does ANYBODY have a longer radian crotch strap I can borrow??

[VanIsleMommy]

EDIT: For anyone reading this thread in the future, the longer crotch strap is not approved for use in Canada and is not available to order.

 

[christineka]

Did you try calling diono? They sent me one for free. Unfortunately, though it only appears to be 1/2 inch longer than the regular size. I thought the sk one was longer.

 

[unityco]

I thought the longer crotch strap was not allowed in Canada?

 

[VanIsleMommy]

EDIT - new info, see the first post.

 

[snowbird25ca]

it's on the diono.ca website so I assumed it was?

they may send one for free (as well as my new boot, and new UAS straps because mine keep loosening, and new strap covers because I HATE the harness pads...) but it's going to have to ship from the US and that could take weeks. unless there is somewhere in canada that I can order from?

Those memory foam harness pads are mandatory ff'ing in Canada if your seat came with them. The old strap covers are fine rf'ing, but the foam ones are what you're stuck with for ff'ing.

I don't know if the longer crotch buckle is available in Canada or not. The last I'd heard it's not. Have you been in contact with their Canadian customer service?

How is it fitting him that it's bothering him?

 

[VanIsleMommy]

I thought if you didn't like the harness pads they would send you the shoulder pads instead? I have them off RF but when he goes FF I really hate those pads...

I emailed customer service but haven't heard back yet. Calling is usually faster so I might do that.

The buckle is hitting right at his boy parts. It doesn't matter if it's in the farthest slot from him or the middle one (yes I know it's supposed to be in the furthest spot according to the manual but they said any slot is fine to use). Before, he used to complain about it bugging him every now and then, but yesterday he was full on screaming and throwing a fit crying because it was hurting him.

so if we can't use the longer crotch buckle, he has to go FF in a different seat and the radian is useless to us.

 

[snowbird25ca]

I thought if you didn't like the harness pads they would send you the shoulder pads instead? I have them off RF but when he goes FF I really hate those pads...

I emailed customer service but haven't heard back yet. Calling is usually faster so I might do that.

The buckle is hitting right at his boy parts. It doesn't matter if it's in the farthest slot from him or the middle one (yes I know it's supposed to be in the furthest spot according to the manual but they said any slot is fine to use). Before, he used to complain about it bugging him every now and then, but yesterday he was full on screaming and throwing a fit crying because it was hurting him.

so if we can't use the longer crotch buckle, he has to go FF in a different seat and the radian is useless to us.

The memory foam ones are mandatory ff'ing in Canada. They're not in the US, but they are in Canada.

While I'm thinking of it - Diono also doesn't allow parents to go over the top slots of the Radian in Canada. I'm not sure why, but they don't.

I'll send an email to find out about the crotch buckle in relation to Canada and I'll confirm that their stance hasn't changed on the memory foam harness pads. They've been very clear in the past though and I would question if the answer all the sudden changed from mandatory to optional. I dislike them as well, but they've gotta be doing something... my guess is they're doing something for chest G's the way the Britax HUGS do. But that's just a guess.

 

[VanIsleMommy]

do you mean the top harness slot? that's what I thought too

 

[VanIsleMommy]

ok I called and picked Patti's brain

longer crotch buckle is available in canada (from the website), it's 7.5" long (1" longer)

you can use the soft wraps but only for rear facing, they are pretty strict about the harness pads being on forward facing. they must be on.

the crotch buckle should NOT be angled back towards the child. they say in the manual that the furthest slot should be used for kids over 30 pounds but that is said for comfort reasons only, she said if should definitely not be angled back and the middle one is fine to use if it provides a better fit.

the top harness slots are fine to use rear facing as long as there is 1.5" of shell above the child and they are below 44" tall.

she's going to see if there are any tips for helping that crotch buckle hurting issue. I'm going to put his harness pads on and see if that makes a difference too. they're sending me a new crotch buckle that should be here next week :thumbsup:

 

[Pixelated]

While I'm thinking of it - Diono also doesn't allow parents to go over the top slots of the Radian in Canada. I'm not sure why, but they don't.

Snowbird is talking about FF here for anyone not clear on that.

 

[snowbird25ca]

Snowbird is talking about FF here for anyone not clear on that.

Thanks Jen, I guess I mistakenly assumed that a child whose shoulders were above the top harness slots would be ff'ing. Now I'm curious to see if kids actually have room above their head when their shoulders are above the slots. I don't think my kids did, but I don't remember now.

 

[VanIsleMommy]

i don't think my kiddo with a rather large head would have room but I wonder. there's an awful lot of shell!

 

[Pixelated]

Thanks Jen, I guess I mistakenly assumed that a child whose shoulders were above the top harness slots would be ff'ing. Now I'm curious to see if kids actually have room above their head when their shoulders are above the slots. I don't think my kids did, but I don't remember now.

Mine wouldn't have room, but if my 4.5 year old will cooperate I can probably snap a pic just for reference.

ETA: pics added. The slot showing in the pic is the highest and the fabric is sitting lower than the plastic slot, it's at least a cm further up - clearly she is not buckled in, and does not ride in this seat, an SJKP XT from 2009. I don't think there is any way a normally proportioned kid could use the top slots RF. It's a bit deceiving how much shell is there because when the wings are all the way up they actually sit up higher than the top of the shell and push the cover up a bit (not shown in the picture). DD is 4.75 and about 45-46" tall, most of which is in her legs --> and over the standing height limit. I don't actually know if Diono allows a child to be over the standing height so long as they have adequate head clearance - anyone know for sure?

 

[VanIsleMommy]

thanks!! I'm positive they are strict about the standing height rule.

 

[snowbird25ca]

Ok so I wasn't imagining things. I only tried ds in the RXT briefly a few weeks ago, and he is over the top slots ff'ing and couldn't actually sit all the way back because of where the headwings were sitting, but I was pretty sure his head was above the top of the seat.

I'm going to hazard a guess and say that pretty much no kid would be within all the required limits of the seat to fit rear-facing with the shoulders above the top harness slots, so I wonder why they allow it in technicality? Other companies have disallowed top slots rf'ing because they realize kids will be too tall to fit the seat rf'ing properly if the child truly needs the top slots... makes me wonder why Diono allows them if the vast majority of kids couldn't possibly fit the seat properly with the straps positioned there.

 

[snowbird25ca]

I just wanted to update this thread. I have had some emails over the past few days with somebody high up in Diono on the Canada side and he has checked in to a few things for me.

The longer crotch buckle is not approved for use in Canada and it appears that there has been some confusion regarding this. Customer service agents on both sides of the border are being updated, and they are also being updated to advise parents that the memory harness pads must be added back on to the seat once it is used forward-facing if they call to request the smaller harness covers while using the seat rf'ing.

Vanislemommy - I'm sending you a PM to get your contact information to forward to the person I've been in touch with so that they can provide an update to you directly. I requested that they get in touch with you and they indicated they would if I provided them with your info.

 

[VanIsleMommy]

done, thanks!

well that's a bit of a bummer for us, I will try him again in the radian with the big huge harness pads on. if that doesn't work, we're stuck forward facing.