Question Frontier or Radian

U

Unregistered

Guest
We have two boys, one is 5.5yrs, 50lb, 48" tall with a shoulder height of 17". The other is 4yrs, 50lb, 46" tall with a shoulder height of 16.5". They are currently in Marathon's but obviously have maxed the shoulder height for them.

We would like to keep them harnessed as they sit side by side in our vehicle (2003 Ford Excursion, 3rd row) and are definitely BOYS who like to wrestle. They do not complain about being harnessed so its not a fight to get them into one.

Our options that we can see are the Frontier or the Radian. What would you do? The Frontier will give us the option of going to a booster after but we also have 4mth old twins who are going to need new seats too as the Marathon's expire within 2yrs time. So are we better to go with the Radian's now and then buy the big boys boosters when the twins need the Radians??

We have always had Britax - other than the Graco infant seats we have now. But things have changed in the 4yrs since we last bought our Marathon.
 
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amyd

amyd

New member
I think before you decide between the 2 seats, you should try to get your hands on them & try them in your vehicle. Both seats sometimes have installation quirks & actually trying them may make your decision easy. I personally would probably get the big boys Frontiers if they fit well in your vehicle. By the time your twins need new convertibles, there may be something else out that you'd prefer. If you do decide to do the Radians now & expect to still have your vehicle when you pass the seats down, do make sure to try them rear facing as well, if you plan to keep your twins rear facing to the limits of the seats.
 
M

Maedze

New member
Honestly, no matter what you do, you need to move them. Those seating positions don't have top tether anchors, and forward facing children need top tether anchors to protect their spines in an accident. You only have one tether anchor back there, on the passenger side in the third row.

The middle row has tether anchors in all three seating positions.

After that, I would buy neither a Frontier or a Radian; I'd buy Graco Nautiluses :)
 
Evolily

Evolily

New member
I would look at the Graco Nautilus in addition to the Britax Frontier. The nautilus typically has fewer installation issues and has a slightly taller top harness. I would not consider a radian to use solely as a forward facing seat, and my guess is that both of your sons would be close to outgrowing the radian (the child with the 17 inch torso may have outgrown it already depending on how it installs and how you measured his torso).

Good luck!
 
amyd

amyd

New member
Yes, definitely look at the Nautilus as well:thumbsup: Also, if indeed your Marathons are not tethered, it's not only unsafe, but also illegal in Canada.
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
Wow! some fast responses!! Thanks so much!! :)

They are both tethered in the back - we had a 2nd tether anchor installed as it was worth the money when it was just more convenient to have two kids in the back row. We also have a 7.5yr old DD who is in a Parkway.

I couldn't get any information on the Nautilus to load on our dial up in regards to harness height and also the crotch buckle - is there more room on that as the only thing they complain about is the Marathon being tight on the privates at times.

We live far from any stores that sell any of these seats so I was hoping that maybe we could order online, but now that I know there are some installation quirks I guess I'll be making a drive to the city to try these seats out!

Thanks so much for your help and I look forward to any other answers we get! :)
 
Misty-Bug

Misty-Bug

New member
the Nautilus and the Radian are actually similar in harness heights. My neighbour has a nauti and I really like it. Because of the age of the children in question I would just get Nautiluses. They are SUPER easy to install. You don't need RFing capabilities and personally I am not a fan of the frontier. Not sure WHY, just doesn't look right. The Radians can be tricky to install but I bet you can get the Nauti's in there just fine. SUPER simple!!
 
canadiangie

canadiangie

New member
I wonder if these ds's would have any room in TrueFits? Then down the road the twin babies can have them, the oldest ds could go into the dd's Parkway, the dd could go into a backless booster, and the other boy could get a Nautilus. ??
 

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