Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat, Matrix
by Graco Baby
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List Price: Our Price: $137.50 You Save: $52.49 (28%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $136.95 (click here) Category: Baby Product See more product details |
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Baby Products Reviews of Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat, Matrix
Customer Review: Own 2 Frontiers and the Nautilus
Summary: 4 Stars
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!
Customer Review: Good, affordable alternative to keep child in 5 pt harness
Summary: 4 Stars
After two weeks of research using [...] and Amazon, I stumbled across the Nautilus in another person's review. After trying out a couple of car seats in store we decided to buy the Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 for our 5 yr (38 lbs, 42in) daughter. She is too tall for her Cosco Alpha Omega, but I did not feel good about putting her in a booster because she is under 40 lbs. Plus, the new recommendations are that kids should remain in 5 pt harness seat for as long as possible. I was considering the Britax Regent (Britax's website has excellent info on exact measurments of their seats) The hightest strap placement on the market-but is way too big to fit comfortably in my Ford Escape, no cup holder or booster option, and daughter said not comfortable. The SafeGuard Go (the second highest strap placement but top tether is required for install), two of my friends have this seat and love it. I liked compactness and portability, but really wanted a bit more padding and recline option. The Britax Frontier sounds good, but no stores have it yet and the Nautilus is very similar for almost half the price. What I like about the Nautilus is that it's well padded and reinforced with steel. My daughter is in the next to highest strap setting, so I'm hoping I can get two years out of the harness option. In any case she will be well over 40 pds by the time she grows out of the harness and will be able to use it as a booster. I like the cup holder (while this may seem like a small thing there have been several fights in my car about cup holders between my girls) it's part of the seat so it doesn't stick out and seems deep enough to prevent tipping, it also has two nifty cubbies on the inside of the chair. I'm hoping they won't be major dirt collectors, but daughter likes them for her little toys. It is very easy to loosen and tighten straps unlike the Alpha Omega where I really had to tug and still wasn't satified with tightness. I put it together and installed in about 1/2 hour and that included reading the manual. Moving the straps up or down is not complicated, but it does need to be removed from car to do. It has a recline option, but I have to say it is very negligible, like 5% at most. My daughter does not sleep in the car and no other seat of this nature has that option that I've found. We take a very long car trip every summer and I am concerned she will not be able to sleep through the night. I may get some kind of travel pillow. I would think for a younger child who still naps this might be a problem. I had no problems installing using latch & tether, it is nice and tight. (again read manual b/c once child is over 40-48 lbs you need to use seatbelt to install which would probably add time to install. I think the Nautilus is a great option for keeping your precious cargo safe and secure for a very good price. This is the 8th carseat I've purchased between my two kids, grandma and aunties' car and feel I have quite a bit of expierience when it comes to different features. Do your research and decide what features YOU need. All car seats have to meet minimum standards and correct usage and installation is the most important part. Know your child's height/weight and limitations of the seat. Most kids grow too tall for a seat before they reach the weight limits. If you are looking for a harness option for your older child I think this is a great seat!!Customer Review: Problems, Problems, Problems.
Summary: 5 Stars
We have a 2 1/2-year old baby boy and two cars (actually, one Honda Element and one Toyota Tacoma pickup). We purchased an Alpha Omega Elite car seat for the Element and installed it in the back seat behind the driver. Everything worked fine, since my wife didn't drive and we always used the Element when we needed transport for the baby. However, then my wife learned to drive and got her license. Now we had problems . Whoever had the baby would need the Element and the other one would have to use the Toyota Tacoma. Well, the Tacoma was a stick shift and my wife refused to learn how to operate it. Furthermore, she didn't want to be seen driving around in a pickup truck. In addition, the Tacoma only had a front seat and all the literature I read said baby seats should not be installed in front seats. My wife said the solution was simple and that we needed to buy another new car. Hmmmmm. But the Tacoma has been the best car I've ever owned. It has 109,000 miles on it and hasn't had even one tiny repair. You just don't get rid of a car like that and we had almost no use for a third car, except for a part-time baby transport.
Well, in talking the problems around, I found out that a baby seat can be installed in the front if the car has only a front seat and if the passenger-side air bag is turned off. So, we went to our local warehouse store and picked up another baby seat. They only had two kinds and we chose the Graco Nautilus, because it looked better. I then installed it in the front seat of the Tacoma. It was difficult to install. The owner's manual has a plethora of instructions for all possible situations, except for a front-seat-only pickup. I could follow some of the instructions for fastening it to the belt anchors, but I couldn't do that because the front car seat needed to be folded down and you can't fold it down with the baby seat in place and you can't get behind the seat in a one-seat pickup. Furthermore, the pickup is just old enough (2001) that it didn't have the special places to fasten a baby seat. Well, in any case, I got it fastened with one belt and I then use the car seat belts after I've fastened the baby in with the baby seat belts. Everything then seemed sturdy and we've had no problems. It's easy to use. Oh, one other problem came up. The front pickup seat will fit three people tightly. However, the baby seat is large enough that only one person (the driver) and the baby will now fit. Well, what is one going to do? We now use the Element if we all want to go somewhere and I use the pickup if i need to take the baby somewhere, or if the wife is using the Element.
In any case, we're very satisfied with the new baby seat. It's sturdy, nicely designed, looks good, fits the boy well and was relatively inexpensive. The boy just loves it! He now sits high up front with a commanding panoramic view, and gleefully points out things as we drive by. He has smiles all over his face. When I say "Go, Go, Go!" (my signal to him that we're going somewhere in the car) he immediately runs out to the pickup. Now, it's becoming a bit of a problem to get him to go anywhere in the Element. He quite clearly prefers his new Graco seat in the pickup. What next?
Gary Peterson
Customer Review: LAST carseat you'll need!
Summary: 5 Stars
THANK YOU GRACO! Parents, if you love your kids, keep them in a 5 point harness as long as possible--age 8 years if necessary!! My 3 yr. old was outgrowing a Cosco convertible, and I wanted my 6 yr. old back in a 5 point harness; however, I didn't like the $250+ booster seats available elsewhere lacking a decent headrest, no cupholders, too wide for our sedan, and some weren't FAA approved! I bought two Nautiluses in Galaxy color (mostly grey) and I love them! My 6 yr. old can buckle/unbuckle himself, and my 3 yr. old can buckle the top portion herself. They've enjoyed long drives when awake, and I no longer worried about my son literally falling out of the seatbelts when sleeping with the "regular" booster seat (I got tired of pulling over to reposition him, then thought, MY GOD, what difference would it make if we were in a car accident--he'd go flying through the window anyway??!!)
PROS:
1. MOST IMPORTANTLY--both of my kids have the safety of the 5 point harness for a few more years. I told my 6 yr.old he's like a race car driver or astronaut; my 3 yr. old feels like a big kid in the same seat;
2. It's not expensive for what you get;
3. It has an integrated cupholder so the kids get their own cups and not worry about it falling out (or the cupholder falling/breaking apart). Also, the child won't be tempted to undo or slip out of the car seat belt "for a second" to get something;
4. There's storage under BOTH armrests (on the inside) for little toys, tissues, snacks, etc. for the kids to get for themselves, and again, the child won't be tempted to undo or slip out of the car seat belt "for a second" to get something;
5. The headrest extends way up for the taller/older kids;
6. It becomes a backless booster, when the time is right in a few years;
7. Long expiration date--our seats don't expire until 2014;
8. Easy harness/belt adjustments. Some may find it tricky adjusting the harness through the slots because of the plastic casing and rollers in the back the belt goes through, but I believe it's this casing/rollers that keep the belts from twisting or getting stuck over time;
8. EASY LATCH or seatbelt use, tight with no movement--that's GREAT!
CONS (what I don't like about the Nautilus):
1. Heavy, but it's steel reinforced and I feel sits better in the car;
2. Still wide for our sedan, but can just barely squeeze a backless booster in between (with a lot of manipulation!) to have three seats in the back when necessary (I'm thinking of getting a travel vest for the 3rd child when carpooling);
3. Doesn't recline as much as other seats, but the headrest makes up for it by keeping the kids' heads upright when asleep.
Now if only Graco can make this carseat fold up, perhaps two inches narrower on the outside, this would be the BEST CARSEAT YET!!! (Parents, if you still have doubts regarding a 5 pt. harness carseat for your "big" kids, view the "Kyle" or "Emily" videos on YouTube, it'll break your heart. Better yet, view the various carseat crash tests on YouTube to get a better idea of what your child will go through in a car crash.)
Customer Review: Cannot believe 640 people gave this 4 & 5 stars!
Summary: 1 Stars
I was all set to buy the Graco Nautilus carseat, but was still wondering if Britax Frontier 85 might be better. Both carseats were not being sold in any stores for me to go and check them out, so I decided to order both and test them out. I am SO glad I did, because in comparison, the Britax was BY FAR the better seat! And believe me, I REALLY wanted to love the Graco seat. 640 people probably didn't do a side-by-side comparison of the Graco Nautilus and Britax Frontier 85.
I would recommend to anyone to pay $100 more for the Britax Frontier 85, cause you get so much more in the long run!
Here's why:
1. The furthest crotch strap slot on the Graco Nautilus measured at 6.5 inches from the back of the seat. On the Britax Frontier 85, the furthest crotch slot is 8.5 inches! My son was almost sitting on the Graco crotch strap in its furthest position and he's only 10 months and SKINNY. With the Britax, he has plenty of room to grow and most likely will not be sitting on the crotch strap!
2. When I put my son in the Graco Nautilus, my son was hunchback and screaming cause the seat or headrest pushed his head forward and curved his spine. That totally made me question how it would affect his developing posture. In the Britax Frontier 85, his back and head were straight and aligned (no curving of the spine) and no screaming.
3. The material on the Graco Nautilus is awful! The seat is rigid and feels like sand paper/cardboard! The material on the Britax Frontier 85 is sooo soft and smooth, but still SAFE (rock hard on the outside, cushiony on the inside).
4. The harness strap on the Graco Nautilus is kinda short when pulled to the limit and doesn't look like there's much room to grow in it. Pretty disappointing when they claim a child can be harnessed up to 65 lbs! I highly doubt that! BUT the harness strap on the Britax Frontier 85 is LONG!!!!! And here's the best part -- I'M HIS MOTHER AND I WAS ABLE TO SIT IN THE SEAT AND STRAP MYSELF IN! I am 5'1 and 105 lbs, and I was able to sit comfortably in the Britax and strap myself in harnessed no problem! Most importantly, the crotch strap was still NOT under me. That means my son can grow to my size and still remain harnessed! That is phenomenal!!! Not that he'll need to be harnessed when he's my size, but the option is there! That's how I know I made the right decision.
I have been a loyal Graco customer since my son was born. He owns almost everything Graco. But this seat is RIDICULOUS! It's like they didn't even test it out on real children. How hard is it to make a longer harness strap and an extra crotch slot?!
My son hasn't been in the Britax for a drive yet (cause he's still too little), but I imagine it will be very comfortable (to the point of sleeping in it). And when he sits in it in the house, he doesn't squirm or scream (like he did in the Graco Nautilus). He loves it! Go for the Britax Frontier 85 over the Graco Nautilus... you will thank me! I returned the Graco Nautilus ASAP!