Question What seat to get next...?

[maddysmomma]

My son is almost 3 years old, 36inches & 34.5lbs. He has been riding in a Marathon since he was 6 months old and I LOVE this seat. He looks like he has some room to grow still, as he is only on the third slot up & hasn't grown a ton lately. The marathon DOM is in 2008, so we have some time left with this seat.

We had our little girl about 3 months ago and eventually I plan to move her up to the Marathon. She has plenty of time left in her Graco SR 35 but I like to be ahead of the game with my research & planning?

What seat would you recommend for my son? I love the Britax Frontier but am also liking the look of the Sunshine seats. Also, would you pass the Marathon down to my daughter or look into a Radian XTSL so she can RF to 45lEs?

I have a Chevy Equniox so space isn't a HUGE issue, but it might be nice to put the seats next to one another so that another passenger could fit in the backseat.

Any ideas are greatly appreciated.

 

[lorismurph]

A Radian would be a good option if you want passengers, it's nice & narrow. On the other hand, if your son is Forward-facing already, I wouldn't buy another convertible. I'd get a good FF harnessed seat like the Frontier85, the Graco Nautilus, or even the Evenflo Maestro.

 

[Angela]

Here's what I would do... Get a Radian XTSL for DS so he can rf until the limit, then he can use it ff until he reaches the limit there, at which time he should be old enough for a dedicated booster. Pass the Marathon onto DD. When DS grows out of the Radian, you could move her to it. Just my opinion.

 

[maddysmomma]

Here's what I would do... Get a Radian XTSL for DS so he can rf until the limit, then he can use it ff until he reaches the limit there, at which time he should be old enough for a dedicated booster. Pass the Marathon onto DD. When DS grows out of the Radian, you could move her to it. Just my opinion.

That is a really good idea!! Will have to consider that. I hadn't thought that far ahead, but it never hurts.

Also, can you use LATCH w/ the Britax Frontier? I noticed the Sunshine website said their LATCH goes up to 80lbs.. which is a definite plus, we seem to be able to get a better install with LATCH.

 

[Doey79]

We got our 3 year old a Frontier 85 and we all love it. He likes that it looks like a big kid seat. It is a pretty big seat so there is tons of growing room and has 20" top harness slots. It also converts into a booster and uses latch (but not to 80 lbs. like the Radian's Super Latch). The Radian has top slots of 18" and does not convert to a booster, so if you were thinking of one for your 3 yr. old you wouldn't get as much use as you would out of a Frontier. You could also look into a Graco Nautilus, which would be cheaper than a Frontier and converts into a booster.

As far as buying a new Radian for your LO so they can rear face to 45 lbs., that is just up to you. Some parents will buy a new seat just so they can get 5 more pounds rear facing. Others don't think it is a huge issue. The Radian will allow you to RF the longest, though.

 

[maddysmomma]

We got our 3 year old a Frontier 85 and we all love it. He likes that it looks like a big kid seat. It is a pretty big seat so there is tons of growing room and has 20" top harness slots. It also converts into a booster and has latch hooks (but not to 80 lbs. like the Radian's Super Latch. The Radian has top slots of 18" and does not convert to a booster, so if you were thinking of one for your 3 yr. old you wouldn't get as much use as you would out of a Frontier. You could also look into a Graco Nautilus, which would be cheaper than a Frontier and converts into a booster.

As far as buying a new Radian for your LO so they can rear face to 45 lbs., that is just up to you. Some parents will buy a new seat just so they can get 5 more pounds rear facing. Others don't think it is a huge issue. The Radian will allow you to RF the longest, though.

We would get an extra 10lbs vs. the Marathon, as this one only RF to 35lbs. Thanks for your thoughts on the Frontier. As for the Nautilus, that's a no- go.. he rides in one in my mom's car and I have never liked the seat- I'd rather spend the extra $$. Thank you!

 

[aeormsby]

With the Frontier you can use Latch until the child is 48lb in your Equinox (the Frontier manual says to go by the vehicle's latch limit and if not listed to go to 40lbs, GM vehicles allow latch to 48lbs). Using the RadianSL to the full 80lbs for Latch (in reality I doubt many 80lb kids would still fit in the Radian) depends on when your vehicle was manufactured - I don't remember what the date is.

ETA - I realized the frontier info is from our Frontier80 - I haven't checked to see if that changed with the 85's

 

[wendytthomas]

Also, can you use LATCH w/ the Britax Frontier? I noticed the Sunshine website said their LATCH goes up to 80lbs.. which is a definite plus, we seem to be able to get a better install with LATCH.

Only if your Chevy was made after 9/05.

Wendy

 

[Angela]

Also, can you use LATCH w/ the Britax Frontier? I noticed the Sunshine website said their LATCH goes up to 80lbs.. which is a definite plus, we seem to be able to get a better install with LATCH.

As PP mentioned you can only use LATCH with the Frontier until 48 lbs in your Equinox. Personally, I've found that the only good install I've ever gotten with the Frontier is with the long belt path. I haven't tried it in too many vehicles though, so that' might not be the case with the Equinox.