Convertible Car Seats, Radian vs Britax ?

Re: Convertible Car Seats, Radian vs Britax ?

• hmp1 member

  January 2013

  I wish we would have bought the Radian. I have a Mazda CX7 and our Britax Marathon is a tight fit. DH is 6'2 and can not comfortably fit in the passenger seat since the Britax is behind it. I am 5'9 and it is tight for me too. I wish we would have bought the Radian and will be buying it this time since it has the angle adjuster option. We will put DS1 in the Radian behind the driver seat so he can continue to sit RF and the baby will get the Britax. 

  
  

  James Sawyer 12.3.10

  Leo Richard 9.20.12 

  
  

  
  

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• MintBerryCrunch member

  January 2013

  Look at all the Mazda people! I have a CX-9. We used to have a Britax Boulevard RFing in the middle of the center row but we just switched it out for a Radian RXT so we would have more room for our infant seat next to it, plus DD was going to outgrow the Britax for height sometime this year. The Radian is definitely a little more narrow and we used the angle adjuster to give us a little more room in the front. We still have the Radian in the center and the infant seat is on the passenger side. The Radian w/ angle adjuster took a little more effort to get a tight install over the Britax but we've worked it out with the help of car-seat.org. So far, so good. 

  Oh and as far as putting a baby in, there is very little difference. Babies go into both seats very easily. The system to tighten the harness on the Radian takes some getting used to but it's not that bad (you just can't pull continuously like with the Britax). It is easier for my toddler to get in and out of the Radian herself though.  

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• ACM1616 member

  January 2013

  The Radian's are longer and slimmer, so it depends on how tall you are.  Try them both out in your car first.  We have one of each, and there is NO WAY the radian RXT would fit RF behind the driver or passenger in our vehicle, however, it would fit in the middle.  The Britax is great for longer car trips, as there is more side padding, but it depends on how much you are in the car for longer trips.  They are both safe, both great seats, but it depends on what seat fits in your car.

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• orangecurls member

  January 2013

  Britax's are so much easier to install, but they won't last as long rear facing. The radian is nice and slim, but more difficult to install. I like that my LO will be able to rear face for a long time.
  
  I am hoping to get the new chicco nextfit for LO 2. It is supposed to be good for extended rear facing and easy to install. Doesn't come out till spring though.

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• penguingrrl member

  January 2013

  How tall is your son trending? Britax seats are absolutely the last seat I would buy for a tall child because they have among the shortest shells on the market, which translates to shorter lifespan both rear facing and forward facing. Neither of my kids made it to the recommended 2 y/o RF in an older style marathon and that's an inch or so taller than the current models. They both outgrew it forward facing before their third birthday as well, which means you will have to buy another harnessed seat before getting a booster if you get a britax convertible. The radian lasted/will last both to booster age/maturity.

  I love the radian, although it's not ideal for a very young infant in a small car (that said, for a while I had two RF radians in my beetle, so it can be done). Once your LO is able to sit up independently you can use the angle adjuster and then it will take up less room than pretty much any seat on the market, both front to back and side to side.

  The other seats to look for that will last longer than a britax:
  Clek Foonf
  Graco Size4Me
  Graco MyRide65
  First Year's True Fit
  

  

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