Help me think logically please! need to purchase a second seat...

I need another seat. I have always got by owning the RA and the booster but now I have had many days where Im watching a 3 yr old and my little sister. I've been putting him in the RA FF and then Olivia in the SS1 which she will outgrow very, very soon. She must be all legs as she is still very much on the bottom slots in the RA. I put them up one the other day but it was quite obvious that she's just no there yet so we've got a while to go before she needs a different RFing seat for my car.

I would like a convertible just because of the versatility- sure I could get a Nauti or something for Ryan but then what if I watch my sister and my friend's infant and need two RF seats- I don't want to have to put Olivia FF on that occasion.

I watch Ryan at least 1, if not 2 or 3 days per week. He is 3.5 and 34lbs. He still fits in the RA FF but not for much longer- he has 5-6lbs and just about an inch of torso growth left before he's even with the top slots.

I will make the RA Olivia's seat/my friend's 7 month old and so I'm looking for an easy to adjust and easy to install convertible seat to fit Ryan as long as possible and also fit my 19 month old 25lb sister on occasion.

I am constantly installing/taking out seats so being easy to install is a must for me. I will use it for several kids so being able to adjust the harness is also a must.

I'm tempted to just get a MA because they are easy- I just want more input and ideas/possibilities before purchasing of course. If Ryan is close to the top slots in the RA does anyone know where that puts him in a MA?...

I would like to keep the purchase under or around $200 and will not buy anything Dorel or Evenflo. I drive a 2008 VW Beetle convertible which is also a big factor. I do not have top tether anchors- my car is exempt. The RA installs incredibly tight and in seconds in my car- it's a perfect fit which is why I was just ging to grab a MA but I want to know all my options. I haven't needed another seat until now so I just don't know all the options really...

Sorry for the long post but I'm trying to put all the info in here so that you dont all have questions before being able to answer.

Thanks!
 
ADS

babyherder

Well-known member
With no top tethers my first choice would be to keep kids rear facing until booster age. That's not always possible so maybe radian since it gets good numbers without a tether? Or a convertible with easy to adjust straps? Not sure other than some evenflos but you said you don't want that so I'm not sure...
 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
I'd get a Radian if you want a convertible or a Nautilus for FF. Both do very well in terms of head excursion numbers with no top tether.

Because the Britax convertibles sit up so high on their base, and because their head excursion numbers border on failure (IIRC), I would never recommend them for a car without tethers. (For FF, that is. Not that there's much reason to recommend them for RF either.)
 
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The thing is- I have used other seat FFing in my car and they ALL have movement at the top- can't get them in tight at all other than a Britax. I get Britax seats in so tightly FFing that there is no movement at all- I mean none. The RA has the lock off too and I lock out the seatbelt installing it with my entire body weight pretty much so it's as tight as possible. I don't think the MA has the belt lock off but doesn't the RA50 or the Decathlon? I think the Britax seats install so firmly at the top because they are slightly more reclined than most.

I think a Radian is difficult to install from what I've read on here...no? Any experience puttingone in the Beetle convertible? - it IS different from the regular Beetle, the back seat set up is very different- I used to drive one.
I don't think RFing the 3.5 yr old will go over well with his mom considering she FFaced him at 8 months in a "Britax bubble" :rolleyes:and then at 10 months and just 20lbs told me he was "too big to ride backwards" in the SS1 I would put him in... He rides in a booster in her car already and is in no way mature enough...he's the youngest of 4.
 

TheQueenMother

New member
I would go with the true fit or the EFTA. I like the ease of switching harness heights without uninstalling. Both harness ffing for quite a while and rf as well. If the little boy is on the top slots of the ra, he is under the third slots of the MA. He would have a ton of growth there as well.
Hope this helps,
Amanda
 

xxluckychicxx

New member
Other seats may not *feel* as secure as your RA at the top, but the HE #s dont lie. I would rather put my DC in a Radian or Nauti untethered than an untethered Britax any day.

ETA: I would go with either a Radian or a TrueFit if you want a convertable. TrueFits are easy to install both ways, have lock-offs, tall top slots, easy to change harness heights, and you can remove the top portion when RFing to make it more compact. This is just my personal beliefs, but I would feel more comfortable with a TrueFit over an EFTA untethered because the TrueFit has a lower center of gravity.
 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
The thing is- I have used other seat FFing in my car and they ALL have movement at the top- can't get them in tight at all other than a Britax. I get Britax seats in so tightly FFing that there is no movement at all- I mean none. The RA has the lock off too and I lock out the seatbelt installing it with my entire body weight pretty much so it's as tight as possible. I don't think the MA has the belt lock off but doesn't the RA50 or the Decathlon? I think the Britax seats install so firmly at the top because they are slightly more reclined than most.

Movement at the top of the seat doesn't matter at all. As long as there's less than an inch of movement at the belt path, you're fine. No need to even check at the top.

FWIW, the MA does have a lockoff. The RA50 doesn't, IIRC. But for a forward-facing seat with locking seatbelts, it shouldn't matter. I don't know how the Radian installs in your car, though.
 
Thanks everyone.

I always thought that movement at the top was very relevant and I am aware of the belt path movement- I always check both.

I think I have just narrowed this down to a True Fit or a Radian. The Radian seems great because of it being so narrow and the tall shell for FF harnessing kids up to 5-6 yrs old and the True Fit appeals to me because of the adjustable harness without removing it from the car and of course the removable headrest- however it is wide and bulkier so I'm wondering if it will even go in my car and if it does- it will be tight.

I'm leaning towards a Radian because of the RFing limits but please help me decide which one??? I see there are several models- which one should I be looking at/what are the differences and would anyone recommend a True Fit over the Radian for my car and if so, why?

I'm getting there... at least I think I have it down to two now which is about 95% closer than I was a few hours ago. I know there is a store close by that sells the Radian but I doubt if they have a True Fit- I will go there this week.
 

cryswilkins

New member
The Radian is not always a bear to install. It goes in as good if not better than my Marathon. Without tethers that would be my choice. It also fits my DS very well and fits DD with room to grow so you would be able to fit a variety of children in it.

Go to a store and try it out in your car, and see how it fits ans if you can get it in and out easily.
 

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