Carseat options...radian 65? - Reston,VA

Don't know first hand about the Radian, but liked the info. We ended up with the Britax Regent (because I could look at one before I bought it) just before the Frontiers were available. It is a big heavy comfy seat. Don't buy another Marathon she'll outgrow it fairly quickly.

Just moved from Reston...We have the radian XT b/c it fits a child in a harness up to 80 lbs., while the Marathon does not.
3 across the row of a car!
I had the police help install near Reston, though it was not Reston itself. I can't recall the name now! So, I don't know how hard it is.
The seats are very sturdy and heavy. Overall we like them.

Hi J.,

I have the Radian65 and have not had any problems with it. The install was not as easy as my infant carrier, but I don't remember it to be really complicated. The only issue I have ever had is when tightening the straps. It tightens securely, but I have to pull over and over again instead of having it pull smoothly. Not a major issue and I think the benefits outweigh that small problem. The seat is very slim, while still allowing plenty of room for my almost 3 year old (who's been in it since he was 16 months). We were able to attach it upside down on our carry-on and it fit down the airplane aisle perfectly. We saw someone with a Britax having a really hard time getting it on the plane because it was so wide. It also has a steel frame which makes it much heavier than the others, but also allows for it to have a longer expiration period. I believe it is 7 years. The weight was never a problem for us because we rarely take it out of our car. I have bought another Radian for our second son and would recommend it to you as long as you don't need to move it from car to car very often.

I hope this helps!

:)
M.

I don't know anything about the Radian XT as I have a Britax Marathon for my youngest , but just wanted to point out that if your daughter is already 2 yrs old then you may be wasting your money buying another Marathon as she won't be in it for that much longer. You will probably be better off buying a car seat that becomes a booster seat. I have an evenflo for my middle child , we installed (very easily) as a car seat and she used the 5 point harness until she was old enough/tall enough/heavy enough to use it as a booster seat. There are many car/booster seats available & the most expensive doesn't mean it is the best , I found Babies R Us had a wider selection.

Good Luck

K.

We had a Britax MArathon in one car and the Britax Roundabout in our other car and my daughter outgrew her Roundabout before the Marathon. We ended up getting a Britax Frontier to replace the Roundabout. It is a 5 point harness carseat that transforms into a high-back booster once the child is heavy and tall enough. Since it has more purposes for longer uses we thought it was worth the investment. Also the Frontier has a ten year expiration date rather than the five years that most carseats have. Good luck!

We've had the Radian for years, since it was first introduced, I believe. Bought it for the narrowness for flight travel since we like to fly. Plus, it can fold if you need it to for traveling through the airport. However, we never folded it because it fit perfectly on the back seat of our Sit 'n Stand and my daughter would sit on it with my son in the front as we traveled the length of the airport and all the way down the gangplank. No Britax can do that, though we had those in our cars. We have always installed our Radian for forward facing children, so installation was never an issue for us. As someone pointed out, it is reinforced steel (very safe) but it makes for a heavy seat so if you plan to switch it back and forth between cars a lot, you might want to think again. Good luck!

I don't know anyone who has it. We have the Cosco Alpha Omega car seats and LOVE them! Rear facing to 35 lbs, harness to 50 lbs, then booster to 100 lbs.