Graco Booster Seat Review: The Graco Nautilus Car Seat

This Graco booster seat review is only my 5th car seat review on this site. I really want to be careful about the seats I review and only review the car seats that I know are tops in their category.

I’ve personally checked out the other seats I’ve reviewed and they had to pass my screening process. I’m a grandfather and buying car seats for my grandchildren was why I was inspired to develop this site.

Brown Graco Nautilus 3 in 1 Car Seat


Graco Nautilus Car Seat



Graco Nautilus Car Seat

The Graco Nautilus car seat certainly passed all of my requirements to earn a review on this site. It’s extremely safe, comfortable and is designed for years of use. It also scores extremely high on user ratings and that’s very important to me.


Why Buy a Booster Seat?

The Graco booster seat is designed to lift your child to a higher position in the back seat. This makes the shoulder belt fit at a correct angle that will protect your youngster in case of an accident.

The booster also insures that the lap belt is in the right position so your child isn’t injured by the belt being in the wrong location. If the belt doesn’t sit right, a child could suffer abdominal injury from a seat belt in case of a crash.

I liked this Graco booster seat for many reasons. One of those reasons is the fact it's a 3 in 1 car seat. That means that this seat is a forward facing seat from your child's weight of 20-65 pounds. It then converts to a high backed booster seat and then a backless booster seat until your youngster reaches a weight of 100 pounds. The seat truly grows with your child.

Whenever you’re looking at car seats, you must take the following issues into consideration:

Safety Issues

Ease of Installation

Dependable Restraining System

Comfort Level

Detachable Pad

 Graco nautilus Car Seat


Graco Nautilus Car Seat



Safety Issues

In the U.S. every state requires a booster seat be used until a child has reached a certain age or size. The size is usually around 4 ft. 9 inches tall.

This Graco booster seat has a 5 point harness system for use up to 65 pounds. The seat then converts to a high back booster and then a backless booster up to a youngster weighing 100 pounds.

The steel reinforced structure has scored very high on crash tests. It passed tests that were at twice the crash forces required and considered standard.


Ease of Installation

There were many contradictions here. I haven’t tried to install this seat so I'm not sure what to believe. Some of the users reported that the Graco Nautilus car seat was super easy to install while others thought it was difficult.

I will say that some of the people who struggled were trying to install the seat in unusual places such as in the front passenger seat of a small pickup. Since manufacturers aren’t encouraged to have consumers use their seats in the front seat, the instructions didn’t cover this positioning.


Dependable Restraining System

This Graco booster seat is a 3 in 1 car seat. That means that it serves as a front facing car seat, a high back booster seat and a backless booster.

The restraint is the extremely safe and effective 5 point harness sytem. This seat is designed for children to sit in the forward facing seat until they reach the weight of 65 pounds. The seat then converts to the booster option.


Comfort Level

The Graco Nautilus Car Seat is very cushy and users report that their children are very comfortable in this seat. The seat sports EPS foam which gives extra comfort and safety to this already safe seat.

The seat has head supports which are no problem to adjust, a seat that is softly cushioned and armrests which are very wide. The seat features all of this comfort along with side storage and a cup holder.


Detachable Pad

The fact is that kids can really mess up the pad they sit on. The Graco booster seat has an easily detachable pad that is machine washable. After washing, it smoothly snaps back in place.

Little Girl in Graco Nautilus Car Seat


Graco Nautilus Car Seat



What’s the Cost?

The Graco Nautilus car seat compares favorably in cost with it’s competitor, the Britax Frontier. The Frontier sells on Amazon for $223.95.

This Graco booster seat lists at $179.99. You can usually find it online for around $150.00. Amazon has it now selling for $137.98 and that includes free shipping.


Does it Include a Warranty?

The warranty is a 1 year limited manufacturer’s warranty.


What Others Are Saying

The average review from owners is a very high and satisfied 4.5 stars out of 5 possible. However what I found really impressive is that there are 848 user reviews on Amazon. It means a great deal for so many owners to take the time to write a review.

Here are some of the comments:

Amazing Car Seat- Design and Value

Best Car Seat

Second One I’ve Purchased

Snazzy and Comfy!

Love It

More Practical Than Britax

One of the reviews really impressed me and I’ve decided to put some of it here for you to read: “My wife, an M.D., did weeks of research with the number 1 priority being safety, safety, and one more time, safety.

We give thumbs up to this Graco car seat (We own three of these seats now). The price completely beats Britax. We love the design and installing the Graco was no problem."

Complaints

There are very few complaints among the owner reviews. However some people, as I mentioned earlier, have trouble with installation. I’ve found that any car seat can be installed wrong or with difficulty so I'm not sure how much to make of this.

There are two other complaints that keep popping up. One regards the buckle and that it needs another notch so that a growing child can still fit comfortably in the seat.

The other complaint is the headrest. Many owners feel that the headrest leads to serious slumping and makes it impossible for a child to really lay their head back on the seat.

Where Can You Buy the Graco Nautilus car seat?

The Graco booster seat 3 in 1 car seat is available from Amazon. They have the best price I can find online and the deal is even sweeter thanks to free shipping.

Where Can You Read More Reviews for the Graco Nautilus Car Seat?

To read over 800 reviews from owners who have bought and used the product, the best place is Amazon. Click here to read more.




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