Question Outgrowing the Radian?

[cantabdad]

I'm finding it harder and harder to buckle my daughter (just shy of 5 yrs., around 48 lbs.) into her Radian XTSL.

In particular, no matter how much she scoots her bum backward into the seat, the buckle is still very close to her thighs/groin and it's just very difficult to clip her in.

I did a search here and it looks like there is a longer buckle strap available as a replacement part from Diono. Would that be a good solution? At $8 it seems like a low-risk option and of course it's cheaper than getting a new carseat.

But I did wonder whether she's about to outgrow this Radian altogether -- the tops of her shoulders are roughly even with the top slots and really just a smidge below the bottom of the headwings. Since SJKP/Diono allows kids to go over the top slots, she has plenty of room to grow in terms of her ears being below the shell, but I can't imagine the seat will be comfortable once her clavicle starts bumping up against the headwing, no?

If it's time for a new seat, what would you recommend? The Britax Frontier seemed like a good choice since we can keep her in a 5-point harness a bit longer and then convert it to a booster. If there is something similar that is not quite as big, that would be great. We don't _need_ to do 3-across in our car (Honda Civic) but it would be nice to occasionally squeeze another adult in the back between the two carseats.

Thanks in advance for any insight here.

 

[Judi]

I would order the longer crotch strap.

 

[Mercuria]

Contact them and tell them what's going on. They'll probably send you one for free.

There's been some confusion about replacement crotch strap vs. long crotch strap, and it would suck to order the same one you have now. I don't believe the long one is listed on the web site, so you'd have to contact them to order anyway.

 

[babyherder]

I'd look at the Evenflo Secure Kid. If Diono will send you a longer crotch strap for free that's great! But the Secure Kid sounds like it could be a good seat for you to look at for once she outgrows the Radian all together.

 

[Mercuria]

Yeah, I wouldn't put much towards extending her time in the Radian. The wings will definitely make her uncomfortable when she gets taller.

 

[cantabdad]

Thanks for your advice. It seems like there's no harm in getting the longer strap (if available) but that we also need to prepare for getting a new seat, perhaps sooner than we had thought. I had not heard of the Evenflo Secure Kid (and our local retailer doesn't stock it) but will be sure to check it out.

 

[Gidgetc13]

I contacted Diono about the same issue with the crotch strap and they sent me a longer crotch strap for free.

 

[Jan06twinmom]

I contacted Diono about the same issue with the crotch strap and they sent me a longer crotch strap for free.

Awesome! It's always good to ask.

That should give your DD a little more time in the Radian. My DS found that the Radian was very uncomfortable when his shoulders went above the shoulder straps so we made the switch at that point.

When it is time to move your DD, you might go ahead and consider a booster seat for her. For a 5yo who is mature enough to sit in the booster seat properly, a booster seat is a very safe option.