At what point should I consider a Frontier?

[truly scrumptious]

We are in the market for a carseat now that DD is near to outgrowing her infant seat. I am thinking of moving her up to DS's convertible and getting a new seat for DS.

Here are DS's specs:
Age: 3 yrs 5 months
Ht: 36 inches
Wt: 29 lbs
FFing

Is he at the right stage to consider getting a Frontier/Nautilus type seat so it'll last him longer? If so, which one? We tried a Nautilus in store and he seemed comfy, but his head was leaning forward a bit, and I've read about the head flop issue.

Or should I get another convertible? If so, which one?

Thanks in advance!

[Multimama]

If he's forward facing already I would absolutely get him a combination seat like the Nautilus or Frontier. Other ones that get recommended are the Maestro (although this is usually more if you are on a budget) and the Recaro Prosport.

[truly scrumptious]

Thanks.
While budget is always a factor, my reasoning is that this will be his primary seat for a few years, so honestly I want to consider what is best. It is more a question of relative cost - if the advantages of a Frontier over the Nautilus, Maestro etc. are not major, then to me it would be worth saving the money.

Is there any major advantage to the Frontier (safety, confort, etc.) over the others?

[smiles33]

We're a FR family and love it, but you should know that we have only used it in harness mode. I think Annie is the one who said it's a pain to use it in booster mode. I believe I've read complaints about all 3 of the seats you're considering, so it may just come down to "random" factors like which seats are on sale, patterns that are available (DD1 loves her Pink Sky), or brand loyalty (we've been a Britax family so it just made it easy for me).

[Multimama]

Thanks.
While budget is always a factor, my reasoning is that this will be his primary seat for a few years, so honestly I want to consider what is best. It is more a question of relative cost - if the advantages of a Frontier over the Nautilus, Maestro etc. are not major, then to me it would be worth saving the money.

Is there any major advantage to the Frontier (safety, confort, etc.) over the others?

Well, the big advantage of the Frontier is that it will last the longest as a harnessed seat. So if extended harnessing is a big goal for you or you don't feel your child will have the impulse control for a booster for a long time then the frontier is probably the way to go. But for lots of kids the harness height of the Frontier is kind of overkill.

The Nautilus is a good compromise between price and longevity. Plus it is lighter than the Frontier. I would see how your DS fits in each, which he prefers and which one installs better in your vehicle. If you might have a three-across situation in your future the Frontier is probably not the way to go. The Nautilus also becomes a no-back booster too, which isn't really that huge of an advantage since no-backs are very cheap, but some people will like that feature. It provides some flexibility for travel. Definitely some kids sleep better in the Frontier, but it really depends on the child.

The Maestro is, like I said, the budget option of the three. It is still a very safe seat, of course. (Since we don't have access to testing we can't really know which one is 'safer'.) It is highly recommended for travel because it is nice and lightweight. So if there's a chance you would be moving it around a lot that would be a main reason to consider the Maestro. The big disadvantage is that the headrest doesn't move so it will be outgrown as a booster about the same time it is outgrown as a harness. Not a huge deal to me, but may be for some. ETA: There is a new one out now called the SecureKid, which is like Evenflo's answer to the Nautilus, but I don't know much about it.

I don't know as much about the Recaro Prosport, but it seems like a really nice cushy seat that I will consider when I buy a combination seat. Just on first look I think my skinny DS will be more comfortable in it than the Frontier which just seems too wide and huge for him. Again, a lot of it is personal preference and the child.

Hope that helps!

[truly scrumptious]

Oh my goodness, Multimama! That is SO incredibly helpful. You've touched on all my concerns exactly.
Thank you so much!

[legaleagle]

Agreen 100% with multimama, just adding a few other ones to consider:

First Years b830 (http://www.amazon.com/First-Years-Urban-Booster-Elegance/dp/B004K1EOVQ/) (brand new to the market after being delayed for a while)

Evenflo Securekid 300 (http://www.amazon.com/Evenflo-Securekid-300-Seat-Booster/dp/B006PB2CR2/)/400 (http://www.amazon.com/Evenflo-Securekid-Crawford-Seat-Booster/dp/B006PB2EDE/) - basically cushier versions of the maestro that will last longer as boosters.

Since all of these seem very promising and you don't need one immediately, I'd wait for a few reviews of these!

[truly scrumptious]

We're a FR family and love it, but you should know that we have only used it in harness mode. I think Annie is the one who said it's a pain to use it in booster mode. I believe I've read complaints about all 3 of the seats you're considering, so it may just come down to "random" factors like which seats are on sale, patterns that are available (DD1 loves her Pink Sky), or brand loyalty (we've been a Britax family so it just made it easy for me).



Thanks for the link - that is a very thorough review, and very helpful!

[arivecchi]

We have a Frontier and a Maestro. Your DS is absolutely ready for a combination seat! We love the Frontier. It's our primary seat for DS1 and my favorite car seat so far. The sitter has the Maestro in her car - which I much prefer over the Nautilus.

[lorinick]

We love the Frontier better than the Nauti. I didn't consider the Mastro even though I know it's a good seat. The Mastro isn't as comfy looking to me.

I like the Frontier better than Nauti because it's wider, has a longer harness adjustor and no head slump. Love how the Frontier is much more reclined while harnessed. I to have not tried the seat in booser mode yet. Loving the seat.

[pastrygirl]

I have a Nautilus in each car, and have no complaints. My son's been using it for two years and hasn't complained about it, either. Sure, I might like the Frontier better, but at the time, I preferred the Nautilus (FR85 wasn't out yet).

[carolinamama]

I took DS1 to BBB to try out seats before I purchased (online for better deal of course!). At the time it was pretty much between the Nautilus and FR85. I made him sit in both for a few minutes, strapped in. He MUCH preferred the FR85 telling me it was more comfortable. I was already leaning that way, but wanted to make sure since it is pricier. That was probably close to 2 years ago and he is still very happily riding in his FR85 harnessed at age 6.

I just ordered a new FR85 for DS2 since he was sitting in his MA when MIL had an accident this week. He is the same age as your DS1. I didn't consider any other seats though since we love DS1's FR85.

[AnnieW625]

DH who makes me look spendy (ie: he is a budget conscious engineer) liked the Frontier over the Nautilus because it felt more solid, and had better fabric. So we ended up buying one and loved it (minus the somewhat hard install; we have the 80, and not the 85) as a harnessed seat. We have used it in booster mode with DD1 (46" tall, 43lbs.) and it is hard for her to buckle in our 06 Pilot. It is a bit easier in our 01 Corolla, but still not as easy for her as the highback Graco Turbo Booster. Right now it is our spare booster for long trips only and I can't see us using it as a dedicated belted booster for another year or so.

We bought it for DD1 when she was 40" tall, 35lbs., and just shy of 3 yrs. old. If the Maestro had been out in 2009 when I bought the Frontier I probably just would have gone with that because I am pretty impressed with seat and for less than $100 it is a good nice bet.

[peanut520]

I just had the same debate dd's three new seats. We went with 2 FR85 (mycar and parents car) and a maestro for dh's car since she is in there the least. Dd is 35 mos , 36.5", and 30 lbs so very similar to your ds. She has been ff in her ra40 for almost a year more. The main reason I went with the fr is the head slumping issue I kept reading about. She still sleeps in her seat and I read it isn't such and issue for old kids but the younger ones still lack the muscular controls when sleeping.