Question Radians?

I need to get one for DD3 to replace one of my MA's. What are the differences between them? Best one to buy?

My kids are light, but tall. Just for reference, my oldest 2 were at 45 pounds or less at 7 years old, but DD2 outgrew MA by height at 5.5ish. (New baby brain, I can't remember exactly when but she was in kindy) Stats in siggy were accurate 2 months ago, no major changes.

Here are my details:

I bought an '08 Town and Country, and cannot make 5 seats fit to my satisfaction.

I have:

driver passenger

DS DD4
SS1 MA FF

DD2 DD3 DD1
Evenflo HBB MA FF seatbelt

Only other seats I have are 2 Maestros and they are WAY wider at the base then the MA.

Reason for the MA in the center 3rd row is it is the only top tether location.

I did have DD1 in her TB (no back), but neither could buckle their belts under the MA. So I 5 step tested her and she barely passes, but does...but I want her back in her booster. By removing her booster, I was able to scootch the MA over a bit to give DD2 more room in the HBB.

I am hoping that a Radian will fix the width issue and I can re-booster DD1.

Are you open to re-RFing DD3? I ask because although the base of the Radian is nice and narrow, the back of it is a bit wider (17" vs 14" at the base, I believe) and that can make a huge difference. For me, it makes the difference between fitting or not... I can do a 3-across in my third row only if it involves a RF Radian. FF Radian does not fly. I've tried really hard to make it.

Anyways, differences between the seats:

Radian65SL: FF to 65, RF to 40lb
80SL: FF to 80lb, RF to 45
XTSL: FF to 80lb, RF to 45; has headwings.

All three shells are exactly the same. The 65 and 80s appear identical; there's something different in the inner workings apparently. The XT has headwings, but I don't believe they extend out of the seat at all.

For your kids, I would go with the 65, unless you want the headwings, in which case go with an XT. You probably don't even need the SL, if you can nab a non-SL at a lesser price. (But bear in mind an SL will have better resale value, if that's important to you.)

Hope that helps

ETA: Upon rereading your kids/stats, I think I would put the 2yo RFing in it in the third row center. Harder to buckle, yes... but if I'm going to spring for a Radian I'd make my kiddo safer in the process. Then your 3yo could stay FFing in an MA, next to the baby.

I cant RF her (dd3 or dd2) because that would block the only access to the back row in the center...

Crud, I thought the Radian was narrower than the MA :thumbsdown:

jourdysmom said:

I cant RF her (dd3 or dd2) because that would block the only access to the back row in the center...

Crud, I thought the Radian was narrower than the MA :thumbsdown:

Click to expand...

I'm not familiar with the Town and Country, but I'm wondering...If third row center has a lap/shoulder belt and head rest, if needed, could you rf the RN on the outboard position that doesn't block access and put 2 boosters side by side?

The RN *is* narrower than the MA, by a lot. I'm just not sure that a FFing RN is going to solve your problem, since you'd be dealing with the overall width of the Radian and you're just dealing with the base of the MA, KWIM? Do those boosters puzzle at all with the MA? If there is zero puzzling going on -- the boosters do not lip under the MA at all -- the FF RN may solve your problem.

Can/will the older girls crawl under the RN? My kids did that for a while, it was a pain, but we dealt. (I'm a 'do what you gotta do to make everyone safest' kinda girl, lol.) Currently, my third row loads through the hatch... I board the outboard (booster) kids first and then have my center RFer in there. (Ignore my sig, it's outdated.)

I get your connundrum, though, I have the same problem with my third row. I can fit two seats and my 8yo who passes the 5-step test, but I like his fit *better* in a booster and would prefer to have him that way. I'm currently playing with every configuration known to man in order to make that happen, lol.

Would you consider another booster? Maybe there's one that would puzzle better than the Turbo?

Also, if you just left the booster buckled in all the time, would your kids scoot around the belts? That eliminates the need to get a hand down there to buckle.