Britax 70-G3 or Radian RXT to keep 3 year old RFing longer?

[panta]

Thoughts on these car seats? Recommendations of others that go to 40-45 lbs would be great too. We have a Honda CRV 2012. I like that Britax has done away with some flame retardants so I lean toward that seat, but really just want the safest seat that I can keep RFing for a while. Thanks!

 

[lauti]

Not the Britax for ERF - it has a much shorter shell than the Radian.

Other options are the new Chicco Nextfit or the Clek Foonf.

 

[creideamh]

:yeahthat: Radian will also give waaaaay more leg room than Britax.

 

[Jeni-GAcpst]

Graco Size4Me/ MySize70 is the tallest of them all if a 40lb weight limit gets you to your goal (same as Britax and chicco for weight).
Radian r120/RXT rear face to 45lbs but are 4" shorter than size4me.
Peg Perego rear faces to 45lbs and about a 4t shirt as far as height limits go - same as Britax.
Clek Foonf rear faces to 50lbs and an inch taller than NextFit but an inch shorter than size4me.

 

[kawad1]

One of the things I love most about my Radian is how narrow it is.... I know you didn't list that as a requirement but I personally wish I had considered that when buying Marathons and Frontiers for my older boys. It makes it hard to carpool with such wide seats.

 

[MommyShannon]

What is your 3 year old in now? Definitely not the Britax seats. Average sized kids often outgrow them around 3 or are just too crowded in them. Often for littles, just not older, bigger kids.

 

[panta]

Hi, Thanks for this information. Yes, my 3 year old is still is his Britax, but we're ready to move him to a seat that will accommodate a higher height/weight limit. He's currently 32 lbs and 39 inches tall. I like the Clek Foonf but worry that he'll exceed the 43 inch RF height limit well before he reaches the 50 lb limit. Is there a better seat (ie, longer-lasting RFing?) for a tall-ish kid?

I'd also like a seat skinny enough to be side-by-side with a Britax chaperone that we plan to place in the middle of our Honda CRV 2012.

Thank you - I have learned so much on this site.

 

[MommyShannon]

Is he in a classic Britax (35lb rf limit)? Just to give you an idea of size, the Britax seats with a 40lb rf seat limit are a little shorter rf than the classic. Unless he has a short torso, he may have already outgrown them height wise. Its likely he won't need the weight limit of the Foonf, but it is nice and tall. The Radian, NextFit, and Graco Size4Me/headwise would also give him more time rf. The S4M being the tallest, but all are fairly tall.

 

[Jeni-GAcpst]

Hi, Thanks for this information. Yes, my 3 year old is still is his Britax, but we're ready to move him to a seat that will accommodate a higher height/weight limit. He's currently 32 lbs and 39 inches tall. I like the Clek Foonf but worry that he'll exceed the 43 inch RF height limit well before he reaches the 50 lb limit. Is there a better seat (ie, longer-lasting RFing?) for a tall-ish kid?

I'd also like a seat skinny enough to be side-by-side with a Britax chaperone that we plan to place in the middle of our Honda CRV 2012.

Thank you - I have learned so much on this site.

Most kids outgrow most seats by height before weight. That's not 100%, but true for a majority.
Your son may be 7 years old before hitting 50lbs.

These are the sources I refer to regarding the medical need for rear-facing:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3400202/
"In autopsy specimens the elastic infantile vertebral bodies and ligaments allows for column elongation of up to two inches, but the spinal cord ruptures if stretched more than 1/4 inch"

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3256844/
" it has been reported that, by three to four years of age, the posterior and bilateral neurocentral synchondroses are fused in the atlas, (Ogden et al., 1987). These closures occurred for the other two vertebrae [in the mid and lower back] between four to seven years of age"

If your son makes it to age 4 rear-facing, that's awesome! If you want to and can rear face longer than that, I support you. But past age 4, the statistical difference in injuries between forward facing in a harness and rear facing is negligible.
It would be like winning the lottery of $15 million dollars vs winning a lottery of $15,000,100.

Clek Foonf, Diono Radian, Graco Size4Me, Chicco NextFit should get your son to age 4 RFing. Anything beyond that is total bonus so I hope you don't feel overwhelmed by the decision.

 

[sparkle3116]

I agree with pps--I would not buy a Britax seat for a 3 year old.

Diono actually has 2 Radian RXT covers with no added flame retardants--Storm and Rugby (both velour-like).