PICS-49 inches, 51 pounds in Radian, Safeguard, Apex and boosters

scatterbunny

New member
Yesterday Hayley and I went to the zoo (on our hottest day of the year, 102 degrees!) and stopped at the high-end baby store to check out some seats.

I tried her in the Safeguard child seat, Sunshine Kids Radian, Safety 1st Apex, Graco TurboBooster, Graco Airbooster and Britax Monarch. They also had the Compass B510 and Parkway but we own(ed) those and have pics of those already, so I didn't try her in them. They didn't have the new Evenflo Triumph Advance, though.

So there's 23 pics total, I'm going to only post clickable thumbnails so hopefully it won't slow down the board. I'll break them up in a few different posts in this same thread.

First up is the Apex. I tried Hayley in this same exact seat (Safety 1st version, Modern Blue cover) almost four months ago and swore she was too tall by just a smidge, but I didn't remove the extra seat pad. This time I did, and here are the results:






At 4'1" and 51 pounds (about 97th percentile for height and about 80th-85th for weight), she looks to be dead-even with the Apex top slots, with extra padding removed.

She found the short crotch strap very uncomfortable (evidenced by the photo of her grabbing the buckle). I could have moved it out one slot, which would have given her more "wiggle room", however that would have made the sharp buckle fit even lower on her thighs and dig in. Thank goodness Dorel has newer, longer crotch straps available for this seat! Also, notice that the harness is loosened about as much as possible for my 51 pound child; there's hardly any "tail" at all left to tighten the seat. I can't imagine a 65 pound child as tall as my daughter actually fitting in the harness on this; there isn't enough harness. Seat depth/leg support was great, and Hayley was comfortable, minus the crotch strap issue, in this seat.

Next is the Sunshine Kids Radian. I only tried the 65 pound version because the design is the same, Hayley would have fit the same, and I didn't want to irritate her too much, LOL.






She has some growing room, about an inch until she's over the top slots, I'd guess (forgot my tape measure, darn it!). If I felt okay with shoulders over top slots, she'd have loads of height room going by the tips of the ears/top of seat shell rule. BUT the seat was too narrow at the hips and way too short in seating depth. There is no way on earth Hayley would be comfortable in this seat for any length of time. Her hips were so squished, and the seating area stopped in the middle of her thighs. She also immediately complained about the harness hurting her neck. And to be clear, I did not put any ideas into her head about what ANY of these seats would be like, or what any of the quirks of these seats were. I completely let her tell me what she liked and didn't like.
 
ADS

scatterbunny

New member
Next is the Safeguard child seat. She's got more growing room in this than in the Radian.







The only downfall to this seat was the short seat depth/lack of leg support. We both really liked it otherwise. This is one 65 pound weight limit seat that I can actually see most kids getting to 65 pounds in, with the taller top slots. But the short seat depth is a big problem.
 

ThreeBeans

New member
Youwch, the Apex looks wicked uncomfortable in the crotchy area:thumbsdown:

She looks happy in the SafeGuard. Too bad the damn thing is 450 dollars :thumbsdown:
 

arly1983

New member
I Love You Jenny! You Are My Hero!!!

So if I could get a good install and the longer crotch strap the apex would be an ok option for us.
 

scatterbunny

New member
Moving on to boosters now, Hayley just HAD to try this gorgeous bright pink with butterflies TurboBooster, even though we've owned a Turbo and liked it just fine but don't really care to own one again. The color and butterflies really got her attention (poor girl has never owned a girly seat :( ).

Unfortunately I didn't get any pics of these boosters on the highest settings, I was more focused this time on seat depth/leg support/comfort.




She really liked the extra pillow-y things on that Turbo, and loved the color/pattern, but I am not sold on the seat depth. It wasn't terrible compared to some, but it's not great, either.

Next up is the Graco Airbooster.





We loved loved loved the Airbooster! Hayley proclaimed instantly that the seat was like a trampoline (which was funny, because I think I remember reading here that someone else's child thought that, but found it uncomfortable--Hayley LOVED IT). It offers WAY more seat depth/leg support than other boosters we've tried. The armrests didn't bug us like I thought they would.
 

scatterbunny

New member
Last booster, the Britax Monarch. Note that the shoulderbelt is not routed correctly on the buckle side; it should be under the armrest, but the test seat at the store had the buckle mounted in a funky location and it was difficult to put the belt where it was supposed to be.






Seat depth and seat width were our only issues with this booster. Hayley's skinny butt barely could get pushed all the way back into the seat, and while it offers more leg support (a bit) than the Parkway, it's nothing compared to the Airbooster. We both LOVED the torso wings, though. Sigh. Why can't there be a perfect seat out there for my child? Why can't I have the seat depth of an Airbooster with the SIP wings of a Britax?
 

scatterbunny

New member
And last but not least, to show how she fits the Britax Husky/Regent in comparison to these other seats, here's one when we were just getting ready to leave yesterday morning for this trip (with her puke bowl just in case, LOL):

1.jpg


And then when we pulled into the driveway at 9 pm after a LONG, HOT day:

23.jpg


Yes, I see now that her chest clip was a bit low in that last pic. :eek:
 

scatterbunny

New member
I Love You Jenny! You Are My Hero!!!

So if I could get a good install and the longer crotch strap the apex would be an ok option for us.

how long is Haylay's torso?

She is such a cut model btw..

Thanks. :) It seems like her torso has shrunk, as crazy as it sounds, because a couple months ago I swore she was a smidge over the Fisher Price Futura's 17 inch top slots in my old vehicle and in Mark's truck, and in my Windstar I swore she was a smidge over the second-to-top slots of the Husky, installed in the middle row captain's chair, LBP/recline bar/tethered. BUT I moved the Husky to the third row and tried her in it, and lo and behold she can still (barely) use the second-to-top slots, and she can still barely use the top slots of the Futura. So I think her torso is 17 inches. Maybe 17.25. Definitely not 17.5 yet.

Her torso was 15 inches at 39 inches tall; I'm blown away that in 10 total inches of height growth, only 2 of those inches has been in the torso.

For fun, here's two pics of Hayley in the Husky, at 2y9mo/39 inches and 3y4mo/42 inches:




Her legs have definitely caught up to her torso. :p
 

ajweeks

New member
Thanks Jenny! Is Hayley's torso 17"? I don't think the Radian is really for us since my son is a similar size to Hayley. The Airbooster does look nice. I'm tempted to go to Babies R Us this weekend and check one out--they are $10 off now too.
 

scatterbunny

New member
Youwch, the Apex looks wicked uncomfortable in the crotchy area:thumbsdown:

She looks happy in the SafeGuard. Too bad the damn thing is 450 dollars :thumbsdown:

Yes, I think with the new longer crotch strap the Apex would be very comfortable, though. The only downfalls to it that I see are that most kids will outgrow it around 50-55 pounds, not 65 pounds, the harness height AND harness length is too short for most heavier kids. And of course the need for high vehicle seatback/headrest.

And yes, we loved the Safeguard, except for the short seating area. :( That was so disappointing. For 2ish inches of torso growth and with our frustration with Britax, I think we'd have done anything to be able to afford this seat, but if she won't be comfy in it, there's no point.

Ahh poor thing, does she get carsick?

She used to get carsick on every.single.trip longer than 15 minutes. She's better now, and didn't throw up at all on this ride. She complained of her tummy hurting off and on, but we took three rest stop breaks along the way for some fresh air, and she managed okay. On the way home she was so exhausted she slept most of the way. I think she's starting to grow out of it, or at least learn to handle it better. Heck, I still get carsick if I'm not the one driving, if it's on twisty roads.
 

scatterbunny

New member
Thanks Jenny! Is Hayley's torso 17"? I don't think the Radian is really for us since my son is a similar size to Hayley. The Airbooster does look nice. I'm tempted to go to Babies R Us this weekend and check one out--they are $10 off now too.

Yes, 17-17.25 inches, based on measuring against a wall, measuring slot heights on her current seats and then seeing how she fits those slots.
 

keri1292

Well-known member
She is so cute and such a patient little model.
Are you considering ditching the Husky or was this just a little experiment?
If we switch, the safeguard seems like it would last Maiya quite awhile. She's still in the 2nd slots of the Husky.
 

Patriot201

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
Wow, Jenny!

This is an incredible helpful photo collage. It couldn't come at a better time, either! :)
 

arly1983

New member
hmmm, so we need to try out a triumph advance and an apex....I really really hope that Savannah has them.....if not we might be driving to Macon....

DH says no more buying seats off the internet (? how that contributes to the regent advisory, I don't know??)
 

scatterbunny

New member
I haven't made up my mind about the Husky yet. Britax says it is different enough from the Regent that it's fine using the LBP, but I don't feel right about that. So for now it's in the third row, SBP, less than an inch of movement but not rock-solid, with the middle row captain's chair folded down to use as a footrest. :p I don't like having her back there because I can't reach her easily like I could before, in the middle row, but it's not terrible, I guess.

If I had felt that the Safeguard was just perfect for us, meaning, had good leg support as well as tall top slots, I think we'd be sold, but the lack of leg support bothers us. So it seems there really isn't another great option for harnessing a child Hayley's size, and we're stuck with the Husky.

I swear, I need to send these pics to Dorel, IMMI (Safeguard) and Sunshine Kids and give them my two cents in improvements needed! :p
 

Patriot201

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
I swear, I need to send these pics to Dorel, IMMI (Safeguard) and Sunshine Kids and give them my two cents in improvements needed! :p

Do it!!! :D

Also include Britax. Tell them the things you LIKE about each of the seats and the things you DON'T. MAKE them manufacture the perfect seat!!! LOL!!! :D
 

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
Thanks for the very helpful comparison photos. :thumbsup: DD1's torso height is very similar to Hayley's, and how Hayley fits gives me a much better idea about seat options if I can't achieve a satisfactory SBP Regent install. The Safeguard looks like a strong possibility if it wasn't so pricey, gulp. If only a much needed roof replacement wasn't cutting deeply into our budget. :(
 

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Forum statistics

Threads
219,656
Messages
2,196,898
Members
13,530
Latest member
onehitko860

You must read your carseat and vehicle owner’s manual and understand any relevant state laws. These are the rules you must follow to restrain your children safely. All opinions at Car-Seat.Org are those of the individual author for informational purposes only, and do not necessarily reflect any policy or position of Carseat Media LLC. Car-Seat.Org makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. If you are unsure about information provided to you, please visit a local certified technician. Before posting or using our website you must read and agree to our TERMS.

Graco is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Britax is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Nuna Baby is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org!

Please  Support Car-Seat.Org  with your purchases of infant, convertible, combination and boosters seats from our premier sponsors above.
Shop travel systems, strollers and baby gear from Britax, Chicco, Clek, Combi, Evenflo, First Years, Graco, Maxi-Cosi, Nuna, Safety 1st, Diono & more! ©2001-2022 Carseat Media LLC

Top