My son in Nautilus, thoughts

JOII

Active member
I like the buckle/tongues. Though I am used to the Radian right now so I guess I would like anything better. lol.

This seat is HEAVY and awkward to carry. My rough estimate of the weight is 22lbs. I would never recommend it to some one who has travel seat as a high priority on their list. The Radian weighs about the same however it’s much easier to carry.

It did not install in our car as easily as the Radian or MA, but it does install nice and easy.

I like the stiff buckle pad, it keeps the buckle from sliding under the bum really well, the MA/Radian pads never did that for me.

The arm rests/cup holder makes it slightly harder to lift the child into the seat. I bumped him in the side the first few times I loaded him in. Though I am used to the very low/ non-existent Radian sides right now.

Shoulder room is tight. For him it appears to be tighter then the Radian.

For fun I tried it in BPB mode (though he is to small) and of course, he has no business being in one. He started to slip under the belt within a few minutes. He also said it was "weird" lol.

I will be keeping the seat and may be making it his primary seat as I am fairly sure we will be FFing him after his third birthday.

Owen will be 3 in 2 weeks. He is 28 lbs and 38", with a torso between 14 - 15" He is on the second slots with lots of space till he needs to move up.

IMG_5107.jpg


IMG_5106.jpg


Note: there is ANOTHER set of slots at the tips of his ears, sorry I didnt get them in the pic.

IMG_5105.jpg


IMG_5108.jpg


IMG_5109.jpg


For comparison, Owen in Radian

IMG_2930.jpg
 
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mamabear

New member
thank you so much for showing that.

I think it just re affirmed that I will not be getting a Nautilus.

He looked so much more comfortable to me in the last pic (the radian)
 
K

keazasmom

Guest
so he is on the second slots up from the bottom? i cant wait to see how much more room my son with a 13 inch torso has in this seat. but i am trying to wait until they put it out on display so i can play with it.:D
kirsten
 

Kat_Momof3

New member
Omg... in your siggy pic... that's how Ruthie always flung her legs when rf!

And, in the Radian FF, she still does that... she rests her feet on the Vehicle seat.

I'm glad someone has had a chance to snap booster pics of it. I just haven't... mostly as I don't want Ruthie thinking she can use the seat as one before she's outgrown the harnesses, but also because Jeffrey is very jealous of this new seat and has been on me to give it to him as a booster (he's not willing to use it with the harnesses and with a kid who is mature enough, over 6, over 50lbs, I pick my battles).

So I'm not teasing him by taking pics of him in it as a booster... at least not YET.

Now when I get his pics taken at walmart and I'm buying him yu-gi-oh cards and can explain to him it is so people can see a big handsome boy who is big enough to use a booster demonstrate it, I'm sure he'll go for it.

I found the Radian heavier than the Nautilus, though... so I'm amazed how some people here have found the Nautilus heavy when I find it rather light by comparison.

I also found it the easiest seatbelt install (once I opened the velcro tabs at the top to loosen the cover... the manual even suggests this!) I have done in a long time.... maybe a little easier than the marathon, as I didn't even have to use my knee... I used my hand instead.

However, Ruthie is frustrated (and I'm sorry about it but feel it is too small of a complaint to bother with) because she can't undo the chest clip or buckle on her own, let alone loosen it (I think this is good... she's a moody bugger, though she had recently stopped undoing her chest clip and flinging her arms from the straps when tantruming.. god bless age... I am glad not to have had to pull over and wait it out in the past few months) and either because of the armrests or just the general thickness of the seat (and she needs it reclined all the way to be comfortable sleeping because it is such an upright seat and she's a neck flopper...she needed all the recline possible on the Radian FF and couldn't sleep well in the Regent), she can't get in the seat on her own.

Now she IS a monkey, so I think that will change and soon she will be getting in on her own again, plus it's such a deep seat that it helps me to put her in myself so I can be sure her bum is all the way back.

But if self-boarding is a necessary thing, I would consider the Radian over this one.

However, for me, Ruthie is my youngest, the only one I even have to buckle, so it's not even an afterthought. The only thing important to me is that this will give her more harness height, good sleep support, and is affordable.

It surpasses my needs by also making a good highback and backless booster.
 

USmominOz

New member
Omg... in your siggy pic... that's how Ruthie always flung her legs when rf!

And, in the Radian FF, she still does that... she rests her feet on the Vehicle seat.

I'm glad someone has had a chance to snap booster pics of it. I just haven't... mostly as I don't want Ruthie thinking she can use the seat as one before she's outgrown the harnesses, but also because Jeffrey is very jealous of this new seat and has been on me to give it to him as a booster (he's not willing to use it with the harnesses and with a kid who is mature enough, over 6, over 50lbs, I pick my battles).

So I'm not teasing him by taking pics of him in it as a booster... at least not YET.

Now when I get his pics taken at walmart and I'm buying him yu-gi-oh cards and can explain to him it is so people can see a big handsome boy who is big enough to use a booster demonstrate it, I'm sure he'll go for it.

I found the Radian heavier than the Nautilus, though... so I'm amazed how some people here have found the Nautilus heavy when I find it rather light by comparison.

I also found it the easiest seatbelt install (once I opened the velcro tabs at the top to loosen the cover... the manual even suggests this!) I have done in a long time.... maybe a little easier than the marathon, as I didn't even have to use my knee... I used my hand instead.

However, Ruthie is frustrated (and I'm sorry about it but feel it is too small of a complaint to bother with) because she can't undo the chest clip or buckle on her own, let alone loosen it (I think this is good... she's a moody bugger, though she had recently stopped undoing her chest clip and flinging her arms from the straps when tantruming.. god bless age... I am glad not to have had to pull over and wait it out in the past few months) and either because of the armrests or just the general thickness of the seat (and she needs it reclined all the way to be comfortable sleeping because it is such an upright seat and she's a neck flopper...she needed all the recline possible on the Radian FF and couldn't sleep well in the Regent), she can't get in the seat on her own.

Now she IS a monkey, so I think that will change and soon she will be getting in on her own again, plus it's such a deep seat that it helps me to put her in myself so I can be sure her bum is all the way back.

But if self-boarding is a necessary thing, I would consider the Radian over this one.

However, for me, Ruthie is my youngest, the only one I even have to buckle, so it's not even an afterthought. The only thing important to me is that this will give her more harness height, good sleep support, and is affordable.

It surpasses my needs by also making a good highback and backless booster.

Kat,

I would love to know if he will be able to buckle himself in in booster mode. Could you let me know if it is easy or hard?
Also can Ruthie climb in by herself? Do you think that it would be harder to climb in when used as a booster compared to the Turbo?
Also can Ruthie sit Indian style (cross legged) in the seat? Bryan is still in his Blvd and likes to cross his legs, indian style in his seat. But I don't know how much time he has left in his blvd and I am looking at having one sent over or buying one when I am home in Dec.

Thanks,
 

Mom2nj

Member
I asked this in another thread I started, but do you think that the padding is more or less in the Nautilus in the seat/butt area? My DS complains that his butt gets sore on long trips, and in our Radian, when the belly pad is lifted up and put where it is intended, there is no padding because of the option to move the buckle to different locations. Thanks.
 

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
Just curious if the OP or anyone else who bought a Nautilus has tried fully extending it to the topmost height position in their vehicle? I know Kat has a Caravan, and I'm not sure what vehicle the OP drives, but it looks like it might be a van or SUV? Does the Nautilus touch the vehicle's ceiling when fully extended, particularly in a third row, or a vehicle with a "swoopier" rear roofline, where there's usually less headroom? I'm wondering because the Nautilus seems pretty tall in the OP's photo with her DS using it in the second harness slot. I'm thinking ahead to when it needs to be moved up, and also thinking of whether I'd want to use one in the third row in my Sienna. :) Sorry for my rambling questions. I'm a planner and try to factor in this sort of stuff when pondering new seats. :)
 
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JOII

Active member
I asked this in another thread I started, but do you think that the padding is more or less in the Nautilus in the seat/butt area?

I think its slightly more padded, but not signifigantly. Though I find the seat area in the GN to be more narrow because of where the harness comes out of.

Just curious if the OP or anyone else who bought a Nautilus has tried fully extending it to the topmost height position in their vehicle?

We have a 03 Chevy Trailblazer. The head rest does extend very high. I couldnt measure but it looks to be about 6" or so from the roof. Its a level roof, no sloping at the point where the GN is installed.

IMG_5118.jpg


Level view from front passenger seat

IMG_5119.jpg
 

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
Thanks for the pictures, and glad to know it will fit fully extended in your SUV. :thumbsup: My Sienna's third row has a lower ceiling than the second row, especially outboard, due to the slope of the roofline. Based on the overall height measurement in Tumblebug's review photos in the reviews forum and what I'm seeing here in this thread, I'm thinking the GN will be very tight or touching the ceiling when fully raised up in the Sienna's third row, but still a possibility in the second row. I expect it will block a good portion of the rear view as well, but then again our Regent currently installed in the third row blocks it a little already, lol.

I'm curious to see for reference's sake if Kat has tried her Nautilus fully extended in her van's third row, especially because I think I remember her posting on BC about the Parkway hitting the van's ceiling in the third row. The Nautilus seems to be as tall if not taller than the Parkway at the tallest setting.

Ideally the Nautilus would be usable long term in harnessed or highback mode in any given vehicle, but I'm thinking it will depend a lot on the vehicle headroom and roofline over the rear seats. It's probably worth trying out fully extended to gauge the long term usability even if it fits at a lower setting for current usage. Again, I'm rambling and thinking long-term/big picture here. Thanks for indulging me. :)
 

Kat_Momof3

New member
Just curious if the OP or anyone else who bought a Nautilus has tried fully extending it to the topmost height position in their vehicle? I know Kat has a Caravan, and I'm not sure what vehicle the OP drives, but it looks like it might be a van or SUV? Does the Nautilus touch the vehicle's ceiling when fully extended, particularly in a third row, or a vehicle with a "swoopier" rear roofline, where there's usually less headroom? I'm wondering because the Nautilus seems pretty tall in the OP's photo with her DS using it in the second harness slot. I'm thinking ahead to when it needs to be moved up, and also thinking of whether I'd want to use one in the third row in my Sienna. :) Sorry for my rambling questions. I'm a planner and try to factor in this sort of stuff when pondering new seats. :)

in the third row of my Caravan, the ceiling is much lower and even a turbo does not work fully raised. The only highback that can go all the way to the top setting and fit in the third row is the FPSVB, because of the narrow and thin headwings giving a whole inch of space that allows it.

Now, in the center, it might work, but without a shoulderbelt in there, I'd be looking at an 86-Y harness at that time (one reason the sheer height just thrills me... I can't use latch back there obviously, so the Monterey's latch compatibility isn't needed, so getting it now made sense for that, too)

I'm going to be taking Jeffrey to Walmart to get his picture taken, so I'll take my camera and play around with the seat and let him try it out as a booster (but I'm not removing the harnesses for the pics... I'll tighten it all the way, push the chest clip down, that sort of thing. He won't ride in it that way, just for demonstration.
 

Kat_Momof3

New member
Kat,

I would love to know if he will be able to buckle himself in in booster mode. Could you let me know if it is easy or hard?
Also can Ruthie climb in by herself? Do you think that it would be harder to climb in when used as a booster compared to the Turbo?
Also can Ruthie sit Indian style (cross legged) in the seat? Bryan is still in his Blvd and likes to cross his legs, indian style in his seat. But I don't know how much time he has left in his blvd and I am looking at having one sent over or buying one when I am home in Dec.

Thanks,

She can't climb in by herself yet.. because I have it all the way reclined and she's all torso. If she were leggier, or a couple of inches taller, she'd be able to easily.

As a booster, it is easy. Both boys can hop in it easily.
Ruthie does sit cross legged. Jeffrey can't sit that way in it, but Ruthie can easily... because she's harnessed.

And I'll see about the buckling themselves in booster mode when I test it as a booster with Jeffrey.

I've been waiting to post a full review until I can get pics of it in each mode of use.
 

USmominOz

New member
She can't climb in by herself yet.. because I have it all the way reclined and she's all torso. If she were leggier, or a couple of inches taller, she'd be able to easily.

As a booster, it is easy. Both boys can hop in it easily.
Ruthie does sit cross legged. Jeffrey can't sit that way in it, but Ruthie can easily... because she's harnessed.

And I'll see about the buckling themselves in booster mode when I test it as a booster with Jeffrey.

I've been waiting to post a full review until I can get pics of it in each mode of use.

Thanks Kat,

I can't wait to read your review.
I am just happy that she can sit cross legged, because that is the way Bryan always sits in his seats.
 

Kat_Momof3

New member
Okay... I got more pics and am satisfied enough (for now) to go ahead and type up a review in the carseat reviews section... so it will be there if you guys want to read it.
 

BuckeyezRule

New member
I had the kids 'play' in the seat too. Both can sit cross legged. I have no idea where they get that from (said as I'm sitting that way in my 'puter chair LOL) . Both climb into their seats in the car by themselves, & Lucas can buckle himself in, though Belle cannot, but she is working on it. It was easier in the summer w/o heavy coats.:D We have a Honda Pilot SUV, & my friend was admiring the seat last night, & she pulled the head rest up & out w/o hitting our ceiling in the middle row.;)
 

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
After looking at Tumblebug's and Kat's reviews again, I realized we don't seem to have a measurement for the overall height of the Nautilus with the headrest raised fully to the highest position. I see 28" measured from the seating area up to the top of the headrest in Tumblebug's clever measurements photo, but not an overall height for the entire Nautilus from the top of the headrest all the way down to the bottom of the base. Anyone wanna whip out their tape measure again, pretty please? ;) It will give us another helpful reference point for those with more compact vehicles/swoopier rooflines to compare to the available space between the vehicle seating area and ceiling. Then I'll promise to quit bugging you on this point, other than to possibly remind people interested in the Nautilus to factor in the tallest height setting relative to their specific vehicle. :)
 

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