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Evenflo Symphony 65 DLX ($229)

This all-in-one car seat has an extremely easy-to-adjust harness and can be easily installed using LATCH or seatbelts. The only downside is that it may be too big for smaller cars. In 2 colors. evenflo.com

  • Pros:
    • Easy to use LATCH installation system
    • Easy to secure child
    • Harness height extremely easy to adjust, no re-threading required
    • Easy to adjust harness tension
    • Easy to remove car seat cover
    • Car seat cover is machine washable and can be tumble dried on low for 10-15 minutes
    • Has a cupholder
  • Cons:
    • Only a line to indicate car seat is level to ground, not as obvious as some other car seat mechanisms
    • May be too big for smaller cars
  • Height and Weight Limit:
    • Rear-facing. Must meet all of the following requirements:
      • Weight is 5 to 35 pounds
      • Top of child's head is at least one inch below the top of the child headrest restraint in either of its two lowest positions
    • Forward-facing. Must meet all of the following requirements:
      • Weight is 20 to 65 pounds
      • Height is 50 inches tall or less, and the top of the child's ears are at, or below, the child restraint headrest
      • At least 1 year old
    • Booster seat. Must meet all of the following requirements:
      • Weight is 30 to 100 pounds
      • Height is less than 57 inches
      • At least three years old
      • Ears are below top of headrest

Britax Frontier 85 ($280)

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This car seat makes securing your child easy, in part because the harness tension is easy to adjust. One drawback is that this car seat cover says it must be handwashed. In 7 colors. britax.com

  • Pros:
    • Instruction manual is clear
    • Easy to adjust harness height and tension in forward facing mode
    • Easy to secure child in forward-facing mode
  • Cons:
    • Hard to remove car seat cover
    • Car seat cover must be handwashed
  • Height and Weight Limit:
    • Forward-facing harness mode. Must meet all of the following requirements
      • Child must be at least two years of age
      • Weigh between 25 and 85 pounds
      • Height must be between 30 and 57 inches in height
      • Top of child's ears must be below the top of the head restraint
      • Harness straps must be located at or above the child's shoulders when seated
    • Booster mode. Must meet all of the following requirements
      • Child must be at least 40 to 120 pounds
      • Height must be 42 to 65 inches
      • Top of the child's ears must be below the top of the head restraint
      • Vehicle belt must be appropriately positioned at or above the child's shoulder through the shoulder belt guide

Graco Nautilus Elite 3-in-1 ($200 to $240 depends on color)

The Nautilus Elite 3-in-1 makes it easy to secure your child, and the car seat cover is machine washable. Some minor assembly is required to put this car seat together, but its fairly simple. In 2 patterns. gracobaby.com or at 1-800-345-4109

  • Pros:
    • Easy to install with seatbelt
    • Easy to adjust angle of seat
    • Easy to tighten and loosen harness
    • Easy to secure child
    • Car seat cover is machine washable
  • Cons:
    • Some minor assembly required
    • Harness height has to be re-threaded and its difficult
    • Hard to remove car seat cover
  • Height and Weight Limit:
    • Forward-facing with harness. Must meet all of the following requirements:
      • Weight: 20 to 65 pounds
      • Height: 27 to 52 inches
      • At least 1 year old and can sit upright unassisted
      • Shoulders are below top of harness slots
    • Belt positioning booster. Must meet all of the following requirements:
      • Weight: 30 to 100 pounds
      • Height: 38 to 57 inches
      • Approximately 3 to 10 years of age
      • Child's ears are below top of booster seat
    • Booster without back support. Must meet all of the following requirements:
      • Weight: 40 to 100 pounds
      • Height: 40 to 57 inches
      • Approximately 4 to 10 years of age
      • Child's ears should be below the top of the vehicle seat cushion/head rest

Eddie Bauer Deluxe 3-in-1 ($180)

The Eddie Bauer Deluxe 3-in-1 is easy to install using the LATCH system. The harness does not need to be re-threaded, making height adjustment easy. However, the harness is hard to tighten and loosen. In 2 colors. eddiebauer.com

  • Pros:
    • Harness is easy to adjust and does not need to be re-threaded
    • LATCH hooks are easy to attach and release
    • Has a cupholder
  • Cons:
    • Only a line to indicate car seat is level to ground, not as obvious as some other car seat mechanisms
    • Hard to tighten and loosen harness
    • Hard to remove car seat cover
    • Cover is handwash only
  • Height and Weight Limit:
    • Rear-facing:
      • Weight: 5 to 35 pounds
      • Height: 19 to 36 inches
    • Forward-facing using harness:
      • Weight: 22 to 50 pounds
      • Height: 34 to 45 inches
      • Over 1 year old
    • Forward-facing:
      • Weight: 5 to 35 pounds
      • Heigh: 19 to 36 inches