Looking for a car seat

[scoop]

Our daughter is 7 months old now, weighs 16lbs and 66cm tall. She is in a Graco infant carrier now and its max weight is 20lbs and max height is 66cm.

From reading here and elsewhere it appears the Sunshine Radian or the Britax marathon are the best of the bunch. Our daughter is definately small in stature, so it sounds like the marathon would be a better fit. However we do travel a lot (she will be on her 3rd plane trip next month) so the sunshine might be nicer for the plane rides in the future.

How to choose? Our two vehicles are a 2001 Corolla and a 2003 Subaru Forester. Will one or the other work better for these vehicles?

Also - Ive noticed other car seats have cup holders. This seems like a nice convenience - do either of these models have one of those? What about ease of cleaning?

Thanks

[snowbird25ca]

Hi Scoop. Glad to see you post here, you'll get much more input here than I can provide through PM over on the other board. :D

Neither the Radian or the MA (marathon,) have cup holders available as an option. The MA cover removes very easily - it is elasticized all the way around, so you unthread the harness and pull the cover off and that's pretty much all there is to it. I haven't personally removed the cover on my Radian, so I can't attest to that.

I have one of each and which one I like better depends on the day. :o

I'm not familiar with installing the Radian in either of the vehicles you have, if you're looking at 2 seats, I'd probably go with 1 of each, then you have the radian for plane travel and the MA for the ease of installation and comfort factor. ;)

One other factor, is that the Radian doesn't fit rf'ing on airplanes very well, ff'ing it fits great and you can actually flip the tray down over top of your dd's lap while she's in the seat, but rf'ing it's just too tall to fit. The MA on the other hand, would definitely fit rf'ing.

As for height, as long as there is 1" of hard shell above your dd's head and she is under the weight limit, then she still fits the seat. Weight limits are absolute, but height limits are guidelines so as long as there is 1" of hard shell above her head and she's under the weight limit, the actual # of her length isn't important. ;)

eta: When the triumph advance shows up I'm fairly certain it will have cup holders. The only thing the triumph advance doesn't have that some people look for is a rf'ing tether. Otherwise it looks like a great option that will be available very soon. :)

[scoop]

THanks snowbird...

We will only be buying one seat at this point as she mostly travels in the Forester. I think Ill go to a store and try them both out in the car if they will let me. I should see if our local Canadian Tire has and of the old Radians in stock as if I can get one of those for $99 then I would grab the Marathon as well.

Does anyone else know of any sales on either of these two?

[spcamno]

The Marathon is on sale (25% off) at BRU but I think someone already confirm that they are only apply to the seat with 48 pounds label.

Please see this thread for more detail:

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=31551

As far as Radian goes I think CTC is trying to get rid of all the old one with 48 lbs limit and not sure will they carry the 65 one in the future or not.

Try visit your local CTC and see if they still have them and talk to the manager to see if he or she can let you buy one for $99 (their last sale price since they will no longer carry this product).

[unityco]

We've had both a Marathon and a Radian (the Radian is what we're currently using.) They both have their pros & cons.

I liked the Marathon for its ease of installation. I never had to worry about whether the carseat was going to fit in the car at my destination, and while bulky, it's lighter than a Radian. The cover was easily removed for cleaning (and I understand the straps can be removed too, but we never had to.) I hated the V tether.

We got a Radian as an insurance replacement. I chose it over another Marathon because it was the first available with the 65lb limit, and it has higher slots (DS is a giant and I fear he will outgrow our harnessed options in Canada by the time he's three.)

I do not find the Radian a "great" travel seat (it's not a bad travel seat, either.) (DS has just completed his 52nd flight in 26 months!) It's weight, IMHO, cancels any benefit from its folded profile. I constantly worry every time we fly whether I will get the Radian in to the car we end up with at the other end (and spend way longer installing it.) Being able to use the tray on the plane when FF is great, though!

It's cover is more difficult to remove and replace... there are weird plastic rivet things that hold the cover on that are hard to remove (I need pliers,) and their are snaps that can be difficult to do back up when replacing the cover. However, it's not too tough. The straps can not be removed. The seat does not offer much sleeping support either. I much prefer the tether design on the Radian over the Marathon.

I've got a real love/hate thing with the Radian. The Marathon was just nice.

HTH!

[momto2boys]

Not a tech but just a mom. Just completed driving a 12 hours trip with a Marathon. My 6 yo son often sits in a booster but loved the Marathon for our trip. He said it was so comfy he would love to sit in it all the time. I have never owned a Radian but tried installing it in my van 2 times. The second time after advice from this forum and also with an "expert" from the store. She could not believe how much easier the Marathon was to install so definitely try both in your vehicle if you can.

[scoop]

Ok - still havent made my mind up yet. I was looking at consumer rep[/B]orts and they rate the Cosco Alpha Omega Elite 22-155 very highly (above the Marathon). Granted these are US rankings.

So now Im considering this seat - or is the marathon still that much better?

The Cosco one would work well as we have a Sears gift card we can use on it, but they dont carry the Marathon.

__________________

Edit to add - scratch that. Just a quick search here seems to say to dismiss any CR rankings. So would anyone mind telling me what the best seat at sears is, or am I still much better off going for a marathon?

[Jewels]

The Alpah Omega Elite (AOE) will not last you as long as the MA will as it has lower harness slots. My ds outgrew this seat at 2.5yrs and is no-way ready for a booster. In Canada children must be 4yrs and 40lbs to use a booster seat so if you can find a seat that will last you long the better off you will be. The AOE is not the easiest seat to install and with the base on takes up quite a bit of room. It also only harness' to 40lbs and you cannot use the very top harness height position with the 5pt harness as it is only for the booster mode.

I started off with a Graco Comfortsport and loved it by my ds outgrew it at 26mths and I had to find a seat with high top harness slots. That is when I came across the MA (harness' to 65lbs, 17" top slots). If I had known the top harness height was important and that it was outgrown early before I first bought I would have save myself a lot of money (comfortsport was $199 @ Sears, MA $299).

The Radian (harness' to 65lbs, 18" top slots) and the Marathon will last you the longest and should be able to take your dd right up until she is ready for a booster seat.

[snowbird25ca]

If you have a Sears gift card you can use, I'd wait and see if your local sears has the new Triumph Advance yet. According to the other thread, Evenflo expects some Sears stores should have it already. Wal-mart should also have it by end of month and it's shipping to TRU/BRU on the 13th - I have no clue how long their delivery system takes though...

The 3in1 seats have way more drawbacks and are priced double what they're worth IMO. They make an ok rf'ing seat as they have a nice tall seat shell, but they are notoriously difficult to install, the top slots when you're using the seat ff'ing aren't tall enough to get kids to booster age, and they make a horrible booster. The fit of the seatbelt on kids in booster mode is so bad on most kids that it is not safe for them and we recommend parents buy a dedicated booster. Even if it did make a good booster, the seatback isn't tall enough to get kids big enough & old enough to pass the 5step test. The adjustable headrest has 5 positions, but the uppermost position is only for use in booster mode & the harness must be removed, so the slots aren't as high as they seem...

Even if a child made it to the bare minimum of 4yrs old and 40lbs to go into a booster, chances are they wouldn't be mature enough yet to use a booster full time...

How much hard shell does your dd have above her head in the infant carrier still? If you can eek a couple more weeks it looks like the triumph advance will definitely be an option if it's not readily available at your local sears just yet...

[scoop]

If you have a Sears gift card you can use, I'd wait and see if your local sears has the new Triumph Advance yet. According to the other thread, Evenflo expects some Sears stores should have it already. Wal-mart should also have it by end of month and it's shipping to TRU/BRU on the 13th - I have no clue how long their delivery system takes though...

The 3in1 seats have way more drawbacks and are priced double what they're worth IMO. They make an ok rf'ing seat as they have a nice tall seat shell, but they are notoriously difficult to install, the top slots when you're using the seat ff'ing aren't tall enough to get kids to booster age, and they make a horrible booster. The fit of the seatbelt on kids in booster mode is so bad on most kids that it is not safe for them and we recommend parents buy a dedicated booster. Even if it did make a good booster, the seatback isn't tall enough to get kids big enough & old enough to pass the 5step test. The adjustable headrest has 5 positions, but the uppermost position is only for use in booster mode & the harness must be removed, so the slots aren't as high as they seem...

Even if a child made it to the bare minimum of 4yrs old and 40lbs to go into a booster, chances are they wouldn't be mature enough yet to use a booster full time...

How much hard shell does your dd have above her head in the infant carrier still? If you can eek a couple more weeks it looks like the triumph advance will definitely be an option if it's not readily available at your local sears just yet...

Thanks snowbird - i just started a new topic but should have put it here. My sears has the triumph - but doesnt say advance. Is this the same thing or not?

thanks

[snowbird25ca]

Thanks snowbird - i just started a new topic but should have put it here. My sears has the triumph - but doesnt say advance. Is this the same thing or not?

thanks

I just approved the other thread & replied to it. (You must not have been logged in when you submitted it. ;))

From the description it sounds like the old triumph and that's not the same thing. You never know with sales associates though. I'd call back and ask if it has red tabs at the top of the harness straps and the straps slide up & down in the front. That description should be enough to tell if it's new or old. (I'm describing the new one.)

[skaterbabscpst]

Run far, far away from the AO. It's outgrown very quickly, and is not an easy install. There are just better seats available IMO.

[QuassEE]

Another point not made--if you're installing the seat in a Subaru of any kind, TRY IT OUT before you buy it. They're notoriously difficult installs if you need that centre seat. Subaru likes to put big plastic pieces in their centre seating position, which makes it difficult to install many seats there. I do know that if you have the plastic you can get a Marathon in that centre seat both rear-facing and forward-facing, but it takes two people and some pushing against the ceiling.

You're buying a new seat at such a wonderful time in the current marketplace. There are so many options available to you for seats that will last you until your child can go into a booster. Something like the Alpha-Omega that only harnesses to 40lbs would likely mean you would need to buy another, taller and higher weight, seat later...unless you had an extremely tiny child. Most children only make it to age 3-early 4 before they outgrow the AO and AOE--which is far too young, small, and immature to move into a booster. You have had so many suggestions for seats that should last you twice as long, and save you from having to buy yet another harnessed seat down the road. Not only will you save money in the long run, your child will benefit from a seat that allows them to rear-face longer, and remain harnessed longer--that increased safety is priceless! {Queue Mastercard commercial music..?}

-Nicole.

[scoop]

Thanks for everyone's advice. I settled on and purchased an Evenflo Triumph Advance LX for our 7month old daughter. Details here if you want to know more:
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=32676