayz harness booster car seat.
On the other hand, this car seat has been tested in a real accident. It has saved a life from harm. We should remember that.
We have reached the end of the Graco Tranzitions vs Wayz comparison. The choice is quite simple. If you like this car seat, then if you prefer it in red, you pick the Graco Wayz harness booster car seat, and if you want other combinations, then you go with the Graco Tranzitions harness booster car seat.
Whichever you choose act now because stocks are running low.
If you have tips or tricks to share, you can do it by dropping a line below.
Catch you next time!
Also read: Unbiased graco 4ever car seat reviews
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
Is Graco WAYZ FAA approved?
Yes the Graco Wayz is FAA approved.
Does Graco Tranzitions have latch?
Yes the Graco Tranzitions has a latch system.
How wide is the Graco WAYZ?
The Graco Wayz is 19 inches wide.
What is the harness height for these 3-in-1 harness booster car seats?
For these 3-in-1 harness booster car seats the harness height is 33.5 inches tall. It’s ideal for a growing child.
Graco Wayz vs Graco Tranzitions what kind of safety features do they have?
Well they come with multiple modes there’s the simply safe adjust harness mode, backless booster mode. The simply safe adjust harness system has been rigorously crash tested. The most important is that it was side impact tested to meet the goverment safety standards. And it was impact tested for occupant safety. These convertible car seats are designed to meet or exceed the standards.
How do you install these Tranzitions and wayz car seats?
Depending if you’re going with forward-facing harness or booster mode there are different way. For forward-facing harness you can use the latch system or the vehicle seat belt. After you have outgrown the harness system there’s the booster mode. In booster mode you can only use the seat belt and the open-loop belt guides. With the open-loop belt guides you will have your child in safe hands. Since these are cheaper car seats the latch system uses j-hook connectors these are first gen and harder to use. After a while the harness system becomes obsolete with these harness seats. So
Graco Tranzitions vs Wayz harness seats what is the weight limit?
The weight limit is quite generous. In harness mode the weight limit is 65 pounds. For high back booster seat the weight limit is 100 pounds. For backless booster seat mode the weight limit is again 100 pounds. It’s easy to see how it’s designed to meet or exceed the customer expectations. If you want excellent body support from the harness and headrest you need to choose the right height positions. The weight range is weight range 40-100 pounds in backless mode so you will have to use the seat belts and the shoulder belt for the install. To make the right install with the seat belt you have to pull it out first. After that the seat belt has to be fed through the belt path. That’s how you fix the seat belt seat pad.
What are the main features of these Wayz and Tranzitions harness booster seat?
They come with dual cup holders. These cup holders are just perfect for drinks and toys of any year old child. The harness and headrest can be easily adjusted. The adjustable headrest arranges the straps as well. Here the secondary features list: simply safe adjust the harness, side impact tested, seat pad, rigorously crash tested.
What would be a good alternative for the Graco Tranzitions combination seats and Graco Wayz high back booster mode car seats?
The Graco Nautilus 65 combination seat with thigh support is a great car seat Tranzitions alternative. The nautilus 65 is one of the best highback booster car seats on the market. The harness mode weight limit is 65 lb. It comes with 7 years of warranty.
Wayz vs Tranzitions convertible car seats which is ready for forward facing airplane use?
Both convertible car seats are approved by the FAA. In high back booster seat mode the 5 point harness system (this is why they are called harness seats) will keep your child safe no matter the car accident.
Tranzitions vs Wayz car seats how do you clean them?
The harness covers can’t be removed even in the harness system mode. Don’t forget to disengage the locking clip from the splitter plate first. Then use a damp cloth on the harness straps and harness and headrest to clean it. The Harness system is easy to clean.
Which one is the better choice Graco Tranzitions vs Nautilus?
Both are pretty good car seats, however the Nautilus 65 is a safer choice.
Maxi Cosi vs Graco which brand is the better choice?
Both brands make excellent car seats.
Last Updated on October 26, 2023 by Brian Beasley
