My Nautilus' Maiden Voyage (Pics)

unityco

Ambassador - CPS Technician
And it was quite an adventure too. :rolleyes:

DH decided we needed to go cut down our own tree way out of town today (I'll spare you the novel about why it's so late. :rolleyes:) Grandma and our nanny wanted to tag along, so we decided to take the van. Only once we get on the highway does DH mention that the windshield wipers aren't working. :eek: It was a "great" drive on the sloppy roads. :rolleyes:

Anyway... I had set the seat up last night. Put DS in it this morning and was thrilled by how much room he had left. :thumbsup: (I lowered the headrest a notch before he got in the van.) Waffled a bit on where to put the seat in the van, but decided on 2nd row outboard to make loading/unloading easier for everyone. It installed really easily (but I don't think our seatbelts will hold it tight.)

DS was quite pleased with the cubbies and cup holder. I definitely missed our Radian's low profile when loading him in (I still usually lift him in 'cause he just moves too slow for me! :eek:) Daddy bought him a big juice on the way out, and he managed to pee through his diaper on the way home, so the seat is a keeper now. :p DS also declared he didn't like the seat on the way home, but I think that had more to do with his general crankiness and wet bum. :eek:

DS is just over the 2nd from the top slots. I feel much more confident that we'll be able to get DS to at least 4 in a harness now. :thumbsup: (DS is 3yo and somewhere around 43" and 43lbs.)

Some pics (please ignore our mess :eek:):

Fresh out of the box last night (the cover is Galaxy):
Sony%20116.jpg
DSC00151.JPG



Test Sit:
DSC00152Safe.jpg
DSC00154.JPG



Installed:
DSC00155Safe.jpg

 
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bobandjess99

Senior Community Member
Holy moly, that's a big kid, what do you guys have in the water up there?:D

Looks great...but just to clarify..when you said you lowered the headrest a notch before he got in the van, you don't mean you covered the straps with it, right? Just wanted to make sure. hopefully he will love it like most kids seem to!
 

horseymom

New member
looks great, I can't wait to see one IRL. Even though we have our Frontier now I would still like to try DD out in one. My fear is that her shoulders are going to be squished, but your DS looks like he's got a lot of shoulder room. which cover is that?
 

April

Well-known member
It looks nice! Too bad I need one for Rayn. Those grey covers are not going to fly for me to spend $250 on a new seat for her.

What's your DS's torso height? I've never sat Rayn or Riley in a GN, just a Frontier, and I wonder how it compares for them.
 

Kat_Momof3

New member
little tip... flip the headrest of the vehicle seat backwards so it won't push on the Nautilus headrest

you can recline the vehicle seat back a couple notches when you put the nautilus in max recline to give better head support when sleeping.

but your seatbelts should hold it tight... we have the same van (mine is a 2005 dodge caravan... and it looks like you have a caravan) and the seatbelt does a great job.
 

unityco

Ambassador - CPS Technician
little tip... flip the headrest of the vehicle seat backwards so it won't push on the Nautilus headrest

Thanks for the tip. :) I'm not sure on flipping the headrest - it doesn't "lock" when it goes in backwards. (It's not too much of an issue for us anyway, I took it out completely when I installed it, and was able to slide it back in place when it was done. It doesn't seem to interfere with the carseat at all. :thumbsup:)

you can recline the vehicle seat back a couple notches when you put the nautilus in max recline to give better head support when sleeping.

Our middle row is a bench and has no recline option. DS's used to his very upright Radian anyway, so the Nautilus even in upright mode is like a recliner to him, lol. He's also not much of a car sleeper.

but your seatbelts should hold it tight... we have the same van (mine is a 2005 dodge caravan... and it looks like you have a caravan) and the seatbelt does a great job.

I don't know if it's this van in particular, or this MY, but these seatbelts do not hold tight, even when the latch plate is flipped. :( I can get a very tight install, but it works itself loose pretty quickly.

Your advice is greatly appreciated, though. :)

And I finally measured his torso... it's 14 3/4" (which is weird, because I thought I had measured it much longer in the summer. :shrug-shoulders: I've never been very good with a measuring tape though - especially with a squirmy worm. :eek:)
 

unityco

Ambassador - CPS Technician
his torso doesn't sound very tall for the way he fits it.:confused:

Yeah, it doesn't seem right to me either. I marked it with a pencil, then measured the line later. I must have screwed it up. Over the summer I had him over 15", probably closer to 16. :confused:
 

monstah

New member
Hey - I just think it's kind of funny that we both have boys with almost identical stats, in the same car seat, and riding in the same van / bench seats.

We love our Nautilus too. :thumbsup: This picture was taken only a few days ago. (He's using the top slot.)
100_3908.jpg
 

fyrfightermomma

New member
I have an 06 Grand Caravan. I saw you guys were talking about flipping the headrest if it pushes the seat forward. I've always just taken mine off. Then it doesn't interfere at all. Is that a no no?

I figured it was no different than in DH's car that has no headrests at all. Wouldn't removing them be easier than flipping them?

ETA: I don't have them with my RFing seats either. I'll feel like a moron if that's not allowed!
 

monstah

New member
Just like unityco, I leave my headrest on the right way. When a trooper installed the GN for me he flipped the headrest around because he said it was pushing on the Nautilus. But really it wasn't. I leave it the right way just because having the headrest there makes me feel better for whatever reason.

The headrest on the GN doesn't seem as solid, IMO, as a convertible. Since the headrest on the Nautilus is separate, moving piece from the body of the seat. As opposed to part of the body of a convertible.

Sorry if that doesn't make any sense. :eek:
But I would have no problem using the Nautilus without any headrest at all. And I have used it that way, the headrest just makes me feel a little better, KWIM?

ETA: I took off the headrest on DD's RF seat position. I think she likes the view better without the headrest blocking the windows. I dunno, she seems happier.
 

unityco

Ambassador - CPS Technician
Hey - I just think it's kind of funny that we both have boys with almost identical stats, in the same car seat, and riding in the same van / bench seats.

I never realized that before you pointed it out... cool! :D

I saw you guys were talking about flipping the headrest if it pushes the seat forward. I've always just taken mine off. Then it doesn't interfere at all. Is that a no no?

I don't think it's an issue unless the manual specifically forbids it. :shrug-shoulders: I know I've had to do that in other cars (with our Radian.) I prefer to leave them in place because I'm worried about losing them. Things have a way of disappearing in our house. :eek:
 

Kat_Momof3

New member
do you have an older caravan than mine?? my headrests are so horribly angled that if I don't put them backward, they push the nautilus headrest forward of the seat by a good inch (and some "helpful" brother in law managed to shove the headrest in that way when he was in my car... I reemed him a new one and was just lucky he didn't damage my seat doing it)

the pressure of the seat would hold it in.. though it won't come out all the way on it's own in my van.

I think it's the older dodge/chrysler ones that have the problem with the latchplates, but mine have never had a problem, so I hate that the older ones have it... they should have issued a recall.
 

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