Radian Convertiable Carseat Feedback

Hi J.-
I purchased the Radian carseat for my son when he was almost 2. I didn't use it rearfacing, so I can't offer any any advise :(. Like you I didn't want to purchase carseat after carseat for the next 5 years. I love it...as soon as my daughter outgrows the Britax I'm buying her one. Hope this helps and we bought lots of things as well that people said "we had to have" and never used most of it!

Hi J.,
I don't know anything about the Radian, but I can tell you that I Love, LOVE, Love, my Britax Marathon!!

Good Luck, and congratulations!
M.

We have the Britax Boulevard, which is just like the Marathon but has side impact protective wings and goes up to 65 lbs. We love it, easy to install, adjust, clean and use. yes it's heavy so it's a chore to move from car to car but super easy to install with LATCH. I would definitely keep your son in his infant carrier til he outgrows it - I can't imagine he's close at 4 months. And you can watch for coupons/good deals to buy the seat of your choice. I wish I had kept my daughter rear facing but I turned her around because she got carsick every time we went anywhere in the car longer than 15 minutes. Turning her forwards prevented this. It's a tradeoff I maybe shouldn't have made but she's two now and loves her carseat. And once you turn forward you can forget about trying to face them backwards!

Also, if you go to babies r us, they seem to have knowledgable staff that can help you look at the features of the seats you are comparing, and then you can actually try them out in your car before you buy it! I found this quite useful - had planned on getting a Roundabout but once I saw them in my car the Boulevard didn't take up any more room and it goes up to 65 lbs rather than the 40 for the Roundabout.

Good luck!

Hi, I'm a Child Passenger Safety Technician and very familiar with the brand.

Firstly, NO, Britax is not better. In fact, while Britax makes a good product, they've slacked off in recent years and there are definitely seats out there that do more than Britax for less money.

Secondly, the Radian is NOT cheaply made...the very idea had me laughing. It's made of reinforced steel and extremely strong plastics. And I broke my toe dropping it on my foot.

Thirdly, the Radian is an AWESOME choice! Starting in September 08, all three Radians (the 65, the 80, and the XT) were approved to 40 pounds rear facing. This is really important.

Children need to remain rearfacing for a long time. You may have heard that it's ok to turn them forward facing at 1 and 20. This is no longer true. In fact, it's very dangerous in an accident.

Check out this video for a good, if somewhat gut-wrenching, explanation on why 1 year olds should never be forward facing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8gU9zzCGA8

Because the Radian has a tall shell and a 40 lb rear facing weight limit, it will last most kids to their fourth birthday facing the rear of the vehicle, which is really a goal all parents should make (with two being a very bare minimum).

A few words of caution. It's VERY easy to install with LATCH but depending on your car can be a bit tricky to install with the seat belt. As a rear facing seat, it takes quite a bit of room back to front, and just won't work in some tiny cars.

Rearfacing, the Radians fit kids very well from newborn stage all the way up through preschool. In fact, they fit newborns safely, while Britax convertibles do not (never put a newborn in a Britax convertible!) The 80 comes with infant and toddler padding that can make it more 'cozy', but it's not necessary for safety.

Forward facing its very low-profile and sits right on the vehicle seat, making it easy to climb into and less 'babyish' looking for a sensitive older child.

Other seats with a 40 pound rear facing limit are the Graco MyRide and the Safety First Complete Air. The Radian is definitely my favorite, though, for sheer quality and longevity.

Although they have different upmost weight limits (65 versus 80 and the XT, also with 80) because their top harness positions are identical, your child won't last longer in the 80 than the 65, by height. Most kids outgrow their Radians by height around 6, and at that point it's fine to move to a belt positioning highback booster.

Let me know if you have any more questions, I'm happy to help :-)

Britax... love the safety aspects. We have used the infant car seat, 4-22lbs called the Companion (Now called the Chaperone for 2009). It fits great in my Acura sedan. I have taken it, the entire unit, in and out of my car several times to wash. It is easy to install/uninstall and washes great, the cover and belts are easily removed. We have purchased the Boulevard CS, which we will be installing soon. It is 4-65lbs, crazy, but it is a stationary seat, so I don't think it would be ideal for small infants. A convertible seat, rear-facing until 35lbs. I think our daughter will be rear-facing until she's 3. The only complaint, the car seats are very heavy...also with the Companion the carry handle was hard to put up and down, needing both hands to do so with the handle "buttons" being hard to push in. We have not installed the Boulevard yet, so I cannot tell you about ease of installation but I can tell you that I have sat in the car seat myself (at 100lbs) and it is pretty comfy. I have messed with the belts and sat my daughter (13mon. and 21lbs.) in the seat, strapped her in and out several time and the belts were easy to use and adjust. We really love these seats and if you can afford the higher price tag (I payed $279 after rebates and coupons when the CS first came out for $329... can find much lower now, and look on ebay for some great deals.) I would also recommend that you read about new car seat regulations, specifically for convertible car seats @ http://babyproducts.about.com/od/carseats/qt/rear_facing.htm
We will be using our daughters convertible car seat in the rear-facing position until the recommended manufacturers weight of 35lbs. then face forward. Seems like a long time but it IS safest.
www.britaxusa.com
I just looked at a photo of the radian, didn't look at any specs or reviews, but I have to say it looks a little flimsy like they skimped on the materials. I do not like at all that the car seat does not seem to surround the child. Seems more like a booster.

We use the Britex Marathon for my daughter. She is 3 and we have had it for 2 1/2 years. It was 5 start rated and the straps do mot twist , Most of the car seat straps will twits and then you have to fight to un twit. She also loves it for the comfort. She hates the alpah omega in my husbands car. She told us it so soft and cozy. We are getting he the Britax booster saet next it is very comfortable also. We are due in nov foa another one and we will get another few years out of the Marathon.

J.-

The best car seats are the Britax series. If your kids tend to be taller the Marathon is for you but if they are average size the Roundabout is fine. They aren't convertible ones but they are the best ones for the transfer from an infant seat. Good luck!

A.

I have the Radian 65 for my oldest (she's 4) and it's great. It has a nice and narrow design which is good for us with three in car seats. My 22 month old is in a Britax Marathon which we love too but in a couple months she'll move to the Radian and the baby will get the Marathon. We have liked both... I do think the Marathon is better for young ones.

While it is true that you can use the Radian carseats for a long time (my daughter is 6, weights 44 pounds, and is still in hers - it's safer than a booster), I just want to tell you that they aren't very "plush". There is not much in the way of padding. We got ours mostly because we needed to fit 3 across - it's practically the only car seat that will do that in our SUV. They do fall asleep in them anyway, but they don't look particularly comfortable for sleeping. I have asked my kids if they are comfortable and they have both said they are very comfortable, and like you pointed out you can use them for a very long time and they got excellent safety ratings. But I don't want you to have buyer's remorse again - if space isn't an issue, I would consider the Graco Nautica or the Britax one that also goes way up there in weight - they are both much more padded and also go up to like 65 pounds or something. It's probably more my conception of comfort than actual comfort, by the way. We also had 2 Britax convertible seats which we loved. They looked like Lazy Boy Recliners. They outgrew them though for height before they outgrew them for weight. I think both kids were around 3 1/2 by the time they outgrew them, so you would still have a long time, but then they weren't ready for the booster (40 pounds) so I had to get something else for the interim. I am very particular about safety and perhaps a little bit overcautious - why wouldn't I be though with my most precious cargo? Good luck!

I know what you mean about regreting buying some baby products!
You will not regret going with the britax. They are so easy to install! We have a Marathon and a Boulevard. We had an alpha omega elite and HATED it!

We LOVE our Britax Marathon, and will definitely purchase another for my second child!