21 mo moving out of infant into a _____?

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ChasBen

Guest
My 21 mo son is just under the 30 lb weight limit for the chicco infant carrier, and he needs to move up. I would love to say we are keeping him rear facing forever, but honestly once he turns two we are probably moving him to forward facing. Also, we live in a pretty hot place and he tends to sweat. Would love to have something save and comfy for some long trips.

I was going to order the Maxi Cosi Pria today (~$250), but then went back to thinking about a Diono Radian R100 on sale for $200. I drive a 2013 4Runner. If he is happy rear facing in these, there is no reason I won't keep him rear facing for longer, I just know the moment I get an improved riding experience, I will move him forward. So should I instead consider the booster seat combos like a Britax Pinnacle. I understand that more than likely by the time he gets to booster size we will just move to an actual <$30 booster.

I need to some suggestions to push me through this decision. Do people hate the Maxi Cosi and think it is overpriced (but how about that cup holder!). Is the Radian really that great?


Thanks in advance.
 
ADS
U

Unregistered

Guest
I just got the pria a few day ago for my 18 month old son and love it. I can't speak about the radian but I didn't go with that bc i found it too complicated but I am admittedly not very good with car seats. The pria is easy to me and will fit fine in your vehicle. I got it in black so I can pass it down to my newborn. I personally find it much better looking than the radian and it seems more comfortable to me but I guess those are extremely superficial reasons :)
 

Brigala

CPST Instructor
Both the Pria and the Radian are really nice car seats. Assuming they both fit your vehicle well, it's hard to go wrong with either one.

I would say the Radian has a steeper "learning curve." Personally, however, I really like the lower sides and narrower profile. That's an issue specifically with my oversized child and my particular vehicles, though. In a different car I might like the Pria better.

I think since you're not planning to rear-face to age 4, the Pria might be a better bet for you unless you need the trimmer profile of the Radian. Me, I had to cram my kid and two adults into the back seat of my Civic so the Pria wouldn't have done there. And in my Suburban which is just so crazy far off the ground I didn't want to have to lift my top-of-the-charts heavy kiddo UP that far so I put a Radian in there too. Those concerns may not apply to you, though, and the Pria is a little more user-friendly. Both seats tend to be very comfortable for the child.

You might want to look at the Noggle as a way to keep your child cool in the car, especially while rear facing. I think you'll find that for kids in that 2-3 age range there are a lot of practical advantages to rear-facing. They tend to sleep better and more soundly in the car which makes for a more peaceful drive. I understand the desire to turn forward facing fairly soon, and it's great that you are at least going to go to age two. But I hope you'll find that the seat you get is so comfortable and easy to use rear-facing you won't feel the need to rush on that step. :)
 
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ChasBen

Guest
Thanks for all the responses and insight. Didn't know about the Noogle, and that is a super clever idea, especially handy since I have a vent in the back of the console so it won't have far to reach. Also, thanks again for the encouragement to keep him rear facing. Right now I am pretty sure I am the only person who has an almost 30 lb kid in an infant carrier.

Conclusion: Will move forward with the Maxi Cosi since it is the one we have seen in person (a long time ago) and liked it.
 

tmllsc

New member
I don't know anything about the Pria. But I did like the Radian. I did 3 across with radians for a long time. I love the Britax Frontier and Pioneers even more now that I have the room! I believe they FF from 2 years and 25 lbs. You can keep him harnessed a long time in them and then they turn into boosters. Just a thought:)
 

Brigala

CPST Instructor
Thanks for all the responses and insight. Didn't know about the Noogle, and that is a super clever idea, especially handy since I have a vent in the back of the console so it won't have far to reach. Also, thanks again for the encouragement to keep him rear facing. Right now I am pretty sure I am the only person who has an almost 30 lb kid in an infant carrier.

Conclusion: Will move forward with the Maxi Cosi since it is the one we have seen in person (a long time ago) and liked it.

You might very well be the only person with an almost 30 lb kid in an infant seat. ;) Most children outgrow their higher-capacity infant seats by height way before then.

But my daughter rear-faced to 3.5 years old and 45 lbs (the limit of the Radian) and frankly was more comfortable that way. And she's a top-of-the-charts kid in terms of both height and weight.

I think you'll find with the added room the Pria gives you, rear-facing won't seem so difficult anymore. :) NHTSA recommends kids under age 4 ride rear-facing until they reach the height or weight limit of the seat, which in the case of the Pria is either 40 lbs or 40 inches.

Best of luck! Feel free to come back with any questions (or to post pictures!).
 

cookie123

New member
I'm also amazed you have a 21 month old in a Key Fit. Both of my grandsons outgrew the Key Fit by height by 9 or 10 months. Crazy. You should show us a photo.:)
 

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