another car seat question

PumpkinAndThePeanut

Sorry for yet another car seat question. I think I want to buy the Diono Radian RXT but I've heard it's a space hog when placed rear-facing. We don't have a big car (we have a Mazda 5 which is like a very small minivan) and although I don't need a lot of leg room, my H is 6 feet and our current infant seats (Chicco Keyfit 30s) fit fairly snugly. I was going to order the Radians on Amazon but am afraid they won't fit, even with the angle adjuster that is available separately. 

I wanted to go to BRU and try it out, but from BRU's website, it doesn't look like this seat is available in stores. We don't have a BBB near us. 

Anyone know if you can return car seats purchased from Amazon if they aren't defective (if they don't fit)? 

And does anyone who has been to BRU recently know if they do in fact carry Diono Radians in the store? 

Thanks!

PumpkinAndThePeanut

^ holy shit. There's no way it will fit then. I don't know what to buy!

AimeeSue02

The Chicco Nextfit and Graco Size4me 70 are both great seats that can RF a long time and are said to be compact (front to back). The Chicco is said to be slightly more compact, but both are considered to be on the compact side.

I had a Chicco Keyfit and now have the Graco. It needed...3/4 more inches? That is a guess, but my husband and I are both tall and push our seats all the way back. When we put the new seat in, I (in the passenger) had to move my seat forward one click. The seat is in our Honda CRV, a compact SUV. 

Hope this helps!

ETA: This was also a middle installation, not outboard. 

PumpkinAndThePeanut

Thanks. I'm also looking at the Nextfit, maybe that will work.

huzzahuzza

We got the Graco HeadWise which is supposed to be comperable to the Mysize. We purchased that after trying the Safety 1st complete air and it was HUGE. Every car seat we tried, however, was too big for a passenger to fit comfortably in my car (Dodge Caliber), because both DH and I are tall. We wound up upgrading my car instead (I needed 4 wheel drive, too)

kmcd23

PumpkinAndThePeanut said:

Thanks. I'm also looking at the Nextfit, maybe that will work.

When we tried the Nextfit and the Radian in our Jeep, the Nextfit had room to spare, while the Radian didn't come anywhere near fitting without the angle adjuster. (I've heard the angle adjuster gives you 6" more room, so with it, it would have fit. But the difference between the two was crazy!)

Unfortunately, I don't know the answers to any of your questions.  

FmrAFBrat

I'm on Amazon mom & I've returned a car seat before. No problems at all, just make sure you keep the tags on. If you have a Walmart nearby they return just about anything.

Our BRU does not have the Radian. But they have the Nextfit & Graco. They generally will let you try seats out in your car with a driver's license.

MOMama987

Another vote for the Size4Me. Also, if you haven't already, join the "Car Seats for the Littles" group on Facebook. They were immensely helpful, and can recommend seats based on your car, budget, needs, etc. I think @kmcd23 is who recommended it to me. 

MOMama987

Another vote for the Size4Me. Also, if you haven't already, join the "Car Seats for the Littles" group on Facebook. They were immensely helpful, and can recommend seats based on your car, budget, needs, etc. I think @kmcd23 is who recommended it to me. 

watuzzigal

I don't have any different car seat recs, but I do know that Amazon takes car seats back. There's usually a note on how long you have to do so, but you can't see it on the mobile site.

AimeeSue02

I second the "Car seats for the Littles" Facebook group. You just post your child's age, height, weight, your budget, and what car the seat(s) are going in and they will give you recommendations. It was very helpful!

MommaG123

We have a chicco nextfit and a graco my size/head wise RFing in my car for both girls and have plenty of room to spare. They are pretty similar front to back with the chicco maybe being smaller and they are the most compact on the market i believe.  Amazon will take back car seats and I recommend the car sear for the littles page as well. Great advice. 

PumpkinAndThePeanut

Haha, @beaubecca, I'll have to tell my H of your jealousy over our Mazda 5. He calls it the Hobbit Mobile. Long story. It's definitely not the coolest car I've owned, but we like it! It's the perfect size for us, albeit perhaps not for our rear-facing car seats.