new RF seat for 3-year-old

rkpearson said:

However, with the leather seats and the angle adjuster, it's pretty easy to move the seat along near the seat edge (back of the car seat). Is this a problem? Do I need something grippy on top of the leather? It doesn't move near the belt path..

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The belt path is what matters. Don't put anything "grippy" down; it can mask a problem installation.

Patriot201 said:

The belt path is what matters. Don't put anything "grippy" down; it can mask a problem installation.

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good to know, thanks.

I used a technique I learned here today to get a nice tight install for the Radian. I unclipped the buckle, let the belt ratchet up another click or two, then rebuckled. Oh the things you can learn on car-seat.org!

I feel like the radian is more prone to being wiggly in the butt than other seats when rf. As long as the boot part really seems to be gripped in the way it ought to be with no movement there, it's OK.

So another question:

My husband rode in the passenger side yesterday (with the Radian w/ AA RF behind him), and said he could only put up with it for short rides, like 5-10 minutes. He said he wouldn't want to go on longer rides. And we do regularly drive about 45 minutes to an hour to Santa Fe (maybe once a week, or every couple of weeks). Usually one of us drives there, and the other drives back. And when we do a road trip (usually once a year) we are in the car for a couple days.

I'm now thinking about getting the NextFit for the Subaru, but want to know, does it take up less room front to back than the Radian w/ AA, or is it the same? Looks like the Foonf might take up less space, (I am willing to think about it, if it gains us more space -- I'm getting some AMZN gift certs through my CC rewards program!).

I'm also wondering if maybe a Britax could see us through the next year, since my daughter has a seated height of 13" (butt to shoulders). I hear those are very compact but that they do outgrow them sooner. I would want a Marathon/Advocate type seat (that has the taller shell than the Roundabout, correct?) But I don't know -- I don't want to buy yet another seat for her later on.

All the G3/G4 Britax share the same shell. So they all have the same overall height, including the Roundabout. The reason they give a shorter height for the Roundabout is because it has fixed harness heights and the top harness height is lower than the top harness heights of the others with no-rethread harness. I can see that the Roundabout would be shorter for FF, but I don't understand why it would be for RF. I own one and my manual says the same 1" shell as my Marathon did and doesn't specify anything about top harness height for RF.

If you are looking for a compact seat look at the Graco Size4me/mysize/headwise/fit4me (same basic seat just sold at different stores) It's extendable headrest makes it great for ERF and for fitting in cars where legroom is a priority.

According to Carseat blog, the Radian with AA was the same as the NextFit. The Pria was the top one. http://carseatblog.com/22818/the-ul...ertible-space-comparison-review-size-matters/
The Graco Headwise did well when the headrest was low but not as it gets extended. The Radian's space can vary a lot based on the slope of the vehicle's seat though so the NextFit might be better. The Pria has a 40" rf limit. The Britax seats are outgrown the same rf but the Roundabout is shorter FF. My DD is at the limits now at 38.5".

So I ended up with one Radian (AA) and one NextFit. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with the NextFit right now. It installed amazingly easily!! It also is nicely compact front to back (we have it behind the driver's seat in our Subaru). I love the adjustable harness and seat height feature. It is a well designed seat in so many ways.

However, the large head wings and high sides make it very hard to climb in and out of. (Also she can't see out the side window at all). The legroom (RF) is less than ideal compared to all of our other RF seats.

My daughter is getting the hang of climbing in and out of the seat, but I think out of the seat will always be difficult -- its kind of like if you are trying to get out of a really deep chair. I couldn't even figure out how to lift her out of the seat last night! I think eventually we got it, but there was this very small opening the way the door is designed and the seat. So tricky!

She actually complained about wanting to face forward while riding in that seat the other day - she hasn't complained at all in the Radian. I guess I should give it some more time, maybe these things will improve.

To the unregistered poster asking about the fit of a Foonf outboard in an 03 Civic - you now have your own thread here: http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?p=2707791

Pixelated how does the Foonf fit behind the passenber seat rf? I have an 03 Civic and am between the Diono and Foonf. My biggest concerns are how hard it would be to get him in and out with the clearance between the seat sides and roof and how far up the passenger seat will need to be.

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Has anyone brought up the possibility of the Evenflo Sureride? It has some of the highest harness heights, and is a good second seat to have for under $100.

My Lo was the exact same weight as your daughter is. we keep our LO RF till over 3 1/2 yrs. we used the First years true fit, what I love about it, is the RF weight limit is 35 lbs but the height is 1 inch of shell, which it better than most out there with an inch restriction. once she is FF the max height is 50" tall. MY oldest is still in it and in school.