Which convertible for rf 3yo?

kphil

Member
I've been away from the board for awhile, and am not sure what's new in the last 6 months or so. My youngest is 3yo and 30lbs, and is rf in a Blvd. We are going on a road trip to Disneyland in a few weeks, and I'm strongly considering getting him a new seat before then. He's generally fine in the Blvd, but whenever he sleeps in it for a long time, and then wakes up in it (like when we've done other driving trips), he wakes up crying and complaining about his legs hurting. Our other trips have all been much shorter, so this has been a pain, but manageable. This is an 18 hour drive each way (spread over 2-3 days), so I really want/need him to be comfortable. His Blvd expires in another year or so.

I'm thinking the True Fit or the Radian might be my best choices? I was considering Recaro as well, but one of the first posts on here today crossed that one off my list. The seat would be going in a Sienna LE-8, and it would be nice if it worked well in an Audi A-4 as well, but that's very secondary.
 
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kphil

Member
I think I'm leaning Radian, just because I know that is our only hope of ever getting 3 across my dh's Audi. We tried a Radian in his car once, and the install was awesome. My dh was sold on it, and always asks what about that seat. I don't know how it is in a Sienna, though. I also don't know anything about the 65 vs the XT, new vs old. I'm very out of the loop right now. If anyone can tell me what I want :p or what the differences are, or where there is a good listing of them, that would be immensely helpful. I would normally be spending hours/days/weeks researching all this, but this trip is very last minute, and I'm overwhelmed by all the different aspects of planning right now. (And I need to get off the computer right now and get back to my oldest, doing her schoolwork!)

Thanks so much for any and all help!
 

Mommy0608

New member
If you must be able to get 3 across, then I'd go for a Radian. If you don't need 3 across, I'd choose the True Fit.

Both have great leg room, much more than the Boulevard, so that should help. The True Fit's shell is slightly taller, so it will last longer rear-facing height-wise.

The Radian has a recline foot that often makes it difficult to get an upright rear-facing installation. This is fine for babies, but toddlers often prefer to sit more upright. There are several RF toddlers in Radians on this board though. Another issue with the Radian is front to back space when rear-facing. The fact that it is very reclined makes it take up more space than many other convertibles. In bigger vehicles this isn't a problem, and often it's not an issue in small cars either, just depends on how well it will install and how much room the front seat passengers require. I was able to install it RF outboard in my Civic, but just barely.

The True Fit, on the other hand, installs easily and even though it has a taller shell, it actually takes up less front to back space because it can sit more upright.

If you go with the Radian, you could probably skip the RN80. The RN65 and 80 have the same harness height, so the only difference is weight limit. Since most kids outgrow seats by height anyway, the extra 15lbs often isn't worthwhile unless you have a chunky kiddo. ;) The XT has side wings that are supposed to help with side impact protection. It's up to you to decide which you prefer though. The Sunshine Kids website may be helpful to you, I believe it's skjp.com.

Hope this helps!
 

kphil

Member
Three across is not a necessity right now, but it would be a bonus. My dh's car is great in the snow, while mine is awful, so we can't take all three kids anywhere in the snow (dh takes them skiing, but so far only the older two, so it hasn't been a problem yet). I keep wanting to love the True Fit, but have had trouble tightening the harness the couple times I've played with it. I'm not sure why I have that problem when others don't seem to. Other than that, I love the seat (but that's a big problem, obviously). I need to find somewhere to find one to try again. Sounds like the new version is too far away for me to wait for it, unfortunately. For ff, it sounds like the TrueFit has an edge, perhaps? Is there a crotch strap issue with boys and either of the two seats?

I'm glad to hear both should be an improvement over the Blvd. I didn't know if I was being overly optimistic that a new seat would help that.

ETA: Oh, and if it makes an difference, my 6yo is in a Graco Nautilus, so that would be a seat available to hand down to ds in several years, if needed.
 
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Patriot201

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
I am not going to try to discourage you from buying a new seat (especially since I seem to buy them obsessively. :p), but are you sure about your Boulevard expiring?

I bought a Boulevard when they were still fairly new and my Boulevard is not quite three years old. Britax allows for a six-year lifespan. Are you sure about your seat expiring?
 

Blondie87

New member
I just got a Radian XT, and I also have a Boulevard! I just took a couple pics yesterday of my foster daughter in the Boulevard VS the Radian and she obviously has alot more room in the Radian...

IMG_1857.jpg
IMG_1856.jpg
 

christineka

New member
My 30 pound 4 year old rfes in a radian now. She has plenty of legroom as opposed to other seats she has been in. She doesn't mind the recline at all. I went with the radian 80 simply because it came in pink and it happened to be on sale. I have the seat installed in the middle seat, back row of my sienna. It installs on the driver's side too. I haven't tried it anywhere else or forward facing.
 

kphil

Member
I am not going to try to discourage you from buying a new seat (especially since I seem to buy them obsessively. :p), but are you sure about your Boulevard expiring?
No, I'm totally not sure, lol. I mean, I know it expires *sometime* :D. I need to uninstall the seat to find the sticker on it, because I can't seem to find it. I bought it when they just hit the shelves for the first time (in the original, ugly pattern ;)), about the time my 2nd dd was outgrowing her RA rf, which would have made her about 2.5, which would be 4 years ago. So, maybe I have two years left (that's almost expired, right? lol j/k). I guess I was thinking that eventually he would need a new seat anyway, and since this one is causing him problems, it might be worth it to buy it sooner, rather than later, for the sake of less misery on this trip. 2nd dd will probably be close to outgrowing the GN harness about the time the Blvd expires, so I guess we might technically be able to get away without a new one. But, it would be worth it to me to get a new one if he's a lot happier in it.
 

kphil

Member
Blondi87--Thanks for those pictures; they're really helpful. My guy looks and seems comfortable enough in the Blvd most of the time, it's only been an issue when he falls asleep, for some reason. I can kind of imagine how it might feel, to sleep with your legs bent for a long time, and then be crampy and unable to stretch them out well when you wake up. At least, that's how it seems to me.

Christineka--How do you get your 4yo in the seat with it rf in the middle rear? I've always had my rf kiddos in the middle row, in the outboard positions, so I can reach them easily to get them in their seats. Just curious how that works. Nice to hear a 4 yo fits well.
 

Genevieve

CPST Instructor
I love the rearfacing leg room of the radian for my 2.5 year old. I had a TrueFit for a day, but didn't like it a returned it. When I was getting a new seat the leg room was a big issue for us. Since the bottom of the Radian is so flat it's easy for DS to plop his legs over the side, etc.
 

christineka

New member
My 4 year old gets in the side door and gets herself into her seat. When she's in the mood she can even get her arms in the straps and do her chest clip. (She never did with the Safety first/cosco seats we've had.) I buckle up 2 year old ds who is in the middle row, drivier's side (for now.) Then I step up into the van, lean over and buckle dd's crotch buckle. Sometimes 7 year old will do it, but not often. I'm huge and pg too, but it still works.

When ds sits in the back I usually just lift him over the captain's chair and lean over like I do with dd. When baby comes- she gets the middle row seat. It's just the only way I could figure out how to get all 6 car seats in the van.
 

NannyMom

Well-known member
Will the new seat be center or outboard in your Sienna? My current situation is very similar to yours :)

My DD has been in a Marathon in the center of my Sienna LE-8. She hasn't complained about legroom, but the MA is being passed to Grandma's car.

I found the Radian installed really well RF in the 2nd row outboard seats. But in the center seat, it's just an 'ok' install. There is movement, but it is less than an inch. It was also a little tricky to get a good recline (it wanted to be over reclined). We've actually been using a 'borrowed' Radian for a week or 2.

I went to BRU and tried out the True Fit in the center of the van. It installed really well. It was rock solid! With a rolled towel for added recline (though not 45*), I didn't have much problem accessing the harness adjuster.

Both seats gave Sofi more leg room than the Marathon. I decided to go with the True Fit for the solid, easy install. If you decide to get that, you can get a 10% off code from the sponsors forum, and buy from Babycatalog for $156.60 and free shipping :)
 

kphil

Member
It would be outboard, since that's where it's easiest for me to get him buckled (and I like usually try to put the least protected=booster child in the center position). Sounds like I should try to hit Babies R Us to try the True Fit in person again. Would you all buy one right now, before the new version comes out?
 

emandbri

Well-known member
I am not happy with how my dd fits rfing in her MA and I was considering the true fit, a radian, or getting my older son a new seat and having her use his radian. I ended up getting a second radian mainly because I have a friend who needs a radian down the line so I sell her one of mine. I have three convertables and only need the radian for a short time. I've been borrowing a true fit and I'm looking forward to the radian getting here. I find it annoying that I keep grabbing the padding when searching for the straps and it bugs be that the adjuster is too low and I can't get to it.
 

NannyMom

Well-known member
It would be outboard, since that's where it's easiest for me to get him buckled (and I like usually try to put the least protected=booster child in the center position). Sounds like I should try to hit Babies R Us to try the True Fit in person again. Would you all buy one right now, before the new version comes out?

The new True Fit won't be out until at least summer it looks like. But we really don't know for sure. It was supposed to be February. I had hoped to get that one. But Sofi's outgrowing the seat in Grandma's car, so we need a new one, we can't wait months and months. I would have bought the new TF just because it will be easier to get to the harness adjuster.

The Radian installed much better (and tighter) for me outboard in the 2nd row than it did in the center.
 

ZephyrBlue

New member
The Radian will give him more crotch buckle depth than the TF (I just had Jools measure the Radian for me and compared it to my TF). We're ordering a Radian for almost 4yo DS :)
 

mommy-medic

New member
The expiration sticker on most Britax seats can be seen without uninstalling the seat. They are usually under the cover, on the outside of the shell by where the left side of the child's head would be (i.e. "outboard" side of the left head area). HTH.
 

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