Advice for Back up Youth Seat Please??

Jimaie(mom2boys)

New member
Thanks to all you ladies and your fantastic information and advice, i purchased the Regent for my 3.9yr old son but now I need to make a decision on a second car seat for when he rides in his dads '96 Chevy S10 truck (no tether) ( i know, i HATE it when he rides in there and we dont when we can help it but it happens) and in his Grandmas 2002 Toyota Highlander.
Right now we are just using his Cosco Alpha Omega Elite as a BPB but I would really like him to be in something safer.

I'm looking for a second seat with a 5 point harness that would be not so difficult to install and transfer to the other cars?
From what i can gather my choices are the Radian, SafeGuard Go and the Apex....from what i've read on the Apex i dont think it would work very well for us since the majority of his height is in his torso but please correct me if i'm wrong :confused:
I cant tell if it would be worth it to purchase a seat with a 65lb limit at the rate he is growing now but i also am not completely clear on the height restrictions of theose same seats either?? please help??

I appreciate all your suggestions!!!
 
ADS

bensmom

Admin - CPS Technician
The SafeGuard Go does not work if there is not a tether.
What position does he ride in in dad's truck? Is there a shoulder belt? Is he with dad or grandma often?

The Radian or Apex might work, although I'm terrible on the torso height issues, so hopefully someone else will chime in.
I personally have a hard time installing the Radian (not impossible though), but others don't mind it.
If it's just occasional rides, I might consider a RideSafer travel vest too.
 

Jimaie(mom2boys)

New member
The SafeGuard Go does not work if there is not a tether.
What position does he ride in in dad's truck? Is there a shoulder belt? Is he with dad or grandma often?

The Radian or Apex might work, although I'm terrible on the torso height issues, so hopefully someone else will chime in.
I personally have a hard time installing the Radian (not impossible though), but others don't mind it.
If it's just occasional rides, I might consider a RideSafer travel vest too.

He is always FF and in my husbands truck there are shoulderbelts...He has been going to spend the night at his grandmas house everyweekend for the past 3 weeks and she lives about 45 min away... other than that its just riding along on errands in town with her, trips to chuck e cheese etc :D
he only rides with his dad when i'm working or if i need a break and he takes him a long to work on the weekends...not very often at all tho.
He rides in Grandmas car more often than my husbands truck.
I've never heard of the RideSafer Travel Vest? Is it not a seat itself, just a vest? How safe is it? I'll have to do some research on it! thank you :)
 

bensmom

Admin - CPS Technician
He is always FF and in my husbands truck there are shoulderbelts...He has been going to spend the night at his grandmas house everyweekend for the past 3 weeks and she lives about 45 min away... other than that its just riding along on errands in town with her, trips to chuck e cheese etc :D
he only rides with his dad when i'm working or if i need a break and he takes him a long to work on the weekends...not very often at all tho.
He rides in Grandmas car more often than my husbands truck.
I've never heard of the RideSafer Travel Vest? Is it not a seat itself, just a vest? How safe is it? I'll have to do some research on it! thank you :)

Sorry. I meant where in the truck, not FF/RF given his weight in your siggy.
Is he in the front seat or is there a back seat?

The RSTV is just a vest. It can be used with a lap/shoulder belt or a lapbelt and a top tether. It doesn't provide any side impact protection, but is pretty easy to use, so a good option for a spare "seat" or travel.
If you're good at installing seats, the Radian might be a good option too. Is there somewhere local that carries one that you could try it out?

Here's the website for the RSTV: http://www.safetrafficsystem.com/newsite/motive.php

www.elitecarseats.com has them also on their website, with a decent write-up and pictures.
 

Jimaie(mom2boys)

New member
Sorry. I meant where in the truck, not FF/RF given his weight in your siggy.
Is he in the front seat or is there a back seat?

The RSTV is just a vest. It can be used with a lap/shoulder belt or a lapbelt and a top tether. It doesn't provide any side impact protection, but is pretty easy to use, so a good option for a spare "seat" or travel.
If you're good at installing seats, the Radian might be a good option too. Is there somewhere local that carries one that you could try it out?

Here's the website for the RSTV: http://www.safetrafficsystem.com/newsite/motive.php

www.elitecarseats.com has them also on their website, with a decent write-up and pictures.
oh im sorry! now i understand what youre asking LOL
its just a single cab truck so he rides up front, which is why i absolutely fret everytime he rides with him.

Thanks for the other info! I'm not sure if there is anywhere near me that carries the Radian but maybe i can check? How difficult is it? What about it is difficult? I'm going to go read on the vest and see if theres a retailer near us who carries the Radian. :)
 

Jimaie(mom2boys)

New member
Also I've read about the Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe? Anyone have one? What is the ease of installing these?

Do you think it would be worth it for us to buy a Marathon or Decathalon until he reaches those limits and then buy him a Booster, passign the Marathon/Decathalon onto his younger brother??
What is the average age a child lasts in a Marathon/Decathalon??


Sorry for all the questions!:rolleyes:
I'm stil learning ;)
 

scatterbunny

New member
Depending on his torso height, I think I'd go with a Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe because it is almost identical to the Marathon, will be outgrown at the same time, and it's easier to install than a Radian, and will take up less room than an Apex, and the Apex only offers a smidge more growing room over the FPSVD/MA.
 

Jimaie(mom2boys)

New member
From bottom to top of head while sitting he is approx 24" tall overall height is approx 41"

How long do you think he'd have in a MA/FPVD??

Do you know what the height limits on those??

What seat would you personally go for?
 

scatterbunny

New member
When talking about torso height, it generally means seated height from bum to shoulder, where harness straps would be. Another way to go about it is to figure out how much space he has before his shoulders are even with the top slots of his current seat.

Height limits are not set in stone like weight limits are, this is because some kids are all torso and others are all legs. Long-torsoed kids will outgrow seats sooner, because what matters as far as fitting in a harnessed seat by height is that shoulders are not over top slots and tips of ears are not over top of seat shell.

If installation weren't such a problem, the Radian would be my top pick because it has such high top slots.

But since this is a secondary seat that will be used in multiple vehicles, I think an easy to install seat like a Fisher Price SVD is a better choice, though it has shorter top slots.

An Apex would be better in the sense that it can convert to a booster once he outgrows the harness, but it's a huge seat, about as big as a Regent, without as much harnessing capacity.

It's really a tough call.
 

Jimaie(mom2boys)

New member
When talking about torso height, it generally means seated height from bum to shoulder, where harness straps would be. Another way to go about it is to figure out how much space he has before his shoulders are even with the top slots of his current seat.

Height limits are not set in stone like weight limits are, this is because some kids are all torso and others are all legs. Long-torsoed kids will outgrow seats sooner, because what matters as far as fitting in a harnessed seat by height is that shoulders are not over top slots and tips of ears are not over top of seat shell.

If installation weren't such a problem, the Radian would be my top pick because it has such high top slots.

But since this is a secondary seat that will be used in multiple vehicles, I think an easy to install seat like a Fisher Price SVD is a better choice, though it has shorter top slots.

An Apex would be better in the sense that it can convert to a booster once he outgrows the harness, but it's a huge seat, about as big as a Regent, without as much harnessing capacity.

It's really a tough call.



Thank you so much for your input, it means a lot to me! So really its between the Fisher Price SVD and the Apex....hopefully Grandma will split the cost of the seat with us seeing that we just spent $315 on his Regent ;)
Maybe i can search and see if we are able to find one in stores to try out and compare
I know our Targets carry Marathons, would sitting him in one and comparing the measurements be accurate enough to judge how he would fit in the Fisher Price SVD, do you think? I can take a picture while we are out and see where he hits the harness slots in that seat.

One more question...for the Radian, what do you mean by it not having as much harnessing capacity?? I'm sorry to be so inquisitive about everything :eek:

I really appreciate all of your help!
 

scatterbunny

New member
Yes, how he fits in a Marathon will be how he fits in a SVD. :)

Radian/Regent confusion...

I said that the Apex is as big as a Regent, size-wise, but it doesn't have the harnessing capacity the Regent does. The Apex has much shorter top slots (17.5 inches versus 20 inches) so kids will outgrow it years sooner. I think Cosco could have made the Apex smaller while maintaining the same 17.5 inch slots/65# weight limit. It's just poorly designed, in my honest opinion.

If space is not a concern in either of the vehicles, and if the vehicles have head support, I might lean toward an Apex because it can be used as a booster later. But if space is a concern, or if the vehicles do not have adequate head support, I'd go with a FPSVD.
 

Jimaie(mom2boys)

New member
Yes, how he fits in a Marathon will be how he fits in a SVD. :)

Radian/Regent confusion...

I said that the Apex is as big as a Regent, size-wise, but it doesn't have the harnessing capacity the Regent does. The Apex has much shorter top slots (17.5 inches versus 20 inches) so kids will outgrow it years sooner. I think Cosco could have made the Apex smaller while maintaining the same 17.5 inch slots/65# weight limit. It's just poorly designed, in my honest opinion.

If space is not a concern in either of the vehicles, and if the vehicles have head support, I might lean toward an Apex because it can be used as a booster later. But if space is a concern, or if the vehicles do not have adequate head support, I'd go with a FPSVD.

Thank you SO much, you've been extremely Helpful!!:D
 

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