Question 3yo prefers Blvd to Radian--would you trust his preference?

kphil

Member
UPDATE: 3yo prefers Blvd to Radian--would you trust his preference?

UPDATE:
We got home from our trip last night. I ended up putting the Blvd back in the car and using that for the trip, and not bringing the Radian. He was glad to be back in the Blvd. It was okay for the first half of the trip, with the exception of a couple times when he did wake up crying again, but not too bad, and easily settled. On our first long day of the 3 day trip home, it got to be too much though, and he couldn't settle down, and we had a long way left to drive, so we decided to try turning him forward, to see if that helped. It helped a lot for that day's journey--he was reinvigorated and the rest of the drive went find that day. By the third and final day's drive home (which was a marathon of more than 11 hours that day--much longer than any other day), he was having issues even in the ff seat. He woke up crying and kicking his legs in that seat, too. I will be turning it back rf today or tomorrow (I hope he won't balk at that! I had to shush the kids when they started exclaiming how he was riding "like a big boy!" when he was first turned ff).

Trip was awesome, though :).
______________________________________________

My 3yo rides rf in a Blvd, and I just got a Radian to try for him, so he would have more legroom. We're going to be on a long driving trip, and I am concerned because he has often woken up crying about his legs on the occasions when he's slept for a long time in the car on long drives. It's been awhile since the last time, though.

He's tried the Radian a couple times now, and still maintains he prefers his Blvd. He says he's more comfortable in it, and he wants "his old seat" back in. He appears fine in the Radian though, and has even fallen asleep in it. Would you trust your 3yo's opinion on this before a big driving trip?

Here are pictures of him in each (I posted these on the install board, so pardon the repeast pics):

Blvd:
517941005_TtS8x-M.jpg


517940930_C2Ata-M.jpg



Radian:
517941099_F9vTZ-M.jpg


517941207_ccETN-M.jpg

(he was mad about coming in from playing to sit in the seat--hence the grumpy face)

TIA!
 
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canadiangie

New member
It sounds like he might crank no matter what seat he's in... BV b/c of squishy legs, RN b/c of his preference for the BV.

I'd probably start talking about how cool his new RN is, and really get him jazzed about his "new seat for our special trip"... tell him it's a special comfy seat with lots of room for his legs.

I dunno, sometimes as moms we just can't win for trying, yk? :rolleyes:
 

TheQueenMother

New member
Poor little guy. Will the seating arrangement work with the Blvd there between the girls' seats? If so I might take the Blvd just to make him happy. You might talk up the radian and see if you can sway him to like it more.
Amanda
 

Splash

New member
I'd absolutely trust him. You don't have to sit in it forever. Yeah, the BV offers some more leg room, but look how reclined he is in the RN. My kid would HATE that. The BV just looks more comfortable to me.

Heck, the Radian folds flat. If you want to, just take it with you.
 

Splash

New member
Oh, and I'll add that my son absolutely hated the Radian. He would not sit in it without screaming, he hated that thing. That was FF, I'm sure it would have been worse RF. I wouldn't even keep it to try later he hated it so much, I sold it for about 1/2 retail value because I knew that it would be a long time, if ever, before he would use that seat.
 

skylinphoto

New member
My 3 year old is crammed into a recaro signo. But, he prefers it to any other seat we've put him into (besides the scenera..but he liked it because it was pink...:rolleyes:). So, we keep him in the Signo. Only catch is we have to take off shoes because it makes it hard to buckle him with his legs all folded up with shoes on.

If he insists he's comfy like that, I'd let him be. I mean, he is the one sitting in the seat.

Here's a pic of my 3 year old in his Signo. He normally sits like he is in the second pic, with his legs crossed.

3396312947_ecca445a30.jpg
3397143406_bc9a05c127.jpg
 

4boysmom

New member
I agree with others if he says he likes it he is of the age that he probably knows what he likes and even if you don't think you would like it if you were in his place he does. It is familiar for one, and it may just be more comfy for him to sit in a modified splade frog leg knee to chest position. Just like some kids like to sleep on their belly or rolled in a ball or with their butts up he may like the counter pressure and angle...
 

emandbri

Well-known member
Benjamin freaked out when I wanted to move him from the MA to a radian but he was too tall and really needed out of it. Someone I know needed to borrow a seat and I loaned her the MA and he was fine going to the radian because another kid needed the MA. Might try that :whistle:

Your son cracks me up, I thought my daughter had long legs! lol
 

Splash

New member
My 3 year old is crammed into a recaro signo. But, he prefers it to any other seat we've put him into

Here's a pic of my 3 year old in his Signo. He normally sits like he is in the second pic, with his legs crossed.

OMG save him! No wonder people think RF is dangerous and uncomfortable! I would too seeing that picture! I know it's not, of course, but you weren't kidding when you said crammed! That kid really is in there! I'm shocked that he prefers that!

Wow. He LIKES that? I'm surprised he can even breathe like that!
 

mcomommy

New member
If my kid had a preference I would go by that for sure. For me though my kids don't really care so far.

skylinphoto - he is crammed in there! Almost womb like, maybe that is why they like it?
 

kphil

Member
I just reinstalled it a little more upright, and will try him in it one more time (this time I'm waiting until he's not in the middle of playing, though ;) No need to turn him off the seat right off the bat). Otherwise, I guess I'll save myself some money and stick with the Blvd. The only reason I'm worried about it is because we have had those times when he has woken up crying and miserable, and it has always seemed to me it was because he couldn't stretch his legs out when he woke up stiff. Hopefully that won't happen in the middle of crossing the Sierra-Nevadas with nowhere to pull off.

Your son cracks me up, I thought my daughter had long legs! lol
Yeah, it's weird because he's really short for his age (35.5" at 3.3yrs), so he must have the same short torso/long leg build my dh has. (Wow, I just plugged him into a percentile chart, and he's only in the 3rd percentile for height, so I don't know why his legs look so long in the pictures.)
 

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
I would trust a 3yo's opinion about which seat s/he prefers. I wouldn't trust her preference about which installs better or fits the family's needs better.
 

ZephyrBlue

New member
Wow kphil, does he really look like S at that age, or is it just the angle of the picture??

I'd trust him on the preference. Disclaimer, though- DS begged to ride to San Diego in his Nauti, and that's what we took. He cried most of the way there and back, it was a nightmare. His neck kept flopping when he fell asleep and it was too upright to sit comfortably in for 14 hours each way, I think. L rode in the True Fit the whole way and said it was really comfy, more because of the natural recline, I think.
 

jujumum

Well-known member
I just bought a RNXT and temporarily installed in next to DD's BV (both ff) the other day. We've driven in the car three times since - the first time she wanted to ride in the XT, but the second two times she chose the BV. She said she likes the BV better. I thought she would be swayed by the pink Malibu.;) Since you made the change for your DS's comfort (rather than a safety concern), and he seems happier with the BV, I would go with that. :)
 

skylinphoto

New member
OMG save him! No wonder people think RF is dangerous and uncomfortable! I would too seeing that picture! I know it's not, of course, but you weren't kidding when you said crammed! That kid really is in there! I'm shocked that he prefers that!

Wow. He LIKES that? I'm surprised he can even breathe like that!

Yep! He really enjoys it. I've asked him numerous times. I've put him in other seats. I even tried turning him FFing (because it was getting hard to put him RFing in the signo). He just wants his 'black carseat' to face 'back that way'.

If he likes it, than fine! lol. But, yeah, he really is crammed in there. I promise it's not that bad when we take his shoes off though. haha.
 

tarynsmum

Senior Community Member
Ha, I guess I have the weird kid who prefers the Radian to the Britax seat. The only thing she actively dislikes is the Uptown, and maybe I'm projecting my feelings onto her (as I mutter expletives every time I have to buckle her into it.
If he really has a serious preference (like screaming if he doesn't have the BV), then yeah, go with what he wants. I second Estelle's idea of throwing the folded Radian in there with you if you can though, in case he changes his mind.

On that note, Splash I love your new signature pic. Taryn says "I like that boys!" :D
 

myliljunebugs

New member
I trust my dd about how much she hates the Nauti (believe me, an 8 hour drive one way of hearing her complain the.whole.time) so it is now living with her daddy, so she only rides in it twice per month
 

kphil

Member
Wow kphil, does he really look like S at that age, or is it just the angle of the picture??

I'd trust him on the preference. Disclaimer, though- DS begged to ride to San Diego in his Nauti, and that's what we took. He cried most of the way there and back, it was a nightmare. His neck kept flopping when he fell asleep and it was too upright to sit comfortably in for 14 hours each way, I think. L rode in the True Fit the whole way and said it was really comfy, more because of the natural recline, I think.
Okay, your story is not encouraging, lol. I'm wondering about putting the Radian folded in the back now. Not sure what that would mean as far as the return policy goes though (obviously if we ended up using it on the trip, I wouldn't be returning it, but if we didn't...?)

And ZephyrBlue, he looks totally like G, except he doesn't have her dimples.
 

Kat_Momof3

New member
is that a captain's chair of a van? if so, you can recline it a couple notches (then tighten install) to give him some more legroom.
 

kphil

Member
Does anyone know if it's okay in a Sienna to install with the captain's chair reclined? Right now it is a few notches reclined, to match the recline of the seat next to it, which is set to best fit the Nautilus' recline. I like to have them all reclined the same amount. I should check the Sienna manual, but now I'm thinking I remembered it saying the seat should be upright (which totally wouldn't work with the Nautilus, so I would have to make a parental decision on that one).

I have the Blvd back in and he's happy, and we leave tomorrow--eek, I hope I don't regret!
 

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