Radian - is this a part of the seat or packing material??

YinzerMama

New member
I was stripping my radian to change the cover and found these white foam squares at the bottom of the headrest. They're not styrofoam but they are more like a thick piece of the kind of foamy paper things will be wrapped in for packing. Are they essential to the seat or are they packing material?? I think they might explain why I have such a hard time moving the headwings in a balanced fashion. They always seem to get hung up on one side or the other. Keep or toss?
 

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krasota

Well-known member
I do remember foam packing material that held the headwings in place for shipping. I don't remember the shape.
 

Pixels

New member
They are part of the seat. They are not packing material. They should not be removed.

From Allana Pinkerton, CPST-I representative of Diono:
Thank you for your email. This is a very popular issue due to the blogs and CPST telling parents to take them off. You are not to take anything off of the seat. The styrofoam squares have nothing to do with the headwings and are not blocking any part of the track for the headwings. If you have parents that have taken them off it does not compromise the safety of the seat.
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
Of course, previous to that, Allana told people that it was packing material and showed them how to remove it.

And at this point if you ask 4 different reps you get 4 different answers. It's frustrating.
 

trippsmom

CPST Instructor
Also, they very obviously do interfere with movement of the headwings in at least some cases, so.

This is my experience. Especially with children that are just going up to the third slot. Those blocks really can make the difference in headwings being up or down. With my experience with my own dd getting stuck under the headwings when she was at the third slot and not yet able to use the headwings, I ask parents if they want them out and the hw down.

I remember the statement about them being packing material. It is like how their manual tells you to replace seats after a crash and then their reps will tell you to go by NHTSA qualifications for replacement.
 
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jacqui276

New member
Also, they very obviously do interfere with movement of the headwings in at least some cases, so.

I found that as well. As soon as I discovered that I could remove those pieces, I was finally able to get a good height on the headwings for DS once he was above the third slot, otherwise they sat too high.
 

YinzerMama

New member
How... odd.

Well I had put them back before putting the cover on, before people started answering them, but I did find since removing the cover and playing with the headwings, I seem to have managed to get them at a lower setting than I had it previously (which is good in our case). I think I mashed the squares more firmly into their little cubbies first, maybe that made a difference?

The headwing feature on this seat is so fiddly. I wish it was more of a smooth click-in-a-track and stay there function like other seats.

Here's another oddity of the manual, it tells you to wash the straps and wring them out. Page 45. Despite every thing else (car seat related) saying never to wash your straps. And they don't seem to be any different than any other straps so have they actually tested their straps to be washable and wringable?
 
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YinzerMama

New member
This is my experience. Especially with children that are just going up to the third slot. Those blocks really can make the difference in headwings being up or down. With my experience with my own dd getting stuck under the headwings when she was at the third slot and not yet able to use the headwings, I ask parents if they want them out and the hw down.

Do you mean like she fell asleep and her head kind of slid and slumped under one of the wings and stuck there? That is what happens with my kid. I have them much lower now, ith the foam still there, but I think taking the cover off and giving the wings a good naked workout helped to sort of break them in or something? They are definitely lower now than they were before.
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
Here's another oddity of the manual, it tells you to wash the straps and wring them out. Page 45. Despite every thing else (car seat related) saying never to wash your straps. And they don't seem to be any different than any other straps so have they actually tested their straps to be washable and wringable?

I wish instead of treating us like bleach-abusing imbeciles, more carseat makers (and harness makers, why doesn't IMMI just put the washing instructions on the label?) would just give us nice 'how to be gentle and not destroy your straps' washing instructions. A gentle hand wash and wring isn't going to hurt anything, it's incredibly durable polyester.
Now, the ironing and starching I did when I was an imbecile with a super crappy nylon harness on a Cosco seat years ago? Uh, not so good. Glad I didn't have to test it, glad no one makes those harnesses anymore :eek:

Ok, back to the Diono weirdness, lol...
 

YinzerMama

New member
I wish instead of treating us like bleach-abusing imbeciles, more carseat makers (and harness makers, why doesn't IMMI just put the washing instructions on the label?) would just give us nice 'how to be gentle and not destroy your straps' washing instructions. A gentle hand wash and wring isn't going to hurt anything, it's incredibly durable polyester.
Now, the ironing and starching I did when I was an imbecile with a super crappy nylon harness on a Cosco seat years ago? Uh, not so good. Glad I didn't have to test it, glad no one makes those harnesses anymore :eek:

Ok, back to the Diono weirdness, lol...

Yeah that's my feeling as well. I know the line is don't wash, never buy a used seat, the harness might be washed, etc... but I don't have a lot of faith in spot cleaning and I can't see how a quick cold wash and drip dry can possibly be worse than leaving pee or vomit to soak into the straps. SO I'm glad to see you can wash them - or so they say? - but I'm surprised to see "wring."


I have never felt compelled to starch or iron though. :D
 

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