Car Seat for a 2.5 year old - Canada

Jolayne!

New member
My son will be 3 in August and is 36 lbs and about 39 inches tall.

I have a Diono Radian R100 in my vehicle so I know it will last him for a while. My husband has a cheap one (graco? Honestly can't remember). Anyways, the max limit is 40 lbs forward facing so I am looking for another one. In Alberta, there is no minimum age, just weight to move to a booster (40 lbs) and I believe my son is waay too young for a booster.

Looking for my next option and honestly would like to have a seat that will last til booster and hopefully he will be old enough to be done with car seats once he has out grown it. I have a friend selling a Diono Radian RXT, would that be a good option? I am out of my league of knowledge for this type of stuff. Tons of info out there. Thanks!
 
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SnoGurl

New member
Hey there!

Generally kids are ready to move to a booster around 5 or 6-- it's hard for kids to sit properly, all the time. Some kids requiring harnessing longer then that, for various reasons.

The diono line are great seats, but definitely not what you want to be looking at right now. They make very poor booster seats (and have a minimum weight of 50lbs for booster use). Because they do not have a moveable belt guide, they are generally outgrown by height before kids meet the minimum booster weight. Also, to use the seat as a forward facing harness, the straps need to be coming from above their shoulders. This is something to keep an eye on, as the height limit is quite over inflated.

What truck will this seat be going in? Are their any other back seat passengers? It's very unlikely that you will get a seat that lasts until your son is out of seats completely-- most kids need a backless booster until at least 11 or 12.

A couple suggestions that will get you through quite a few years include the Harmony defender, the graco nautalis, Evenflo securekid. A backless booster can be had later for around $20.00, although both the defender and nautalis become back less boosters as well. Really, it depends on your budget-- there are quite a few options, but their is also a big budget range. Your vehicle is also important, as not all car seats fit in all vehicles. Is there a baby's r us near you that you could try a few options out? Or I think out west West Coast Kids also allows you to try seats in your vehicle.
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Jolayne!

New member
Thanks for replying. It will be in a Dodge Ram 3500 with a crew cab and we have one son younger. Would I be looking for another convertible car seat with a higher weight limit for a forward facing? We do have a Babies R Us and West Coast kids but they are about 3 hours from where I live. Budget isn't too much of an option but I don't want to be spending a few hundred dollars for a secondary car seat.
 

Keeanh

Well-known member
I *personally* don't like combination seats (harness-to-booster) in booster mode. So I would probably get a Sureride / Titan65 with the intention of handing it down when 3yo is ready for a booster. It's a convertible with a very tall harness. It often goes on sale around $100 - $120 at Walmart, Sears, Best Buy online, etc..

If you're on Facebook, Vancouver Island Car Seat Techs lists Canadian sales on their page every Friday.
 

dogmelissa

New member
I have a daughter who had similar stats as your son: she was RF until just past her 4th birthday in a Radian Premier (45# RF limit but she maxed out by height not weight). She is just past her 6th birthday now and still in that seat, but at the very limit for harness height FF, though she is still only 50# and 48" tall (both well below the limits on this seat).

Is your son still RF in the Radian? Are you looking for something to extend RF or FF in both vehicles or just your husband's?

If you're looking to extend RF, I'd look into the Evenflo SureRide (or Evenflo Titan at Walmart - their special name for it) - which is priced between $140-$170 depending on where you find it. It's available at Sears, Toys R Us, Canadian Tire, Best Buy and obviously Walmart. This is a convertible seat, with a RF limit of 40lbs, but a FF limit of 65# (the maximum in Canada) - but it has a very high top harness height of around 19". I didn't think this was a fantastic seat, but coming from the Radian, not much does seem solid and well-built so it's not a problem with the seat, just my perception.

If you're looking to extend harness FF (in one or both vehicles), I'd highly *highly* recommend looking into the Harmony Defender 360. It is only available at Walmart - though out of stock right now but more coming next week - or you can buy direct from the manufacturer. Currently listed at $160 through Walmart (rumour from the manufacturer that Walmart will be raising their price on this probably due to demand), which is a *great* price for a seat like this. I literally just ordered one direct from the manufacturer after waiting nearly a month for them to come back in stock. I can't wait for it to arrive!!! As I'm not a tech, I will let a tech give you their professional opinion on why this seat is so great: http://vicarseattechs.com/2015/harmony-defender-whole-lotta-love-review-and-giveaway/ (the giveaway is over, but the review still stands!) For the price, you could get one for each vehicle, or just wait until your younger son needs the Radian or the older one outgrows it before getting one for yours.


Hope that helps and good luck. It can be very overwhelming.
Melissa
 

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