Should I purchase Radian for air travel?

pamcakes

New member
Okay, so here is my predicament.

I always purchase a seat for my son. He is now 19 months old and when we flew last month he has become a kicker. We travel with his Britax Boulevard with the GoGo Babyz wheels. It has never been to much of a hassle until he started the kicking. The last flight I ended up holding him most of the time because he kept kicking the seat in front of him and you could tell the guy was getting peeved....I would too. But, I don't want to have to hold him the entire flight!

So, my question is this. If I purchased the Radian 65 (we need a 2nd seat anyhow) would this help with the kicking since he will sit lower and farther back? His Boulevard is huge and he sits so high. I have read you can put the tray table down with the Radian so he could color etc and have something to do instead of kick.

Oh, and if I did do the Radian it won't go on the GoGo Babyz so I would have to carry it through the airport in the bag. I am used to having my son strapped in the seat so I would want to bring a stroller to gate check? And does the Radian in the bag go through the conveyor belt at security or would I have to request for it to be wand checked like the Boulevard?

Any thoughts would be appreciated! Thank you in advance.

Pam
 
ADS

Jan06twinmom

New member
When we flew, we kept our car seats in the rear-facing position on the airplane. When the baby was kicking the seat, they were kicking their own seat the entire time and no one elses! Problem solved!

My DH sat next to DS when he was in his Radian car seat. At that time, DS was ff and he was 3 1/2 years old. My DH told DS that he was not allowed to kick the seat or the person in front of him would get very mad. So I'm guessing that he would have easily been able to kick the seat!

ETA this link about rf on airplanes: http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/airplaneRF.aspx

Melanie
 

pamcakes

New member
When we flew, we kept our car seats in the rear-facing position on the airplane. When the baby was kicking the seat, they were kicking their own seat the entire time and no one elses! Problem solved!

My DH sat next to DS when he was in his Radian car seat. At that time, DS was ff and he was 3 1/2 years old. My DH told DS that he was not allowed to kick the seat or the person in front of him would get very mad. So I'm guessing that he would have easily been able to kick the seat!

ETA this link about rf on airplanes: http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/airplaneRF.aspx

Melanie
Unfortunately, my son is in the 75th percentile for height and his legs are just too long now to rear face anymore. Otherwise that is the perfect solution!
 

lilliput

New member
We've flown with it forward-facing, and I'm 95% certain we were able to get the tray table down to give him something to do. Of course, then I spent a lot of time picking stuff up off the floor like crayons, but hey, he didn't kick the seat in front of him. The RN fits folded through the X-ray machine no problem - no need to have it checked with the wand. We usually travel with a stroller and gate-check it (for reference, the BOB single on one trip, which amazingly also fits through the X-ray machine, or a Maclaren on others). I carried the RN like a backpack. Our last trip we did not take the RN because my in-laws swore up and down they had a decent car seat and DH believed them. Umm, no and we won't mention what they did have for a seat, and I lost that battle. But that is off-topic. DS was 2, he did fine, no kicking, no fits until the last bitter leg of 1.5 hours (22+ hours of travel time from Vermont to southern Chile via Montreal), but next time I'll take the RN.

We'll see how things go next week if he tries to kick the seat now from the comfort of the RN. He tests the waters a lot more now that he is 3. The RN is a great seat for the plane, it is heavy so be prepared for that, but a big part of the reason we bought it is because we knew we'd use it on plane trips. I don't know if being in the RN will necessarily keep him from kicking. If he does start kicking the seat, I plan to be prepared with bribery or consequences, such as no special toy, special snack, etc.... I try to make the trip out of the ordinary, exciting, or a bit magical (which it is and should be), and if some of that magic gets lost because he's misbehaving that tends to set him straight again.
 

Pixels

New member
My 19 month old, 30ish inch daughter was not able to reach the seat in front of her to kick in the Radian, even when I intentionally installed it far forward on the seat to give her more recline.

The Radian does fit through the xray machine, at least at the two airports I've been to, with room to spare. No hand checking necessary.

The Radian can have backpack straps attached to it and then you wear it on your back. That's what we did and it worked well.
 

Jan06twinmom

New member
How big is your baby? Do you know what his torso size is?

My DS was on the 75th percentile for height and he was able to stay rear-facing in his car seat until he was 2 1/2 years old. At that point, he was 33lbs and he hit the rear-facing limit of our car seat so I had to put him forward-facing. He flew from Florida to California rear-facing on the airplane right at the 33lb limit and we had to switch him to ff right after that.

With the new car seats available on the market now, he would have easily made it to over 3 years old rear-facing.

Melanie
 

pamcakes

New member
I do not know my son's torso size. That is the first time I have been asked that. I just know he has super long legs.

Thank you though for all of your thoughts and opinions. I appreciate the feedback and will most likely be purchasing this seat as the travel seat.
 

mylittlet

Senior Community Member
I don't know if you are interested at all in rf him again, but it is 500x safer then ff. If you want to see what other kids do with their long legs, go to www.cpsafety.com. They have an album of extended rf.

Our kids were over 90% for height. They made it to past 2y. They maxed out the bv by weight and height about the same time.

If you are going to keep him ff, you could look at the nautilus also.
 

mommycat

Well-known member
It already sounds like you are doing a great job keeping your son as safe as possible. I am making the huge assumption that you also have him FF in the car, so if that is an incorrect impression, never mind me, please. ;)

I just wanted to clear up any possible misconception that the length of the child's legs has anything to do with the ability to rearface - it doesn't. Many people here have their 3, 4, or even 5 year olds rearfacing, and they can't all have short legs! Here's a short and sweet thread which addressed the comfort and safety of longer legs and RF: http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=35562.

Your son is 5 TIMES SAFER RF in a vehicle than he is FF at his age. That's a huge difference. If you need more info on this, check out:
- http://www.joelsjourney.org/
- this great post: http://car-seat.org/showpost.php?p=1121553&postcount=5

- this video: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvyIv9QVRBE"]YouTube- Rear facing is safer[/ame]

The part that matters height-wise in RF is that there is at least 1" of hard shell (and not the headrest, for the BV) above the child's head in their carseat.

With a Boulevard, your son would have less leg room than some other seats, like the Radian for example. So I hope that even if you choose to FF on flights, which is a bit of an easier an install and still very safe as compared to driving, that you would consider RF your son in the car if he is still within the weight limits of your seat. If you buy a Radian, he should have more leg room and a higher weight and height limit to allow him to RF longer.
 

pamcakes

New member
I know a lot of you mean well. But, this is one of the reasons I do not frequent these boards and almost didn't ask my question here to begin with.

I simply asked about a specific car seat and the responses I get about how I should have my son still rear facing. I did not ask for those opinions and I realize everyone has their "soapbox" they need to stand on but please get off. I do not need people I have never met telling me what I should and shouldn't do.

I just wanted opinions of those who could help me with my question.

For those of you that took the time to actually answer my question that I posted Thank you so much for doing just that. This will probably be my last visit to these boards.
 

mommycat

Well-known member
As far as the travel plans:

I would try to see if the Radian would fit in your stroller, bungeed in - I have done this with my Scenera, though my Marathon wouldn't fit in the same stroller - the base made it sit wrong and it wanted to tip out of the stroller too much. Please make sure the seat is *securely* attached before letting baby ride!!! if you choose this option!
attachment.php


Not sure if you could do the same with the Radian, though you can at least set it in the stroller temporarily like shown on this site (4th picture down): http://www.jetwithkids.com/blog/do-we-really-need-to-travel-with-a-stroller

Or else get a luggage cart to bungee it to (like discussed in this thread: http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=50197. Then you can still have your son sit in it, or you can put your carry-on into it and have your son walk for a while. Either way, it would save your back!
 

mommycat

Well-known member
If you are still reading, I'm sorry if you felt offended. I don't think anyone here was on any soap box and no one was telling you what to do. We all just gave information because many parents are not aware and are happy to learn, and you sounded like you may have wanted to keep him RF but thought his legs were too long to do so. No one worded their response in anything but a friendly tone, as a suggestion for you to consider. I am saddened that you would have such a strong reaction to people who were only trying to help. :(
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
Just wanted to chime in that my 20 month old who is in the 97th percentile for height still rear-faces in a Boulevard occasionally. :) We share these things because we honestly want to help you, and help you keep your child safe.
 

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Forum statistics

Threads
219,656
Messages
2,196,898
Members
13,530
Latest member
onehitko860

You must read your carseat and vehicle owner’s manual and understand any relevant state laws. These are the rules you must follow to restrain your children safely. All opinions at Car-Seat.Org are those of the individual author for informational purposes only, and do not necessarily reflect any policy or position of Carseat Media LLC. Car-Seat.Org makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. If you are unsure about information provided to you, please visit a local certified technician. Before posting or using our website you must read and agree to our TERMS.

Graco is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Britax is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Nuna Baby is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org!

Please  Support Car-Seat.Org  with your purchases of infant, convertible, combination and boosters seats from our premier sponsors above.
Shop travel systems, strollers and baby gear from Britax, Chicco, Clek, Combi, Evenflo, First Years, Graco, Maxi-Cosi, Nuna, Safety 1st, Diono & more! ©2001-2022 Carseat Media LLC

Top