Need advice on car seat for toddler 27 months

[MickeyMousey]

Hello moms,

I have a 27 month old toddler and she sits in her rear facing carseat (we read it is more safe for them) and she is still in the limits for height and weight too.

But sooner or later we will need to move her to a front facing seat. I have been reading reviews and found Graco nautilius car seat (3-in-1) and graco turbo booster to be good price wise and safety wise.

I cannot spend too much like for the Britax frontier I know they are the best but with single income it is hard for us right now.

We want to get 1 car seat now which will last for the different stages so which do you moms suggest will be good choice? They have to be in a car seat until they are at age 7/8 correct?

If you have any other model suggestions besides the graco pls let me know haven't researched much besides those two.

Thanks for all your help.

Mom of beautiful princess:)

[taylordvd]

Originally Posted by MickeyMousey Graco nautilius car seat (3-in-1)

I own this car seat for my ds who turns 3 in April. I bought the car seat this summer, so I have had it for at least 6 months or more. I REALLY like it. Before this car seat he was in a Britax Marathon and I really wanted to get another Britax, but price drove me to the Nautilius. We have a car seat in each vehicle as my husband and I trade off. Currently, our car has another car seat in it for ds, but when and if he outgrows it before he is ready for a regular booster, I will buy another nautilius. My neighbor bought a nautilius too and she likes hers. The negatives are that it is really heavy and it is pretty big. When she first bought it, she had a tiny car (a VW golf) and it was hard for her kid to get in and out. Now she has a minivan and the size of the car seat is a moot point. Oh and recently my son got car sick and because the car seat was made to come apart, it made it very easy to clean! HTH.

[Beana913]

After much research we bought this one for our son. Learning Curve: Mom's trusted source for care and play products that help families grow
He was about 6 months at the time and very big for his age. He couldn't fit in the baby seat anymore. We can't say enough about it. It's a wonderful, safe, secure seat. He's 21 mo. now and there's still plenty of room! There's videos on the website showing how it works.

[CW&M Mom]

You will get more height from the Nautilus than the one above. Unless you have a real chunky monkey kids tend to grow out height wise vs weight wise on a car seat.

We have the Natutilus for my 7 year old...and she can still be buckled...IMO they are safer buckled then a booster...but the only other options were spec needs seats for her.

Remember though...carseats expire after about 5 years so you may still end up having to get a new booster for her at some point.

[taylordvd]

Originally Posted by cori n wes mom Remember though...carseats expire after about 5 years so you may still end up having to get a new booster for her at some point.

It varies on when a car seat "expires". It would say in the owner's manual of each specific car seat. I think some are 5 years, some are 7 years. Also, each state is different with their car seat laws and requirements. According some states car seat laws I would almost still have to be in a car seat.

[MrsPinecone]

When my kids outgrow their current seats, I will be getting the Graco Nautilus. I have researched until my fingers are sore, and that's the best option for us.

[MickeyMousey]

Thanks everyone for your help.

[thecooperhouse]

We have the turbo booster and love it. The one we have has lights on it and dd loves it!

[Chellebelle7377]

So did you end up getting the Nautilus? I am the market too. Ds is only 15 mo. Went from Chicco Key Fit infant seat to a crappy Costco/Safety 1st and want something different. It says 20 lbs and up and he's 21 and it is still loose on him WITH his winter coat on. Grr. It was a gift so I am using it instead of tossing it. It was a hand me down. It's an older one. Expires soon. We were fine with using it as it wasn't used very much and was in storage most of the time they had it. It was the grandparent's and used for only one child.

[foggierbard9]

Originally Posted by Chellebelle7377 So did you end up getting the Nautilus? I am the market too. Ds is only 15 mo. Went from Chicco Key Fit infant seat to a crappy Costco/Safety 1st and want something different. It says 20 lbs and up and he's 21 and it is still loose on him WITH his winter coat on. Grr. It was a gift so I am using it instead of tossing it. It was a hand me down. It's an older one. Expires soon. We were fine with using it as it wasn't used very much and was in storage most of the time they had it. It was the grandparent's and used for only one child.

If you are looking for a new carseat now then you should check out the Trade In at TRU/BRU(through 2/20). Take in the carseat you are using now(if the grandparents don't mind) and get 25% off of a new one from the participating brands. They do this like twice a year to get old/unsafe stuff out of use and to give you some savings off a new item that is safer. Just a thought since you are looking. We are going to take my son's infant carseat that he used 2 years ago and trade it for a new convertible one for our daughter due in April.