Radian or MyRide for extended rear-facing

[lilystar]

My just turned 1 yr old son is very close to outgrowing his infant seat so I need to stop debating and buy him a convertible. I definitely want him rearfacing until at least 2 and preferably until 3 or 4. I'm focusing on the Radian and the MyRide since both are mentioned as being good for extended rearfacing.

I drive a 2012 Honda Odyssey and the seat will initially be installed in the middle. We're hoping to have a second child, ideally born around my son's second birthday, but we'll see what happens on that front. So eventually, the seat may well be moved to an outboard position. It's also quite possible that we'd use this seat rear-facing for my son until the second child outgrew the infant seat and then pass down the first convertible and buy a new forward facing seat. So my priority is a seat that works well rear-facing.

The Radian obviously has some extra nice features, but I'm trying to get a sense of whether it's worth paying basically twice as much. Any thoughts?

 

[MamaErin]

How tall and heavy is your son? What size shirt does he wear? This will give an idea on torso height which will be one determining factor in whether the Radian is worth it for you. Both are great seats but Radian is best for taller/heavier kids because it has higher height and weight limits if you get the R120 or RXT version.

 

[lilystar]

He's pretty long and lean (not sure where that came from as my husband and I are both short and not exactly lean ). He's 30.5 in and 20.5 lbs which puts him at the 75th percentile for height and the 40th for weight. He wears 12 mo clothes in most things (although 18 mo for sleepers) and most of his 12 mo pants/overalls are still a bit long. He is swimming in 18mo shirts, although mostly because he's too skinny for them.

I spent too much browsing here and discovered the Chicco NextFit. It looks awesome, although perhaps less leg room rear-facing?

 

[mom2juliarose]

I prefer the Radian (we have both, and our 27-mo-old is RFing in both) because I hate lifting DS up and over the "lip" of the MyRide and he can't climb in on his own since he's outboard.

 

[Dorothy]

While the Radian has the advantage for height and even weight in some models, I absolutely love our MR. It got my average DD to 3 yrs, 10 mos rfing. DS, at newly 3 is quickly closing in on the 1" from the top of the shell height limit. I have a Radian waiting in the wings, but I am going to be so sad to have outgrown the MR. It is just so very easy to use!

BTW, if I had any need for one, I would totally be checking out the NextFit. It looks awesome.

And, just to really throw a wrench in your plans, have you looked at the Graco MySize/HeadWise? It is taller than the MR (although still has the same 40# rfing weight limit).

 

[MamaErin]

The NextFit is very new, as in just released a few days ago! So there isn't too many reviews on it but yes, as far as the one's I have seen, a little less leg room. The MyRide and Radian are great for legroom but a little less space in the Nextfit isn't going to be horrible.

The fact that 12 month pants are a little long but he wears 18 month sleepers sounds like most of the height is in his torso, so I would definitely consider the Radian or the NextFit over the MyRide if you want it to last until 3-4 years old. If you plan on passing it down later that may not be a big deal. The MyRide is shorter but still gets even tall kids to at least 2.5+ RF.

What the other poster mentioned about lifting them over though is a bit of an issue with the seats with higher sides. I have a MyRide personally and it is hard to get my son over the sides and he's only 16 months old so I can't imagine lifting him into it much longer (though I LOVE the seat other than that!). I am hoping in a few more months he will start learning to climb in on his own though so hopefully it's just a temporary annoyance when he's kind of in that "too young to climb in but sooo big to lift" stage. It's definitely something to keep in mind though....especially if you do plan on having another close in age, imagine lifting a 25+ pound toddler over the sides of a car seat while pregnant...probably not fun.

 

[lpperry]

We have both and a 2012 Oddysey. Both seats are easy to install. The radian needs the angle adjuster. My personal preference is the Radian, but the MyRide is fine. I don't like the MyRide for forward facing because of how reclined it is. I like the low profile of the Radian.

 

[Kel]

I had both until today. I sold the Rxt. I no longer needed 3 across, so I had to let something go. My son LOVES his MR. I lift him into it still. It doesn't bother me, but some people don't like lifting their little kids. And some CAN'T lift them for various reasons.

My son will be 3 in 7 weeks. He will easily make it to 3.5 RFing. Maybe 4 in the MR. My 6 yr old DD loves it FFing. The recline is just perfect in my van for sleeping.

For the price you can buy another seat later. Something new is always coming out.