My son is in and out of 5 different cars during the week. Buying 5 seats is out of the question, so we're looking for something with easy installation. To add to the challenge, two of the cars are pre-2000 and don't have the latch system built in. The Sunshine Kids Radian and Britax Roundabout are two we've been considering. Any recommendations?
Stay far away from the Radian. It's a great car seat, but is not easy to install well and doesn't always install well in all types of cars. Britax seats (roundabout, marathon, boulevard, etc) are all easy to install with or without latch since they have built in lock offs and easily accessible belt paths.
We have a Marathon and a Roundabout. Both are great and pretty easy to use, and we don't use LATCH in any of our cars.
I prefer the Marathon because it is bigger, so your son is less likely to outgrow it. My son is 3 and just outgrew his Roundabout, so we had to get another seat b/c he's not ready for a booster yet.
They also make a Roundabout 50, which is in between the other two in terms of size.
Have you looked into the Britax Frontier 85??? We have 2 (and NO latch system in our van......) and my husband can get a tight install in LESS than 5 minutes. He says they are very easy to move and get buckled in. They have a NO thread harness, 85 pound weight for 5-point harness, 100 pound for booster, and last 9 years!
Diapers.com is running 20% off all their Britax now and it you enter referral code FRID5486 you get an ADDITIONAL 15% off that price! Free shipping as well.
Go Britax.
I have a Roundabout and it's super easy to move from one car to another, whether I use the LATCH or belt.
How old is your child, weight and height? Its easier to recommend seats if I know his age/weight/height.
The Britax seats are incredibly easy to install. They are heavy, but they are easy to install. I could have our Marathon out of our car and into another in under 2 minutes. And I never use LATCH, only belt install.
If you go for the Roundabout, look for the Roundabout 50. Its the shell of the Marathon but has a 50lb weight limit and its $160 at Target. You will get about 2 more years of use out of it than yo uwould the regular roundabout that holds to 40lbs.
My britax Marathon (which is just the bigger version of the roundabout) is in and out of my parents any other family member's cars all the time! at least 5 times a week. At first it's it's a little weird, but it's so easy now. They have side clips to hold the seat belt in place instead of the H clip, and I LOVE it!!
I second the marathon! We love it and after the first few times it is easy to move around from car to car.
Any car seat gets easier with practice but I like the Alpha Omega convertible seat of the ones I have because it is the lightest in weight and has a bar in the back that makes it easier to carry in one hand. My other car seats are Graco and I like them too. But they are a little heavier and take a little longer to install. They may be safer installed more or less permanently. We have 2 cars and 2 kids so 4 seats total and a backless booster for my 4.5 year old to use in other cars. Maybe having a seat for your car and one for switching around would work for you.
