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Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months
Kingston54
member
Anyone have a Sunshine Kids Radian car seat?
Kingston54
member
Well I was trying to stay under $100 for the new car seat for DH's truck. Then I realized I couldn't find anything I was happy with for that price. Now we have little/no budget.
We have a Britax Marathon in my car and we love it. However, I was thinking about getting a Radian for DH's truck since the high back would allow LO to RF longer and the overall weight/height would allow him to stay in it well into the booster stage.
Two questions:
1.Which one do you have and what do you like/dislike about it? (Even down to the color/material).
2.What makes this only considered "better" by Baby Bargains when Britax is "best"? Should I just get another Britax?
Thank you!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Anyone have a Sunshine Kids Radian car seat?
1) I have/had both. Personally, I wouldnt get either
The Radian has some installation issues that make compatibility with many vehicles very difficult and/or impossible. The Britax has less RF leg room than many other seats on the market, which isnt dangerous, but it makes parents cringe.
2) The Baby Bargains book is completely subjective. Both seats (or ANY seat) are equally safe when installed and used correctly. The "better" rating is most likely because it's not as easy to use as the Britax.
There are plenty of other seats out there worth looking at that are just as safe and just as easy to use as the Britax (and Radian) and that will likely cost less. For taller kids who are average weight, the Compass True Fit (Toys R Us) is a great seat. For shorter, heavier kids, the Graco MyRide is good. In general, the Evenflo Triumph65 will work for any kid.
I love my Radian, but have 2 complaints:
1. It takes up a lot of room RF because it's sooo tall to accommodate the high weight limit. In our minivan it's in a captain seat in the middle row, and our passenger seat doesn't have much leg room because of it.
2. It's hard to adjust the straps RF because you can't pull the strap at the right angle (there's a seat in the way!). Not a big deal, I just don't loosen/tighten every time, I just keep it tight and we have to squeeze DS in there because I keep the straps tightened all the way.
Overall, I love it and we'll probably get a second one when LO #2 outgrows the infant seat. We might end up taking out one or both of the captain seats in the van so there's room for both RF. I got it because of the high RF height/weight limit. I would keep my kids RF until high school if I could swing it.
I have the Radian 80
Likes:
- Safety is top of the line. Steel frame, super latch system, highest rear facing weight limit and height limit. This is why I bought the seat.
- Narrow enough to fit 3 across, or in my case - to kind of nestle in between the 2 front seats so both of them can receline and move forward and backwards without hitting the rear facing seat.
Dislikes:
- LO doesn't sit very deep in it. I think the XLT is deeper than the 80SL. This doesn't affect safety, but sometimes when Lo would fall asleep his head would kind of slump forward rather than rest backwards.
- It's a pain to install and adjust. If you plan to move the seat between cars, I'd get something more user friendly.
- Head and body support cushions are loose. I think this is also solved in the XLT version.
I'd bet the reason it's only considered "better" and not "best" is due to user friendliness. It's definitely as safe if not safer than the britax.
We have a Radian 80SL, and a Britax Marathon 70. I wish I could make a hybrid of the two because there are things I like and dislike for both of them.
Radian
pros: seems really heavy duty and safe with steal frame, longest RF height, DD seems really comfy in it, I have the Metro design and the fabric feels so soft - DD has yet to spill on it (or maybe she has and it hasn't reall shown) so I can't comment on that part yet.
cons: It barely fits RFing in our car and it's very restricting for that reason, as a PP mentioned the straps are a pita to tighten due to the angle so I have to pulls the straps in the back to feed it through the front, I have heard that there have been issues with the straps loosening (as in they will continue to slide if pulled even when they should be secured) so I always make sure to double check this when I finish strapping her in
Britax
pros: it is much more user friendly and I feel like I could install this on my own, DD seems comfy in it - like she's in a little shell, I have the onyx design and I like it, but it isn't soft like the radian, it is sooo easy to strap her in this
cons: the sides seem restricting for trying to pass things back to her in the car (the sides are probably safer though), she will outgrow this most likely before I am ready for her to FF, she doesn't seem bothered by the lack of leg room but it seems like it will get tight.
All in all I think it's a toss up. I think if I could do it again, I would most likely get to Britax seats mainly for their ease of use. But then again, I second guess myself all the time because of the height issue (my dh and I are both tall, and DD is in the 90% for height). I say find a store that lets you see them fit in your car and go from there. I hated car seat shopping!