what's the next step after a MAR for 3yr old?

[eah125]

My newly 3-year old DS is on the large side. He still fits for the moment in his Britax Marathon, which i have 2 of -one in each car, but my baby DS is large as well & at 6 months is already about 22 lbs & will outgrow his graco infant seat faster than i want. He will need to be in 1 of the MARs, rear-facing of course, so as to avoid buying another one- what would be my next seat for my older DS? I keep hearing friends talk about the Graco Nautilus. Do you all agree on that one? Is that still a convertible carseat that can also become a booster? At what age would you recommend going to something like the Britax Frontier or other equivalent booster? Thanks in advance for any advice.

[lorinick]

GN is a booster seat. I would suggest getting the Frontier now. That will be my next seat for my 3 year old. He still fits in the MA and BV fine. He isn't super big. His average. I may do the GN for dh's car. I really like the Frontier better for a couple of reasons. One being that the seat is wider.

[o_mom]

The Graco Nautilus or Britax Frontier are both good choices. They are forward-facing seats that harness to 65-80lb and then become boosters. I would head to BRU and check them out. Have DS sit in them and compare the room. The Nautilus tends to not have as much room as the Frontier, but if you need to buy two, it is certainly less expensive.

[bubbaray]

I have both the GN and the FR. If price is not an option and you want the comfiest, longest lasting seat, I'd get the FR. If price is a concern, the GN is a decent seat for the money, but reports from my girls are that it is not nearly as comfortable as the FR.

[eah125]

Thanks to you all for responding. I just saw on amazon that the GN is $139 for one of the patterns so that's tempting, but i guess i should see the FR 1st. Would love to save $ but also want the best seat, especially since he's just 3 so the seat will be used for a long time. I have been really happy w/ the MAs. MY DS has slimmed down a bit but he's certainly not thin so maybe the FR is better. I am off to BRU tomorrow anyway so will check them out.