Frontier 85 vs. Radian

mpk3

New member
Please forgive me for what will seem like a strange question. I am very new to the carseat world outside of Britax. :eek: I've always been loyal to Britax and haven't ever looked elsewhere for a seat. After joining here, I have noticed a lot of talk about the Radian (??).

What is the difference between these seats? What would make someone pick a Frontier over a Radian or a Radian over a Frontier?

My child is ready for a booster. I planned to buy the Frontier. Is there a reason why I should consider a Radian?

Again, my apologies. I'm clueless when it comes to anything outside of Britax!

Thank you! :)
 
ADS

ks1978

New member
How old is your child and how tall/how much do they weigh?

If your child IS truly ready for a booster, than you may not need a Frontier OR a Radian, as you wouldn't need a harness. The Radian is a great, sometimes hard to install seat that harnesses up to 80 pounds, but is not a booster. The Frontier will harness up to 85 pounds, and can then be used as a booster. If your child still needs to be harnessed, and is outgrowing their current seat, then it may be a good choice for you. If you are looking for a booster only, then I am sure everyone will have recommendations for you based on your child's size and age.
 

BellesMom

New member
Please forgive me for what will seem like a strange question. I am very new to the carseat world outside of Britax. :eek: I've always been loyal to Britax and haven't ever looked elsewhere for a seat. After joining here, I have noticed a lot of talk about the Radian (??).

What is the difference between these seats? What would make someone pick a Frontier over a Radian or a Radian over a Frontier?

My child is ready for a booster. I planned to buy the Frontier. Is there a reason why I should consider a Radian?

Again, my apologies. I'm clueless when it comes to anything outside of Britax!

Thank you! :)

I can tell you that for me personally, I was considering the Frontier because it coverts to a booster, and the Radian does not. My dd will be 5 in a few weeks, and is already begging to use the regular seat belt "like all her friends do". I'm not going to put her in a booster yet, but in couple years, I want that option.

Melissa
 

Maedze

New member
A booster is a seat that does not have an internal harness, but instead restrains the child using the vehicle seatbelt. It is for older, bigger kids. How old/big is your child?

The Frontier is a combination seat. It's a forward facing seat with a harness that then converts to a booster (as described above). It's for kids who are too big to be rear facing (ideally, at least 3 or 4 years old), but who are too young for a booster alone.

The Radian is a convertible. Depending on the model, it rear faces from 5-40 or 5-45 pounds, keeping kids safely rear facing for the first four or so years of their lives, and then works as a forward facing harness to 65 or 80. The top harness position is tall enough that it keeps most kids forward facing harnessed until they are around 6, at which point they can move directly into a dedicated booster as described above. The Radian is not a booster. The weight limit is slightly inflated. Most kids will outgrow the Radian by height around 50 pounds or so.

The Frontier and the Radian are both very different seats that do different jobs.

Britax makes some nice products, but they are not the be all and end all. In fact, when we're talking about convertibles (Seats that go from rear to forward facing), Britax doesn't make my top ten.
 

mpk3

New member
How old is your child and how tall/how much do they weigh?

If your child IS truly ready for a booster, than you may not need a Frontier OR a Radian, as you wouldn't need a harness. The Radian is a great, sometimes hard to install seat that harnesses up to 80 pounds, but is not a booster. The Frontier will harness up to 85 pounds, and can then be used as a booster. If your child still needs to be harnessed, and is outgrowing their current seat, then it may be a good choice for you. If you are looking for a booster only, then I am sure everyone will have recommendations for you based on your child's size and age.

Thank you for your reply!

I'd prefer to keep my kids harnessed for as long as possible. I would also like this to be our last seat purchase, which is another reason why the Frontier 85 is appealing.

I am going to need two new seats because my two Britax Marathons are about to expire.

Child 1- Age 5, 37 lbs, between 44-46 inches in height (in school, so I can't measure for certain right now), and I think is about 16 inches for seated shoulder height

Child 2- Age 3, 33 lbs, 38 inches in height, 14 inches seated shoulder height

Thank you!
 

mpk3

New member
BellesMom & Maedze- I was posting while you were posting. Thank you for your responses!

Based on the information that I provided about my children, do you think the Frontier 85 is my best option? Thank you!
 

Maedze

New member
I think the Frontier 85 is a very nice seat, but I don't think you 'need' one.

You have itty bitties, and you don't need the extra harness weight. The Graco Nautilus is a very nice seat that will keep your child harnessed for several more years, and then converts to a very nice booster.

It's actually not necessary to 'harness as long as possible' from a safety perspective. The safety standard, so to speak, is to keep your child harnessed until she can sit in a booster maturely 100% of the time and meets the manufacturers minimums for the use of that seat. Your five year old might even be fine now in a booster, although at under 40 pounds she still won't meet the minimums for several boosters.

So, unless you just LIKE the look of the Frontier 85 and that's what you'd prefer to own, I'd consider the Graco Nautilus. It's a nice product (and coincidentally, 100 dollars cheaper :p)


For the three year old, would you consider a rear facing seat for her? That would be the ideal solution. The Sunshine Kids Radian XTSL will probably keep her rear facing another year or two, and then harnessed to six or even longer because your kids aren't huge.

That being said, if you won't consider rear facing, a three year old in a forward facing harnessed seat doesn't give me the vapors, as long as you use the top tether :)
 

mpk3

New member
It's actually not necessary to 'harness as long as possible' from a safety perspective. The safety standard, so to speak, is to keep your child harnessed until she can sit in a booster maturely 100% of the time and meets the manufacturers minimums for the use of that seat. Your five year old might even be fine now in a booster, although at under 40 pounds she still won't meet the minimums for several boosters.

Very interesting point. Thank you! My 5 year old is incredibly mature and could definitely sit maturely 100% of the time without a harness. I just thought it was safer to keep her harnessed for as long as possible.

So, unless you just LIKE the look of the Frontier 85 and that's what you'd prefer to own, I'd consider the Graco Nautilus. It's a nice product (and coincidentally, 100 dollars cheaper :p)

Okay, so my options for my 5 year old are the Frontier 85 or the Graco Nautilus? Considering I want to purchase our last seat for her, these would be my best choices, right? If there are others for me to consider, feel free to let me know. I feel so clueless and am learning so much from everyone on here. Thank you. :)

That being said, if you won't consider rear facing, a three year old in a forward facing harnessed seat doesn't give me the vapors, as long as you use the top tether :)

Yes, the top tether is being used on my 3 year old's Marathon. :thumbsup: But, I'd like to keep her forward facing. With that being said, and considering I'd like to purchase her last seat as well, what seat is best to purchase under these circumstances? The Froniter 85 or something else?

Thank you, thank you, thank you!
 

Maedze

New member
If you're thinking of moving your five year old right to a booster, boosters that fit 'smaller' riders well include the Graco Turbobooster, the Recaro Vivo and the Clek Oobr. The Britax Parkway SG would fit her well, too, but unfortunately it has a 40 lb minimum.

The Graco Nautilus and the Britax Frontier could get both your kids through to the end of child restraints. I think it just boils down to which one you like better.

(One other question, do their vehicle seating positions have head rests?)


Another thing to keep in mind is that a lot of states have an '8 and 80' law or something similar for booster use. I want to caution you that that almost NO child will be big enough to sit without a booster at the age of 8, except those that are really off-the-charts tall.

Most kids need a booster until they are between 4'9" and five feet tall. Practically speaking, that means keeping children boostered until they are between 10 and 12, or so.
 

mpk3

New member
If you're thinking of moving your five year old right to a booster, boosters that fit 'smaller' riders well include the Graco Turbobooster, the Recaro Vivo and the Clek Oobr. The Britax Parkway SG would fit her well, too, but unfortunately it has a 40 lb minimum.

My original plan was to purchase a Frontier 85 for her and keep her harnessed. I wasn't going to consider putting her into "booster mode" in the Frontier 85 until...well...I'm not really sure. I just thought that keeping her harnessed for as long as possible was the smartest thing to do and was going to reevaluate down the road. I liked how the Frontier 85 could become a booster whenever I felt she was ready.

(One other question, do their vehicle seating positions have head rests?)

Our vehicle has head rests but they are removable and are actually removed right now because we need to do so for the car seats. We are looking to purchase a new vehicle soon, and I'm only looking at cars that have removable head rests.

Another thing to keep in mind is that a lot of states have an '8 and 80' law or something similar for booster use. I want to caution you that that almost NO child will be big enough to sit without a booster at the age of 8, except those that are really off-the-charts tall.

Most kids need a booster until they are between 4'9" and five feet tall. Practically speaking, that means keeping children boostered until they are between 10 and 12, or so.

Again, excuse my cluelessness. :eek: So, would this make the Britax Frontier 85 an excellent choice for my kids because it has a 9 year expiration date and a high weight limit?
 

Maedze

New member
My original plan was to purchase a Frontier 85 for her and keep her harnessed. I wasn't going to consider putting her into "booster mode" in the Frontier 85 until...well...I'm not really sure. I just thought that keeping her harnessed for as long as possible was the smartest thing to do and was going to reevaluate down the road. I liked how the Frontier 85 could become a booster whenever I felt she was ready.



Our vehicle has head rests but they are removable and are actually removed right now because we need to do so for the car seats. We are looking to purchase a new vehicle soon, and I'm only looking at cars that have removable head rests.



Again, excuse my cluelessness. :eek: So, would this make the Britax Frontier 85 an excellent choice for my kids because it has a 9 year expiration date and a high weight limit?


Yes, the nine year expiration is a real bonus. The weight limit is irrelevant...most kids are not going to need a booster at 120 pounds, and yours sound small-to-average in weight. What's important is the HEIGHT limit, and the Frontier adjusts tall enough to get kids to seatbelt age.

The Nautilus high back booster caps out in height around when most kids are 8 or so, but then converts to a nice backless booster which can be used as long as your vehicle seats have head rests, which is why I asked :) The backless booster portion of the Nautilus also has a 9 year expiration.
 

mpk3

New member
Yes, the nine year expiration is a real bonus. The weight limit is irrelevant...most kids are not going to need a booster at 120 pounds, and yours sound small-to-average in weight. What's important is the HEIGHT limit, and the Frontier adjusts tall enough to get kids to seatbelt age.

The Nautilus high back booster caps out in height around when most kids are 8 or so, but then converts to a nice backless booster which can be used as long as your vehicle seats have head rests, which is why I asked :) The backless booster portion of the Nautilus also has a 9 year expiration.

My kids will always be small-to-average in weight and height. It's in their genes! :p

Okay, so considering I have a vechicle with head rests, it sounds like the Frontier 85 OR the Graco Nautilus are my two best options right now for both kids. Is that accurate?

I didn't realize how many seats/brands were out there. I want to make the best choice and don't have much time due to expiration. It would be ideal to buy seats that will be their last seats. So it sounds like the Frontier 85 or the Graco Nautilus are my best options, right?

You have been INCREDIBLY helpful. Thank you! :thumbsup:
 
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Maedze

New member
I feel compelled to trot out the standard response: The BEST seat is the one that fits your vehicle, your child, and your budget, and that you will use correctly each and every time you get in the car. :p


I don't want you to think that I am telling you other seats are BAD or UNSAFE or RUN AWAY THEY'RE GOING TO EXPLODE! or anything.

I'm offering suggestions based on what I'm seeing to be your priorities. So this isn't a 'technician' thing, this is a "i'm a rull big nerd with a thing for car seats" thing. And based on that, my suggestions would be the Graco Nautilus or the Britax Frontier 85.

That doesn't mean if you go another direction you're doing something bad or unsafe, unless of course you decide to put your three year old in a backless booster and your five year old in nothing at all. LOL. :whistle:
 

SafeDad

CPSDarren - Admin
Staff member
Very interesting point. Thank you! My 5 year old is incredibly mature and could definitely sit maturely 100% of the time without a harness. I just thought it was safer to keep her harnessed for as long as possible.

Like most things, it is a matter of diminishing returns. In a frontal crash, a child properly restrained in a booster or seatbelt will usually be protected just as well as one in a harness. On the other hand, a harness may help keep squirmy kids correctly positioned and may provide more protection in a side impact. There really isn't a lot of data for this, yet. The most important factors are keeping them correctly restrained in the back seat and driving unimpaired/undistracted.


Yes, the top tether is being used on my 3 year old's Marathon. :thumbsup: But, I'd like to keep her forward facing. With that being said, and considering I'd like to purchase her last seat as well, what seat is best to purchase under these circumstances? The Froniter 85 or something else?

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Forward facing is perfectly reasonable for a 3 year old, 33 pound child. Make sure it is installed and used correctly in a rear seat and your child will be very safe. Keeping them rear facing vs. forward facing is much like keeping them in a harness vs a booster. The longer you can go, the safer they are. We really can't say how much safer and at that age, it's probably not a big difference if they are properly restrained.

The Frontier 85 is a very nice seat. There are also other very reasonable combination seats like the Nautilus that should work just fine for you. Since your kids run small, keep an eye out for great sales on the original Frontier that may also work well for you. You might even start to see some here on Swap;-)
 

Jennifer mom to my 7

Well-known member
Just wanted to throw something else out at you:) You might want to consider getting a radian and a frontier. Then, when you are ready to put your older child in a booster, get her a dedicated one, and give 3 year old the frontier, and then the baby could get the radian, and rear face longer:D You could even consider rear facing your 3 year old in the radian for a while, too.

edited: I thought you had said something about it...then couldn't find it.. I did find that you said you would like to keep her forward so you can disregard the rf 3 year old part, but I do still stand by the maybe getting a radian for her anyway, to pass to the baby later;)

You might also want to take your kids to the store and try them in the seats, and see what they like.

Your 3 year old is about the same size as mine, and he is rear facing in a radian.
IMG_0141_3.jpg


VID00005.jpg
 

mpk3

New member
Maedze, CPSDarren, & JenniferMomToMy7- Thank you! I am in awe over how helpful everyone is on this site and I greatly appreciate you taking the time to explain everything to me. Lots of food for thought. I feel much better now about making an informed decision. Thanks! :thumbsup:
 

mommy-medic

New member
Whatever seat you decide to get, I would suggest going to babies r us if you have one nearby and doing a test fit. (They will let you take a seat to your vehicle and try installing it before you purchase. Just leave your drivers license at customer service). I would also recommend finding a CPST to do an official check of your seats, your install, and the fit of your child. 90% or more seats are installed or used incorrectly in some shape form or fashion, and little mistakes can have big effects in a crash.

As with any seat, it gets easier with practice and time- you learn what tips and tricks work with your vehicle. A word of caution= though it doesn't affect many vehicles, the nautilus does not allow any overhang of the car seat over the vehicle seat. ( I have two nautilus's/nautili? for my 3 yo in the EX's car and the Nanny's car, but she rides RFing in a radian in my car.) Given the size of your children I would lean more towards two nautiluses over the frontiers. Though the frontiers are very nice, they are also huge, heavy, expensive, and usually more than most people need. :twocents: (This coming from someone who just moved her 8 year old into a booster this week- what can I say- she loved her regent!:whistle:)
 

mpk3

New member
I would also recommend finding a CPST to do an official check of your seats, your install, and the fit of your child. 90% or more seats are installed or used incorrectly in some shape form or fashion, and little mistakes can have big effects in a crash.

I am pretty sure we have everything installed correctly, but with that being said, I definitely plan on having a CPST check out our seats. I didn't realize the importance of this until after reading here on this site. Yesterday I did a search for a CPST in our area and found one. :thumbsup:
 

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