Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I was all set to buy the Graco Nautilus carseat, but was still wondering if Britax Frontier 85 might be better. Both carseats were not being sold in any stores for me to go and check them out, so I decided to order both and test them out. I am SO glad I did, because in comparison, the Britax was BY FAR the better seat! And believe me, I REALLY wanted to love the Graco seat. 640 people probably didn't do a side-by-side comparison of the Graco Nautilus and Britax Frontier 85. I would recommend to anyone to pay $100 more for the Britax Frontier 85, cause you get so much more in the long run! Here's why: 1. The furthest crotch strap slot on the Graco Nautilus measured at 6.5 inches from the back of the seat. On the Britax Frontier 85, the furthest crotch slot is 8.5 inches! My son was almost sitting on the Graco crotch strap in its furthest position and he's only 10 months and SKINNY. With the Britax, he has plenty of room to grow and most likely will not be sitting on the crotch strap! 2. When I put my son in the Graco Nautilus, my son was hunchback and screaming cause the seat or headrest pushed his head forward and curved his spine. That totally made me question how it would affect his developing posture. In the Britax Frontier 85, his back and head were straight and aligned (no curving of the spine) and no screaming. 3. The material on the Graco Nautilus is awful! The seat is rigid and feels like sand paper/cardboard! The material on the Britax Frontier 85 is sooo soft and smooth, but still SAFE (rock hard on the outside, cushiony on the inside). 4. The harness strap on the Graco Nautilus is kinda short when pulled to the limit and doesn't look like there's much room to grow in it. Pretty disappointing when they claim a child can be harnessed up to 65 lbs! I highly doubt that! BUT the harness strap on the Britax Frontier 85 is LONG!!!!! And here's the best part -- I'M HIS MOTHER AND I WAS ABLE TO SIT IN THE SEAT AND STRAP MYSELF IN! I am 5'1 and 105 lbs, and I was able to sit comfortably in the Britax and strap myself in harnessed no problem! Most importantly, the crotch strap was still NOT under me. That means my son can grow to my size and still remain harnessed! That is phenomenal!!! Not that he'll need to be harnessed when he's my size, but the option is there! That's how I know I made the right decision. I have been a loyal Graco customer since my son was born. He owns almost everything Graco. But this seat is RIDICULOUS! It's like they didn't even test it out on real children. How hard is it to make a longer harness strap and an extra crotch slot?! My son hasn't been in the Britax for a drive yet (cause he's still too little), but I imagine it will be very comfortable (to the point of sleeping in it). And when he sits in it in the house, he doesn't squirm or scream (like he did in the Graco Nautilus). He loves it! Go for the Britax Frontier 85 over the Graco Nautilus... you will thank me! I returned the Graco Nautilus ASAP!