can't say enuf good things!!!

I am more than pleased with this purchase. i bought it for $150 from Walmart a week ago and it is my second car seat purchase. This seat is ultra safe. It gets great ratings on Consumer Reports in all areas but especially crash safety and ease of use. It allows extended use of 5 point harness (up to 65 lbs vs. 40 lbs)and has four shoulder strap adjustments (I have never seen more than three!). The headrest can be set so high that a small adult could use it. Plus the high back comes off to make it a backless booster!! This is the only booster I've seen with that feature under $200. The arm rests do not adjust but they have cubbies inside them to keep crayons and wikki stix. One of my fav features is the cup holder that is built into the armrest b/c it is so super sturdy that it securely holds a very large full cup... and I can easily reach it from the driver's seat! and it does not stick out the side which is inconvenient for other back passengers. My last rear-facing convertable car seat by Safety 1st was extremely difficult to adjust the harness ~ this one is EXTREMELY easy!! Also the shoulder padding is not only removeable for cleaning but it velcro's for super easy removal and it has an additional pad on the crotch buckle. As I said I cannot say enough great things about this car seat!!More detail ...

Own 2 Frontiers and the Nautilus

I own 2 Britax Frontiers in Pink and the Graco Nautilus in pink as well. As a Mother who owns both models I will tell you the major differences between these two seats from my point of view.

#1 Frontier is more expensive (which is why I got the Nautilus for my spare)

#2 Frontier is SO much easier to adjust the shoulder height strap. With a simple squeeze of a lever the straps go up. The Graco needs to be rethreaded. This is BIG pain when you have another child who wants to use the seat. With the Frontier it is no biggie to pull the lever.

#3 Frontier seat material is prone to wear where the child's bottom and legs rub on the seat. It also shows WAY more stains and soaks up spills quicker than the Graco.

#4 Frontier has 3 crotch strap adjustments for easy fitting. The Graco only has 2 which makes the older kids sit on the strap. This can get uncomfortable. My oldest DD takes the pad off of the crotch strap on the Frontier (she says it makes the seat look like a "baby seat" with the pad) but she can not do this with the Graco as the crotch strap rubs on her legs causing red irritation when wearing shorts. The graco pad is very thick and wraps the entire strap (between the legs) and then goes up to sit on the belly. She does not seem to mind sitting on it but it does not look too comfortable to me.

#5 Padding on Frontier is WAY thicker (on both seat and seat back)and more comfortable to sit on. I can't imagine that the Graco would be comfortable for long trips.

#6 Heads slump forward for younger kids when sleeping in the Graco. The "wings" around the head are very fat (giving the appearance of a "yonger child's seat") and are so close to the child's head that it causes it to go forward when sleeping. The frontier has wider "wings" and are perfect for sleeping children. The "wings" are farther away from the head and are angled just right as to allow sleeping and looking out the window. The "wings" are thinner and have more of a "big" kid look. This thinner look in NO WAY implies that Graco is safer for the thicker "wings" as Britax states that its wings are "true side impact protection". Graco does not state this. The plastic around wings appear to be of stronger material on the Frontier even though they are thinner. Frontier also has the "hugs" system on the harness to minimize forward head movement. Graco does not.

#7 The Graco has only a 12.5 inch seat width for the child to move around in. The Frontier has a 12.5 seat area around the tush but opens to a spacious 17 inch wide seat. This may not be an issue for the younger kids but the older ones need more space. This may however be an issue for small cars.

#8 Cup holder and "hidden" storage are neat in the Graco. The Frontier has 2 cup holders but they can not both be out as one hits the door when installed on far right or left. The cup holders also do not go smoothly in and out when installed in the vehicle as the seat blocks the cup holder from retracting. This does not happen when the seat is not snugged down but when installed..... This is not too much of an issue as we just leave them out. This is only an issue when I have a third child trying to walk to the back 3rd row between 2 Frontiers with cup holders out!



Bottom line. If you need a car seat around the time that Britax has a sale I would get it over the Graco. The price difference at that time would only be $50. I think that your big kids will be happier in the Frontier. If you have a smaller child remember he/she will be a big kid soon!More detail ...