18.5 inch torso height in a Radian

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
http://picasaweb.google.com/joolstag/BitsyRadian107#5309706757775173122

As pink as it is, the only comment Bitsy would make is 'this seat hurts!'...you can tell by the subdued look and lack of brilliant blue eyes :rolleyes:

Anyway, she's 54.5 overall, 18.5 torso, 64 pounds. Her ears are not near the top of the seat quite yet, but her shoulders are about an inch over the top slot (which I consistently measure at 17 inches, despite SK's claim it is 18 http://picasaweb.google.com/joolstag/BitsyRadian107#5309706960021987058

This is in the house, and my experience is that kids grow and seats shrink as soon as you put them in the car, so she'd be a little farther over the top slots in the car.

We agreed that she'd sit in it in an emergency (car with lap-only belt and no top tether for example), and I don't doubt it's safe enough as SK has tested it with a dummy at least as large as she is, but from a practical standpoint, I still think she outgrew it at 7 (she still said it was uncomfortable back then, though http://picasaweb.google.com/joolstag/BitsyRadian107#5019600950861375602
 
ADS

christineka

New member
I've measured the slots at 17 inches too. I sat my 7 year old in the seat and she had some more room than your dd, but her shoulders were also above the straps.
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
It looks like a midget seat compared to her! So much for leg support in the Radian, huh?

I wonder when SK changed the shell. Mine is decidedly 18". Well, a hair less. It's got a 3/07 DOM.

1409050041_95f53e7eb0.jpg


Wendy
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
The plus side of this seat is that the back is tall and the harness is long...so people will keep cramming kids into it and it won't become less safe (compared to say, a 40lb convertible or old AOE being used in the top slots...people keep on using those and they are really putting their kids at risk being over the top slots(like, whiplash from the seatback being too short) and in unreinforced harness positions..not to mention the harness is way short by then :eek:)
As big as she is, it's not actual misuse :thumbsup:

But... yeah...it's not comfortable at all :(

I just wanted to give everyone a glimpse into what an average sized kid looks like at 65 pounds :)
 

Pixels

New member
Were the straps too tight? It looks like they're digging into her neck/shoulder some. Anyway, she is over the height limit by 1.5". The manual is pretty clear that they can only go over the top slots if they are under 53". She looks like her shoulders are ok ... not great, but ok fit.
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
Heh, my manual has two height limits... 49 inches or 46 inches and ears below the top of the seatback. (hard to imagine just how long a neck and how big a head that particular child might have... :confused:)

Anyway, here's what I am really basing my fit impressions on.... http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=16610

"Radian's unique design and incredible strength permits a child's
shoulders to go above the top harness slots as long as the child's ears are below the top of Radian's seat back."
 

MOM25BOYS

New member
It looks like a midget seat compared to her! So much for leg support in the Radian, huh?

I wonder when SK changed the shell. Mine is decidedly 18". Well, a hair less. It's got a 3/07 DOM.


Wendy

Mine's DOM 1/06.... (and that's a much newer RN 80 cover on it, it lines up perfectly...)


LOL, mines a 11/05 DOM I think and I get 17 when I measure.:rolleyes: Love the pics Jools and thanks. :)
 

Jennifer mom to my 7

Well-known member
Heh, my manual has two height limits... 49 inches or 46 inches and ears below the top of the seatback. (hard to imagine just how long a neck and how big a head that particular child might have... :confused:)

Anyway, here's what I am really basing my fit impressions on.... http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=16610

"Radian's unique design and incredible strength permits a child's
shoulders to go above the top harness slots as long as the child's ears are below the top of Radian's seat back."

THey are just talking about my daughter is all. Outgrown a regent at just under 6years old, 49 inches, 70 pounds, and 19-20 inch torso.

Her torso was 18 inches or so at just under 5, I think she was about 46 inches and 50 pounds. So, still would have been over the radian slots I think.
 

Pixels

New member
I based my statement on the current Radian manual, and on this:
2008-03-04 13:43:54 [Message] skipspin -> Special Events - CEU Chat Session: Regarding the Radian: Why does SK allow the shoulders to go over the top slots when FF, when no other manufacturer allows it?[

Carseatengr -> Special Events - CEU Chat Session: The critical consideration is the angle of the shoulder belt relative to the spine. in the case of the Radian, given the occupant height limits, this angle will never become an issue. So in order to accommodate the very small percentage of occupants that fall into this limited category (shoulder slightly above the 5th harness slot yet not exceeding our height limit) we allow this belting configuration.

Carseatengr -> Special Events - CEU Chat Session: Also FYI we test with the H-III 10 yr old ATD weighted to 85 lbs using the NCAP sled pulse and see no adverse spinal loading

bensmom -> Special Events - CEU Chat Session: When you say shoulder belt, are you talking about the harness as it goes over the child's shoulders?

Carseatengr -> Special Events - CEU Chat Session: Yes

crunchierthanthou -> Special Events - CEU Chat Session: is there a maximum amount over the top harness slot- more than just top of ears even with the top of the shell?

Carseatengr-> Special Events - CEU Chat Session: No maximum so long as the ears are not over the seat back height

wendytthomas -> Special Events - CEU Chat Session: What angle is important when looking at the harness and the spine? The Radian's straps are very close to the neck with the SKJP chest clip. Is this changed if a different clip is used? Is the angle important enough that even a small change could matter?

wendytthomas -> Special Events - CEU Chat Session: And does it matter for broad or narrow framed children?

Carseatengr -> Special Events - CEU Chat Session: The exact angle is in the range of 25 degrees or more off of horizontal (perpendicular to the seat back) - I want to stress this is an approximation - we base our allowance upon test results using an ATD that is too large for the Radian

Carseatengr -> Special Events - CEU Chat Session: Re the Chest clip - it is used for the positioning of the harness straps - a wider one most likely would not affect the test results
(bolding mine) Looking at the pics of your daughter, it looks like she's right around or possibly over the 25*.

Since there's a discrepancy between what Russ says and what the engineer and manual says, I'd go with the engineer/manual, which in this case is the more conservative of the two.

I wonder when (and why) they changed the height limits in the Radian manual. I also wonder what the stickers say on your seat, since your manual has two different height limits.
 

stayinhomewithmy6

Senior Community Member
Wow, I guess I have short torso-ed kids. X still fits in the XT and probably would for another year.

I had the same experience with a 56 lb 9 yr old that I put in the Radian just for experimental purposes. She was so uncomfortable.
 

Gypsy

Senior Community Member
My dd is roughly the same size as yours, 53 inches and 64 pounds with a 19 inch torso.

However, she has HIPS and she cannot scoot her bottom all the way back in the Radian, if she could - she would be about 2 inches over the top slots (estimated), with her bottom as far back as she could get it, she was about an inch over the top slots.

I think it's unrealisitc to say a 65 pound child would fit. They would either be too tall, or too wide (or too hippy!).

Yes, she is over the stated height limit of 49 inches, but she is right AT the weight limit and is not only too tall, but her hips are too wide to fit.

I cannot imagine an 80 pound child in this seat. Even if they were short. If they were short that means they would be wide, and a wide child won't fit!
 

Pixels

New member
I just took a tape measure to mine (9/08 DOM). Depending on exactly what technique I used, I got anywhere from 17-18". If I measured over the cover, very lightly pressing down and all the way at the very back, I got 17". I have the memory foam in mine, so that adds a bit. Under the cover, if you look the EPS foam is slightly curved at the back. So measuring from the flat part, to the top of the slot, under the cover, I got the full 18".

My dd is roughly the same size as yours, 53 inches and 64 pounds with a 19 inch torso.

Yes, she is over the stated height limit of 49 inches, but she is right AT the weight limit and is not only too tall, but her hips are too wide to fit.
The online manual says 53 inches, so she's right AT the limits (at least of the new ones). Any idea where her ears are/would be in relation to the seat back, if she were able to get her hips back?
 

Gypsy

Senior Community Member
I just measured her.

Her shoulders are pushing up into the wings (her #1 complaint), and there are 3 inches until her ears are even with the top of the shell. There was about 2 inches (hard to measure) between her bottom and the back of the seat.

She outgrew the seat (IMO) when she was 7 - she was about 55ish pounds (give or take, I don't remember exactly), her shoulder was about half an inch over the top slots and she was squished into the seat.

She is a thin child, too.
 

oursonend

New member
This thread is very reassuring. I was recently freaking out that DD (3.5) might outgrow her RN by height sooner than later. It's very reassuring to see an older child in the seat, and gives me a good idea of how much more mileage I can expect out of mine! (of course, mine is a 48lb limit, but it should still last a good long while). Thanks for the pictures!
 

scatterbunny

New member
This post shows what my dd looked like at about 50 inches tall and 50-55 pounds in the Radian. She was 6.5yo at this time, and has always been 95th+ percentile for height, and 85th+ for weight, usually pretty proportionate.
 

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