Evenflo Symphony vs Graco Nautilus

[pinnacle94080]

Hello all.

I was all set to get the Graco Nautilus 3 in 1 when I learned about the Evenflo Symphony 3 in 1. I like the fact that I can use the Symphony RF till she is 35 pounds but I have heard better reviews for the Graco Nautilus. My DD is a year old so she can start using the Graco Nautilus but I have heard that I should keep her RF as much as I can till she is about 2.

Please let me know your recommendations of which one is safer and a better buy.

Thanks.

[mom2binsd]

How old is she now, how much does she weigh?

[jjordan]

Also, what seat is she in now?

[lorinick]

I vote Nauti. Did you say she was a year old and 35lb? The Evenflo S can only be used harness till 40lb and than you just use a seat belt. That is the main reason I never recommend that seat.

[daniele_ut]

I think the op was just pointing out that the Symphony will RF until 35lbs, not saying that her 1yo is that weight.

You definitely want to keep your dd rear facing as long as possible. The Graco Nautilus is a great seat (I own 2 of them), just not for your little one right now!

Did you have a budget in mind? You can find a Britax Marathon (RF to 35lbs and then FF until 65lbs) for as low as $179 at allbeebaby.com, or a Graco MyRide (RF to 40lbs and FF to 65lbs) for $159 at BRU minus coupons. Those are both good seats that will last a long time. My 40-odd pound 4.5 year old rear faced in the Britax Marathon until he was 2.5 (and still could have until he was 3) and he still fits FF, but we've passed his Marathons down to his sister now. The Symphony is nice, but since it only has a 40lb FF weight limit for the harness, it isn't really worth the price.

[Joolsplus2]

Don't worry about a seat that can become a booster right now. You will want to keep your kiddo rearfacing to 2ish, and forward facing harnessed to 5 ish, then you'll move to a booster and will want a new seat that's up to the current safety standards at that time (and maybe something fresh and clean to boot, lol).
So the My Ride is great, the Evenflo Triumph Advance is nice, the First Years True Fit is wonderful, the Britax Marathon or Roundabout 50 is divine... all those will meet those age requirements.

The Nautilus may well be a good choice in a couple years, it's a bit taller than those seats if you want to keep her harnessed to age 6 or 7, but aside from the fact that you don't want to forward face now, it's so so so so so so so uncomfortable for a small child to sleep in! You'd be worried every time her little head bobs down forward when she dozes off . Convertible seats (the ones I named above) are much more comfortable and supportive for younger toddlers