Please help me choose a seat

We are needing a second carseat for DS. Currently, he is 14 months & 25 lbs and RF in a MA. He is on the tall side.

We have a 2009 Toyota Highlander & a 2001 Ford F-350 truck.

I want one that can be ERF for as long as possible.

My first pick was the Radian XT...45lbs RF and fairly tall THS. Despite the installation difficulties, I was willing to order one in and give it a try...until I read the issues of harnesses coming loose. That freaked me out.

There are some Radians on sale now, but the sales are FINAL, so I would not be able to return it if it didn't work for us.

I was thinking that if we got a Radian XT, I could use it for DD (4 years and 40lbs) and switch her back to RF and buy a less girly cover for her TF and put DS in there, and switch the seats when DD hits 45 lbs...

The other seat I have considered is the Safety First Complete Air. I hear they have high THS, but they only go to 50lbs FF (both kids are tall and solid weight) and I have read that they too can be difficult to install.

I have ruled out the MA 65 & Boulevard 65 due to their low THS, and I think the My Ride also has lower THS.

What I really wish is that True Fit came out with a higher weight RF seat (I wrote them a letter today stating that).

Any suggestions? We will eventually be getting 2 new seats, as the MA only goes RF to 30 lbs.

I cannot try out a Radian first, since it has to be ordered in, but our CDN Tire has the CA, so if they let me, I could try one out, or buy it and return it if it doesn't work. I guess I could order a RA XT from sears, but I don't like their cover options, so would only be ordering it to try it out, and then returning it.

Thanks!

Thanks.

Can someone point me to the info re: harnesses coming loose, please? Thanks.

I would personally not bother to switch a 40lb 4yo back to RF unless there were develomental issues that warranted it.

The MyRide THS are approx the same as the old Britax convertibles - I am out of the loop re: the new Britax specs.

Honestly, for the time being I would also consider getting another FF seat for DD and passing down the TF, unless she has a ton of room in it still. Can you use a growth chart to try to predict when DS will hit 30lbs? How did DD grow? I bought new seats to RF longer when DS was almost 30lbs in his MA at 2yo, and he didn't pass the 30lb mark for over a year - so I have learned that they don't always outgrow as fast as one thinks (though of course they can).

Is DD *just*4 or almost 5? (I.e. is she likely to be ready to go in a booster after she outgrows the TF?) When does your TF expire?

As for the weight in the CA, if DD is 4yo and 40lbs she at least wouod probably have lots of room to grow in the CA - they don't seem to gain as fast at this age. 10lbs is a lot of weight gain at that stage. I am not fond of the installs for it (mostly the need for noodles for RF and how the cover goes over the bottom - I've only tried it out a few times) but it is a decent choice of seat. It does have a stated height limit of 36" for RF while the Radian is 40" and the TF is 1" of hard shell over the head (whatever that gives, and doesn't discriminate based on proportions). Opinions vary on how important the height limits are - officially you need to follow them - but I factor this in when choosing a new seat so as to eliminate the need for paretal decisions.

No experience with your vehicles, sorry.

Thanks for your reply!

Here are a couple of threads on the harness issue:

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=148238

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=153435

DD just turned 4 and has quite a bit of room in her TF. She grew pretty steadily and was hitting 30 lbs just after she turned 2. DS is bigger than she was at this age, and he is growing steadily, too. So, I am thinking by 2 or before he will be 30 lbs...but you never know, as he is a pretty active going concern!

I really want to get a higher RF limit seat for him at this point. I might just go pick up a CA and try it out (on a warm day!). If the Radians did have this harness issue (though, I know that its only a few seats that have the issue), I would be all over that seat. I tried calling Radian to talk to someone, but couldn't get through to anyone. Maybe it was because it was New Year's Eve day and they were closed early? or not open at all?

Thanks for the links.

It sounds like the CA may be the easiest option if you can try it out. It is definitely more adjustable for RF recline than the Radian if that factors into it in your vehicles. Is there anyone near you with a Radian that you could try out?