Hi Moms,
I'm looking for a new carseat for my daughter who is on the small side; 50 percentile in height and 25% in weight. I can't decide between the Britax Frontier -- I think it may be too wide and she might get a sore neck if she falls asleep and her head falls sideways. Or the Sunshine Kids Radian XT or Radian 80 -- Will it be too narrow for her in a year or so? Is the height-adjustable headrest on the XT useful or can I stick with the 80? She is currently in a Britax Boulevard, this is for a second car but if she likes it better, we'll move it to the primary car. Another consideration is this is for a Nissan Altima and I need the seat to sit high enough so she can see out the window, she complains that her Graco is too low and she can't see which makes her car sick.
TIA.
I use the Radian 65 for my children and they find the seats to be comfortable. My daughter is very tall for her age and the seat is not too narrow at all. It does sit low, but my daughter is still able to see out the windows without at problem. The Radian seats are heavy (about 20 pounds), so I would not recommend them if you are going to do a lot of switching seats or taking it with you on plane rides.
Do not know about the car seat, but car sick I KNOW....is it all the time? or just longer trips? If possible, the middle seat is best,(moves less, and might be able to see in front where she is headed) fresh air,(too stuffy or still air will make it worse, even heater makes it worse..especially on the face) avoid drinks(typically 20 minutes before travel and during, a sip is okay, but liquid on the stomach is not good) use the bathroom before going anywhere. Eat crackers or a slice of bread(calms the tummy and absorbs liquid) gold fish work too, or cherrios. I know these are not practical things for going around town, but if you can try one at a time, it is not as hard as it seems. It was a lot easier for me than bringing the extra car seat and cloths! :)
My girls are petite too. I've been using the Britax marathon for quite some time and it works great for quite a range of sizes. Last year I needed to buy carseats to keep permanently in my parents' car and I bought the Frontier. (My 2 year old uses the Marathon in both cars and my 4-year old uses the Frontier).
The Frontier is a big seat and even my 4-year old looks a little small in it. However, she is very comfortable, it was easy to install, the cupholders are great, and I'll never have to buy another seat (since it converts to a booster). I'm quite happy with it, but you might want to shop somewhere that will let you actually try it out in your own car.
Can't answer the height question, since I drive a van and don't have that issue.
I have the Radian 65 and 80, plus a Graco booster and Britax Roundabout. My large (97%++) almost-six year old fits in both Radians just fine - it's not too narrow. It is low, which is good for him, but perhaps not your daughter. It's the same height as a typical booster. He sleeps fine in both, sometimes we use a wadded up tshirt, or whatever we can find in the car, as a pillow. I don't know anything about the XT.
My 2year old is ~27lbs and 36in, and we recently moved him from a Boulevard to the Frontier. He didn't mind the switch at all, and actually likes the arm rests and cupholders. He seems to fall asleep in the same uncomfortable looking position as he did in the Boulevard. Also, it does look like he sits lower, but maybe just because it is a wider seat he looks smaller in it? I've never looked into the other seats but the Frontier works great for us!
Hi,
I also have a Nissan Altima. When my daughter was 10 months old we bought the Britax marathon. It was rated #1 at the time. We have loved it ever since. It goes up to 60 pounds and is very easy to install. We take it on the plane with us too. When she turned 4 we bought her the BRITAX Regent because my son was turning 1 and needed the marathon for him. Now I have both. The Regent is a lot bigger and a little harder to get in and out of the car but well worth any time it takes. The reason we bought her the Regent is because the current law is that a child needs to be in a restraint up to 80LBS, 8 years old and 4' 9". I went on www.nhtsa.gov to check the laws on how long they should be in a booster and then I called them to confirm. This website is a great resource because it talks about the different car seats. I have both the REGENT and MARATHON in the back seat of my Nissan Altima and they fit perfect.
I hope this helps.
K.
We have the Frontier for my 7 year old. He's almost 60 lbs. The head thing for us has been fine because of the adjustment. If I were buying again, I would definitely go this route. Amazon has a sale right now.
good luck.
