Radian 65 v. Boulevard...please advise!

Can anyone weigh in here? I know child fit and vehicle fit are most important, but...
DD is 3, 33# and 40" currently in Britax Wizard, DS is 10 months, 19# and 30" - both long and lean kids.

We are considering the Radian 65 and Boulevard for DD and putting DS in Wizard. DD would be right FF outboard and DS would be RF in middle position. I don't think two Britax seats would fit side-by-side, FF/RF or FF/FF for that matter, so I would have to put both kids outboard, which is why Radian is appealing (and the harness is higher than Boulevard). But, are wings of Boulevard that much of a safety bonus that I should chose it over Radian 65 anyway?

Thanks for any and all suggestions.

I don't have any means of comparison, having never owned a Britax seat, but I've just bought a Radian for my 4.5y/o dd who is 41" and 35#. She is level with the next-to-highest harness slots in the Radian (approx. 14-14.5"), and I expect she will have outgrown it long before reaching the supposed 49" height max the seat advertises. She is mid-range height for her age, but I suppose she may be long-torsoed...? She only has about 3 inches to grow (in torso) before she is level with the highest slots (17-17.5"). That could be two years from now, or less than a year. If your children are tall and/or long-torsoed, you will not get the use out of this seat that you might expect. Having fairly petite, but long-torsoed children, I expect that the Radian will be outgrown long before 49" or 65#.

I am not displease with this seat at all in that aspect. I purchased it knowing she would only use it for a year or two, and then it will be passed down to her younger sister. So we will get our use out of it!

This seat is fairly narrow (comparatively to the Britax models mentioned, I understand), which was a must in my situation. My 2y/o's Alpha Omega Elite looks monstrous next to it, although the Radian is mostly narrower at the *base*. They sit on the same row in my Chevy Astro, both in outboard positions. The AO on the passenger side, with the gap between the edge of the bench and the sliding door; the Radian on the driver's side. I can still fit an older child between the two seats, up to my 11y/o ds. My 13y/o dd, who is adult-sized already, doesn't fit, nor would I. Honestly, if I had given more thought to it when I was purchasing the AO, I'd have *two* Radians right now... *shrugs* But that's another story...

Your older child will have more growing room in the radian than in the BLVD. We have a marathon (same shell and harness heights as the BLVD) and my DS (3, 34 pounds, 39 inches, not sure of torso height) is even with the second from top slots. If we were keeping him in this seat, we would be moving the straps up to the top this week. We also have the radian. DS is an inch below the second to top slots. He easily has an extra inch, maybe a little more, than the radian.

If I were you and you could fit it, I would put your DD in the center ffing in the radian and your DS rfing in the wizard outboard (rfing is safer than ffing in a side impact). If you really want your DD outboard, then put her in the wizard and rf your DS in the radian. When your DD outgrows the wizards harness, switch seats to get the extra inch.

If you post your car's year, make and model, we might be able to tell you if you can even use a radian in your car. There have been some fit issues. If it won't fit, then go for the boulevard or maybe the regent.

Since the seats you're looking at are min of $200 anyway, why not think about the Regent. It will last your DD MUCH longer...either until it expires or pass it down to DS when she gets a booster. Either way, you get more for your money since you will use it for its full lifespan.

The rest of this.

Check out the link in my siggy. I have a ton of pictures of my Wizards next to each other in my Xterra. RFing and FFing, and FFing and FFing. And a few of Piper in them and the Radian installed in planes and such.

Wendy