Help picking a new seat

We were rear ended the other day. Everyone is fine but it was a really hard hit and I want to replace my seat. Insurance didn't even bat an eye and agreed it should be replaced. (Jacob was in his seat at the time which adds to me wanting to replace it.) It was a hard hit vs a little bump. So anyway... Now I'm trying to decide what to get.


Jacob is 4 years old. 32.5 pounds. 40 inches tall with a 14 inch torso. In the Radian he is on the second from the top slots with about 1.5 inches before he is even.

I drive a 2007 Honda Odyssey and he rides in the outboard passenger seat.

Here are my picks so far...

Top on the list is the Frontier. I like it. It has LOTS of leg support and he has lots of legs! It was easy enough to install with the long belt path and sooner (then later) I'm going to have to start doing seatbelt installs. And I kinda like that it turns into a booster.

I don't like the look of the Nautilus and I wouldn't use it as a booster anyway.

I have 2 other Radians so I can't see getting another Radian. Maybe the XT but I want to see it in person first.


My next plan of attack is a dedicated booster.

Again, I have 2 other Radians that will last him the rest of his carseat life. So it's not like I NEED another harnessed seat.

A really nice booster (like the Monterey) would be handy to have around. My nephew comes down and just uses my seats while he is here. He is turning 8 but is very small so he has lots of child restraint life left in him. I could use the booster for him and then have it for Jacob too.

I'm not interested in turning him RFing again so the MR65 is out. Feel free to offer any other ideas that come to mind!

We love our Frontier!!!

One worry I have about the Frontier is that it is a little taller then the Radian and I'm worried that he has gotten too use to how low the Radian is.

Also he is starting school and I need for him to start figuring out how to unbuckle... Not going so well in the Radian...

I'm not ready to booster him but I am also not opposed to him riding in a booster with Mom and dad the whole less then once a year that he MIGHT ride with them. (I actually can't think of the last time he rode with them!) Or I wouldn't mind him having a booster in his Dad's car. Again. He doesn't actually ride over there more then once a year at best... Most often we just trade cars. But he rides over there so infrequently that a booster might be best because I don't have to worry about strap tightness and placement...

But then we have a booster... The Fisher Price. But it stays at my parents. And I'm not sure I want to "waste money" on a booster when i can just get a Graco for $50.



What about the True Fit? Anyone have any pros/cons between the True Fit and Frontier?

It does sit up higher but really not a ton higher. I like the True-Fit but would never pick it over the Frontier for a 4 year old. Levi is going to move to the Frontier sometime in the next 6 mos so he has to figure out how to buckle it. He can buckle the MA. He is slow but given enough time he can get it done. The FR is a bit more difficult for him just because it's not what he is used to. I haven't really given him time to figure it out, though.

Can you not just use one of the other 2 Radians?

I haven't even considered a booster for Levi yet! He is far too skinny and I know there is no possible way he could sit properly!!! Allie started at 5.5 when she hit 40 lbs but he likely won't hit 40 until he is 5.5!

Oh I can use one of the other Radians. If I got a booster it wouldn't really be for Jacob. He HONESLTLY does NOT ride in other people's car enough for me to worry over if he is in a booster or not with them.

Its more like I leave him with Mom and Dad while we go to a movie and they have no PLANS to go away where and I won't be gone for more then 2 hours... So instead of installing a seat that they won't use (because they won't leave) I leave them with a booster for him incase they have an emergency and HAVE to take him somewhere.

Otherwise, they don't like to drive and don't like to drive with the kids in the car. If they were going to watch him over several days or more then a few hours then I would install a seat for them. They are totally on board with carseat use.

Same goes for Robert. He doesn't actually take Jacob in his car unless something odd happens and I leave them at home and he has to go get Teen or if we have crossed appointements or something... And even then he just takes the van and I take his car. The seat in his car is really just there for emergencies. Which is why I'm not worried about changing it to a booster either. I can think of maybe 5 times in the whole 4 years that Jacob has ridden in Robert's car. MAYBE 5 times...And that's just because 3 times seems too few... But I'd lay money on it being closer to 3 times.

IF I got the booster it would be more for my nephew to use untill Jacob was old enough for it. He comes for 2 weeks at a time atleast 2 twice a year and for a week at a time a few times through out the year. So it would get more use from him then from Jacob.

I'll most likely go with the Frontier.