RF Radian Angle & Monterey Belt Fit Check Please!

stephpook · Dec 25, 2009

MORE/NEW PICTURES IN POST #8!

Could someone please check the RF angle (on the Radian) and belt fit (on the Monterey)? Thanks!

First up: Radian 65SL - Passenger captains chair in a Honda Odyssey. Sorry for the bad quality of the pictures. It was dark, raining, and there's snow on the ground - so hard to get a good angle. I can retake the pictures during the day if necessary. The SL replaces a regular Radian 65 (old style boot) and I know this one is more reclined, I just don't know if it's too reclined.

The seat is for a 13.5 month old. 18ish pounds and 29ish inches.

The Monterey is third row outboard in the same car. Initially I thought it was a good belt fit, but now I'm just not sure. Again, the quality of the pictures isn't the best - he was sleeping and his shirt makes it hard to tell exactly where the lap portion of the belt sits, so I can retake those tomorrow as well if needed. For the record, he outgrew the Radian in the shoulder area, so we went with a Monterey thinking he would need the adjustable shoulder wings (Nautilus is a no-go for him because of the shoulder issue if that's any indication).

The child is 6 years 4 months old and is approximately 50 pounds and 46 inches tall.

Thank you so much!

Raegansmom4 · Dec 25, 2009

I'm not the best angle judge, but it *looks* like the Radian is right about 45 degrees. If your 13.5 mo is comfortable, you could probably leave it as is, but if you can get it more upright, I'd try. The lap belt of the Monterery looks a tad high on the belly. Maybe a better pic will be able to tell us more?

firemomof3 · Dec 25, 2009

I'm not sure about the fit of the Monterey either.

MissAllyLou · Dec 25, 2009

I'm not *bothered* by the Monterey fit, but I don't love it, either. Have yuou tried other boosters? I'd be willing to bet there's a different booster that would give a better fit. It almost seems to be swallowing him whole... Maybe a narrower seat might fit better for now? Try a Turbobooster, Britax Slideguard, or a Recaro Vivo maybe?

As for the Radian, I would try to get it more upright. It seems to be right at 45*, which is fine, but I prefer seats to be less reclined for a child with good head control.

stephpook · Dec 26, 2009

Thanks for the opinions so far. I'll try again with the Radian when the weather is better. I did "try" to get it more upright when initially installing it and this was the best I could do. Maybe it's time to find a tech who can help me. Maybe I should have left well enough alone and stuck with the old Radian. He definitely doesn't need the higher weight limit yet.

As for the Monterey - argh! I'll try to take some more pictures when the weather is better. I moved it yesterday to try out in one of the captain's chairs, so maybe it just needs to be repositioned a little bit. I had thought the lap belt usually fit better than that. Honestly, it's the shoulder belt fit that I'm usually freaking out about.

We have a TB for Daddy's car that we can use temporarily, but I'd prefer it to not be his primary seat. One of the things I like so much about the Monterey is how sturdy it is and that the headwings keep his head contained when he sleeps (the TB really doesn't). When we bought the Monterey we also tried out a Frontier and Parkway SG, neither of which he liked. I realy wanted to try out a Vivo, but BuyBuyBaby didn't have one. I can't seem to find one in store anywhere to try.

emandbri · Dec 26, 2009

The Monterey looks fine to me.

Maedze · Dec 26, 2009

Honestly, the Monterey looks fine to me. Feel for his hip bones. As long as they're substantially above the top of the lap belt you should be ok. The lap belt appears to be nicely supported by his thighs and pelvis, not actually supported by his tum.

The thing I did notice with the Monterey is that the shoulder belt appears to be rather close to the edge of the shoulder. How does that belt do if he moves or shifts his position at all?

The Radian looks fine. It's nearly maxiumly reclined, but not dangerously so. However, if you'd like to get it more upright there's no harm in trying.

stephpook · Dec 26, 2009

Maedze said:
The thing I did notice with the Monterey is that the shoulder belt appears to be rather close to the edge of the shoulder. How does that belt do if he moves or shifts his position at all?

This has always been my concern as well (which is why I posted pictures). He was sleeping in the pictures I took last night (so more relaxed). Here is the picture I took this morning:

And a comparison picture of him in the TB:

I honestly don't think the belt fit is that much better on the TB. Opinions?

I also played with the Radian again. It's a couple degrees more upright, I think, if that. Better?

Thanks again!

Misty-Bug · Dec 26, 2009

doesn't look like he likes the TB. lol. it looks fine to me but I am nto a tech. have you tried to pull the radian out of the seat bite to get more of an upright angle? You may need another person to help with it

firemomof3 · Dec 26, 2009

The fit of the TB is better than the Monterey, especially with the shoulder belt placement. If you really like the fact that the Monterey can be latched then I would recommend the Clek Oobr. It will fit him similarly to the TB but it can be latched and comes in cool patterns

Kat_Momof3 · Dec 26, 2009

the Radian looks great... the Monterey... well, I'd try it with the headrest raised up one notch more than it is in the pictures. It's not a bad fit, but it's not quite as good as the TB fit.

stephpook · Dec 26, 2009

firemomof3 said:
The fit of the TB is better than the Monterey, especially with the shoulder belt placement. If you really like the fact that the Monterey can be latched then I would recommend the Clek Oobr. It will fit him similarly to the TB but it can be latched and comes in cool patterns

I love the fact that the Monterey can be LATCH'ed, but unfortunately, the seating position we have it in doesn't have LATCH. And I do think my husband would confiscate my credit cards if I bought a Clek

. We just bought the Monterey a few months ago and the Radian 65SL a few weeks ago.

Kat_Momof3 said:
the Monterey... well, I'd try it with the headrest raised up one notch more than it is in the pictures.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll try that tomorrow.

Mom on a Mission · Dec 26, 2009

Moving the headrest up a notch or two fixed the shoulder belt problem on my DS. It can make a huge difference with this seat..........

swtgi1982 · Dec 26, 2009

I say turbo is best bet for now the shoulder belt position does not scare me in that one as it does in the other. To close to shoulder for me.

bethng · Dec 27, 2009

Maedze said:
The thing I did notice with the Monterey is that the shoulder belt appears to be rather close to the edge of the shoulder. How does that belt do if he moves or shifts his position at all?

.

This is why the monterey didnt work for my dd. She had to sit in a certain position and not shift at all or the shoulder belt was off of her shoulder or farther over then I was comfortable with.

AtTheSouthDam · Dec 27, 2009

Kat_Momof3 said:
the Radian looks great... the Monterey... well, I'd try it with the headrest raised up one notch more than it is in the pictures. It's not a bad fit, but it's not quite as good as the TB fit.

The direction of the Monterey actually say to have it a short distance above the shoulders IIRC, not at like with the TB. Looked it up, it should be at least 1 cm above the child's shoulders.

ginny4 · Dec 27, 2009

i don't like the shoulder fit on the monterey. that's how my DD looks in it too. if my DD leaned to the side her shoulder was out of the belt. maybe clicking the headrest up a bit might help but it won't help if he leans/shifts over. my DD fits much nicer in the TB like your son.

stephpook · Dec 27, 2009

So I raised the headrest on the Monterey one notch today and I do think it helped with the shoulder belt fit. I'll keep a close eye on my son over the next few days and see how he does.

The Radian, on the other hand, is really annoying me. I can get it a little bit more upright but it slides back down the first time I put the baby into it. If I have to have it at 45 degrees so be it, but I want it to stay put so I don't have to keep moving my seat closer to the dash. *Sigh.* I like my old style Radian with the wider RF boot better.

RF Radian Angle & Monterey Belt Fit Check Please!

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