which carseat for my almost 4 year old-Audi A4

[Unregistered]

My daughter will be 4 at the end of June. She is 40 inches and 34 lbs. Front facing in my Audi A4. I just noticed today that her britax seat has a height limit of 40 inches. I think she could be safe in this seat for a couple more months, till she is 4. I was looking at the britax frontier 85, and the Diono Radian RXT. I went to a store today and they put both in my car. The frontier is HUGE for my cars tiny back seat. The Diono fit great in my car. The thing is, with the diono radian, it seems like it wont fit her for very long. She only had a couple of inches to get to the top harness straps. I have read that using the seatbelt with the radian can be sort of funky. So, should i just get a regular booster like the diono Monterey? I would really like to keep her in a 5 pt harness for a while longer. Are there any other car seats that i should look at for my tiny Audi A4? Has anyone used the Radian with an older child? Seems like most of the reviews are for younger kids.

I'm looking for what is safest, and what will fit into my car. I also have another carseat in the back for my 6 month old. Not sure that matters tho.

thanks

 

[wendytthomas]

I wouldn't buy the Radian for the three year old unless you're going to pass it down later to the baby. It doesn't make a good booster, and if you're only going to use it forward facing, that's a lot of seat you're not using (rear facing/booster).

I'd look at the Graco Nautilus and Evenflo SecureKids.

Also, her seat is not outgrown at 40". It's outgrown when her shoulders go over the top slots, or the tops of her ears go over the top of the shell. Or the weight limit, of course.

Wendy

 

[Unregistered]

Whatever I buy has to last until she is 7. Then my younger daughter can have the seat I buy when she outgrows the britax. Not sure my 3 year old would last harnessed in the radian till 7... That evenflo seat has really poor reviews on amazon. I'll check out the graco. Any others to look at?

 

[monica-m]

Reviews are not an accurate way to judge seats because most people don't know very much about car seats and don't use them properly. The my friend's son rides in a SecureKid and they like it just fine.

 

[mylittlet]

Don't read the reviews on amazon. Many of them are parents that don't know how to use a carseat correctly. The parents and techs on here know their seats.

Here is the review to read:
http://carseatblog.com/16523/evenfl...ew-lightweight-champion-of-combination-seats/

What britax is she is now? Our DD outgrew the BV classic by height at not yet 4y. She is not 5y, 53# and 45". She rides in a frontier. But I tried her in the radian the other week when we were baby shopping. She was on the 2nd to the top slots. It would have lasted her until she was ready for a booster.

I wouldn't put your DD in a monterey or any other belt positioning booster. She should stay in a 5-point until at least 5-6y. I wouldn't worry about a harnessed seat lasting until 7y, you can always move her to a booster before the little one needs her seat. Boosters are not that pricey.

 

[Unregistered]

Does anyones have a britax frontier in a small car? maybe it was just huge because i didn't try to latch it in... It just seems like the best seat that will last the longest. I just want this one to last her till she is 7, so that i can then use it when my younger daughter is 3 1/2. my daughter is currently in a britax roundabout. her shoulders are right at the top slots.

 

[wendytthomas]

She has a fairly short torso then, so a Nautilus or Argos would work well for her. The Frontier should also work.

Wendy

 

[Unregistered]

OK, i might go try the frontier again. It just seems like the best seat where i can keep her harnessed for the longest. Her current Britax seat expires when she turns 6, and her sister will be 2 1/2. I can then get a booster for her when she is 6, and move the younger one into the frontier? Or is the frontier too big for a 2 1/2 yr old?

 

[wnkw]

We have a frontier 85 in a 2010 g6. Not the smallest car but much smaller than our maxima.

 

[wendytthomas]

A 2.5 year old should be rear facing ideally, so I wouldn't use the Frontier for them at all.

Wendy

 

[Brigala]

If you like the fit of the Radian in your car, I don't see any reason not to get it. A couple of inches before she reaches the top slots is actually a lot. On average you can expect about an inch of growth in shoulder height at this age. So if she's 3 now, most likely if she had 2" to grow before reaching that top position then she'll be 5 years old and probably ready for a booster. Also, if you avoid the RXT she can probably squeak another year out of the radian after that; the Radian is unique in that it allows continued use after the shoulders are above the top position, as king as the other limits (overall height, weight, or ears above the shell) are not yet met. The head wings on the RXT will make it uncomfortable one her shoulders hit that top slot, though.

You have a younger child to pass it down to, so you'll get plenty of use out of it. You'll also have the option of using it rear facing for the younger child if you choose (and we would all recommend that if possible). You wouldn't have that flexibility with the Frontier.

Yes, the Frontier will last longer and makes a better booster. But if you feel it's too bulky for your car you may not like using it and you probably won't want to use it as a booster anyway when there are so many slimmer, inexpensive boosters available.

Really, either choice is fine. Choose the one that makes the most sense to YOU.

If you go with a Radian, I would recommend the R120 for maximum flexibility (highest capacity for both height and weight).

 

[Brigala]

Ug. Excuse the typos and auto correct. I'm on my phone. If you can't figure out what I meant in spots, let me know and I'll clarify.

 

[Unregistered]

SO, if i got the radian, do you think it would fit her for at least a couple of years? her shoulders were at the second to last slots. there were about 2 inches to the top slots. she will be 4 at the end of june, and 40 inches right now. i would like her to be harnessed till 6. does the radian last that long-till 6? its hard to say how much she will grow in her torso, and how much in her legs. If this could last till she was 6, i'd be happy with that, then i could move her to a seatbelt booster at 6, and move my younger daughter to the radian when the britax expires.

I will most likely have her forward facing at 2 1/2, unless i get a new car. the britax seat rear facing makes it so that the passenger is all the way up at the dash board. my husband is usually in this seat and he is 6 ft 1. i will have her rear facing until she is 2. another reason is that we live in miami and its soo hot in my car. i have no air vents in the back seat. that was the reason i turned my older daugher around right before her second birthday in june. it was soooo hot.

so i guess im between the radian and the frontier. the frontier would fit in my car, its just really big. but no one else goes back there anyways.

whatever seat i get i want to last for a couple years for my older daughter, and then for a few years for my younger daughter when she is around 2 1/2.

thanks everyone!

 

[Unregistered]

does anyone know if a 6 yr old would fit harnessed in the radian? She had about 2 inches to the top slots. Above said that they grow 1 inch per year in butt to shoulder height--is that pretty average? If that is true, this seat would work for her until she was 6, then i could pass it down to my younger daughter, and get a regular booster for her when she is 6?? are the regular boosters what most people do when their kids are around 6?

my britax seat will expire when younger DD is 2 1/2-almost 3... so i want this seat to work for a 2 1/2-3 yr old too... that way i dont have to buy another seat when my britax expires.