Best second carseat for FF toddler?

[ShanaMama]

I've been trying to read thru old posts but need some advice. DD is 3 yo, tall & skinny so she will probably outgrow any seat by height before weight. She's very happy in her DC in my minivan and I want to keep her in a 5 pt harness until she's about 20, LOL.

On the shortlist:
Cosco Scenera
Graco Nautilus
Radian 65 (don't think Radian 80 will get me much more use than the 65)
Evenflo Triumph Advance

This seat will be for occasional use in DH's car and a spare carseat for carpool, etc. I am most interested in ease of use & longevity (height limits are an issue for us). A good price is a plus cuz DH doesn't know I'm planning on getting this yet, ;) .
Please help me sort out the options- it's been awhile since I did any carseat shopping! What are the pros & cons to these seats & am I missing any obvious choices? Thanks!

[bubbaray]

Of those, the Nautilus.

BTW, the top slot height on the RN65 is the same as the RN80. Both are higher than the MA, by about 1/2-3/4", depending on who's measuring.

[ShanaMama]

I'm not limited to that list, those are just the ones I've come across searching through other posts on here.
Can you tell me why you recommend the Nautilus?
What about the Safety 1st 3 Phase Convertible? On sale at Albee for $69. http://www.albeebaby.com/sa1st3cocars.html
I haven't really used many Safety 1st products. Is it an inferior brand, meaning lower quality?

[bubbaray]

What about the Safety 1st 3 Phase Convertible? On sale at Albee for $69. http://www.albeebaby.com/sa1st3cocars.html



Low top harness slot -- its an Alpha Omega/Eddie Bauer 3-in-1 that is NOT the last seat you'll need.

The Graco Nautilus and Britax Frontier are popular here because they are new, have high top slots/high harness weight and convert to decent boosters. Some folks are having install issues with the Frontier (different belt paths), it sounds like more people are having success with the Nautilus.

HTH

[o_mom]

I'm not limited to that list, those are just the ones I've come across searching through other posts on here.
Can you tell me why you recommend the Nautilus?
What about the Safety 1st 3 Phase Convertible? On sale at Albee for $69. http://www.albeebaby.com/sa1st3cocars.html
I haven't really used many Safety 1st products. Is it an inferior brand, meaning lower quality?

The Nautilus has the tallest harness setting of any of those seats and miles above the Safety 1st 3-in-1. It has the 65 lb limit to go with that. While your DD may not get to 65 lbs in it, she may go over 40 which is the harness limit on the Scenera and 3-in-1. The Nautilus makes a good booster later - that Safety 1st one doesn't fit many kids well at all as a booster. (Safety 1st is made by Dorel Juvenille Group who makes Cosco and Eddie Bauer seats as well)

Basically, you don't need the convertible aspect of the Radian, and the Nautilus will get you more use for $50 less than the Radian. The Evenflo Triumph Advance is nice, but again you don't need rear-facing and the top harness setting isn't quite as high. The Triumph Advance would be a similar price to the Nautilus, so I would pick between those two for your situation.

Also, if you are looking for a seat for carpool, the Radian is a beast to install in some cars. It can take much longer to get a good fit which you don't want to have to worry about when you are dropping off a seat. The Nautilus installs well in a wide variety of vehicles. I'm not sure how the Triumph Advance compares on that point.

[ShanaMama]

The Nautilus has the tallest harness setting of any of those seats and miles above the Safety 1st 3-in-1. It has the 65 lb limit to go with that. While your DD may not get to 65 lbs in it, she may go over 40 which is the harness limit on the Scenera and 3-in-1. The Nautilus makes a good booster later - that Safety 1st one doesn't fit many kids well at all as a booster. (Safety 1st is made by Dorel Juvenille Group who makes Cosco and Eddie Bauer seats as well)

Basically, you don't need the convertible aspect of the Radian, and the Nautilus will get you more use for $50 less than the Radian. The Evenflo Triumph Advance is nice, but again you don't need rear-facing and the top harness setting isn't quite as high. The Triumph Advance would be a similar price to the Nautilus, so I would pick between those two for your situation.

Also, if you are looking for a seat for carpool, the Radian is a beast to install in some cars. It can take much longer to get a good fit which you don't want to have to worry about when you are dropping off a seat. The Nautilus installs well in a wide variety of vehicles. I'm not sure how the Triumph Advance compares on that point.

Thank you for your detailed answer. The one thing I couldn't find on any of the websites was harness setting height. I guess that's something only we think about! I'm off to order the Nautilus.

[ShanaMama]

One last question about the Nautilus. Does it come in any other colors? Maybe I'm just spoiled by Britax but the grey metallic Nautilus looks pretty ugly.