The emotions that are attached to a car seat can be pretty intense. It isn’t just another piece of baby gear; it’s your infant’s transportation home from the hospital. It’s a place where laughs are had and songs are sung during road trips. It’s where your toddler fights sleep with every ounce of her being, but then nods off after a long day of fun. Memories are made in car seats. I am a sappy, sentimental person, and it turns out, my nearly-four-year-old daughter is the same.

Now that Eleanor is older and (much) taller, her old baby-type car seat wasn’t quite cutting it anymore. I brought home the Diono Pacifica Convertible + Booster (coincidentally, to go into my Chrysler Pacifica) as a replacement. The old seat moved to our second car, bumping that car’s seat to the trash—but not before Eleanor shed a few tears.

“You’re throwing out my car seat?!” she asked. I tend to cling to material things but this time I stood my ground. “Yep, that one is going away and we have a nice new one. It’s orange.”

Okay, the actual colour is called Sunburst, but it still got her attention.

The Pacifica was installed quickly and easily. Credit goes to my husband for installation, but he can’t really brag about his hard work; the Diono seat went in with very little effort due to the SuperLATCH System, which can be used until she reaches 40 lbs. At that point it can be safely installed using only the car’s seatbelt. She can ride in it using the 5-point harness all the way up to 65 lbs, when it converts to a booster.

Eleanor loved it from the get-go. She calls it her “big girl” seat and she perches in it proudly. I’m a fan of the seat because of its unique full steel frame. It’s also NCAP crash-tested and features extra-deep sidewalls, enhancing the side-impact protection.

My only problem is that Eleanor really does look like a big kid in it! With the low sides, she is able to climb in and out easily on her own—a small act of independence that she relishes. And as much as my back will thank me for not having to constantly hoist her into her seat, I will miss doing so.

I am happy that this seat will grow with her. At the rate she is sprouting up now, I fully expect her to be five feet tall by the time she is in Grade 1. All right, that’s an exaggeration, but she really is stretching up. The Pacifica will convert to a booster once Eleanor hits the 65-pound mark (29.5 kg) and will hold her until she is 120 lbs (or 5’ 7” tall).

Looks like it’s time to make some new memories.