britax parkway sgl vs diono r100

Unregistered · Feb 19, 2018

we are replacing two carseats after a recent car accident. We are looking for seats for our 6 and almost 9 year old girls. both are below or at 50 pounds.

2017 gmc terrain
2 car seats plus 10 year old son (who might go back into a booster)

my questions- we feel the radian my daughter was in during the crash saved her. so we feel we want a metal frame. im in over protector mode since the accident. im waiting to put them both back in radians (our older was in a graco during the accident). but worried my almost 9 year old will out grow it and it doesnt covert to a booster. so do i go with the parkway bc it can go into a booster?

my mind is just full of a lot of mom guilt and questions and reactions from the accident and i cant think clear.

lgenne · Feb 19, 2018

Hi and welcome!

Sorry to hear about your crash—it sounds like it was scary.

First: a Radian and a Parkway are very different seats. A Radian is effectively for harnessed use only; a Parkway is a belt positioning booster with no harness.

We have no evidence that a steel frame is safer than car seats without a steel frame, but I get that it feels safer, and if that’s better for your anxiety about driving right now, then a steel frame is probably worthwhile.

That said, I wouldn’t buy a Radian for a 6 year old, and definitely not for a 9 year old. Are you open to alternative suggestions? And would you feel good about a belt positioning booster with a steel frame for at least the 9 year old if not both?

MaKoskiof4 · Feb 21, 2018

A Britax Frontier might be a good option for your 6 year-old. We were also involved in a crash about 2 weeks ago and I'm still in the process of determining what seats I want to get to replace our 5 crashed seats. My two-year-old was rear facing in a radian and she fared very well. My seven-year-old was in a Britax Frontier and she also fared very well.