My review of the new Evenflo Symphony 65 car seat and a giveaway

December 6, 2009 · 47 comments in Age 0-1 year,Age 1-3,Age 3-5,Contests,New posts,Travel

I know you’ve heard it a million times… 4 out of 5 car seats are installed incorrectly according to a recent NHTSA study.

On with the good news..
Evenflo Symphony 65 convertible car seat
Evenflo’s new Symphony 65 car seat features the exclusive SureLATCH system, designed to provide a super-fast, tight and safe installation every time with a simple Click, Click, Push.

My experiences with and thoughts about the Symphony 65

Latch System

With SureLATCH, the Symphony 65 car seat is properly installed in 3 steps. The SureLATCH is easier than our pre-Symphony 65 car seat with the latch system. I don’t have to put my knee in the seat and push down like I’m trying to squish an elephant in order to get the latches in and the car seat tight to the seat. If your car doesn’t have the Latch system, you ca install the Symphony 65 with the seatbelt and given that it is installed correct, it will be just as safe.

Infinite Slide™ Harness Shoulder Straps

I love this feature! I don’t have to take the seat cover off to re-lace the straps as Madelyn gets taller. The Symphony 65 car seat straps slide up and down on a rail system (Infinite Slide) and I can easily adjust the shoulder straps while Madelyn’s in the car seat. “The Infinite Slide Harness Adjustment System makes for easier height adjustment with no rethreading.”

Seat Tilt and Headrest Adjustments

Changing the tilt of the car seat is easy as is changing the height of the headrest. Both are one-handed operations.. unless you try to do both at the same time in which case you are a great multi-tasking mommy and I envy you.

Protection and Comfort

The Symphony 65 car seat features energy absorbing foam liner and side impact protection. The pieces in the headrest that round out for side impact protection also keep Madelyn’s head from falling to the side when she falls asleep in the car seat. Madelyn has enough room to sit ‘criss cross apple sauce’ as they say in school, proving that the Symphony 65 is a very spacious yet safe car seat. Great for long road trips. Comfort Touch fabric makes the seat both aesthetically and physically pleasing for the adults driving the car as well as for the child sitting in the seat. Energy absorbing foam liner.

Evenflo Symphony 65 convertible car seat

Cup Holder

A cup holder is something that I believe no car seat or stroller should be without. Madelyn can reach the Symphony 65′s cup holder unlike with our Britax.. which didn’t have a cup holder. Granted, the seat is almost 3 years old. Before using this car seat she had to put her cup in the actual seat’s cup holder but then couldn’t get it back out! You think she would have figured out that she shouldn’t do that, but she kept trying. The Symphony 65′s repositionable cup holder folds up small so it’s not in the way or bulky and best of all, Madelyn can reach it.

Age

The Symphony 65 accommodates children from 5-35 pounds and can be used rear or front facing. This could be the only car seat your child needs.

Design and Style

The Evenflo Symphony 65 is available in two stylish designs, one great for cars with a grey interior and the other for beige.

The Symphony 65 is larger than my old Britax which I think is fine but it doesn’t fit well in my husbands Volvo sedan which has bucket seats. In his car, the car seat comes within about 6 inches of the front seat so the person sitting in front of Madelyn may get an back massage in the form of tiny feet kicking the seat.
Buy the Evenflo Symphony 65 Convertible Car Seat at Amazon.com for $199 or less.

GIVEAWAY!

We are giving a lucky reader an Evenflo Symphony 65! Leave a comment below (jump link) telling me why you want to win a Symphony 65. Winner will be chosen at random. Entries accepted through December 17th. Re-tweet this post then fill out the comment form a second time with your Twitter ID for 2 extra entries!