NextFit questions (vs Radian)

I'm strongly - very strongly - considering a NextFit for G . He's in a Radian now, but I really hate it for him. (No clue why, he's the 5th or 6th child I've used it for and I generally really like it.) It just does not seem to fit him well, it's like I have to overtighten the straps to get it to pass the pinch test and he's always flipping out at me. I finally got so frustrated today I declared I was buying him a new seat.

G is 32-33lb, 3.5y, on the short side. Think he's still under 40". He is RF and I have no plans to turn him.

1) How does the NF puzzle with a MyRide?

2) How is the seatbelt install?

3) How is the RF height, vs Radian? I can stack two fists on his head in the RN & be just over the top of the shell. Will he have adaquate time in the NF?

4) Leg room?

Anything else I need to know? TIA!

I don't have my radian anymore so i will do my best to answer your questions!

M is roughly 34lbs fully clothed and 38 or 39in standing height, not sure on his torso but his is probably average.... he wears 4Tclothes which are a tad long/big on him but 3T were too short! So with that in mind on sizing i will say the following:

1. I have never tried this but i would assume pretty terribly. The Nf is very "square" in the sense that it does not flair or angle at the sides at all..... its completely smooth. Now the base of the NF is considerably more narrow than the seat pan itself but because the MR sort of flairs wide i would think they wouldn't play nicely together.

2. Seat belt install is a breeze! I feel a slight sense of betrayal for admitting this but it's slightly easier than my 30second TF belt install!

3. I don't have a radian anymore to take a pic but i say the nextfit is taller/offers more room.... i can take a pic of M with the headrest all of the way up next time i get in the van so you can see how much room he has left. Its a LOT!

4. Leg room is about on par with an upright TF.... slightly less because the seat is not as widely designed so M's knees rest on the sides of the seat when he rides criss cross applesauce instead of being flat (that TF is WIDE!!).... but he likes it.

I won my seat from the blog contest love: carseatblog and cso!) and so i will admit i had given up ever finding a seat i loved more than the TF. I had tried it all (except a Foonf!) and kept coming back to the TF. After 3 years i was like, forget it.... I'm sticking with that trusty old TF..... so i probably would never have purchased it for myself but i have been surprisingly won over. Like a LOT!!!!

I think it is a GREAT little seat..... easiest seat to install for the grandparents who are install CHALLENGED. M loves it. He has never once complained about the shoulder pads that everyone rants about - he likes them and its plenty wide set. The fabric is really easy to wipe clean from an errant footprint or what have you (i don't let kids in the car so i can't speak for its cleanup other than some dust and dried dirt) and the thing is PLUSH. Its just a really really well made seat. The attention to detail is amazing. Everything makes sense, everything has a place - its logical.

I will say though that i think i still prefer the TF for the 45lb 4yr old set for FF purposes. My 5.5yr old who weighs 41lbs feels sort of squished in the NF, he loves his Nauti..... but he does have wide build whereas M is very narrow like B. But i think most kids would fit comfortably in it with zero issues.

I did end up "demoting" the TF to the truck Yeah, i just felt like the SIP in the NF was superior and M rides outboard so i put the NF in as his full time seat.

I still love my TF - but totally feel the NF love too

(FTR i hated my Radian with a fiery passion - gah that stupid thing!!!)

Carrie_R said:

I'm strongly - very strongly - considering a NextFit for G . He's in a Radian now, but I really hate it for him. (No clue why, he's the 5th or 6th child I've used it for and I generally really like it.) It just does not seem to fit him well, it's like I have to overtighten the straps to get it to pass the pinch test and he's always flipping out at me. I finally got so frustrated today I declared I was buying him a new seat.

G is 32-33lb, 3.5y, on the short side. Think he's still under 40". He is RF and I have no plans to turn him.

1) How does the NF puzzle with a MyRide?

2) How is the seatbelt install?

3) How is the RF height, vs Radian? I can stack two fists on his head in the RN & be just over the top of the shell. Will he have adaquate time in the NF?

4) Leg room?

Anything else I need to know? TIA!

Click to expand...

Check out the photos in this thread for comparison pics of the Radian and Nextfit:

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=243114

To answer your specific questions:

1. I've never tried the Nextfit next to a My Ride but I've owned both and agree with the pp - I'm not so sure they'd be a really good fit next to each other just based on the way each seat is shaped. But I can't say for sure.

2. Seatbelt install is a breeze.

3. There are pics in the thread I linked to above of the Nextfit with the headrest all the way up next to the Radian. They're pretty similar, and the Nextfit might even be a bit taller.

4. In my experience, the Nextfit has less legroom than the Radian, but that seems to be at least partly a function of the vehicle it's installed in and the recline angle (for example, my 2-year old has more legroom when it's in recline position 1 than 2). I also think the higher sides on the Nextfit contribute to *my* feeling that there's less legroom.

There are a lot of things I love about my Nextfit. It's a good seat. The install is a breeze and I LOVE the purple color. But at the end of the day, I still like the openness and low profile of the Radian better.

Thanks ladies!

Next to the MR is not a dealbreaker. I had both seats outboard, then moved the RN center for convenience reasons (I have an adult in the backseat with some regularly and got sick of reinstalling.) Was just curious.

I hated the TF, it was an awful install (awful - before I was a tech, I took my seats to be checked by two cso techs. They fought with it for a half an hour, then I showed them how I had gotten it in and we all decided we hated it. LOL.) I think it was the belt in the seating position - mounted forward-of-bight on the wall.

If I move it back outboard I can use LATCH or seatbelt. Glad to hear it on height, and I am thinking legroom will likely not be a big issue.

Thanks again!