What would you do if you were me?

mamakc

Active member
My boy is suddenly very close to outgrowing the xtsl in my third row (for a plethora of reasons, that is where he needs to stay for the foreseeable future). I have to recline the radian so we lose a lot of height back there.

So what would you do if you were me? He is almost 4.5 and is 41-42 lbs. I feel like my options are new carseat or booster train with the plan of him being in a booster full time around age five. The new car seat option is immensely more complex than the booster train option, with topics like "forward of the bight" and "leg room" and "my dh doesn't know how to install car seats" & budget coming into play. :) But he's a little boy and I dont know if I can bet on him being ready for a booster by five. But he might be, I don't know. Should I start looking for a new car seat for a kid his age and size? What do you think?

-Krista
DD~6~ Cybex Booster
DS~4~ FF Radian XTSL
DN~2.5~ RF MyRide
 
ADS

jujumum

Well-known member
Could you use the Radian rf for your little one and use the MR FF for your son?

I would personally purchase a Maestro for that age/weight of my own kids.
 

mamakc

Active member
Could you use the Radian rf for your little one and use the MR FF for your son?

I would personally purchase a Maestro for that age/weight of my own kids.

The shape of the MR makes it so he has no leg room at all and it's very uncomfortable for him. We've tried it. I have a maestro as well, but I think I've finally decided it's not compatible in the third row because of the forward of the bight belts.
 

mom of six

Active member
The Harmony Defender has a recline feature which makes it a little bit more compatible with forward-of-the-seat-bight belts. It also will give you another 1-1.5 inches of torso growth over the radian.

I just switched my 5 1/2 yo son (46 lbs, 46 inches) to the Defender from his Radian partly because I had the new seat itch but also because we have 2 lap belt only seats in our van so two of my six kids will need to ride in a harnessed seat until we get a new van or suburban. I think the defender will give him another year and a half to two years before he outgrows this seat in height. He had about 3/4 inch of torso growth left in his Radian. I had a Frontier85 hoping it would give us what we needed but it is just too WIDE for our seating situation.

The Defender is narrow like the radian. It has kind of a deep seat pan so that may be an issue with leg room although if the Radian fit the Defender should. I tried the Defender as booster on my other other 5 1/2 yo. She is taller and heavier than her twin. I was impressed with the booster fit but we only tried it out. We have not used it as a booster in day to day life.
 

mamakc

Active member
I may try the defender. The only real hang-up I would have is silly, I admit. Going from the big bad boy that is the radian to a 'budget' seat feels like a step down. Although at the same time, I know it doesn't REALLY matter.
 

mom of six

Active member
I may try the defender. The only real hang-up I would have is silly, I admit. Going from the big bad boy that is the radian to a 'budget' seat feels like a step down. Although at the same time, I know it doesn't REALLY matter.

I totally get that. I had some of the same thoughts. I traded out the use of a FR85 and a Radian for the Defender. However, you are reaching to the fringes of the car seat world. There are not a lot of HWH seats with tall harness slots out there. If your seating arrangement is tight a FR85 is too wide and the ProSport isn't all that tall and all the rest out there are "budget" seats. (Evenflo SecureKid, Harmony Defender, Maestro)

I guess you could go for the gold and get the FR90 but it is nearly as wide as the FR85.
 

Carrie_R

Ambassador - CPS Technician
Forward of bight buckles = Frontier 85 LBP or ProSport, for me. Neither is "budget friendly" but the F85 may hit clearance as the F90 continues to hit the shelves?

I would not purchase a booster for near-future f/t use.
 

mamakc

Active member
Space isn't an issue. It's a two seat bench and he's the only one back there. My only fear with the FN85 LBP is my DH not being able to install it. The only issue with the FN90 is the cost. :-/

I am kicking myself for selling the FN85 we had a while back. At the time, I felt it was overkill. We had a different vehicle at the time, & the radian had years of growth left, it seemed.
 

mamakc

Active member
So....I happened to be in the neighborhood of babies r us, and decided to stop and try out the FN 90. Now I want one. :(

-Krista
DD~6~ Cybex Booster
DS~4~ FF Radian XTSL
DN~2.5~ RF MyRide
 

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Forum statistics

Threads
219,656
Messages
2,196,896
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