Our Review of the Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 toddler car seat
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Graco, one of the most trusted names in car seats, presents the Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Toddler Car Seat. With good looks and a sturdy steel frame, the Nautilus from Graco protects children in three different modes. First as a front-facing 5-point harness seat from 20 - 65 lbs, second as a belt positioning high-back booster from 30 - 100 lbs, and third as a backless booster from 40 - 100 lbs. With such a high 5-point harness weight capacity, following car seat safety best practices becomes much easier.
BENEFITS FOR MOM & DAD
Parents love the sleek look of the Graco Nautilus, which blends well with most car interiors. Easily keep the car seat clean thanks to the removable and machine washable cover. With a high harness weight capacity and the ability to convert to a booster, the Graco Nautilus may be the last car seat you will need to purchase once baby can safely ride forward-facing.
Installation: The Graco Nautilus installs with ease. Attach the back onto the seat, slide the headrest on, and pop the arm rests to the seat, and you're ready. Install the Nautilus using LATCH or your vehicle's seat belts. The Nautilus works three ways:
- As a 5-point harness seat (20 - 65 lbs and 27" - 52")
- As a belt-positioning booster (30 - 100 lbs and 38" - 57")
- As a backless booster (40 - 100 lbs and 40" - 57")
Note: Your vehicle's manual may state a set weight limit for its LATCH anchors (40 or 48 lbs). For use with children above this weight while still in the 5-point harness, the seat must be installed using vehicle seat belts. As a backless booster, use only the vehicle lap and shoulder belts to secure both child and seat. You may install the seat with LATCH or seat belts for both the harnessed seating configuration and the high back booster mode; however, you cannot use LATCH to install the Nautilus as a backless booster.
Convenience: Clean the Nautilus' cover by machine washing in cold water on the delicate cycle and drip drying. With a narrow profile, the Nautilus fits well in many cars. Neutral fabrics and a modern look don't overwhelm your style.
BENEFITS FOR JACK OR JILL
Generous padding keeps kids happy. Cupholders offer children their own personal spot for juice. The wrap-around head support keeps sleepy heads from drooping and the super cushy padding makes for happy car rides.
Comfort: Armrests let junior lounge. Generous cushioning throughout supports little bodies and invites contended road trips. Cupholders add to the feeling of a big-kid seat. When your little angel nods their head, side wings prop them up.
Safety:
- 5-point harness up to 65 lbs forward-facing
- Includes energy absorbing EPS foam
- Meets or exceeds New Car Assessment Protocol (NCAP) - peak Crash Force approximately 2X current Car Seat Standard
- Meets or exceeds FMVSS 213
Note: Safety experts recommend that car seats not be used for longer than a period of 5 - 6 years. Graco has addressed this by recommending use for up to 6 years WITH the seat back attached as either a harnessed seat or booster and for use up to 9 years as a backless booster without the seat back.
COMPARISON
The Britax Frontier features a higher weight capacity (80 lbs) than the Graco Nautilus. The Frontier has only two modes: as a 5-pint harness seat and as a high-back belt positioning booster. While the Nautilus does have a lower harness weight capacity than the Frontier, the budget friendly price-point and easy installation is certainly worth keeping in mind.
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- Matrix
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- Nautilus as a high back booster
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- Nautilus as a backless booster
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Click here to download instruction manual - 20mb (Adobe Reader required) |
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Car seat specs
- Forward-facing weight range
- 20 - 100 lbs.
- Min child weight
- 20 lbs.
- Max child weight
- 100 lbs.
- Min child weight - Forward Facing mode
- 20 lbs.
- Max child weight - Forward facing mode
- 100 lbs.
- Max harness weight capacity
- 65 lbs.
- Minimum weight for booster mode
- 30 lbs.
- Min child height
- 27"
- Max child height
- 57"
- Min child height - Forward facing mode
- 27"
- Max 5-pt harness child height capacity
- 52"
- Min height for booster use
- 38"
- Exterior Seat Depth
- 17"
Car seat dimensions
- Product weight
- 20.5 lbs.
- Seat Base / Foot Width
- 18.5"
- Seat height
- 26" - 34"
- Interior seat width
- 12"
- Interior seat back height
- 22" - 29"
- Bottom to lowest harness slot
- 11.5"
- Bottom to highest harness slot
- 17.5"
- Seat weight (without base)
- 20.5 lbs.
- U.S. Compliance Standard FMVSS 213
- New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) - peak Crash Force approximately 2X Car Seat Standard
- Extreme Car Interior Temperatures
Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 toddler car seat Reviews
All Customer Reviews
- Average Rating:
- Highest Rating:
- Lowest Rating:
- Number of Reviews:
- 16
Nice idea but a pain...
No crotch strap problems here.
Good for big kids, but quality could be better.
It's also comfortable. We just took a 2 day long road trip, and our daughter rode comfortably in the Nautilus, playing on her laptop, reading books, or laughing with her baby brother, the whole way.
Another lesson we learned on that trip is that the upholstery that the Nautilus is made of cleans up really well.
Now, I do have a few complaints with this seat. Compared to our other seats (Britax Marathon, Britax Diplomat, Peg Perego Primo Viaggio) this seat feels CHEAP. It isn't as good quality as the higher priced brands, so I really wonder how it's going to be holding up for us in a few years. The chest clip is hopelessly cheap, and for a while, we had a problem with it sliding down, which isn't safe. The buckle also sticks. The LATCH clips are the hook style, and this seat is harder to install than any of our Britax or Peg Perego seats. It's also ENORMOUS! Since we plan on a third baby within the next couple years, and will need to fit three car seats across the back of my compact car, the Nautilus is being relegated to the Dodge Ram (which our kids barely ever ride in) and replaced with a Sunshine Kids Monterey as soon as our girl outgrows the harness.
Over all, I don't think this seat is bad, really. It just wasn't what I was expecting, and it's not the quality I'm used to. I doubt I'll buy Graco again, but I can definitely recommend this seat to people who are on a budget and need something for their preschool or school aged kids.
Affordable Safety
We now drive a Honda Fit and it allows the driver to push back the seat all the way without crushing the child. The cupholder and side "cubbies" are nice but they do get a lot of schmutz in there, and I've found the best way to empty them is to uninstall the seat and turn the thing upside down (maybe you have cleaner children). The install is *very* easy with either LATCH or the seat belt and because it's smaller than say, a Britax, it easily fits in every backseat we've tried (two-door SUV's, luxury sedans, our compact car).
My three yr old is now 40 lbs, 40 inches and the crotch strap still does not pose a problem, however, I am concerned that he will outgrow the 5 pt harness before he reaches 65 lbs because of the crotch strap issue.
After a year of use, the crotch buckle piece seems to be sticking. Not sure if this is from juice or what, but I called Graco and they are replacing it free of charge (thank you!).
I will probably be purchasing another Nautilus when my 2nd baby outgrows her Graco Snugride 32 - unless Graco somehow manages to top this car seat! I highly recommend this car seat to anyone who wants an affordable 5 pt harness to 65 lbs with a brand they can trust.
Love it, except for one thing...
Comments from The Staff:
Thank you so much for your review. I?m SO sorry to hear that you were unhappy with your Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 toddler car seat. We try to provide as much information we can on our website and through our customer service staff to ensure customers like you end up with a product that is perfect for your needs.
Based off of your feedback we will be contacting the manufacturerto make sure that crotch strap issue can hopefully be corrected on the manufacturing end so others may have a better experience.
Please feel free to contact us with any other questions or concerns you may have and thanks again for the feedback!
Thanks,
Melissa T.
(EliteCarSeats.com)
Easy to use
Good comboination seat for some
Easy to install and use!`
Love It!
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