Which one

Bella_a1

New member
Okay where to start. I have to start thinking about purchasing a new car seat soon and don't know where to start.

Currently I have DD 5years in a Britax Frontier 85 (which I love but it is bulky) and DS 3years in a Infa Secure Comfi Cruiser (this is an Australia seat and as they only go to 18kg over here I need to purchase a US to keep him harnessed longer as he is near 19kg already). In DHs car we have a Radian XTSL that the kids share when they are going with him separately and when they are going together we transfer the Infa Secure over.

My dilemma is what seat do I get to replace DSs Infa Secure. He is 104cm (40.9 inches) and 19kg (41 pounds). Do I get another Britax Frontier which may mean we can never have another person in the back seat with them. I have a Subaru Impreza by the way so not a big car. Or there is the new Diono seat which to be honest I haven't looked into much but don't know if it is worth getting as the RF option is a total waste as I would never use it.

So if you were me what would you do, also happy to look at any other seats that harness and booster for ages. DD is 114cm and 21kg if you think I should seat shuffle some how and there is a better seat for her and DS gets her Frontier.
 
ADS

Pixels

New member
The Diono seat is a Radian with booster option. I don't expect to see it here for another month at least, and since your DS is already over the weight limit of his seat you cannot wait for it. If you like the narrowness of the Radian, get another Radian. Or, move your current Radian to your car and get a different seat for your DH's car.

If you're ready and your DD is ready, you could get a booster for her and pass down her Frontier.

When the kids get bigger, so do their seats. The Maestro only goes to 50 pounds, so I'm not sure that will be enough for your DS. The Nautilus goes to 65 but it's not narrow. There's the Argos, but that's really a Nautilus in terms of width. The Frontier you're familiar with. And the ProSport, but I don't know that it's exactly narrow, either.
 

Bella_a1

New member
Luckily I do have the option of waiting for a small while as even though they are branded with only to 18kg they were actually tested with a 22kg dummy and the companies did a press release saying unofficially the seat can be safely used to 20kg but officially due to standards etc, they can only put 18kg on it, crazy Australians I say, lol.

So if you think the Diono would be worth waiting for and is a good seat to get I can wait for it. What sort of height does the seat go to and even though it is not released yet has anyone had a play yet and what do they think of it. I'll have to go search some threads to see if I can find some answers. The narrowness of the Radian is fantastic I was just afraid it wouldn't give me the length of time I needed height wise, does the head rest extend up like the Frontier to last for longer?
 

Pixels

New member
The Diono is two inches wider on the inside for the kid, but same outside width. Minimums for booster mode are 50 pounds and child above the 4th harness slots. Max is 57 inches or top of ear even with the top of the seat, and of course there's a weight limit of 100 or 120 pounds depending which one you get. The headwings on the RXT do not go any higher than the top harness slots, so if you actually want to use it as a booster, you probably want the R100 (formerly known as Radian 65) or the R120 (formerly Radian 80).

The Diono seats are at the ABC Expo that is currently happening. There's a couple of pictures on Carseatblog's page on FaceBook. None with a vehicle seat belt or dummy in the seat.

If you really want the narrow, then get a Radian. Personally, I wouldn't, but it's not that big of a deal for me to give up the 5th seating position. My back seat is ridiculously small anyway and effectively a 4-seater.
 

Bella_a1

New member
Why wouldn't you get a Radian? I do prefer the Frontier over the current Radian I have, the headwings on that drive me crazy. I just read on another thread that the seat is outgrown for booster mode at the same time it is outgrown for harness mode. DS is longer in the body than legs so this seat will probably be pointless for him.
 

Pixels

New member
Right, since the Radian allows use with the shoulders over the top slots. The only requirements for fitting FFing are under 57 inches tall and top of ears below the top of the shell, and meeting the weight limits. Though, in practicality, the RXT and Radian XTSL are outgrown when the shoulders are even with or just a hair over the top slots, because the headwings get in the way. Of course the versions without the headwings don't have that problem.

I wouldn't get the Radian because I don't believe it's a practical booster, at least not for my kids. My DD is 30 pounds at 3.25 years and holding steady on her growth curve. At this rate, she won't hit 50 pounds until she's 7.5 years old. Even my 50th percentile DS will be nearly 7yo. At this time I have no intentions of keeping them harnessed that long. Also, since nobody has had hands on the seat, we don't know yet if it's an awesome booster or a lousy one. As you pointed out, you'd be wasting half the seat since you won't be RFing.
 

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