Another "which seat should I get" poll

Which seat for Tyler after the SS1?

  • Marathon

    Votes: 10 41.7%
  • True Fit with ARB

    Votes: 8 33.3%
  • True Fit without ARB

    Votes: 3 12.5%
  • Radian 65

    Votes: 3 12.5%

  • Total voters
    24

Mommy0608

New member
Okay I really need help deciding! When Tyler outgrows the SS1 he'll need a new seat. He was going to get Jessie's EFTA, but she still fits RF so we need another convertible. Which would you choose, and why (see poll)? How much shorter is the MA shell than the TF or Radian? I want to keep him RF as long as possible of course, so would I sacrifice a lot of time by getting the MA?

I can get the MA for the least amount of money, which is also important because we have an extremely tight budget.

Thanks so much for the help! I emailed DH at work just now and asked him, and his response was, "You know about these things, so just get what we need, but don't spend too much."
 
ADS

TheQueenMother

New member
My vote is for the marathon, when he outgrows it RFing, your dd will be FFing and can swap seats if he needs more RFing room.
 

emandbri

Well-known member
How is your dd fitting in the Evenflo? Not sure how old that picture is so it is hard to tell. I last week that I'm now not likely how Elizabeth is fitting in the MA.

here is the post.
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=76468


Since the girls are the same height you might have the same problem with the MA but if she has more legroom in the EFTA then it wouldn't be an issue. If she does seem like she needs more legroom than I would say a true fit or radian.

I tried Elizabeth in the radian and she did have more room. I'm afraid I don't have time to post the picture now, maybe later today.

I don't know what I'm going to do but she isn't going to be staying in the MA, I will either put her in the radian or buy her a true fit.
 

Mommy0608

New member
Hmm. I didn't think about leg room. The seat would be for Tyler, who is more torso than legs, unlike DD who is all legs. She still has about the same amount of room as the sig pic, so she has a long way to go RF still. Is the EFTA shell much taller than the MA? I think I heard it's slightly taller, not sure how much though. Is the leg room that much less in the MA than the others?

I'm thinking Ty could use the MA until Jessie is too big to RF, then they can swap seats and Jessie can use the MA FF and Ty can use the EFTA RF for more leg room and height.
 

ginny4

New member
oh jenny. i don't know......the MA/FPSVD is VERY lil leg support. Jessie is so leggy & even if/when they switch seats she may nto be very comfy. but you may not even switch seats right? james rarely lets his feet hang down. he almost always has his feet UP on the seat in front of him. i'm guessing he's more comfy that way. would it be different in a different seat? i truly don't know. but all in all i like the FPSVD. its serves us well. you can get super adorable covers.;). for the least amount of money. its quite tempting.

each seat seems top have have its pros & cons. i'm not crazy about continuous harnesses. the true fit has that so that would keep me away from the seat. tho i love how TALL the true fit is.

the radian is nice for 3 across but i've heard it can be a challenge to instal. i just don't know.

its a tough decision but i think any of them would be a good one. its whatever you prefer. so i choose the clicky box (if there was one)
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
Radian using the tech discount order form from SK? Though my leggy dd never minded sitting in the Marathon till she was six, her feet just rested on the seat cushion in front of the base. They were dangling in this picture, but the seat goes to her knees... http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/FFAlbum/Sarah.aspx (she never liked the Radian as much, I think the old chest clip burned her neck and turned her off it, it'd probably be fine now...Leah likes it just fine rf or ff)
 

emandbri

Well-known member
I'm thinking Ty could use the MA until Jessie is too big to RF, then they can swap seats and Jessie can use the MA FF and Ty can use the EFTA RF for more leg room and height.

That sounds like a plan, though you might want to keep Ty in the MA until he needs more leg room so he can have the added benefit of the rear-facing tether.

I haven't tried Elizabeth in a EFTA but your daughter certainly looks like she has more leg room than Elizabeth does especially since you say she has long legs.
 

Mommy0608

New member
Yeah, I'd wait until he needs more room, then swap seats. Hmm... this shouldn't be so difficult, but I don't want to make a hasty decision. DH just ruled out the True Fit w/ARB because the price will likely be too high for us. Looks like it's either MA for $125, True Fit for about $180 (unless I find it on sale) or Radian with tech discount plus shipping.

I think we're going to go to BRU tonight and play car seats. I've never had the chance to play with a TF yet, and rarely an MA, so I think that will help me decide. However, they don't have the Radian, which is a bummer. Tyler's a big, husky boy so RF room is definitely a priority.

Jools, are you saying you'd vote for the Radian? Does it offer more leg room than the MA? I'm not sure I like how reclined it is while RF though... great for a younger baby, but my kids don't need that much recline.

I just thought of another option... maybe I could get an Avenue now, and then a Frontier later. Of course, DH doesn't like the price of the Frontier, but an Avenue would buy us a few years to save up for it. Does anyone see any disadvantage to this? I'm thinking by the time Ty outgrows the Avenue RF, Jessie will be FF anyway, so they can switch seats. Then when Jessie outgrows the Avenue FF, they can switch again (however, I have a feeling Tyler will catch up and pass Jessica in height and weight). When both kids have outgrown the Avenue FF, we'd get a Frontier (or something similar depending on what's out at that time).

Decisions, decisions. :rolleyes:

Thanks so much for helping me with this... I really don't want to regret my decision, so I truly appreciate any feedback. :thumbsup:
 

Pixels

New member
One of the options I was seriously considering for my DD was Radian followed by booster in one car, Scenera/Avenue/Uptown followed by combination seat in the other car. That would let me replace seats more frequently, but one at a time, instead of two at once. Then I could also put the newer seat (and presumably safer due to newer/better technology) in the less-safe vehicle. I ended up deciding to get two Radian65s. Then the XT came out, so I decided to get one 65 and one XT. Now I have the 65, and we're waiting until she outgrows the bucket to get the XT, but I'm back to wondering if I should get the Avenue for some reason.

Here's not the greatest pic, but it should help you get an idea of the difference in leg room between a Radian and a Marathon. My DD's feet aren't even to the edge of the Radian yet.
picture.php

The seats are puzzled in this pic, so the Marathon is completely over the top of the Radian (independently tight, though). The Radian has substantially more leg room, seat depth, and shell height.

Yes, the Radian can be a challenge to install, particularly FFing seatbelt. But if you use the install tricks, it's not bad. And once you learn how to do it, it's easier to repeat. Every time you do it, it gets easier. I can install DD's now RFing seatbelt in about 2 minutes flat, including top tether. With LATCH, installation is a breeze either FFing or RFing.

Considering your DS has a long torso, you're definitely going to want the shell height of a TF or RN.
 

AtTheSouthDam

New member
Oohh if I had the car I would get a pic of DD2 in the Radian for leg room. You have already seen her in the MA but I can put it back up if you want. The Radian has tons of leg room and she is very comfy in it.
I haven't tried the truefit yet and it looks like I will have to wait until the end April (DH voted ARB because he wants the extra safety. I :love: him so!!)
I can post a pic of DD2 in the Radian tonight. Since the girls about the same size and proportion it should give you a good idea :)

But I agree with the others and the MA wouldn't give her the leg support she will need later :)
 

skylinphoto

New member
I don't know the right answer for you..but I just wanted to tell you how funny it is about your kids names.
My name is Jessica..and my younger brothers name is Tyler. So, I laugh every time I see your siggy. hehe.

Alright. Thats my dumb post for today. :)
 

Mommy0608

New member
Thank you, that picture really helps! Wow, it does look like a lot more RF room in the Radian than the MA! I have installed a Radian before (this past weekend actually, for the first time) and I was pleasantly surprised... I had it installed RF with LATCH quickly and easily. This was at a seat check, not my own vehicle, so I don't know how well it will fit RF in the back of a Civic.

I think I read somewhere on this board that there is a new style of RF foot for the Radian? Maybe I'm crazy. Do you know what I'm talking about?

I'd really like a Radian or TF for the extra shell height. My only issue with the Radian is whether it will fit RF in the Civic and how reclined it is... DD wouldn't like that, but DS might not care so much because he's younger.

Do you mind if I PM you later today or tomorrow with my kids' stats? I'm curious to see who will outgrow RFing sooner... DS is sooo much bigger than Jessie was at his age, and knowing how long (approx.) DD will fit RF may affect my decision about what seat to get. Of course, I know that it would just be an estimate, but it's still helpful.
 

Mommy0608

New member
Oohh if I had the car I would get a pic of DD2 in the Radian for leg room. You have already seen her in the MA but I can put it back up if you want. The Radian has tons of leg room and she is very comfy in it.
I haven't tried the truefit yet and it looks like I will have to wait until the end April (DH voted ARB because he wants the extra safety. I :love: him so!!)
I can post a pic of DD2 in the Radian tonight. Since the girls about the same size and proportion it should give you a good idea :)

But I agree with the others and the MA wouldn't give her the leg support she will need later :)

Pics would be GREAT!! THANK YOU! I know you did post a pic of her in the MA recently, but since it wasn't an option a few days ago I didn't really pay attention to how her legs looked in that seat... if you wouldn't mind reposting it here, that would be great. A pic of her in the Radian would be very helpul also because I don't know if I'll get to try her in it.

Sounds like the MA isn't necessarily the best choice for Jessie with her long legs. Honestly I wasn't even considering it until this morning when I found out about the tech discount. For the price, it's worth throwing into the mix... however, I don't want to sacrifice comfort and RF time, so maybe the MA just isn't the seat for us.

I don't know the right answer for you..but I just wanted to tell you how funny it is about your kids names.
My name is Jessica..and my younger brothers name is Tyler. So, I laugh every time I see your siggy. hehe.

Alright. Thats my dumb post for today. :)

Hehe, cool. :p
 

arly1983

New member
If it helps, I am having buyers remorse.

I bought a sale MA to put back for Baby S and then it hit me.....Why in God's name did I buy a seat that both my kids have had problems in (one being to wide and the other had no leg support)?

Hello, the odds are against me here. *kicking self*

I think I am going to get DH to return the MA and buy a True Fit. I already have 2 radians. I think I am going to wait and see what the ARB version looks like and then make a decision.
 

romanoma

New member
Just wanted to chime in that the Radian has so much leg room and such a tall shell. In my siggy you can see my almost 3 yr old, he has so much leg room! He is 31 lbs, 39" tall and has about 14" torso (not sure if that makes him more legs or more torso?) but either way he has loads of room in both directions. I can post a bigger pic later if you can't see well enough in the siggy. In that pic, his feet are not even touching the seat back in front of him, he has them pulled up onto the car seat in front of him. Due to the low sides, it makes it so easy to throw his legs over the sides. Oh yeah, and he doesn't mind the recline at all.

And if you EVER EVER plan to fly, you can't beat the radian. We flew recently with our radian and our EFT and I want another radian just IN CASE we ever fly again, it made that much of a difference.

And since you are a tech, I wouldn't sweat the install too much.

Do you ever plan to have a #3? If so, just another reason to get a radian... :D
 

Mommy0608

New member
Okay I think I've pretty much ruled out the Marathon. I know it's a great seat, and the deal I can get is AWESOME, but if it's not the best fit for my kids, then it isn't worth it. Thanks! :)

My concern isn't with the actual installation, it's whether or not it will fit front to back since it is naturally so reclined. I've actually installed it quickly and easily RF in a Grand Caravan at a seat check (just this past weekend).

I just need to find a store near me that has it so I can try it in my Civic.
 

romanoma

New member
this may be obvious, but have you checked the successful install thread? If you could get it middle, it may not bother either front seat...
 

Pixels

New member
That pic that I posted above, Radian center RFing seatbelt, MA driver's seatbelt, is in a 2002 Civic sedan. :p I have it installed for my DD as upright as I can get it, which allows the front seats to go almost, but not quite, all the way back. Defrost can get it upright enough that there's an inch of space between the RN and the front seats, with them all the way back.

Putting the MA next to it did force the RN to recline a bit more as I pressed down on the MA to tighten it. But if you left it a tidge looser (it was well under one inch when I took out the RN to check) it wouldn't press down on the RN so much.

Sure, PM me about stats.

Oh, and yes about the new RFing foot. Click the link in my siggy for a thread full of pics comparing new vs old.
 

Mommy0608

New member
this may be obvious, but have you checked the successful install thread? If you could get it middle, it may not bother either front seat...

Not yet... this whole idea just came up today since Britax offered the tech discount. Before today I wasn't really worried about what seat to get so I didn't really do much research about how the Radian would fit. I will definitely be checking that thread now though! ;)

That pic that I posted above, Radian center RFing seatbelt, MA driver's seatbelt, is in a 2002 Civic sedan. :p I have it installed for my DD as upright as I can get it, which allows the front seats to go almost, but not quite, all the way back. Defrost can get it upright enough that there's an inch of space between the RN and the front seats, with them all the way back.

Putting the MA next to it did force the RN to recline a bit more as I pressed down on the MA to tighten it. But if you left it a tidge looser (it was well under one inch when I took out the RN to check) it wouldn't press down on the RN so much.

Sure, PM me about stats.

Oh, and yes about the new RFing foot. Click the link in my siggy for a thread full of pics comparing new vs old.

Thanks. My Civic is an '03 sedan so I'm assuming the back seat is very similar. Can you only get it in the center, or will it fit outboard RF? I just don't know how it will fit next to the EFTA, which will also be RF of course.

I just looked on the SK site, and the nearest store is over 100 miles away. :(
 

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