So the funny thing about this sponsored post is that I had planned to write it last week.
But then my blog got hacked. So I couldn’t.
And then I was going to post this review earlier in the week.
But then I spent the last several days in ambulances and hospitals. So I couldn’t.
Except that, I think it ends up better this way. Because I have a story from yesterday that illustrates our car seat situation perfectly.
Because sometimes good stuff can come out of bad stuff.
And so goes this review.
If you follow me on Instagram, you know that Jilly had a major seizure on Monday. Major. Like almost five hours of seizing. Solid. Hours. Not minutes. Not a typo.
We ended up being transferred to a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit over an hour from home.
I drove behind the ambulance.
I had Andy’s car.
The one with basic booster seats for the big kids.
And it didn’t even dawn on me that I should grab Jill’s more traditional harness car seat. Because panic fueled drives at 1:30 am don’t always serve for the clearest thinking.
The thing about having a child with special needs…particularly one who understands a lot, means that we walk a fine line of what is best for her physically, and what is best for her soul.
You might remember when we moved her to a toddler bed and out of a crib. Truth is, she could have stayed in a crib for several more years. And the truth is, from a standpoint of ease, the crib would be best.
BUT…she knows. She understands. She sees her twin sister in a big bed. In a big car seat.
And she sees her baby brother in a crib. And in a regular car seat.
She knows the difference.
And while we’ve since moved the Bigs to booster seats, Jill isn’t quite ready for the freedom allowed with just a shoulder strap.
In fact, here she is in her hospital gown (which, incidentally is really cute), and a killer pair of shades, ready to head home. In her brother’s booster.
Driving home, I had to pull over on the side of the road. Because first she took her arm out from under the seat belt. And then she scooted way down in the seat and I had to straighten her back out. (She was upset and throwing a fit, but then didn’t have the physical strength to get herself back upright.)
As I pulled off the freeway to adjust her, I thought “Dang. This is a perfect for that review post. Because she’s a big girl. But not quite.”
She looks a little worse for wear in this photo, but she LOVES her seat.
She knew right away that it was for big girls.
But yet…it has a five point harness. For the mama.
The Evenflo Platinum Symphony gives her the extra space to grow into, and be a little more comfortable.
She has several years of growth left in this seat.
Also cup holders.
Plus, it can eventually function with the car seat strap if we feel she is ready to lose the harness.
See how huge this seat is?
Maybe for some people that would be a bad thing.
But not for me.
I love that I can simultaneously provide my girl with the sense of growing up alongside her sister, while still giving her the protection her special needs demand.
For those of you with younger kids, this seat can actually work for you from birth to big and accommodates kids ranging from 5-110 pounds! (I have tiny friends who I kinda hate that might even fit in that category. I mean, I love them, but 110 Pounds.)
It has a newborn insert and can be rear facing…forward facing…and finally, you can tuck the five point harness within the padding and it can serve as a traditional booster seat that uses the car seat belt. As a mom to four, we’ve cycled through a lot of car seats. It would have been nice to buy ONE seat and have it last all of the different transitions of childhood. (You can see more pics of it in its different configurations here.)
The Evenflo Platinum Symphony also features OUTLAST Performance Fabric that absorbs hot and cold temperature as needed. And the metal buckles live in little pockets protecting skin from buckle burns. (Ah, the joys of summer!)
But for this mama, I’m especially sold on the fact that Evenflo continues to go above and beyond government standards to provide seats that are 2X the Federal Crash Test Standard. AND it includes side impact protection. Because that little pink crowned head needs plenty of protection. I think about these things, you know.
Driving home from the hospital with a floppy, angsty girl reminded me how thankful I was for products that help our family navigate the sometimes dicey waters of special needs.
Could she have stayed in her traditional car seat longer? Sure.
But I’m glad she doesn’t have to.
Disclosure: I participated in this sponsored campaign and received this car seat for free in order to facilitate this review on behalf of One2One Network. All opinions stated are my own.
Latest posts by jeannett (see all)
- Dirt in a Jar, Laundry Scientists, and Clean Water - October 20, 2015
- Because Cake. - October 11, 2015
- How to design a luxury bathroom for less - August 12, 2015
I’m sorry to hear about the 5 hour sezuire. Long sezuires are no fun. I love the look of that car seat. My hubby and I where just thinking of investing in a big kid car seat for our daughter.
Gosh darn she is cute. Give her a squeeze for me!
I’m glad she is returning to the mend. Still sending her good thoughts.
Continued prayers for your beautiful princess. As a pediatric emergency nurse, I full appreciate and thank you for sharing this post because I think all too often folks move kids to boosters or to no seat at all long before they are physically and mentally ready for these changes. My daughter is almost 7 and is so tiny that I just moved her to a high back booster which she will be in for many more years. Blessings and continued prayers.
I’m afraid we could be faced with a similar situation here in the future. My twins still comfortably fit in the 5 point harness seats that we used for our two oldest boys, but they are developing at a slower rate than their peers and may need the extra support when the time comes. I will definitely keep this brand in mind since safety is important and I don’t want to have to buy more than one type of seat when the times comes.
Oh I am SO glad to see her in hew new big girl seat!!! <3 We just had to replace my sons britax marathon. I just bought him the FRONTIER 90. And can not WAIT to get it! The extended harnessing is SO SO SO much nicer than worried if my son is properly sitting in his booster or not. And? It is SO much easier than trying to lean over him and help him get the booster buckled. I love that fabric as well. As soon as my new one comes I am putting the boosters away!
I have the frontier. It’s awesome.
That’s a pretty gnarly seat! I love that it will grow with Jilly. Yay!
Caryl
Your link with the different configurations doesn’t work. =(
Also, Jill looks so much like Lucy in that third photo!