# Nautilus vs. Frontier- can you help me pick?



## sprouthead (Jul 14, 2007)

DS is 15 months- 24 lbs and 31 inches tall. We have a Graco SafeSeat and he is outgrowing the height limit (32 inches) so I would like to order his next carseat. I would like to get a combination seat so that this can be the last seat we get- I think this will save us some money. I think my top choices right now are the Britax Frontier or the Graco Nautilus. The Nautilus is about $50 cheaper, and has the backless booster option, but I know Britax's are highly recommended for other advantages. Does anyone have any input on what I should get, or if there's a different route I should be taking? Carseats overwhelm me!


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## cognito (Nov 30, 2007)

At that age & size I would recommend a good high weight convertible so he can stay RFing. Then you can only need a booster after that.


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## jeca (Sep 21, 2002)

The frontier was about $280 and the nautilus is about $150 when I was looking. Did you find a frontier somewhere for about $200, my friend is still looking for one.


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## sprouthead (Jul 14, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cognito* 
At that age & size I would recommend a good high weight convertible so he can stay RFing. Then you can only need a booster after that.

do you know of a convertible seat that he could sit rear facing in (not exceeding the height limit)? all of the general height limits for rear facing that I've read he exceeds, and I can't buy a convertible carseat just to check, yk?

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jeca* 
The frontier was about $280 and the nautilus is about $150 when I was looking. Did you find a frontier somewhere for about $200, my friend is still looking for one.

i was going to try that live cash back thing.


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## PassionateWriter (Feb 27, 2008)

the height RF'ing is sitting height. how tall is he sitting (torso height)? his head cant be w/in an inch of the top of the seat shell. my son was 23 inches at birth and thats pretty tall and he's still RF'ing at 31 months.

do you have a BRU or Target by you? most BRU have the BV or MA and Target has a True Fit.

either of those should give a 15 month old several years of use.


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## cognito (Nov 30, 2007)

At 15mo many seats should still fit him RFing. I think Dorel is the only company that states a height limit of 36" & 1" of shell above the head for RFing convertibles. ALL others just require 1" of shell above the head. I'd avoid the Comfort Sport for sure, but most have taller shells. If you can, then I'd just take him to a store & try out seats. We play with demos at BRU all the time. Also, if you get a chance look up Extended Rear Facing & you'll understand why we're all recommending convertibles. There are some scary statistics & videos out there about how much safer RFing is over FFing especially for toddlers.


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## riversong (Aug 11, 2005)

My ds is 21 mo and has lots of room to stay RFing in his Boulevard. It's a pricey seat, but if you're interested in Britax already, it's a good one. I suspect my ds will be able to sit in it until he's ready for a booster around 6 yo. My niece just outgrew the Boulevard in height at 7 yo and she's quite tall. I don't know how tall your ds is, though.

FWIW, the Frontier also becomes a backless booster. My dd has one and we like it. I found it on sale for $237 back in July. Definitely look for sales if you're going to buy a Britax.


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## PassionateWriter (Feb 27, 2008)

amazon has the BV on sale for $229 right now (i bought our 2nd one a few weeks ago at that price). only one pattern though.


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## sprouthead (Jul 14, 2007)

oh- I didn't realize that the height limits were for sitting!!









So for those of you who have britaxs (or other convertible car seats) how old/tall are your babies if they are still rf, or how old/tall were they when they outgrew rf?

i definitely understand the benefits of riding rf as long as possible, but my finances are tight so I want to make sure that I'm making the best decision in all regards with this.. I don't want to buy a convertible that he'll only be rf in for a short time, and then still end up needing to buy a bpb and then a backless booster down the road...


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## PassionateWriter (Feb 27, 2008)

my son is 31 months. he is still RF'ing in a BV and i suspect he will be RF"ing until a bit over 3 (no way to reallly know but thats what i think). after that he will be FF'ing until he outgrows the seat....and i suspect he will probably make it at least until 5. there is no guarantee of this but its what i suspect given his growth pattern so far. after that i plan on buying a Frontier (which has a 9 yr expiration date so will be available for hand me down i think....to his younger brother).

right now he's 34.5 inches standing up and well...he's resisting the sitting down height but ill do my best to get that info to you sooner.

so..i guess what i "think" is that a 15 month old will have at least 3 plus years in a BV (im estimated that from 2 years actually).

its all just a guess though.

and if you dont have a child you can hand the seat down to and use it for 3 years, it will still have a good 3 years on it and have a good resale value (check out the car seat board..they have a FSOT section...but you have to be a member for a while there to post in that area...kind of like it used to be here).

good luck!


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sprouthead* 
oh- I didn't realize that the height limits were for sitting!!









So for those of you who have britaxs (or other convertible car seats) how old/tall are your babies if they are still rf, or how old/tall were they when they outgrew rf?

i definitely understand the benefits of riding rf as long as possible, but my finances are tight so I want to make sure that I'm making the best decision in all regards with this.. I don't want to buy a convertible that he'll only be rf in for a short time, and then still end up needing to buy a bpb and then a backless booster down the road...

My tall 3 1/2 yo outgrew the radian rearfacing by height maybe 2 months ago. He was too heavy before that to rf anyways. But to give you an idea, he's huge and could have rearfaced until around 3. Now with the newer 35lb limits it'd be longer. A shorter kid could easily make it to 3 1/2 rfing. And he still has lots of room to grow. I'm pretty sure he'll make it in the radian until 5-6. At that point he would be old enough to go into a high back booster, which is going to cost significantly less than a harnessed seat. So get a good convertible, and then plan in 4-6 years on spending $50 on a booster.


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## DevaMajka (Jul 4, 2005)

I thought I read on car-seat.org that the Frontier says it is to be used only with kids age 2 and up- that's definitely something to look into!


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DevaMajka* 
I thought I read on car-seat.org that the Frontier says it is to be used only with kids age 2 and up- that's definitely something to look into!

Yup, 2 years and 25 lbs. http://www.britaxusa.com/support/doc...P241400_R1.pdf


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Dd was rf in her boulevard until 3.5yrs. If she'd had one rated to 35lbs she could have stayed rf until 4yrs.

She's still safely ff in it and will be for at least another year- maybe longer.

-Angela


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## meetoo (Apr 15, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sprouthead* 
i definitely understand the benefits of riding rf as long as possible, but my finances are tight so I want to make sure that I'm making the best decision in all regards with this.. I don't want to buy a convertible that he'll only be rf in for a short time, and then still end up needing to buy a bpb and then a backless booster down the road...

If your finances are tight I would skip britax seats. You could go with something like the Evenflo truimph advance (130.00). We have this seat and its huge! My DD (5 yrs and 42ish lbs) still fits with some room to grow. I think seat seat would fit many kids until 5. We have the graco nautilus and its really meant for older kids. I'm not 100% sure it would fit a child that size. The bottom slots are pretty high up. my 5 yr old is only a hair above the second slots.


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## sprouthead (Jul 14, 2007)

Does anyone have any input on the Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe? Apparently it's made by Britax but it's $100 cheaper. The rf limit is 33 lbs and the ff limit is 55 lbs, but from what I've read, it sounds like DS will still outgrow a Britax by height before weight.. I'm just hoping that I don't have to end up getting a combination seat down the road, anyway.

I also still have to do more research on boosters now. What is the difference between the belt positioning booster and backless booster?


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sprouthead* 
Does anyone have any input on the Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe? Apparently it's made by Britax but it's $100 cheaper. The rf limit is 33 lbs and the ff limit is 55 lbs, but from what I've read, it sounds like DS will still outgrow a Britax by height before weight.. I'm just hoping that I don't have to end up getting a combination seat down the road, anyway.

I also still have to do more research on boosters now. What is the difference between the belt positioning booster and backless booster?

The fisher price has been discountinued. I haven't seen any for sale recently, and if you find one it will expire much sooner than other seats because they haven't made them for a year or more.

Honestly, I think it's likely you'll need to get a combination seat down the road. By the time he's that age though there should be even MORE great choices.

good luck!

-Angela


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## jillmamma (Apr 11, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sprouthead* 
Does anyone have any input on the Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe? Apparently it's made by Britax but it's $100 cheaper. The rf limit is 33 lbs and the ff limit is 55 lbs, but from what I've read, it sounds like DS will still outgrow a Britax by height before weight.. I'm just hoping that I don't have to end up getting a combination seat down the road, anyway.

I also still have to do more research on boosters now. What is the difference between the belt positioning booster and backless booster?

My DS is 5y8m, and I just had to move him out of his Marathon to a high back booster as he outgrew the Marathon by height. He is about 44-45" and 43ish lb. He hit 32 lb at age 3. DD on the other hand is still RF at age 3 in a Britax Decathlon at 33ish" and 24 lb.

A belt positioning booster (high back booster) looks like this with the high back and the guides above the shoulder for the shoulder belt. A backless booster looks like this that simply holds the child higher so the belt can fit better. Many of the high back boosters will convert by taking the back off to make it a backless booster. A high back booster offers more protection for the head and back, but when a child outgrows it a backless booster can be used to still position the child higher so the belt fits better.


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## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

Ooooo, time to pull out my pics.







Here's Ilana on her last day in the Safeseat (16 mos) and in her MA at 18 mos. See how much more room she has above her head? She's about 31" here w/ a long torso.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...1/mar08017.jpg
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...Branson006.jpg

Here's Evan in his BV, still fing at 5 mos shy of 4yo. He still has a few inches of torso height before he'd have to turn (and about 6#, lol).
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...d/may08006.jpg

Here's AJ in an Evenflo Triumph Advance (you need to try this before you buy it, I have a hard time installing and using it rfing in some cars) at 4.75yo.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...ebr2008007.jpg

Here he is about the same time in a Marathon. Notice the back of the seat is pretty much the same height, so you get as much rfing room out of each.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...n/dec07013.jpg

Here he is again about the same time in a Radian 65, notice it has a slightly taller shell and taller straps.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...t=mar08020.jpg

There's another seat that Target carries now that a lot of people really like, the First Years True Fit, you might look at it too. It's about the same size as the MA, but cheaper.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...8update020.jpg


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## RoadWorkAhead (Sep 8, 2005)

It really depends on your child. DS was over the limits for RFing by 2. At 3.67 almost 3.75 years old, he is too big for DD"s marathon, heightwise. So we went with a Nautilus recently. There is definitely a chance you will need another seat, but you are probably looking at 2 years from now at least.

As to the Nautilus, I accidentally went to strap DD into DS's seat the other day and she looked ridiculous in it at her size. She's same as your son, 31" and 24 lbs. It just dwarfed her!!


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## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

Really, I found the GN fits smaller kids surprisingly well, even though they shouldn't be in them, but many are. Maybe it would've been better if it had been adjuster for her and she had the padding in?


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *thepeach80* 
Really, I found the GN fits smaller kids surprisingly well, even though they shouldn't be in them, but many are. Maybe it would've been better if it had been adjuster for her and she had the padding in?

I put my at the time 11 month old in ds's (in the house, not the car just to see). He fit fine with the padding and didn't look too tiny in it, not that I'd ever use it for him anytime soon (he'll be rearfacing in a MA and then a radian until he outgrows it). I think he's about 22lbs and 30ish inches (haven't had him weighed/measured in a while).


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## RoadWorkAhead (Sep 8, 2005)

Jennifer- I didn't even think about the padding. That probably would've made a huge difference. Not to mention the head rest is higher for DS than it would need to be for her. I am guilty of just seeing ehr as a tiny thing still too! Compared to my giant child, she is pretty small!


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## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

I understand. I had my first comment the other day about Evan and Ilana being twins.







Yes, they are only 4" and maybe 3# apart (maybe 2# since his surgery), but they are still 23 mos apart! Then there's AJ, who comes up on the BMI chart as overweight, yeah right, obviously the chart hasn't seen him.







He just keeps growing. I put him in his GN today and now I think I need to move his straps up to the TOP slot! When we got it 4 mos ago, he seemed to have so much room before he needed the top slot...ugh. I told him he had to stop growing and he just said 'no, I want to go to kindergarten', lol.


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## Nickarolaberry (Dec 24, 2001)

Well I've had the Nautilus for several months. We just got into a car accident the other day (thank G-d everyone is fine) and I am replacing it. With a Frontier.

I like the Graco Nautilus for a lot of reasons: price, high quality straps, awesome, but just awesome, harness adjuster, great cupholders/cubbies, seat is comfy, crotchstrap is adjustable. All in all a very good seat for the $$.

But a few quirks made me replace it with something else:
*HEAD FLOP. As in, the way the head-rest sits, whenever my kids (5 and 3) fall asleep, their heads flop forward and they can't seem to get a good angle.
*Cover is a BEAR to clean/remove.
*Weird head-rest adjustability thing that if you have a kid who needs second-to-highest harness slots but a lower headrest position, it is not compatible. In that case the headrest has to sit too high. My kids complained.

I may or may not like the Frontier better; we'll see. Just giving you the lowdown on the Nautilus. Good luck!


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## RoadWorkAhead (Sep 8, 2005)

See we don't get headflop at all and I like the cover since it means DS isn't taking it off constantly himself like he's always trying to do to his sister's marathon. Just depends on the child.


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## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

We have both seats and I prefer the Frontier. Much less head-flop when sleeping, and I trust Britax's engineering and testing more than Graco (not that I don't trust Graco- my 8yo wouldn't be riding in the Nauti if I didn't feel that it was safe, but for my 30lb, 5.5yo, I prefer the Frontier for the Side Impact Protection)

The Nauti is much easier to install in more vehicles, IME. The cover is a major PITA to remove and put back on, too. My kids love love love the cupholder in the Nauti, the one on the Frontier is okay, but not as neat as the molded-in one that the Nauti has.

If money is a deal-breaker, I'd go for the Nauti and not worry at all. But if you can afford the Frontier, I'd go that way. The Frontier has a 9 year life-span, I forget what the Nauti has, maybe 8? You can get a Frontier for $200 shipped right now using Live Search Cash Back and a coupon (there's a thread about it here in Family Safety), which is pretty darn close to the price of a Nauti.


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

We don't have head flopping either. And if we did, I'd just recline it more (the nautilus). I did end up getting mine for 117, which I don't think you can right now, but that definitely made it worth it price wise over the frontier.

The hbb and harnessed part of the nautilus is good for 6 years and the lbb is good for 9.


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## sprouthead (Jul 14, 2007)

thank you everyone for your input! i wish I'd just posted my questions here first rather than wasting the time trying to figure this out on my own!







:

I'm going to check out the Evenflo seat tomorrow, and if i don't like it then i will probably order the fpsv. i think the dom on them is last summer, so i will only be losing a year that I probably won't need anyway- especially if I end up needing a combination seat after this anyway


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