Question Advice please - convertible seat for newborn, 2015 Honda Odyssey

We are expecting a newborn in less than a month. Thought we were going to use a 2013 Diono Radian RXT that my 10 yr old outgrew, but I can't find the manual and even using the online copy, I am nervous that we might not have all the pieces or be installing them correctly, so I decided it would be safer to buy a new seat. Ideally, I would like a convertible seat to last baby from newborn until booster. I am not interested in a removable infant seat. When I look it up online, I see a few different seats that are recommended. What are your thoughts? Should I get another Diono Radian RXT, the Britax Marathon G4.1,
Chicco NextFit, or something else? The seat will be installed RF in the middle position of the second row of our 2015 Honda Odyssey.

When you say that you want it to last the baby from newborn until booster, do you mean you want something that will turn into a booster when the child is ready for one? Or do you mean you want it to be the only harnessed seat that the child needs -- and get a dedicated booster later on?

If you want a seat that will work from newborn to booster, the Graco 4Ever fits small newborns well, rear-faces a long time, and turns into a HBB and a (bulky) backless booster too. The Milestone is similar, but only goes as far as the high back booster and I don't know if it fits tiny newborns quite as well... Not sure on that.

If you don't want it to turn into a booster, then the convertibles you mentioned should all work pretty well for a newborn. The top slots of the Britax G4.1 convertibles aren't as high, though, so I think they end up being outgrown FF sooner. It's so hard to tell what kind of seat you will need in order to get to booster readiness when your baby isn't here yet! I think I would go with a 4ever. It will last a long time both RF and FF and should fit a small newborn well. Plus, it has the booster potential if it ends up being a good fit. I'm hoping someone else might be able to chime in with how well the milestone fits newborns, since that is a well-loved seat too, and would last as long RF and FF as the 4ever.

Finding something that works birth to ready-for-a-booster is much easier than finding something that works in that center seat in the Odyssey (what Honda calls the +1 seat). None of the seats you listed work well there, for one reason or another.

I have the Graco Milestone there, and it works great, although I haven't tried it at the newborn recline angle. The Clek seats (Foonf and Fllo) are known for working well there, but you'd have to buy an Infant Thingy for a newborn. There's a thread about seats that (don't) work there. Back with a link momentarily.

Here you go: http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=246908

Oh, and I've read around here that the Milestone fits newborns very well. I've never had the opportunity to try it.

That seating position is very limiting.
Britax doesn't fit, as I read from another thread.

I bought a Clek as it's one that fits and is easy to use. Plus it will RF a long time!
There are other choices, as others will mention, too.

lgenne said:

Finding something that works birth to ready-for-a-booster is much easier than finding something that works in that center seat in the Odyssey (what Honda calls the +1 seat).

Click to expand...

Whoops! Sorry! I totally missed that you were wanting to install it in the +1!

I just put a Graco Milestone in my '07 Odyssey RF, for my 2 yr old. The front passenger seat can go all the way back!

A few years ago I had a Britax Blvd. in my van. Loved it!

I'd keep the Radian and check with us on here to make sure you have all the pieces and are using it correctly. That's a great seat for a newborn and will grow with your baby!

If you are missing pieces, you can buy them from the company--much cheaper than buying a whole new seat!!

Check to see if it has the infant insert. Also, do you have your rear facing boot?

The online manual is the same as the one that came with the seat, so you can see what everything looks like there. If you need real pictures, lots of us here have Radians and can help you.

Except that the Radian doesn't work well in the Odyssey +1. Also, at the newborn recline, the seat in front of a RF Radian will be eating the dash. It's a perfectly good seat to use outboard with the angle adjuster once the baby has good head control (my 10 month old is in one) but not in the middle.

Yep, that above.