Radian

U

Unregistered

Guest
Can someone help me understand the differences between all the Radians? I am drawn to that carseat because soon I will have three in the back of a 2001 Toyota Camry, and while I know a mini van is soon inevitable I would prefer to buy one when timing and finances allow rather than when carseats can't squish in. Please note that the Camry does not have latch at all, and has shoulder straps on all three backseats.
If this has been posted before in depth can you link me? It is hard to sort through different Radian questions.

My son is 3 and fits very nicely into the Britax Boulevard which of course takes up a ton of room. I considered moving him into a booster/harness combo and somehow the Frontier does puzzle with the Graco Safeseat and the Boulevard (the Graco Nautilus does not). I am just not sure if it makes sense to get a new convertible now like the Radian and assume that my son will be ready for a plain high back booster whenever the new baby due August 2011 outgrows the Safeseat. Or maybe it is better to get him the Frontier, move my daughter to his Boulevard, and take the chance that my daughter (she is on the short and lighter side, but mostly in the leggies) will be able to move into his combination when new baby due in August 2011 is ready for the Boulevard.

My daughter is 16 months and still in her Graco Safeseat. She is 22lbs and I don't know how tall, but she has more than 2 inches above her head and is using the middle setting on the shoulder straps.......I've noticed that not many of you who list the carseats you use have a child this age in an infant seat. If I am doing something wrong can you please tell me (gently)? I just never moved her because I am reluctant to collect carseats and when she is sleeping or if I am making a quick stop and I don't she'll fight being strapped back in I really appreciate the snap in base and stroller.
 
ADS

icnee

New member
Can you tell us the height and weight of your 3yo and torso height may help too.

to get the torso height sit him on the florr and meassure from the floor up to his shoulders.
 

mylittlet

Senior Community Member
So you are needing to do 3 across in the Camry when baby is born in August 2011 right?

DS is currently in Bv. How much room does he have left? You have to just look at the screw/adjuster on back.

Your 16m is fine in an infant seat as long as she fits by height and weight. If our kids fit that long I would have still been using it. We are in and out of the car everyday at least 3x and usually just to walk kids into and out of school. Its also winter/cold where we live.

I think moving the 16m up to the bv when the safeseat is outgrown or baby comes sounds like a good plan. So finding the oldest a new seat is the important thing. Are you saying the frontier will fit with the safeseat and bv only in booster mode? I would keep him harnessed because doing 3 across is tight and hard to buckle. What does he weigh? The meastro is more narrow then the frontier and nautilus. It has 18" top slots and harnesses to 50#. Then turns into a highback booster. You will need another booster after its outgrow, but you have younger kids who can use it later too.
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
If I measured right, my son is 15" or 15.5" from the floor to shoulder when sitting. I had to do it on his back, because when I was measuring from the side he got really twisty. I weighed him the other day at 32lbs, but that seems off because he was 35/36lbs at the beginning of the school year and certainly hasn't lost weight. I don't think he is any danger of out growing the Boulevard any time soon.

Oh good I am glad my daughter is fine in the Safeseat.

So I guess my questions are what would be most economic....even though they are both kind of a gamble.

When new baby comes in August and goes in the safeseat (or slightly before) do I put my 3 year old in a combination (like harnessed in the Frontier) and my daughter rear facing in the Boulevard? The gamble there is whether my son will be ready for an inexpensive high back booster by the time the new baby has outgrown the Safeseat (he will be 5.5 when the new baby is 18 months) and whether my smaller daughter will be ready for the Frontier (she will be 3.5 when the baby is 18 months). And of course I am just guessing whether the new baby will outgrow the Safeseat by 18 months, based on how small my other two children are/were.

I was going with the Frontier because I know it fits and the Nautilus does not (darn cup holders!) and I hadn't tried the Maestro, because the straps look flimsy to me and I thought that the head protection didn't go very high so as soon as he outgrew the harness he will have outgrown it's use as a high back booster. Please correct me if I am wrong.

The other option would be to get the Sunshine Radian for my daughter (I am assuming it would affect our front seats less than the Boulevard). Then at least I know my daughter can stay in either the Radian or go to the Boulevard no matter when the new baby moves out of the Safeseat. I don't know how much risk there is of my son outgrowing either combination seat, before I am ready to move the new baby out of the Safeseat. When I do though, at least I can choose then whether my son is ready for a booster or needs to stay harnessed.....and find another seat that fits in the back of the Camry if we aren't in a minivan by then which is a big if.

So I guess I'm looking for the most economical option that doesn't leave me with three hundred carseats.
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
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mylittlet

Senior Community Member
The bv takes up less room fron to back then the raidan. Can you check the date of manufacture on the bv? They are only good for 6y, so by the time new baby needs a convertible it will probably be close to expiring.
He is probably getting close to outgrowing the bv by height. Can you reach behind and feel where the screw is that the back moves you on? Our dd sounds about the same size but weighs slightly more and has about an inch left.

I would probably look at the complete airs 50# or 65# over the raidan because they take up less front to back space.

So you could get a frontier now for oldest and move #2 to bv rf and use infant seat for baby. When baby outgrows infant seat buy another convertible. Then replace bv when it expires with a booster for oldest and give frontier to #2.

Or get a complete air for oldest, move #2 to bv rf, use infant seat for baby. When baby outgrows infant seat buy a frontier for oldest and move youngest to accordingly. Depending on which fits best. Then replace bv with a booster. Move oldest to a booster and give frontier to #2.

If you buy the complete air now you will get more use out of it. You might not get to use it the full 6y, but more then if you waited 18m to get it. The frontiers are good for 9y, so by waiting to get it you will get more use out of it and might be able to have all kids use it as a ff seat.
 

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