Hate our Radian..FTM Needs Help!

[tiggercat]

Of course if you really don't like it, there are tons of other options! I'd look at the Graco MyRide, Safety 1st CA, evenflo triumph advanced (you are US, right, so RF to 40lb), or the first years True Fit. Any of those should work for 1 kid in a Camry

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[CuddlyMonsters]

:yeahthatlove:

We have two Radian's XTSL (the ones made by Sunshine Kids), like you we didn't use them RF because my DH is 6ft tall and it took up too much space when we need to RF and put the kids in his 08 Honda Ridgeline (truck).

However, I think now they came out with the angle adjuster that should help that. We have 2 Radian XTSL's because you can fit 2 of them FF along with a Infant Carrier in the back of his truck and he can still drive comfortably. My kids are 3 and 5.5 years that ride in the Radian's and they still have room to grow. We like them because the are easy for them to get in and out of.

They were a little tricky to install at first, but once you get the hang of it, they aren't that hard to move around!

 

[atw]

I don't really care at all about low profile or narrow, so that's why I am hoping there's another option. I felt better last night, but today I hate it all over again. We got two because it was a good sale. Looks like IF we keep it, we're only keeping one. So I still need a seat for my car.

Not that I want to try to convince you to like a seat, but you might start to care about the low profile. We started bumping dd on the door frame and it was a huge pita to get her in the car once she hit about 30 in.we essentially threw in the seat. In addition if you might have more kids narrow could matter too. Narrow matters to me just for flexibility.

 

[ktbug87]

Thanks so much for all of the help and advice!

We are going to try and install the radian tonight in the Buick to see how we like it there, and what we think. If we like it, my husband wants to keep it for his car.

I still would prefer a different seat for my car (Camry).

I have seen the true fit and my ride in person, and didn't really like them.

What about the Priori? Would the marathon or the proride get me to 2 years RF? I measured my son's legs butt to bottom of feet, and they are 12 inches.

 

[tiggercat]

Can you tell us what you don't like about the MyRide, truefit and radian? What is it that attracts you to the Britax?

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[KaiLing]

What about the Priori? Would the marathon or the proride get me to 2 years RF? I measured my son's legs butt to bottom of feet, and they are 12 inches.

Since kids outgrow RF seats by torso, not leg height (head must be within 1" of shell for most), in terms of getting you to 2 years RF, the legs don't matter for outgrowing. You could have a kid with super duper long legs and a short torso and he could stay there for a lot longer than another kid the same overall height with a long torso and short legs. Put differently: kids outgrow seats RFing either by weight or when their heads get to within 1" of the top of the shell (some are 1.5"), and the legs don't figure in to that. Leg room is only about comfort, and kids are bendy.

Marathons get plenty of kids to 24 months. It's a short-shelled seat in comparison to others, but lots of kids go that long. Britaxes are very user friendly, easy to install, comfy for lots of kids.

 

[ktbug87]

Since kids outgrow RF seats by torso, not leg height (head must be within 1" of shell for most), in terms of getting you to 2 years RF, the legs don't matter for outgrowing. You could have a kid with super duper long legs and a short torso and he could stay there for a lot longer than another kid the same overall height with a long torso and short legs. Put differently: kids outgrow seats RFing either by weight or when their heads get to within 1" of the top of the shell (some are 1.5"), and the legs don't figure in to that. Leg room is only about comfort, and kids are bendy.

Marathons get plenty of kids to 24 months. It's a short-shelled seat in comparison to others, but lots of kids go that long. Britaxes are very user friendly, easy to install, comfy for lots of kids.

Thanks! I knew about the 1" height rule, but I was confused because everyone keeps mentioning leg room in the britax and proride.

Shell height wise...are both of those seats likely to get me to 2 years? My husband doesn't care now about having to buy a new seat then. He just wants me to like it.

 

[ktbug87]

Can you tell us what you don't like about the MyRide, truefit and radian? What is it that attracts you to the Britax?

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I admit, part of it is brand. But, I thought the truefit and myride were very hard and did not have a lot of padding. It just did not seem like they would be comfy under his bottom.

The radian seems extremely well built (my husband loves it), and I love the memory foam on it. But I hate the lack of depth to the seat, and the open sides. I also don't like the space front-back.

The steel frame on the radian and Britax is a huge plus in our opinion, though I understand they all pass the same safety tests.

I love the Britax seats because of the deeper shell, the fact that the sides are more closed in, and the fact that it is much less complicated than the radian. Sometimes we shuffle between three cars, and I can't imagine moving that to another car once it is installed.

 

[ktbug87]

I guess I should also add that I am familiar with the Britax seats. I nannied for many years and used a Roundabout in my vehicle.

 

[MommyShannon]

I know you said you didn't like the look of the True Fit but I think it would be worth trying at the store. We just moved DD2 out of a Britax Roundabout 55 which is very close to the Marathon to a True Fit Premier. I love Britax while they are small, but even she was getting kind of cramped and she is only 33" and 23 lbs at 2. The TF installed just as easily as our Britax and you would be able to keep the head rest off for a while but if is very tall for later. The only drawback to me is the 35# rf limit so if he is heavy and tall, it might not be as good. If he is tall and skinny it would be great.
ETA: the infant padding is really thick and it seems comfy without too. DD2 loves it but she is in cloth diapers so she has lots of padding on her bottom, lol.

 

[KaiLing]

I understand the confusion! Once you have a RFing toddler, you start to notice leg room, but it's all about kid comfort and that's very hard to predict.

It's really hard to tell if your kid will get to 2 in a Marathon, but if he's 'regular' sized, with 'normal' proportions, I'd say yes. I don't have personal experience with the ProRide, but they're pretty comparable shells if I recall correctly.

Now a Marathon doesn't fit little babies well, so you might, right now, be right on the edge of fitting in it. If you buy a Marathon be sure not to use it until the straps can be at or below the kiddo's shoulders.

Britaxes are easy peasy. If you want easy peasy now, go for it. Deal with the later later. You're already ahead of the safety game if you know that RFing longer is the safest way to go. Gold star.

 

[tiggercat]

I admit, part of it is brand. But, I thought the truefit and myride were very hard and did not have a lot of padding. It just did not seem like they would be comfy under his bottom.

The radian seems extremely well built (my husband loves it), and I love the memory foam on it. But I hate the lack of depth to the seat, and the open sides. I also don't like the space front-back.

The steel frame on the radian and Britax is a huge plus in our opinion, though I understand they all pass the same safety tests.

I love the Britax seats because of the deeper shell, the fact that the sides are more closed in, and the fact that it is much less complicated than the radian. Sometimes we shuffle between three cars, and I can't imagine moving that to another car once it is installed.

Well if you want a Britax, go for it. It is a fine seat, generally easy to use, and if you don't mind the cost. It will likely get you to 2 or longer rearfacing, but might not be as comfortable for the kiddo once the lack of legroom becomes apparent. I wish I had a newer Britax (my old one is a classic) or I'd take some pics of a kid right at the limits of a Britax to show you, but there is a ton more space for my toddler in the Radian than in the Britax for a bigger kid. I am guessing we have 2 more years in the Radian RF. When they are tiny, you want comfy and cosy, but when they get older, those open sides can be awesome!

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[ktbug87]

Thank you all so much!!! I was starting to get paranoid about buying a marathon.

I am glad to see it is not a terrible option.

I will update tonight about how the radian is when installed.

 

[tiggercat]

Thank you all so much!!! I was starting to get paranoid about buying a marathon.

I am glad to see it is not a terrible option.

I will update tonight about how the radian is when installed.

It isn't a terrible option at all! I loved my Marathon, it's actually the only seat I used through to expiration

ETA, my daughter used it RF for 2 years and FF for a bit, then my younger son used it rearfacing until he was around 2 as well.

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[cookie123]

The Radian is a great seat. I hated/loved mine. It does take up room rear facing. When baby is older you can use the Angle Adjuster to make it more upright. In the meantime, ride in back with the baby, you'll be safer! (Well, it's a thought!)

I've never used mine with a wee one. I loved it for the rear facing toddler/preschooler, though. Lots of leg room, easier for said kid to get in and out himself. Heightwise it lasts a long time. My grandson outgrew rear facing at 3.5 in one of the earlier Radians because the rear facing weight limit was 33 lbs. He's just about 4.5 now and is still using it forward facing. I like that it so non bulky forward facing, it's like you don't even have a car seat in there!

Maybe you could use the Radian in the less used car and get the Britax for the more used car. Then switch later, when the Radian might be more desirable and the Britax less so.

 

[atw]

I should also add, I do love our boulevard, but I think you might end up seeing the radian live down the road. We love them both, our big baby is in the britax now if you like and ate comfortable with it, get one. I'd purchase ours again any day of the week

 

[ktbug87]

We installed our radian in the Buick last night.

After getting some help here, I'm realizing the angle was probably wrong, and we had a bit of a buckle issue.

So it looks like I will be figuring out the tether tonight. We wanted to be 100% sure we could install ourselves and liked the car in the seat before we decided to keep it. I didn't want to wait so long we couldn't return it if we didn't like it.

My husband is in love with the seat because of how well it is made, so we will be keeping it for his car.

I have decided I still don't love it for such a little guy, though now I do see how it would be awesome for when our son is older, so I'm going to get him a Marathon for our camry then in a couple of years we will probably end up with another radian.

I wanted to thank everyone here so much for all of the help!

One last question? I can get the Priori on sale right now for $89, and I was wondering how long that seat lasts rear facing, because that wouldn't break the bank when we had to replace it.

Thanks!

 

[MommyShannon]

Btw, the 11" seated shoulder height for the Chaperone is on their website. http://www.britaxusa.com/car-seats/chaperone
That's actually the height of the top harness slot and rf you use positions at or below the baby's shoulders so a baby using that slot would have exactly an 11" seated shoulder height or bigger. That isn't how there site makes it seem though looking at the fit guides.