Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat – Rachel

Product Description

The side-impact tested, Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat provides versatility and longevity helping to protect your child 20-100 lbs. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends your child stay harnessed as long as possible. Nautilus secures your child in a five-point harness from 20-65 lbs, then converts to a belt-positioning booster from 30-100 lbs and finally converts to a backless booster from 40-100 lbs.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #4618 in Baby Product
  • Brand: Graco

Features

  • Manufacturer Suggested Age: 9 Months and Up
  • Features: EPS Safety Foam
  • Material: Cotton, Plastic
  • Care and Cleaning: Machine Wash
  • Minimum Weight Supported: 20.0 Lb.
  • Maximum Weight Capacity: 100.0 Lb.
  • Safety and Security Features: 5-Point Harness
  • Certifications: Meets Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
  • Dimensions: Height: 29.0 “; Width: 20.0 “; Depth: 22.0 “
  • Product Weight: 20.6 Lb.

Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat, Matrix

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Product Description

The new Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat is the only forward-facing car seat your child will need. Car Seat is the only forward-facing car seat your child will need. It helps keep him safe in a 5-point harness longer than most car seats, all the way up to 65 lbs. Later, the seat converts to a highback booster then backless booster, for comfortable, custom protection up to 100 lbs.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #23 in Baby Product
  • Color: Matrix
  • Brand: Graco
  • Model: 8J00MTX
  • Released on: 2008-02-25
  • Dimensions: 36.10″ h x 20.00″ w x 29.00″ l, 19.50 pounds

Features

  • 3-in-1 multi-mode Car Seat for longer use 20 pounds to 100 pounds
  • Extended 5-point harness for children 20-65 pounds
  • Converts to High-back belt positioning booster for child 30 pounds to 100 pounds
  • Converts to backless booster for child 40 pounds to 100 pounds
  • Steel reinforced frame for durability
Amazon.com Product Description
Once your child outgrows her rear-facing infant car seat, she’s still required ride in a car seat or a booster for several more years to come. So rather than investing in a succession of seats and boosters, try the Graco Nautilus 3-in 1 Toddler Car Seat, the only forward-facing car seat your child will need. Its five-point harness accommodates children up to 65 pounds, and its convertible booster/backless booster can hold children up to 100 pounds in weight–longer than most other convertible car seats.

Customer Reviews

better than radian or britax in my humble opinion5
So I did a LOT of reseach before buying this, read multiple message boards, then to the store to look at them, etc. This replaced a britax that was passed down to DD #2 for my rather large 4 yo girl(40lbs, 40inches)I want to keep her harnessed for as long as I can. I finally decided to go for it b/c of
1)price (though it really wasn’t an object) but I am a big fan of bang for your buck,
2)sturdiness, i was never a fan of graco until i bought this seat. It’s got a nice weight, sturdy frame.
3)comfort, memory foam! DD loves it, she sleeps very comfortably in it without slumping over like she used to.
4)size, not gigantic like the regent but large it enough to have a big kid sit in it
I was concerned about its looks but it’s much better looking in person.
Finally, who can beat amazon’s price!
I highly recommend it, I think it will last my DD until she’s prob 7-8 yo (My average sized 8yo nephew fits!)

Amazing Car Seat – Design and Value5
My Wife, a Pediatrician, did a ton of research – with the first priority being safety, safety, and, I’ll say it again, safety.

We were Britax users for our first car seats and found it a fine car seat, though pricey.

So, this time around, with our son growing too long for the Britax seats that we had, we decided to look at all the options.

Price was not part of the equation.

Design was not either.

Safety was it.

We highly recommend this Graco car seat (We have three now)

1) The price blows Britax away.

2) The design is very nice. Our son loves the drink holder as well as the toy “compartment” in the arm rests. He “hides” toys in the arm rests and has a lot of fun fooling us.

The installation was simple.

The headrest is extremely easy to use and to “fit”.

The five point harness is critical to our son’s safety and it is very easy to use. Though, it is slightly different than Britax, so there is a few days of getting used to a “new” system. After that, there is no problem.

Overall, we are very happy with Graco.

Own 2 Frontiers and the Nautilus4
I own 2 Britax Frontiers in Pink, and the Graco Nautilus in pink as well. As a Mother who owns both models, I will tell you the major differences between these two seats from my point of view.
#1 Frontier is more expensive (which is why I got the Nautilus for my spare)
#2 Frontier is SO much easier to adjust the shoulder height strap. With a simple squeeze of a lever, the straps go up. The Graco needs to be rethreaded. This is BIG pain when you have another child who wants to use the seat. With the Frontier, it is no biggie to pull the lever.
#3 Frontier seat material is prone to wear where the child’s bottom and legs rub on the seat. It also shows WAY more stains and soaks up spills quicker than the Graco.
#4 Frontier has 3 crotch strap adjustments for easy fitting. The Graco only has 2 which makes the older kids sit on the strap. This can get uncomfortable. My oldest DD takes the pad off of the crotch strap on the Frontier (she says it makes the seat look like a “baby seat” with the pad), but she can not do this with the Graco, as the crotch strap rubs on her legs causing red irritation when wearing shorts. The graco pad is very thick and wraps the entire strap (between the legs) and then goes up to sit on the belly. She does not seem to mind sitting on it, but it does not look too comfortable to me.
#5 Padding on Frontier is WAY thicker (on both seat and seat back)and more comfortable to sit on. I can’t imagine that the Graco would be comfortable for long trips.
#6 Heads slump forward for younger kids when sleeping in the Graco. The “wings” around the head are very fat (giving the appearance of a “yonger child’s seat”) and are so close to the child’s head that it causes it to go forward when sleeping. The frontier has wider “wings” and are perfect for sleeping children. The “wings” are farther away from the head and are angled just right as to allow sleeping and looking out the window. The “wings” are thinner and have more of a “big” kid look. This thinner look in NO WAY implies that Graco is safer for the thicker “wings”, as Britax states that its wings are “true side impact protection”. Graco does not state this. The plastic around wings appear to be of stronger material on the Frontier, even though they are thinner. Frontier also has the “hugs” system on the harness to minimize forward head movement. Graco does not.
#7 The Graco has only a 12.5 inch seat width for the child to move around in. The Frontier has a 12.5 seat area around the tush, but opens to a spacious 17 inch wide seat. This may not be an issue for the younger kids, but the older ones need more space. This may, however, be an issue for small cars.
#8 Cup holder and “hidden” storage are neat in the Graco. The Frontier has 2 cup holders, but they can not both be out, as one hits the door when installed on far right or left. The cup holders also do not go smoothly in and out when installed in the vehicle, as the seat blocks the cup holder from retracting. This does not happen when the seat is not snugged down, but when installed….. This is not too much of an issue as we just leave them out. This is only an issue when I have a third child trying to walk to the back 3rd row between 2 Frontiers with cup holders out!

Bottom line. If you need a car seat around the time that Britax has a sale, I would get it over the Graco. The price difference at that time would only be $50. I think that your big kids will be happier in the Frontier. If you have a smaller child, remember, he/she will be a big kid soon!