Graco Nautilus 3 in 1 Car Seat

The Graco Nautilus 3 in 1 car seat is a fantastic car seat for one-year olds all the way to toddlers and beyond.  The great safety features and sleek design have allowed this car seat to remain as a top seller for many years.  Kids love it because it’s comfortable, and parents love it even more because it is easy to use.

The features don’t stop with just safety.  The Graco Nautilus 3 in 1 car seat also can be converted into a high back or backless booster for a comfortable fit for children up to 100 lbs.  Not to mention it has a 3-position recline option for easy and proper installation combined with comfort for the child.

Versatile and Comfortable Design

The Graco Nautilus 3 in 1 car seat has a five-point harness that is designed to accommodate children over the age of one and from 20 to 65 pounds.  The Graco Nautilus 3 in 1 car seat allows for a wider range of weight limits than most forward-facing car seats and also boasts a superior steel-reinformed construction.

Superior Safety

You can be completely assured that your child will be safe while riding in the Graco Nautilus 3 in 1 Car Seat.  Thanks to a very extensive crash testing and a steel structure, the Nautilus meets or exceeds US Safety Standards.

Product Reviews

·      I found this Graco Nautilus 3 in 1 car seat while searching for something reasonably priced that would harness past 40 pounds. I bought a different seat first, but while it claimed to harness to 50# and 47", my 37 pound 2 year old was already too tall for it. I returned it and purchased the Nautilus. We are using the harness straps in the second hole down, so he still has a good deal of room to grow in this seat. The straps are extremely easy to adjust and installation was no problem.

·      I bought a graco nautilus 3 in 1 car seat for my two-year-old and, two years later bought this one for my youngest daughter. Love, love, love these seats. Straps are easier to tighten than on any other seat we have had. The seats have great padding and since they convert to boosters, hopefully the last seat we will have to buy.

·      Recently purchased this Graco Nautilus 3 in 1 car seat for my toddler, she likes it so that makes me happy. This car seat was a lot larger than I had hoped but it looks like it has a lot of side protection and it says it's side impact tested so that's great. Also, it slightly reclines but it's not enough to prevent that drowsy heavy head from going forward. I guess I'm used to her being able to sleep comfortably in her "Graco My Ride 65 car seat" (which is a fantastic car seat).

·      This is the perfect seat for taller/older children who have outgrown their convertible carseat, because it has the highest harness slots of any seat on the market (except for the Britax Regent which I believe is being discontinued). I bought this Graco Nautilus 3 in 1 car seat for my 6.5 yo daughter, who had been riding in a booster for years. I recently became educated on carseat safety and felt I needed to put her back in a harnessed seat since she is small for her age. I was worried she might object to the harness, but she loves it! Believe it or not, she can buckle and unbuckle herself (I always double check) easier than she could do the seatbelt in her booster.

Product Specifications of Graco Nautilus 3 in 1 Car Seat

·      Model number: 8J00MTX

·      Minimum weight recommendation: 20 Pounds

·      Maximum weight recommendation: 100 Pounds

·      Minimum height recommendation: 27 inches

·      Maximum height recommendation: 57 inches

·      Care instructions: Machine washable pad

·      Seat weight without base: 19.5 Pounds

·      Seat base/foot width: 20 inches

·      Orientation: forward-facing

·      Forward-facing minimum child weight: 20 Pounds

·      Forward-facing maximum child weight: 100 Pounds

·      Harness type: 5 pt

Product Features of Graco Nautilus 3 in 1 Car Seat

·      3-in-1 multi-mode Car Seat for longer use 20 pounds to 100 pounds

·      Extended 5-point harness for children 20-65 pounds

·      Converts to backless booster for child 40 pounds to 100 pounds

·      Steel reinforced frame for durability

More Reviews

·      So far our 2 year old loves her car seat! It looks like it will last for a long time to come. It fits well in the car, too. I have a 6 month old in a Britax Roundabout and the two car seats can fit right next to each other in my Volvo. It is great. Now guests don't have to crawl over the car seats to sit in the middle. :) Easy to set up and secure.

·      My daughter loves this graco nautilus 3 in 1 car seat! When I first assembled it and put her in it to determine the strap height, she didn't want to get out! She loves the cubby holes in the arm rests, and I love that the cup holder is at the end of the armrest, instead of taking even more space on the side. The adjustability of this seat is awesome. My daughter is 2, and of average height, and she is only barely at the second strap height.

·      I bought this car seat after alot of research. I have a 3 year old little boy who has pretty low muscle tone. I was looking at getting him a 300.00 car seat just to keep him in a 5 pt harness for longer because he doesnt have the tone to be in a lap belted booster yet.

·      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.

In summary, I would highly recommend the Graco Nautilus 3 in 1 Car Seat. Its seamless and slick design combined with versatility and safety features make it a no brainer.

Review: Britax B-Agile Stroller

Britax is on a roll!  Their newest addition to their line of strollers is the B-Agile.  The B-Agile is a quick-fold, lightweight stroller stocked with features that is going to give the Baby Jogger City Mini a run for its money.  We’re going to be honest, the B-Agile is similar to the City Mini but has a few improved features that makes it even better.  Better than our beloved City Mini, you ask?  Yep, keep reading, my friend!

The B-Agile falls into our lightweight plus category, weighing in 16 ½ lbs.  The lightweight aluminum frame with the quality we have come to expect from Britax combined with the super easy fold, huge canopy, automatic lock and big roomy seat makes this a winner in our book.  

Britax B-Agile Stroller

The seat is wide and roomy, making for a comfortable ride even for an older child. The seat is very wide at 14″ across and has a 20″ seatback and a measurement of 25″ from seatback to canopy. With the large seat and high weight capacity of 55 lbs, your older kids could even jump in for a ride. The seat sports a fabulous, no re-thread, adjustable, 5-point, padded harness with head pad and reflective binding.  The height of the harness and head pad is so easy to adjust by just unzipping a zipper on the back of the seat and squeezing and sliding an adjuster button up and down to find the perfect fit for your child (similar to the B-Ready). It’s one of the easiest harness adjusters we have encountered! Plus, the head pad is a nice touch to keep your little rider extra comfortable. We also like that the belly pad that protects the child from the buckle is sewn to the seat fabric so that it doesn’t fall off every time we take our child out. The harness is also complete with a hard-to-do buckle.  While our toddlers could escape the City Mini in a jiffy, they are forced to stay seated in the B-Agile because they can’t undo the harness. The seat is deep and set back almost over the rear wheels to give this lightweight, 3-wheel stroller great stability.  This is not a tippy-kind of stroller!

The seat has a strap recline system that can be done with one hand to recline but you’ll need two hands to put the seat back upright.  We love that the seat has a deep recline (just short of flat) for our little ones to take a nap. When the seat is fully reclined, you can lift the back of the canopy fabric to expose a giant mesh window to allow air to flow through the seat.  

There is a non-adjustable footrest that is comfortable for our older toddlers with a measurement of 10” from seat to where they place their feet. 

The canopy on the B-Agile does not disappoint.  It is HUGE and will shade your child completely from the sun. No canopy extension needed on this baby! The canopy also features a large peek-a-boo window that allows you to keep an eye on your little rider.

For taller moms and dads, there is a high handle bar (it’s not adjustable though) that measures 40″ from ground to handlebar to prevent you from kicking the frame. While it isn’t the tallest handlebar on the market, taller parents will not be kicking the frame of this stroller.  There is additional stride clearance thanks to the curved bottom piece of the frame that connects the two rear wheels. 

Underneath there is a medium size basket that has convenient side access since getting into the basket from the rear may be difficult with a fully reclined seat.  There is also a large zippered pocket on the back of the canopy for additional storage.  

The B-Agile rolls on two 9 ½ inch wheels in the rear and a 5 ½” wheels in the front.  The front wheel is a swivel wheel that has the ability to lock straight to tackle a bit of all-terrain.  There is an all-wheel suspension system that absorbs some of the bumpier times to give your little rider a smooth ride. A one-step, flip-flop friendly, linked brake pedal also locks the stroller in place.

The maneuverability on this stroller is nothing short of fabulous. Very easy to push, turns on a dime and can be maneuvered one-handed as long as the seat isn’t at the weight capacity.  We put a 40 lb – 4 year old in the seat, and we were still able to push it one-handed with a little extra wrist power.  The B-Agile is not an all-terrain stroller but it can handle bumpy roads, cobblestone and playground mulch but it’ll be a little bit of a bumpy ride if you take it off-roading.  We would suggest locking the front wheel if you attempt to take it on grass or other all-terrain to make it an easier push. 

Now, the fold on the B-Agile is so easy that I was able to get my child out of the seat and fold it with one hand like a ninja when space was tight in church last weekend.  It was so quick and easy to do, that strangers literally commented on my stroller-folding skills.  The fold on the B-Agile is very, very similar to the City Mini except with the added push of a safety button.  All you have to do is push a grey button down on the side of the seat (it stays down so that you don’t have to hold it down).  Then pull up on the folding strap in the seat and the stroller folds flat. Very flat!  The button on the side is an extra safety step so that the stroller couldn’t be folded on accident.  Plus, what makes it better than the City Mini is that it has an automatic lock!  Yep, you heard us right – an AUTOMATIC lock!  Britax clearly wants to be our BFF!  This is a stroller that you can fold up while holding your child and put it in your trunk with one hand all in less than 10 seconds.  Nothing is more convenient than that!

With its folded dimensions of 22.75″W x 10″H x 29″D, this stroller is a compact package that is easy to transport and fits in the smallest trunks. Bring on the Mini Cooper because this baby will fit!   

If a travel system is your thing, the B-Agile succeeds in this area too!  The stroller comes with included Britax CLICK & Go infant car seat receivers to work with the Britax Chaperone or the new Britax B-Safe infant car seats.  The Britax adapters are very convenient and do not get in the way of the fold.  With the City Mini, the car seat adapter bar typically hits your arm when you are folding which is no fun.  This is not so with the B-Agile.  The adapters are not in the way at all.  Plus, if you want to use a different brand of infant car seat, there is a universal car seat adapter (sold separately) that accommodates a Graco 32/35, Chicco, Peg Perego or a Britax Companion.

There are many great accessories that are sold separately for the B-Agile to fit every parent’s needs including: child tray, adult cup holder, travel bag, rain cover and a UV/mosquito cover. 

The B-Agile will be available in black and red. Our only suggestion would be for Britax to offer the B-Agile in more fun colors.  How about a brown, blue, purple or green? 

If you are looking for a lightweight stroller that will have you folding it like a ninja with a huge canopy, a very large seat for your bigger kids, extra stride clearance for tall parents and the easy travel system capability, the Britax B-Agile is the stroller for you!!

To watch our full video review of the Britax B-Agile stroller, click the video below:

Buy Britax B-Agile

Buy Britax B-Agile

Amazon Kindle Fire HD review

Is this 7-inch gateway to Amazon's media empire hot enough to take on the opposition?

You wait a year for an Amazon Kindle Fire (see our Kindle Fire review) to make its way to the USA, then two come along at once, with the greatly enhanced Amazon Kindle Fire HD arriving at the same time as its predecessor.

We'll say this from the off: now that the Amazon Kindle Fire HD is here, the original Kindle Fire seems somewhat surplus to requirement.

Far more interesting, though, is the intense external rivalry presented by the Google Nexus 7 and the iPad mini.

 Buy Kindle Fire HD 7"

Starting from just $199, and offering a 7-inch HD display and a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU, the Amazon Kindle Fire HD appears to offer great value for money.

But it also needs to offer a stand-alone tablet experience that's capable of matching - or even surpassing - its illustrious rivals.

The Amazon Kindle Fire HD certainly matches the Nexus 7 in terms of price and raw hardware, and it comfortably trumps the iPad mini on price and screen resolution.

But, as we've come to realise, Apple's dominance in the tablet market has been built on strong design, coupled with a peerless content ecosystem and a super-slick UI.

Buy Kindle Fire HD 7"

The Amazon Kindle Fire HD may be cheap, but ultimately it will still need to embrace all three of these key elements if it's to succeed.

If you still think of Amazon Kindles as those little monochrome holiday companions, then you should know that the Amazon Kindle Fire HD is a completely different beast.

Rather than focusing on the very specific job of downloading and reading electronic books, this is an all-purpose tablet that acts as a window onto Amazon's wider multimedia world - films, music, apps and games are all included in the Kindle Fire HD's remit.

With that in mind, the Amazon Kindle Fire HD is a much simpler, purer design than the original Kindle.

The emphasis here is on the screen first and foremost, with the only hardware controls coming in the shape of some weedy and difficult-to-locate volume and power buttons on top of the device, right alongside its 3.5mm headphone jack.

Buy Kindle Fire HD 7"

The lack of a fixed home key adds to that minimalistic vibe (we'll discuss the effect that has on usability later). The only detail on the front of the device is a 1.3-megapixel camera for video calls - there's no rear-mounted camera here.

Despite that impossibly cheap price point, the Amazon Kindle Fire HD doesn't feel like a cheap device. It's solid in the hand, with none of the creak you find in many budget Android tablets.

There's a nice contrast between the Amazon Kindle Fire HD's smooth, glass front and its grippy matte back. It's quietly pleasing from a tactile perspective, even though it lacks the sheer machined precision and premium feel of Apple's tablets.

Buy Kindle Fire HD 7"

While Apple has opted for a super-slim bezel for its iPad mini - partly to facilitate that wider 7.9-inch display - Amazon has been more generous with its own offering.

Indeed, the thick border around the smaller 7-inch screen brings it closer to the full-sized iPad in design than its miniature brother.

We like this approach from a purely practical perspective (it actually makes it look a little chubby, if we're honest).

It's still comfier to hold the Amazon Kindle Fire between your thumb and fingers than it is to rest it in the span of your hand, even when held in portrait view. Of course, that's partly because it's slightly chunky for its size - at 395g it's almost 90g heavier than the iPad mini.

One area in which Amazon would hope to gain a big advantage with the Amazon Kindle Fire HD over its rivals is with its display. As we've mentioned, we're talking about a 7-incher here, but it's the quality of that screen that's causing Amazon to boast.

The company claims that the display features a polarising filter and anti-glare technology, which apparently boosts colour and contrast, as well as improving viewing angles.

Despite such claims - not to mention early positive reports from the US - we have to admit to being slightly underwhelmed by our initial experience with the Amazon Kindle Fire HD display. It seems distinctly yellow to our eyes.

Of course, it could just be that we've been conditioned by Apple's slightly cooler, bluer high-definition displays.

Indeed, once your eyes have grown accustomed to its warmer hue, you'll no doubt begin to appreciate the Amazon Kindle Fire HD display's more naturalistic colour contrast - particularly when viewing video content. It's certainly richer than the somewhat washed-out and dim Nexus 7 screen.

That's only half the story with the Kindle Fire HD display, too. The clue is in the name - that 7-inch display is sharp. It's high-definition-sharp. In fact, with a resolution of 1280x800 and a pixel density of 216ppi, it's considerably sharper than the iPad mini equivalent.

Buy Kindle Fire HD 7"

This isn't particularly apparent within the main Kindle Fire interface, but it certainly bears fruit when reading a book or browsing the internet, where small text remains clear and eminently readable.

This display is powered by a capable 1.2GHz dual-core TI OMAP 4460 CPU. While this is far from the most powerful processor on the market, it is very well balanced and certainly doesn't come up short when faced with demanding tasks like high-definition video and 3D games.

One final piece of hardware-related info we really must cover is the Amazon Kindle Fire HD's impressive speakers. Positioned on either side of the device (if you're holding it in landscape), they're surprisingly punchy, given their size.

They really do crank out some respectable stereo sound - both in terms of volume and clarity.

Naturally, we'd recommend using earphones whenever possible, but for those times where you're just following a quick email link to a YouTube video, they're more than adequate.

Buy Kindle Fire HD 7"

Diaper Genie Essentials Review

The Diaper Genie Essentials (formerly known as the Diaper Genie II) has been a long-time favorite in the diaper pail category. In our sniff tests, it contained odor better than all of the other five diaper pails that we reviewed. While some of the other pails areslightly easier to dispose of a dirty diaper (with baby in one hand, and diaper in the other), they do so at the cost of less odor control. The proprietary refill cartridges add a cost you'll want to consider, but the system contain odors better and is easier to change when full. Since your diaper pail will be inside the house, we consider odor control to be the single most important consideration. The Diaper Genie's unmatched odor control earns it our Editors' Choice winner.

BabyGearLab Editors' Hands-on Review

The Diaper Genie is our Editor's Choice winner for best diaper pail for one main reason. It outdistanced the competing diaper storage systems in our most important test: the Stink-Containment Test. For more details about this test, you can check out our "How We Test" section.

It's Diaper Disposal-Time That Matters

Sealed, all six of the diaper systems we tested did well with containing smell, but when the lids were raised to dispose of a dirty diaper, it was another story. That's where the Diaper Genie left the competition in the stinky dust. 

We think that the Diaper Genie does so well at keeping the stench down because of its Push-N-Lock clamp feature. This clamshell-like clamp helps thwart the big dirty diaper aroma from coming directly up at you when placing a dirty diaper inside. Though the clamp means that you need to push the diaper through, we've found that you really only need to push it through about two-thirds of the way, because the clamp's spring-loaded mechanism is so tight that it ends up sucking the rest of the diaper right down inside. You do get a tiny whiff of stink when the pail is already occupied with #2, but it is minimal compared to the other pails. Even the more expensive Diaper Genie Elite scored second in our odor containment test. 

We found that the drawback of the hands-free foot pedal pails like the Diaper Dekor Plus and the Safety 1st Simple Step is the open throat of the diaper pail — the very feature that makes it super-simple to just drop the diaper in the pail — has the nasty side-effect of bringing a sizeable stinky whiff up and out. Then, to add injury to insult, when your foot comes off the pedal, the lid swoops down ensuring that if you didn't smell the lurking stink at first, there will be no way that you can miss it now that it's been fanned into the room by the lid. The hands-free system of the higher-end Diaper Genie Elite even includes a double lock design to help seal in odor, but in our testing we found that this wasn't as effective in smell containment as the Essentials.

Diaper Genie Best-Practices
There are three steps to Diaper Genie's one-handed operation:

• Lift the lid

• Push the diaper down through the Push-N-Lock clamp

• Close the lid.

Our research showed that some parents feel that this second step is a deal breaker, citing that if a diaper really full of #2 needs to be pushed through anything, said contents may ooze out of the diaper getting onto your hand as you push it into the Diaper Genie. We admit that even the most tightly wrapped diaper will leak once in a blue moon when pushing it through the clamp. However, we feel this occurance is so few and far between that we are willing to endure this rare misgiving. 

What we do really like, however, is that when disposing of a dirty diaper, it does not touch the plastic clamp or pail directly. It only comes into contact with the refill bag. For maintenance purposes, this is fantastic. One of our complaints about our Best Value winner, the Diaper Champ is the plastic receptacle which receives each dirty diaper. This receptacle gets filthy easily and needs to be cleaned with regularity if you want to keep the microbes and stink at bay. A footnote about the Diaper Genie is that as with the Diaper Champ Deluxe, toddlers may become very interested in this contraption. So, when emptying a bag of dirty diapers, do not be surprised to find your child's toys or other household items intermixed among the detritus. Consider yourself fairly warned.

Are the Bag Refills Worth the Cost?
Based on our tests, we say Yes. 

Even though the Diaper Genie system requires using their proprietary refills, they work great for several reasons. The multilayer odor barrier film technology in them basically means that there are 5 layers to the lining which helps seal away odor. In our opinion, Diaper Genie's refill lining really does contain odors well, unlike Diaper Champ's multilayer refill system. When a Diaper Genie bag of dirty diapers is collected and left out (instead of putting it directly into the trash), it really is difficult to detect any odor. In addition, it is very easy to change a bag of dirty diapers from the Diaper Genie. Because all of the dirty diapers are sitting in a sausage shaped sealed container when you open the system, there isn't that overwhelming whoosh of horrid stench you are exposed to with several of the other pail systems that we tested. Our Best Value winner, the Diaper Champ, has this problem in spades. The child-proof scissors in the interior of the Diaper Genie are used to cut the refill film in a snap and if you keep the seal with your hand while tying the film off, odor is minimal. Then to prepare the bag for its next use pull the film the full length of the pail and tie a knot. The refill cartridge is also a cinch to replace. The impact of these refills on your wallet? Each Diaper Genie refill costs around $6.50 each or $18 for a 3-pack. 

Hey Buddy, Can You Spare $3?
What does all of this really cost, you ask? Well, compared to pail systems that utilize regular kitchen trash bags, more. But, in our opinion, not that much more. Over a 4 year span, one child will go through an approximation of 5,000 diapers. We estimate that you will spend $190 in refills (taking into account that the system will fit less as the child grows and needs larger diapers). This puts the total cost of ownership for the Diaper Genie at about $225 or $.15 per day. In comparison, if you were to use regular kitchen trash bags with our best value winner, the Diaper Champ, you would spend about $45 on bags with a total cost of ownership of $80 (versus $180 if using Diaper Champ's proprietary refills). Basically, this comes down to a difference of about $3 per month between the Diaper Genie and the Diaper Champ (with kitchen trash bags). For superior odor control and easier, less stinky bag changes, this seems so worth it to us. And, considering that this diaper pail will be inside your home, typically inside baby's nursery, it just makes good sense if the budget will allow.

Take home point: if you are looking for the best diaper pail to control the stink, search no more. In our testing the Diaper Genie Essentials is the best at odor containment. It is our Editor's Choice.

How We Tested Diaper Pails

How We Test

Let us tell you, testing diaper pails in an thorough, hands-on, manner is not a pretty process.

While we tested the products in normal use, we found that using the diaper pails one at a time did not provide us adequate information to give side-by-side ratings and comparison on the key metric of odor control. So we developed a torture test that sought to stress test all the products in an identical manner, at the same time, and allowed us to really compared performance side-by-side.

The Nasty Business of Sniff Tests
In order to test diaper pails on the critical metric of "odor control" we developed our own sniff test procedure. To do so, we dressed up in a style reminiscent of a Hazmat suit (see photo above). Here's the basic outline of the process:

• Collect a large amount of fresh stinky poo-poo

• Mix it up to assure that each pail is tested with a similar mix of "test material"

• Divide the test material into equal weight portions

• Place each pail's test material on the center of a small paper plate

• Put the plate with test material in the pail, inside the manufacturer's recommended bags

• Allow the pails to sit undisturbed at room temperature (we tried different time periods, 1 hour, 4 hours, 8 hours, and 24 hours, and found 4 hours allowed us the best opportunity to measure differences)

• Perform sniff tests with the pail closed

• Perform a diaper drop sniff test (opening the pail to insert a new dirty diaper inside)

We performed this sniff test three times, each time using a different source of "test material." 

Scoring was based on averaging the judges' assessment of odor control, comparing each diaper pail to the others. Each product was given a rating on odor control relative to the competition on a scale of 0-10, where 10 is best. 

Although these tests were admittedly subjective in nature in that they were based on the sniff test opinions of human judges rather than readings from a scientific measuring device, we feel they were fairly conducted across pails and provided us a reasonable way to test and compare each product's performance. 

In the end, we felt this testing process was successful as it allowed us to detect significant differences in each pail's ability to control odors.

The One Hand Rule Applies to Diaper Disposal
To test each pail on the metric of "Ease of Diaper Disposal" we used only one hand to insert a dirty diaper into the pail. One hand operation is key as there are many times where a parent needs to have baby in one arm, and dispose of the dirty diaper with the other.

Each product was given a rating from 0-10, with 10 being the easiest to use.

While we found that those diaper pails which include a foot pedal are moderately easier to use than those without, all of the diaper pails we reviewed could be operated with one hand without difficulty.

Ease of Changing the Bags
We also tested the difficulty in changing the bags, rated on a scale 0-10 with 10 being the easiest to change. Part of the scoring on the bag changing included whether you were subjected to a nasty stink as part of the bag change. 

Estimation of Total Cost of Ownership
We attempted to estimate the total cost of ownership for the diaper pails by calculating the approximate number of bag refills used assuming that 5,000 diapers are disposed of (our estimate of a single child's output over four years). The calculation factored in variance in size of diapers from newborn to later stage diapers (the diaper bags can hold more than 2x the number of newborn diapers as compared to later stage), and the approximate number of diapers in various sizes that will typically be used over four years. 

We used approximate street prices for diaper bag refill cost calculations, and also assumed "economy-minded" shopping habits such as buying the less expensive per refill multi-packs (such as the 3-refill pack available for the Diaper Genie). 

While we don't claim to be able to exactly predict your total cost of ownership (your mileage may vary), we do believe our estimates provide a reasonable basis for comparison.