The Graco Nautilus 3-in 1 Toddler Car Seat (Matrix) offers: Forward-facing car seat can accommodate children up to 65 pounds. Conversion to back booster and backless booster for accommodating children up to 100 pounds. Meets or exceeds US safety standards. Integrated cup holder and side storage.

The steel-reinforced structure ensures your child's safety. View larger.

By removing the back, the Nautilus will accompany a child up to 100 pounds.

Versatile, Convertible Design Lasts through Early Childhood
The Nautilus features an extended five-point harness design that can accommodate children over the age of one, from 20 to 65 pounds in weight–a wider range than most other forward-facing car seats. As your child grows, the seat easily converts to a high-back booster and then, lastly, to a backless booster for a child up to 100 pounds in weight. A steel-reinforced frame and superior construction help to ensure safety and durability through years of use.

Built for Comfort and Superior Safety
You can rest assured that your child will have superior protection while riding in the Nautilus, thanks to extensive crash testing and a steel-reinforced structure. The car seat meets or exceeds US Safety Standards, including U.S. Compliance Standard FMVSS 213; the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP), with peak Crash Force approximately twice the Car Seat Standard; and tests for Extreme Car Interior Temperatures. EPS energy-absorbing foam provides additional security and comfort.

As well as being secure and safe, your child will feel extra-comfy, too, with an easily adjustable head support, cushioned seat, and wide armrests; a cup holder and side storage keeps snacks and treasures close at hand.

About Graco
In 1942, Russell Gray and Robert Cone formed Graco Metal Products, in Philadelphia, PA. For 11 years, the firm fabricated machine and car parts for local manufacturers. In 1953, Gray left the firm, leaving Cone as sole owner. Cone decided to manufacture his own line of products, but had trouble coming up with ideas. Enter David Saint, an engineer, tinkerer, and stained glass artisan who worked for Graco. Saint, himself a father of nine, was intrigued when an associate told him how his wife would soothe their tired and cranky baby while swinging in a backyard glider swing. Acting on this inspiration, he went to the drawing board and 18 months of hard work later, the world's first wind-up infant swing, the Graco Swyngomatic, was born. Graco sold millions of Swyngomatics in the coming years, becoming one of the world's leading manufacturers of juvenile products in the process. Today, Graco is a Newell Rubbermaid company, with 1500 associates worldwide. While a half-century has brought many changes to Graco, their dedication and commitment to designing and manufacturing top-quality products remains, and continues on.

What's in the Box
Graco Nautilus 3-in 1 Toddler Car Seat (Matrix).

Pros:

1. Versatile – can be used as a 5 point harness seat, a booster with a back, or a backless booster

2. Comfortable – My daughter has never complained about being uncomfortable in the Nautilus. She has fallen asleep in it numerous times and has traveled in it on trips as long as 4 1/2 hours.

4. Cup Holder – This is my daughter's favorite feature!

5. Cubbies in the armrests – Great for storing toys, snacks, and child-size sunglasses

6. Easy to loosen and tighten the straps

7. Seems sturdy and safe

Cons:

1. The buckle is very difficult to attach and detach! I almost always need to use two hands and as a mom, it seems like I usually only have one free! I much prefer the buckles on Britax car seats – they are so much easier to do with one hand.

2. This seat is wide! It takes up a lot of room in the car.

3. Heavy (I guess a safe car seat is going to be heavy)

4. A pain to take apart and wash. We've only done it once, but after that experience we made a "no eating in the car" rule. We don't want to have to clean it again!

All things considered, I do think I would buy this car seat again.

Our biggest complaint was the tight crotch strap. My son is just over two years old and 30 lbs and already the crotch strap is under his butt. Upon reading the materials and contacting Graco you discover that once that happens you can no longer use the 5 pt harness and the seat MUST be converted to a booster. Not only is that not what we wanted but it is illegal for a 2 year old to be in a booster seat!

At the store we got out our measuring tape and Frontier's crotch notches begin where the Nautilus ends! I am convinced that the Nautilus is made for younger naive parents who don't realize how much (and in what ways) their children will grow.

If you have super skinny, rail-thin children maybe this will work for a while. If you have a normal child be prepared to buy another seat down the road.