Top Customer Reviews Car seat baby product

Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat

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.

Versatile, Convertible Design Lasts through Early Childhood
The Nautilus features an extended five-point harness design that can accommodate children over the age of one, from 20 to 65 pounds in weight--a wider range than most other forward-facing car seats. As your child grows, the seat easily converts to a high-back booster and then, lastly, to a backless booster for a child up to 100 pounds in weight. A steel-reinforced frame and superior construction help to ensure safety and durability through years of use.

Built for Comfort and Superior Safety
You can rest assured that your child will have superior protection while riding in the Nautilus, thanks to extensive crash testing and a steel-reinforced structure. The car seat meets or exceeds US Safety Standards, including U.S. Compliance Standard FMVSS 213; the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP), with peak Crash Force approximately twice the Car Seat Standard; and tests for Extreme Car Interior Temperatures. EPS energy-absorbing foam provides additional security and comfort.
As well as being secure and safe, your child will feel extra-comfy, too, with an easily adjustable head support, cushioned seat, and wide armrests; a cup holder and side storage keeps snacks and treasures close at hand.
About Graco
In 1942, Russell Gray and Robert Cone formed Graco Metal Products, in Philadelphia, PA. For 11 years, the firm fabricated machine and car parts for local manufacturers. In 1953, Gray left the firm, leaving Cone as sole owner. Cone decided to manufacture his own line of products, but had trouble coming up with ideas. Enter David Saint, an engineer, tinkerer, and stained glass artisan who worked for Graco. Saint, himself a father of nine, was intrigued when an associate told him how his wife would soothe their tired and cranky baby while swinging in a backyard glider swing. Acting on this inspiration, he went to the drawing board and 18 months of hard work later, the world's first wind-up infant swing, the Graco Swyngomatic, was born. Graco sold millions of Swyngomatics in the coming years, becoming one of the world's leading manufacturers of juvenile products in the process. Today, Graco is a Newell Rubbermaid company, with 1500 associates worldwide. While a half-century has brought many changes to Graco, their dedication and commitment to designing and manufacturing top-quality products remains, and continues on.
What's in the Box
Graco Nautilus 3-in 1 Toddler Car Seat (Matrix). 

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Customer Reviews (972 customer reviews)

better than radian or britax in my humble opinion

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 Value
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.

Love this carseat!
I bought this seat two weeks ago for my six-year-old and we both love it. She's pretty close to 40 pounds and was about to outgrow her current seat. I'd like her harnessed a little longer in one of our vehicles that has "backseat issues". I was thrilled when this seat came out. I really like Graco products and since this was more of a want than a need, I couldn't justify $300 for some of the other higher-weight-harnessing seats.
Putting it together was a little weird. It was difficult to pop the arm rests in. It's supposed to make a click, but it was a very quiet sound. They must be in right, though, because she puts her weight on them getting in and out and they haven't wiggled.
The strap adjuster took some time to get used to. It has a shield over the release so a child can't loosen the straps. But this also means you can't see it, so you have to feel around for it.
The cupholder is great. It actually holds a real bottle of water rather than just a sippy cup. Big kids use water bottles!
I've installed it in my Camry with the lap/shoulder seatbelt and it went in like a dream. It will eventually be in the Jeep Cherokee. Although I haven't tried it in there, I don't anticipate any problems.
The headrest sticks when you raise and lower it, but it should loosen up and that won't need to be done all that often, anyway.
Be sure to pay attention to the specifics. Children must be one year old and weigh 20 pounds (both, not either/or) to use this seat and it's forward-facing only. Even though you can use it at 20 pounds, I'd recommend leaving your child rear-facing until 30-35 pounds (depending on the seat) in a convertible seat. Not only will your child be much safer, you'll get more use out of the Nautilus. Since the Nautilus expires after six years, if you get it for your one-year-old it'll expire when he's seven and you'll still need another booster. If you get it when he's two or three, it'll expire when he's eight or nine and can go straight into a seatbelt.

LAST carseat you'll need!
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.)

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