Need a new carseat and I'm overwhelmed with options.

ShanJosh777 · May 2012

We need a new carseat for H's car because DS is almost 40 pounds and that is the limit on the 5-point harness on the seat he is using. I don't want to move DS to a booster anytime soon, plus he's not even 4 yet. I'm completely confused on what would be the best option to buy at this point.

DS is 41 inches and about 38.5 pounds. He uses a Marathon in my car, but I don't know if we want to buy another Marathon for an almost 4 year old? Or maybe we do?

I was looking at the Graco Nautilus. It is on sale for $138 on Amazon. Do you think this would be a good option for his age and size at this point? Price isn't a huge concern, but of course I don't want to waste money on something he won't be able to use for long or something that's not the best option.

Brewtowngrl · May 2012

We have the nautilus and really like it. It converts to a high back and regular booster so it should last awhile.

SeasideBride06 · May 2012

When it came time to move DD2 into the convertible seat, I got DD1 the Britax Frontier. We have been using it for about 5-6 months now and we LOVE it. I highly recommend it!

I also want to add that I have read several threads on here about this and a lot of people complain about the crotch strap on the Nautilus for little boys. Several complain that it hurts them.

ss+el · May 2012

We're going to have the same dilemma soon, too. I am 95% going to get the Nautilus. Target & BRU have it on sale right now too. Target is $132, BRU was something over $140. They will let your DS try it out at BRU if you are concerned about the crotch being uncomfortable for him.

Snooks · May 2012

We have the Nautilus and the Frontier. We've been using the Frontier for a long time now (many months) and my DD loves it. I think the Nautilus is much larger, and the Britax is much easier to install. She likes both though comfort wise.

AgrippaRidesAgain · May 2012

We have the Nautilus. DS hasn't ever complained about the crotch strap.

shannm · May 2012

We love our Frontier. Also have a Nautilus but haven't used it yet....

mrsbhk22 · May 2012

We have a radian that converts to a booster, but also had a 80lb limit on 5 point harness. My DS is 5 (almost 6) and still using the 5 point harness. He's like 80 percentile for height and about 58 lbs and she still fits great in the 5 point. LOVE the car seat - very safe and sturdy too.

Meeshe · May 2012

Another one that went to the Frontier when my younger one needed the Marathon. She's in a Marathon in one car and the Frontier in the other. My younger is in a Marathon in one and a Scenera in another. Anyway, I like the Frontier other than that it's hella heavy so traveling with it would be difficult. I just bought a bubblebum for that. I prefer the 5 point harness but for the rare travel situations, I think the BB will be fine.

Frontier!

DoughGirl · May 2012

I was on the verge of buying a Nautilus when the new AAP car seat guidelines came out. Since the recommendation is now a hi back booster for 8/80 lbs, I couldn't justify the extra $$ on the Nautilus since we won't likely use it in backless booster mode.

I had DS test it out at a store and I dont think we would have been able to use the 5 point long with the crotch strap issue,

Jena503 · May 2012

The Nautilis, Frontier and Evenflo Maestro are probably the 3 main choices. Pretty sure the Frontier has the highest harness slots. Maestro is the cheapest ($85ish).

We have two Maestros for DD and she likes them. I understand they make lousy boosters, but high back boosters are pretty cheap so buying yet another seat down the road if fine with me.

StatlerWaldorf · May 2012

We debated between the Graco Nautilus and Britax Frontier. Ultimately we went with the Frontier because it felt a little roomier and DD didn't like the headrest in the Nautilus. The Frontier is a little bit more expensive, but I felt like it was worth the money (and I'm usually pretty frugal). It is also very easy to install.

penguingrrl · May 2012

The graco nautilus is a great seat. The top harness slot is 18", so you might want to look at how long his torso is (my 4.5 year old has an over 18" top torso) since a seat is more often outgrown for height (shoulders above the top harness slots) than for weight.

The maestro is a good seat, but it has a weight limit of 50 lbs in harness mode, so might not last as long for a kid who's already 40 lbs at 3. The evenflo securekids 300/400 series is a good seat that's new to the market. It's based on the maestro, but has a higher harness weight limit and the headrest raises so it lasts far longer in booster mode (the maestro makes a good booster, but is outgrown at just about the same time as harness mode since the headrest doesn't rise). These seats all have the same top torso height as the nautilus.

The frontier is a great seat since the top harness slots are 2" higher (approximately 2 extra years of torso growth compared to nautilus/securekid). For some kids this is certainly overkill (for a petite short torsoed kid there is no way they would need this), but for a bigger kid it can be great. But, be careful because it's huge and does not fit in all cars. I drive a beetle and it cannot safely be installed in my car (we tried before having to put my 4 year old in a booster because she had outgrown all options except the frontier).

Paigeo · May 2012

We have a Britax Frontier and both mine and DH's car. They are great seats and we have no complaints.

ShanJosh777 · May 2012

Thank you everyone. I should have mentioned in my original post that my H works for a Suzuki dealer and usually drives a little SX-4 so now I'm worried some of the seats won't fit. Does anyone know if BRU or anywhere lets you actually try the seat in your car?