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Saved 1/18/10 to Product Reviews

Evenflo's Symphony All-in-One Car Seat

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When it comes to car seats, moms can be pretty clueless. The inability to sit in them and test drive them makes buying them a rather haphazard event. In an ideal world, mums could borrow a seat for a day and roam the streets, which would allow all parties to evaluate the ease of use and comfort instead of solely relying on safety ratings and the advice of other mommy friends. Evenflo read my mind and invited me to participate in an ideal world when they sent me the Symphony car seat ($189) to test drive.

Described as an "all-in-one" car seat, the ultra-soft chair can be used for children as little as five pounds until they tip the scales at 100 pounds, which means mommy only has to buy one car seat for all of childhood. As the child grows from newborn to toddler, mom and dad will appreciate the ability to change it from its rear-facing position to forward-facing so the child can enjoy the view. The headrest can be adjusted to move up and down, and the seat itself can be launched into more of a cradle mode with one simple hand motion. With ease in mind, the designers of the seat included the SureLATCH system so that parents could install the seat rear or forward-facing with three simple clicks. Like most seats in the category, the Symphony has a 5-point harness seatbelt, which helps to keep the child in place and safest when in motion. And while it's the least of my concerns when it comes to safety, the flip out cup holder on the side of the seat is kind of genius. Giving a tot access to a water bottle will save mommy from aimlessly reaching to the back floorboard in order to satiate her screaming mimi.

To see what I would change about the Symphony, just .

Obviously a fan, my son was asleep within minutes of his first trip in the Symphony, and that wasn't even in the cradle position. While the car seat is dreamy on almost every account, I have to admit that I was hesitant to fly with it because of its size. Probably not any different from others in the category, I chose to use my Snap and Go based seat instead so I wouldn't have to deal with the weight of the Symphony. In the end, I might have preferred the comfort of the Evenflo seat to the ease of the chosen one.

Tell us what you think of the Symphony!


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Libby, I you already have a booster seat than any convertible car seat will work for you. I'm in the same place with my 7 month old twins out growing their infant seats. A convertible will work rear facing and then eventually forward facing. What this evenflo also has is the ability to remove the harness and then become a booster seat when the child outgrows the harness. If you already have a booster seat then a plain convertible will work just fine. The Graco my ride 65 has made the short list of seats I'm considering. It is only $150 (you'll be hard pressed to find a seat for much less). Good luck.
i need a baby car seat like that cause my six month baby boy is moving out of his and we are on disability and we cant afford another car seat and the other ones that we have are booster seats please help thank u
mother mother
These all-in-one seats weren't around when my twins were born. We just bought our third set of car seats since the kids outgrew their Britax roundabouts. We went with the Britax froniter, which looks very similar to the one pictured here. It converts from 5pt harness to booster seat, and harness is good for up to 50 lbs. They were a bit difficult to install as far as getting a tight fit, we had to check out the videos on the Britax website. We ended up having to recline the back seats and then put them back upright to get it nice and tight. But now that they are in, I am very pleased. The kids are comfortable and on long trips they don't get that droopy head anymore, the headrests are great. They have cupholders, too. They are really pricey, but I've been so pleased with Britax overall and didn't mind spending the cash since they get such great reviews. BTW, we tried the Graco Nautilis, but the headrests not as comfy and the seats were much narrower overall. The price was much nicer, though, and if it had been more comfortable for the kids, I think we would have gone with those since Graco is also a good brand. We were really pleased with the Graco bucket seats.
It's big and hard to clean. The cup holder is a waste. It's deemed uncomfortable for my 1 1/2 year old toddler. He prefers the Safety 1st-Air Protection.
The cup holder on this is a joke, it breaks with the slightest pressure. The Nautilus that was mentioned has cupholders built into the arms, much more sturdy, and it's a much better seat overall. This one's bulky and awkward, and doesn't allow a child to grow with it much more than any other 5-100 lb seat since the restraint only goes to 40 lbs. Carseats should be keeping up with safety guidelines, which means a 5 point restraint that allows for older children, not sticking with the old "40 lb" rule. The longer the child's in a 5 point restraint, the safer they are.
I find traditional much easier - one click on the seatbelt and, if applicable, the tether. LATCH has actually tested less safe, and one reason is that it's promoted as "click click, done!"
We have a similar one to this however it's the Eddie Bauer one. Same concept though. We love it because we do use the "bucket" style seat for the first few months since we live in a very cold climate and our babies were all winter babies. As soon as spring hits, we moved the kids to this seat! The kids are far more comfortable and less cranky in the bigger seat! I don't have a weight issue for the restraints because my kids outgrow their seats long before they hit the weight limits of the restraints. We've only purchased one of these seats because we switched to a bigger seat for the older kids as the new babies arrive, but overall we love the seat. As for the remark about it not being 3 simple clicks for the LATCH system, and it shouldn't be, I'm pretty sure the article is referring to the ease of use compared to the traditional system of the seatbelt and tether anchor! The LATCH system is far simpler system than the "old style" and regardless of which system you use you need to tighten straps and wiggle the seat! You should also be putting your knee into the seat and all your weight when tightening the straps to ensure it's as tight as possible! However, the article was referring to the many advantages to this style of seat and the ease of use compared to older systems.
What's the weight limit for the 5-pt restraint? A lot of carseats go from 5 lbs to 100 lbs, but only to 40 or 50 lbs in the 5-pt restraint. If it only goes to 40 lbs in the 5-pt restraint it's totally useless to me since I don't put kids in a booster at 40 lbs. The Graco Nautilus is a much better deal for the price, and accomodates a child better overall. Then of coruse there's the Britax seats that also take them to 65 lbs in a 5-pt restraint. Also, the LATCH system isn't "three simple clicks" in any case. Nor is it meant to be. If all you're doing is strapping it and going without tightening straps and wiggling the seat, you're not installing it safely.
I have this car seat, I actually got it as a baby shower gift from a family member... love it!! My daughter is now almost two and has been in it since the day we brought her home from the hospital. I do agree with you about the size being a little scary but it's nice to grow with. I think my only problem with it is that unlike the Snap and Go seats you can't easily take this seat into a restaurant or snap it into a shopping cart, but hey that's what they invented slings and such for right? ;)