Question narrow options: Foonf, Radian, Coccoro?

[kld182]

I'm looking for some narrow car seat options for my almost three and a half year old and 10 month old. Both are currently in Evenflo Triumph Advance car seats. The 3.5 year old is FF and the 10 month old is rear facing. My husband and I drive a small SUV and want to be able to have a third person ride in the back seat with the two kids (or even be able to use a third car seat for a friend's child).

We would probably like to have the 3.5 yo FF outboard and the 10 month old rear facing in the center. The narrow options I keep coming across on internet searches and forums here are the Foonf, Radian and Coccoro. At the moment, I'm leaning toward a Foonf for my 3.5 yo and a Coccoro for the 10 month old (mostly because I'm concerned about visibility with the Foonf installed RFing in the center...it looks so high!). However, I'd love some advice and recommendations from the experts here about good options. My primary concern is the safety of my kids, so I'm willing to spend more on a seat that is safe/easy to install properly. I do not have anyone locally who can check my car seat installation, so I need to find something really user friendly!

Many thanks for any suggestions you can offer.

 

[jordansmom]

You have a great start of narrow seats to choose from! Would you mind sharing the heights, weights, torso measurement of your children and what vehicle you drive? The answers will definitely help give you suggestions.

I don't have a Foonf, but if you were going to only use it forward facing, then it's crumple zone technology would appeal to me ( but not the price tag)! I believe the Harmony Defender is also on the more narrow side as a forward facing seat.


As far as placement, technically our 3.5 yr old is least protected so I would put him in the center if possible and your rear facer in an outboard position. In one of our vehicles, I have a forward facing radian and a rear facing coccoro next to it because there is a lap belt only in the center. I do like that combination and the radian is soooo easy for my 4 yr old to climb in an out of. Depending on the size of your 10 month old, a CCO may not be a long lasting option.

ETA: all seats on the market undergo the same safety testing and have passed! E safest seat is the one that is installed correctly in your vehicle and your children are correctly restrained in.

 

[kld182]

Thanks jordansmom!

Here are the details you requested:

3.5 year old: 39 inches tall, 22 inch torso height, and 34lbs
10 month old: 29.5 inches tall, 18 inch torso height, and 18-19lbs

The vehicle I drive is a VW Tiguan. I've seen photos of the Foonf RFing in a Tiguan and of the Radian FFing. I'm concerned that the Radian wouldn't fit RFing if I wanted to put my son in one.

I also own a Cosco Scenera. It fits well in our vehicle, but because of it's shape I imagine it would be difficult to 'puzzle' with some other seats. I would also prefer to have something with a bit more cushioning/foam/weight to it. We use this for flights and travel, but it could be a short term option.

I really like the Foonf, but my primary concern with it is the height. I'm concerned that I wouldn't be able to see out the rear window because it sits so high. I'm also a little concerned because this is the first generation for the seat, so any kinks may not have been worked out. However, I've read some reviews about the Radian being less user friendly and of some children complaining of back pain in that seat.

Any other really narrow suggestions would be great! Many thanks again to anyone who can help! (I live overseas, but drive a US spec vehicle which requires US spec car seats. So, I can't test the car seats in person and really value people's experiences!)

 

[Jeni-GAcpst]

Hi and welcome!
I love the Tiguan. Super cute and wide, flat back seat is a dream for car seats.
The good news is you'll definitely find an option that works for you. The ETA you have are super wide seats. Just about anything will fit better. ;-)
If you love the idea of a Foonf and radian, go for it. They are narrow seats.
Me personally? I don't want to pay that much for a Foonf and only use half the seat (FFing) if there are other options available.

The Safety First GO Hybrid is kinda cool for a narrow seat.
The Graco MyRide or Size4Me (aka MySize70) are both great seats RFing for 'puzzling' because the curved shell allows seats to slide under.
The radian is a super narrow seat on it's own and slides under the shell of seats like the Graco Size4Me or even the Britax convertible seats.
The radians also do well side by side with each other.

I have a Britax Frontier 85 next to a RFing Graco Size4Me and the combined width is 35" at the cupholders but only 30" wide on the seats (hip room). We easily and comfortably fit a very overweight adult female family member in the back seat with that combo.
Two radians side by side would be 33-34" wide.
A FFing radian next to RFing Graco Size4Me would be about 34" wide.
A Safety 1st Go Hybrid next to a Graco Size4Me or Graco MyRide would be about 33" wide.

Plenty of options
You might try browsing the three-across thread to see photos of RFing next to FFing seats that line up well side by side: http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=33226

 

[kld182]

Thank you, Jeni, for your response. There are definitely a few options you suggested which I had not considered. Just out of curiosity, what vehicle do you drive (in which you can fit the two car seats and family member)?

I'm a little concerned about 'puzzling' seats together since I don't have the luxury of trying them out before buying (or even returning them if they don't fit...being overseas, it would cost a fortune to mail back!). So, I appreciate the combinations you suggested. I'll take a look at those.

Do you think it's best to get two different seats to puzzle together, or two of the same seat which might 'puzzle' more easily?

Finally, is it really true that there is no 'safest' car seat, but that the one that is installed correctly and in which the child is buckled correctly is safest? Is my $40 Cosco Scenera really as safe as the $500 Foonf? I find that hard to believe. Like everyone, I want my children as well protected as possible and am willing to spend a little more to insure that (although I'd rather not spend close to $500!).

 

[Jeni-GAcpst]

I can definitely appreciate the need to know for sure. I can't imagine the mental stress associated with shopping overseas. I over analyze things as is, and I'm right down the road from an Amazon return center

I have an '03 lexus RX300. The back seat is wide and flat. The frontier 85 next to RFing graco Size4Me almost fit on the 60- portion of the 40/60 split seat. The Frontier 85 plus FFing graco size4me can fit together entirely on the 60-portion, but the cupholder of the size4me sticks out so I can't fold the 40- portion down while the seats are installed. I could probably fold the seat down first and reinstall? Haven't tried that for funsies. Not applicable yet because my son is RFing.

I would suggest staying with seats that are known to puzzle together. Typically two of the same seats don't 'puzzle' because the contours are the same. For seats to really slide together, they need complimentary shapes.

Regarding seat safety, the truth is we simply don't know if any are safER. We know that they are all very very safe. They all pass US federal testing. Seat manufacturers don't release the actual test numbers, and we don't truly know how test force numbers on a dummy correlate to real life human response in a real life crash. Maybe the lightweight plastic of the scenera flexes with with crash forces to allow a child to move with the forces whereas the rigid shell and metal of the foonf transfers the forces to the child for more of an impact? We don't know. Higher price tag gets you a higher shell that provides more growing room, more padding, more bells and whistles, and a brand name. Maybe those bells and whistles help you personally get a tighter install in one specific vehicle so your child is safer; or maybe those bells and whistles create complexity that increases your risk of misuse. Properly installed seats saves lives and that's the goal.

For the Radian, your son is old enough to use the Angle Adjuster ($12 extra) which sets the Radian up higher and saves a few inches of front-to-back space.

Form compact, I think the Graco Size4Me might be the most compact front-to-back. A lot of people have been having buckle difficulty with Gracos recently. The buckle can be a little sticky, but dipping the buckle (not strap) in a cup of water seems to get out the extra oil or whatever the issue is. You also need to press the red button at the top and rock the button inward rather than pressing in the center like other buckle types. Some of the seats have been having harness tightening issues. The harness seems to be getting caught occasionally under the seat when tightening. Mine has gotten caught 2 or 3 times in the five months I've owned the seat. All I did was loosen all the way and tighten down quickly to get it unstuck. The harness is causing a lot of concern with the families having difficulty, but I don't mind recommending it to people whom I know will take the extra minute to fiddle with it if needed.

Maybe look at the specs of some of the seats that may interest you, then the members here can give you feedback on how they fit together.

 

[MotoMommaNH]

Regarding seat safety, the truth is we simply don't know if any are safER. We know that they are all very very safe. They all pass US federal testing. Seat manufacturers don't release the actual test numbers, and we don't truly know how test force numbers on a dummy correlate to real life human response in a real life crash. Maybe the lightweight plastic of the scenera flexes with with crash forces to allow a child to move with the forces whereas the rigid shell and metal of the foonf transfers the forces to the child for more of an impact? We don't know. Higher price tag gets you a higher shell that provides more growing room, more padding, more bells and whistles, and a brand name. Maybe those bells and whistles help you personally get a tighter install in one specific vehicle so your child is safer; or maybe those bells and whistles create complexity that increases your risk of misuse. Properly installed seats saves lives and that's the goal.

:yeahthatlove: I don't know if this point has ever been put better! VERY well said!

 

[Jeni-GAcpst]

:yeahthatlove: I don't know if this point has ever been put better! VERY well said!

Thanks!

 

[#1babysitter]

Are you sure your boys torsos are 22 and 18 inches?? That means your 3.5 year old has outgrown the Frontier 85 harness by height and every other car seat. The almost 2 year old I'm a nanny for only has a 12.5" torso so it's hard to believe your 10 month old has an 18 inch torso!

 

[Stelvis]

Are you sure your boys torsos are 22 and 18 inches?? That means your 3.5 year old has outgrown the Frontier 85 harness by height and every other car seat. The almost 2 year old I'm a nanny for only has a 12.5" torso so it's hard to believe your 10 month old has an 18 inch torso!

I bet she was measuring to the tops of their heads.

 

[Jeni-GAcpst]

I bet she was measuring to the tops of their heads.

That was my interpretation. Both seem about average to me. 3.5yo is probably in 4T shirts and most likely 12mo onesies for baby.

 

[kld182]

Thanks, all, for your input. We actually ordered a Foonf, but after putting my daughter in it today I think it's going back. According to the manual's instructions, she would require that the shoulder straps be at the highest height (without much room to grow). We could use it rear facing for my son, but it sits so high I think it would be difficult to get him in and out. For the cost, it has too many compromises!

So, I'm back to square one. We're going on a trip next week and need two seats that puzzle together. We'll use the one Scenera. Should I order a second Scenera (my daughter still fits in hers, but won't fit for too much longer) or should I order a Radian (or another 5 point booster...must be really narrow!) for her and use the Scenera (RFing) for my son? Would a Britax Frontier 85 puzzle with a RFing Scenera?

Thanks for your advice!

 

[Clek CPST]

Thanks, all, for your input. We actually ordered a Foonf, but after putting my daughter in it today I think it's going back. According to the manual's instructions, she would require that the shoulder straps be at the highest height (without much room to grow). We could use it rear facing for my son, but it sits so high I think it would be difficult to get him in and out. For the cost, it has too many compromises!

So, I'm back to square one. We're going on a trip next week and need two seats that puzzle together. We'll use the one Scenera. Should I order a second Scenera (my daughter still fits in hers, but won't fit for too much longer) or should I order a Radian (or another 5 point booster...must be really narrow!) for her and use the Scenera (RFing) for my son? Would a Britax Frontier 85 puzzle with a RFing Scenera?

Thanks for your advice!

Sorry to hear that the seat isn't going to work for you. I just wanted to check to see that you had raised the headrest up all the way to view all available harness heights. The top harness height on the Foonf is 17", while the Scenera top height is 15", so if your daughter still fits in the Scenera, she should have a lot of growing room left in the Foonf still. (Otherwise double check that she still fits in the Scenera. If she's needing the top slots in the Foonf, then she will have outgrown the Scenera ff'ing awhile ago.)

 

[Jeni-GAcpst]

Wait a minute. Are you sure? I have difficulty imagining a child that fits FFing in a scenera (probably 2t-3t shirt) but only has an inch to grow in the Foonf.
Can you explain the restriction better or take a pic of the manual page?

 

[Jeni-GAcpst]

Check it OUT! Personal attention from Clek. ;-)
If you're still online, Trudy will get this figured out fast for you (if you otherwise love the Foonf).

 

[kld182]

Thanks for the replies. Trudy, I'd love your input. Unfortunately, my daughter is asleep now (I'm in England, so it's almost 10pm). I can take a photo tomorrow. I had a technician in the States fit my daughter to the Scenera when we were visiting last month and he seemed to think she fit properly, so maybe I'm doing something terribly wrong with the Foonf!

 

[Clek CPST]

Thanks for the replies. Trudy, I'd love your input. Unfortunately, my daughter is asleep now (I'm in England, so it's almost 10pm). I can take a photo tomorrow. I had a technician in the States fit my daughter to the Scenera when we were visiting last month and he seemed to think she fit properly, so maybe I'm doing something terribly wrong with the Foonf!

I'll send you a private message through the forum with my email. You're 7 hours ahead of me, so it will be morning here when I see your email, but I'll look first thing in the morning and reply right away. :thumbsup:

 

[kld182]

Ok, so I was doing something terribly wrong! You'll think I'm completely incompetent, but when I went back and pushed the head rest all the way up, low and behold, there was another shoulder harness slot! (Just so I don't seem completely stupid, the upholstery is black and the seat is black, so I couldn't really see the slots. I could only feel them!) So, my daughter does have quite a bit of room to grow!

Thanks for the comparison heights with the Scenera...that's what tipped me off!

On a side note, is it normal for the Foonf headrest to push the child's head forward? My daughter didn't seem bothered by it (she was only in the seat about 30 seconds though), but she looked uncomfortable to me!

 

[Clek CPST]

Ok, so I was doing something terribly wrong! You'll think I'm completely incompetent, but when I went back and pushed the head rest all the way up, low and behold, there was another shoulder harness slot! (Just so I don't seem completely stupid, the upholstery is black and the seat is black, so I couldn't really see the slots. I could only feel them!) So, my daughter does have quite a bit of room to grow!

Thanks for the comparison heights with the Scenera...that's what tipped me off!

On a side note, is it normal for the Foonf headrest to push the child's head forward? My daughter didn't seem bothered by it (she was only in the seat about 30 seconds though), but she looked uncomfortable to me!

I little bit forward is normal. It tends to always look different in the house than in the vehicle as well. Provided you can get a proper installation, you can always use recline position 2 in your vehicle as well if you'd like to give her a bit more recline, but otherwise I wouldn't worry about it.

I know those very top slots can hide so that was my first thought when you said she was on the top slots but still fit the Scenera.