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: Graco Nautilus Booster Seat is Excellent
Summary: 5 Stars
We initially bought this seat for my 4 year old and found it to be so comfortable and protective we tossed our 2 year old's Britax Roundabout and bought the Graco Nautilus for him as well. In addition to all the safety features you would expect in any car seat this booster also has a roomier "captain's chair" which will be comfortable for kids as they grow - all the way to 100 lbs(unlike other seats that say they accomodate children of a certain size and weight but squeeze too tight). The booster also has head restraints on the sides which protect from whiplash in the event of a collision, but which also provide a comfortable headrest for napping in the car. The cupholder and little "storage" compartment in the arm rests (also absent on most seats) provide endless entertainment for both of my kids. The seat also reclines - not a lot but enough to make sitting and napping far more comfortable than in other models, and the 5-point harness and convertible booster options mean the seat is appropriate for infants all the way up through 100lb. kids. The other nice feature is the adjustable crotch strap so that the bigger kids really can fit comfortably with the 5-point harness which is not possible in some of the other boosters out there. If I had known about this seat from the beginning I never would have bought the Britax, I would have started with an infant car seat and gone straight to this at around 9-12 months. I honestly think this seat is the best value for your money because you will not have to buy another booster as your kids get bigger. You can just take the back off the seat and use the car's shoulder harness until your child is big enough for no more booster -- and you child will be comfortable in the seat until then. And your child can comfortably fit in the 5-point harness until about 60lbs. which is far safer for kids than the car's harness.Customer Review: Excellent convertible carseat from Graco
Summary: 5 Stars
Just as our son was about to turn two years old, we noticed that he was outgrowing his Evenflo Titan car seat. The shoulder straps were at the highest level, but his shoulders were creeping up above the strap line. It was frustrating to know that we had only had that car seat for one year, and now our son was already too tall for it. We looked around online and read tons of reviews before deciding on the Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 car seat. We chose it because of the adjustable height option, which allows you to raise and lower the head/neck support as well as continue to increase the height of the shoulder straps simultaneously. The head/neck support actually lifts up by just pulling up on the lever in the back, which is very easy to maneuver. We also liked that the car seat would come apart to become a booster seat as our son got older, and that it has a cup-holder on the right arm.
The seat arrived within a week, and was very easy to install. The harness also has a "no-pinch" safety feature: a soft pad of material that lays between the harness/belt latch and your child, so that you never have to worry about accidentally pinching any tender skin when locking the latch. There are also two compartments built in on each inner side of the arm supports, where our son likes to put little toys or snacks (!).
The only negative thing about the Nautilus, and this is extremely minor, is that the cup-holder is a little bit too far for our son to reach comfortably right now. I'm sure he'll grow into it in time, but I wish it was adjustable and could be moved closer or further from the child as they need it.
Overall, we absolutely loved the Nautilus 3-in-1 car seat, and it was an excellent car seat for the price. I only wish we would've saved our money a year ago and bought this first, instead of the Evenflo Titan!
Customer Review: Mostly disappointed
Summary: 2 Stars
We bought this seat for our son after he outgrew his Britax Marathon. This seat had just come on the market. We have used a number of seats in our cars for our two kids, and I am extremely familiar with the installation of car seats. In addition, I work in construction where we are "safety freaks."
Our son is now almost four years old and 40 pounds and he likes his seat. However, three issues that really make me mad are:
1. Least important issue: The quality of fabric where my son's upper leg sits is below average. We only had the seat for a year and it is half worn-off. Unacceptable for a seat in this price range.
2. More important issue: The belt which goes through one of the harness buckle / crotch strap ALWAYS twists. Obviously this is not user error since there is absolutely no way to twist the strap even if you wanted to, unless the thing twists by itself. Obviously this is not safe at all, so you have to untwist the strap within the harness buckle.
3. Worst issue: This happened today. One of the straps came loose, it went loose from the metal junction plate on the back and off the red rollers also on the back. So essentially my son would not have been harnessed had my wife not noticed the issue. There is absolutely no way that we or our son could have done anything to get it to come out of the metal junction plate. This is absolutely unacceptable because there is no way that I can know that my son is properly harnessed unless I check it manually every time.
Here is a link to the owner's manual if you'd like to see where these items are on the seat.
http://www.gracobaby.com/CustomerService/ProductInstructions/Pages/ByBrand.aspx?Subcategory=140&Model=810
I would not buy this seat if I have to do it again.
Customer Review: We love this seat!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the perfect seat for taller/older children who have outgrown their convertible carseat, because it has the highest harness slots of any seat on the market (except for the Britax Regent which I believe is being discontinued). I bought this for my 6.5 yo daughter, who had been riding in a booster for years. I recently became educated on carseat safety and felt I needed to put her back in a harnessed seat since she is small for her age. I was worried she might object to the harness, but she loves it! Believe it or not, she can buckle and unbuckle herself (I always double check) easier than she could do the seatbelt in her booster. She loves the cupholder and the little toy cubbies, and is comfy in her new seat. We've already taken a trip with it and she was able to sleep comfortably in it, which she could never do in her booster. It has 3 recline settings, is a breeze to install, and the harness adjuster is as smooth as butter. I bought this seat strictly for the harness aspect. When she outgrows it (which likely won't be for years) I will buy a booster that is LATCHable so I don't have to worry about buckling the seatbelt over it when it isn't in use. I'm planning on getting another one of these for my 3.5 yo when she outgrows her old style (short shell) Evenflo Triumph. The only thing I dislike about this seat is the boring boyish looking cover, but my daughter doesn't seem to mind. At least it matches my car. :)
ETA: Well, I purchased this seat for my now 4 yo, and I have to return it. While I love it for my 6 yo, it is just not working for my younger dd. It doesn't have much of a recline and when she sleeps in it (which is very often) her head hangs completely in her chest, because it is pushed forward by the headrest. So I don't think this is a great seat for kids that still sleep in the car a lot.
Customer Review: Would have been a 5, except for one thing...
Summary: 3 Stars
The crotch strap.
This seat looked ideal in every way. I liked it right out of the box, and when I put it together. It was exactly what I was looking for.
Then, I sat our average-sized 3 1/2 year old in it, boxed it up and sent it back, very disappointed.
The crotch strap, in the closest position, was beneath the back of my son's crotch. In the farther (and only other) position, it was even with, and slightly pressing against, the front of my son's crotch. In other words, no room to grow whatsoever. There is no way possible that this seat would allow my son to sit comfortably in a five-point harness all the way up to 65 pounds. At that point, the strap would be well beneath his crotch and be uncomfortable and dangerous. No way... and I really wanted it to. If there was one additional slot for the strap, an inch or so farther out, this seat would be PERFECT, in my opinion.
So, I gave this seat a 3 out of 5. For a younger child, or one just reaching my son's age and size (again, he is very average in weight, height), I would probably rate this seat a 5. But, since it clearly will not be able to do what it says it should do, up to 65 pounds, I cannot give it a 5. I honestly don't know how any child can be accomodated in this seat up to 65 pounds, unless they are a very, very skinny 65 pounds.
If Graco updates this seat to add one extra slot an inch or so farther out for the strap, I would buy it again immediately. I was, and am, a little angry that the seat won't work as advertised. Buyer beware; look up the few other comments on the crotch strap first. Then, please, go to the store and "test seat" this seat before buying, and please consider how big your child will be at 3 1/2, or older. Otherwise, you may find the same disapointing fact I did.