Rear-facing until 4 - will the radian get us there?

[ninabrujaha]

I'd like to be able to rear-face my son until he's about 4, and I really thought we'd be able to in our Radian 65SL, but he's 2.9 right now and he's just a few inches shy of the top of the shell. I know it's possible he won't grow tons in the torso, but I'm not convinced. Is there actually any seat available that would rear-face longer? We also have a small car, so width and front-to-back space are important concerns. We also don't have an angle adjuster for it, which I was going to order soon - will that help with the height at all? European seats are also an option - we live in Israel, where basically anything goes car-seat wise, but importing a Swedish seat is price-prohibitive. Thanks!

 

[scoutingbear]

My little one (4 years, 1 week old) is in the 83% for Height and mostly all torso just turned forward facing yesterday per her request. She could still rear face but at 4 she was allowed to flip. I have found that in my vehicle the angle adjuster gives another inch or so of torso growth.

Overall it's a great seat and it should get you close to if not all the way to 4 years.

 

[MUTigers]

Yep, DD is almost 40" tall, in the 95% (I think) at almost 3.5yo. She's pretty even torso and legs, maybe slightly more leg. A year ago I thought she'd be out of the radian within 6 months. Now I think she'll make it to 4. The angle adjuster makes a pretty big difference in my car.

 

[featherhead]

Get an angle adjuster. When they sit more upright they tend to gain space.

 

[ninabrujaha]

Ok great, then I will definitely try the angle adjuster!