Graco has not been at the top of my list for infant seats but Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 car seat reviews that I have read made me reconsider when shopping for my 4 year old. Many of my close friends that I know to be very safety conscious mothers are of the collective opinion that Graco might be edging closer to Britax in quality and convenience.
So, I could hardly believe when this heresy was tossed about at a play date. It had always been one for all and all for Britax since the first one in our little group got pregnant. If there was a mom in our bunch that would have stopped short at selling blood to get money to pay for a Britax rather than to settle for a cheap baby car seat, her lack of dedication was well concealed. After all, the resale value and the fact that you could use the seat until baby weighed 65 pounds justified the expensive price, at least until the Graco Nautilus raised the bar with the ability to use this safety seat up to 100 pounds as a backless or high back booster seat.
Digging through the hundreds of individual Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat reviews was at best confusing so I decided to take a leap of faith and get one (it cost over $100 less than the Britax I had my eye on) and post my own Graco Nautilus review because Ticky Moms Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat reviews are the gold standard of baby product reviews, don’t you know?
PROS of the GRACO NAUTILUS 3-in-1 CAR SEAT
1. The cheap cost which I found to be about $100 cheaper than (my previous personal favorite, Britax) and is convertible to a booster which saves even more money down the road
2. Easy installation
3. Construction seems sturdy
4. It is reported to have rated highly in baby car seat safety tests.
5. It keeps the babies in the five point harness until they weigh which in my opinion is a safer option than a booster seat. Plus a Britax booster seat should you have to buy one is another $200 or so when baby weighs over 65 Lbs. which in fairness should be considered when making comparisons of the Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 and the Britax Boulevard.
6. The sippy cup holder in the armrest is nice, but I still have to retrieve the baby’s cup from the floorboard and we also had to shop for a cup that would fit inside the opening properly.
7. The storage compartment where the kids can tuck small toys away inside the armrest is nice. They still fight over the toys, but at times that seems to be just as entertaining as the toys themselves. I know, but what’s a mom to do?
CONS
1. The straps of my Britax Boulevard car seat never twisted so I was not prepared for how easily these straps twisted but they are easy to straighten.
2. The seat is not as easy to clean as my Britax baby car seats.
3. It doesn’t feel as snug and secure when installed our Britax Boulevard and belt has had to be tightened several times. (Is my Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat review beginning to sound like a Britax ad?)
4. The arms of the Graco are very high which makes it virtually impossible for my daughter to get in the seat without me having to lift her which is pretty difficult with a new baby at times. The manufacturer should design the arms to pivot in my opinion.
In closing, the big plus is that it costs a hundred dollars less than Britax (which is no small amount of money to a family on a budget) with only minor, fixable drawbacks and the extended use is another big bonus. As you can tell, I’m still a big fan of Britax but must admit as I stated in this review that according to the opinions of others in Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat reviews as well as my own experience, this car seat is putting pressure on Radian as well as Britax brands. Plus, you rarely see a used Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 car seat for sale and there has to be a reason for that!
These are just my personal opinions and I'm by no means a safety expert. You should rely on the opinions of professionals when purchasing safety gear for your child. Please feel free to add your own opinions, pros and cons on this model and check back to see more Graco Nautilus reviews and opinions submitted by guest writers.
