Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat Reviews

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By D.M.B. “marcell55″

Up until now, I’ve had Evenflo car seats for my toddler because of their Consumer Reports rating, however, my husband and I were never really thrilled with their ease of use. She’s about to outgrow the 40 lb. weight limit on them, however, and it was time to find a car seat / booster that would grow with her until she was big enough to sit in the car by herself. This car seat was perfect for that!

I researched for a while before selecting this car seat. I purchased one to try it out before purchasing another 2 so that we’ll ultimately have 3. (One for each of our cars, plus one for our babysitter’s car.) I’m thrilled with the seat and am now purchasing the other two!

The things I like:
1. The car seat just feels and looks well made. The fabric is nice, the arms are built well, the chair is a good size, but also fits perfectly well in our car. Cup holder is built in and sturdy, not flimsly like the other’s I’ve had.

2. Easy to size with lots of slots for the internal harness and lots of positions for the headrest. The adjustment to tighten or loosen the harness is also very easy to get to and adjust.

3. Great headrest. I love the “wings” on the headrest…gives my toddler something to rest her head on when she falls asleep.

4. The internal harness buckles are very well made; buckle and release very smoothly. I also like the padding for the upper part of the harness (never had these on my other carseats.)

5. Easy to install in car. It was also very easy to tighten…it fit well on the seat and tightened up very easily. Car seat didn’t even budge once I had it tightened.

All in all I’m more than pleased with this purchase. Amazing price (plus free Amazon shipping) for what you’re getting!!

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By Brian A. Dauernheim

We had been looking for a “booster” seat with a higher weight limit harness for a while, so we were glad to see this alternative to the higher priced Sunshine Kids, Recaro and Britax models. We had our daughter try it out in person before ordering, and she thought it was comfy. We’ve been using it for about a month now, and she’s been very happy with it. She’s still able to fall asleep on longer trips, and she loves the cupholder more than anything.
The seat is easy to install, and very stable once it’s in. The straps are easy to tighten and loosen as well, and everything fits well.

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By J. Williams

When I first saw this carseat on the sales floor, I felt as though it blew all others in comparison away. I approached a sales associate to enquire about any in overstock, nearby stores, or ordering and she practically laughed in my face. I shopped around a little more but could not find a seat I liked as well. I am so happy I held out for this one. My son is a very tall 2 year old and this seat fits him perfectly. Putting it together was easy. The seat seems very sturdy, durable, and safe. The seat is also very stylish. What is most important is how much my son likes to ride in his new seat, he even talks about it to everyone. I wish I had gotten this carseat to begin with but atleast I know he will have it for quite a while since it will grow with him.

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By 2 boys’ Mom

We bought this carseat because we have always been happy with Graco and we hope that this will be the last car seat that we have to buy our son (Virginia requires kids be in some type of car/booster seat until they are 8). We like that our son can be in a 5-point harness until he’s 65 lbs and then we can convert the seat to a high-back booster or backless booster. Our son loves the seat, especially the cup holder. The only thing we don’t like about the carseat is that the bottom isn’t padded very well…we will have to see how he does when we travel. Also note that the extra padding insert shown with the 5-seat harness only works with the harness straps at their lowest position, so once they pass that, there is no extra padding. Overall, a great carseat for the price. Hopefully it will last for 5 more years! UPDATE: There is no way that your child will be able to wear the 5 point harness until he/she is 65 lbs. Our son just turned three, weighs 30 lbs, and is very slim for his age. We have had to remove the 5 point harness because the strap that goes between the legs does not sit far enough away from the back of the seat, leaving little room for comfort. He complained about it hurting, so we now use the regular seatbelt. Unfortunate, but at least we were able to have the harness for an extended amount of time. FYI…the car seat is extremely easy to use with the regular car seatbelt.

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By Kate B. “KP”

After owning only Britax seats through the years, we recently bought this seat as an extra. It will be used for quick trips in the communter car… but… it is a fantastic seat! It is built solid, with great features similar to the Britax. It has a wraparound head area, and adjustable height that is easy to change. The belts do not twist, and are adjustable in the front, with rollers in the back to keep them moving smoothly. My daughter was slumping forward when sleeping, but with the recline it is not an issue. We attached with the top tether and LATCH (she is still under the max weight) and it was a breeze. It is a wonderful alternative to the belt-positioning booster, for now, until 65 pounds! It can easily convert to three different seats as she gets older. This will truely last a long time. We are pleased in every way and think that it was well worth more money. The harness is the biggest feature that we bought it for, and would buy it again. Hope that this helps anyone on the fence~ Britax are great seats, but this is as well.

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By Mendell R. Holley “military dad”

This is or should I say was our second Nautilus. Today we were rear ended as we sat at a red light. Teenager trying to text, hit us at 45 mph. Car totaled, mom with major back and neck pain, dad writing this review with broken wrist and both daughters running around wondering why daddy can’t just fix the car! This seat might be heavy as some reviewers have said. It might be a little more spendy as well. When it comes to the safety of daddy’s little girls, I am on here getting two more for them right now. We will all survive with bumps and bruises, but my daughters were 100% restrained, seats still look great, but are being replaced due to the crash. Hope it helps in your search for a great seat! They absolutely love the cubby bins and drink holder.

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By S. Alvarez “Raising a bilingual child”

This is our third car seat (went from infant bucket seat to a convertible seat) and this is the best fit in our car so far (other seats were another brand). We considered two other highly-rated seats (by Evenflo and Britax), but liked this one the best upon seeing it in the stores. This one looks good, it’s comfy and seems built to last. Plus, the price is right. It also is not quite as bulky as the other two we considered which was helpful in our mid-size car. My 2 1/2 yr-old was reluctant when we were trying out seats in the stores, but when we showed him the cup holder and the storage bins on the side, he was sold on it, too! This should be the last seat we buy for him and for that we’re grateful.

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By D. Grieco

I was so excited that Graco has come out with this product. Saw some preliminary reviews and then purchased it! The seat is great! I love the cupholder and toy holder – no more whining when one gets dropped! I love the room he has. . . and the naps are much better and more sound. My son is going to be 3 in July and my daughter is now in his seat (rear-facing) and I will prob. just get another one of these Nautilis seats when she is finally forward facing. Love it! Can’t get the high quality safety at this price anywhere else! LOVE it!

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By J. Prather “cajun mom”

This is a great carseat! I found it easy to assemble and install using the LATCH system. The straps are easy to adjust, and I really wanted a carseat that used the harness up to 65lbs. I bought 2–one for my van and one for my husband’s car. We have both been happy so far. I would recommend this carseat to anyone needing a booster.

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By Kitty Litter

We got this as a gift for my son’s 1st b-day but we needed 2 so I went to Babies R Us & tried out ALL of the front facing 25+ lbs seats in case I wanted a different one. I wanted a 3 in one, but I would have gotten a regular one if it was better than all of the 3 in ones. Anyway, this was the best by far. Its comfy, secure, easy to use, and he loves it, he loves the secret compartments and hides binkies and his blankies in them. It doesn’t hurt that it looks cool too. I felt kind of like a jerk for making my husband & my son try all of the car seats out when I ended up picking the same one, but at least I’m sure its the best.