Carseat Christmas Gift...what would you ask for?

[lizsky]

My parents have offered to buy us a Convertible carseat for Christmas . (My 7 month old DD is in a Graco snugride now, but she'll probably outgrow it in the late winter or spring).

I've been reading through old threads for hours and have learned a lot! Like the importance of RF for as long as possible! I see see some seats repeatedly recommended on here...Radian, Complete Air, MyRide65, TrueFit...But I'm having trouble finding a thread that compares all the major brands. (Maybe I'm just bad at using the search feature)

What would you ask for in light of the following-
-We have a Ford Fusion (kindof small)
-We hope to add to our family next year, and ideally, we'd want to fit several carseats in the Ford (Its not very old & has been paid off!)
-All of us are pretty average sized (DD is 65th percentile for H and W, I'm 5'5", DH is 5'10")

[mama2soren]

Originally Posted by lizsky

My parents have offered to buy us a Convertible carseat for Christmas . (My 7 month old DD is in a Graco snugride now, but she'll probably outgrow it in the late winter or spring).

I've been reading through old threads for hours and have learned a lot! Like the importance of RF for as long as possible! I see see some seats repeatedly recommended on here...Radian, Complete Air, MyRide65, TrueFit...But I'm having trouble finding a thread that compares all the major brands. (Maybe I'm just bad at using the search feature)

What would you ask for in light of the following-
-We have a Ford Fusion (kindof small)
-We hope to add to our family next year, and ideally, we'd want to fit several carseats in the Ford (Its not very old & has been paid off!)
-All of us are pretty average sized (DD is 65th percentile for H and W, I'm 5'5", DH is 5'10")

Well, it sounds like you'll want something relatively narrow that doesn't take up way too much front to back room for RF. The MyRide and TrueFit can be relatively compact front-to-back, but both are WIDE seats. While getting 2 car seats in the back would not be an issue with a wide seat, if you're hoping to ever do a 3 across someday, you'd need a narrower seat.

The Radians are great seats. Very solid, comfy, and of course, RF to 45 pounds! BUT, try one in your car first. If you can get it installed more upright than 45*, it might fit well. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to install in some cars because it is such a reclined seat. It is super narrow, and a definite must for most 3-across situations.

The Complete Air is not as cushy as the Radian, but it is narrow, and it has a very tall shell (as tall or taller than the Radian), so DD would definitely get to 40 pounds RF without outgrowing it by height. It is much easier to get an upright install with a Complete Air, so it often fits better in small cars than the Radian does. The new model, the Complete Air 65 has a FF weight limit of 65 pounds vs. the old model's 50 pound limit. Because of the TALL shell and harness, most kids will likely get past 50 pounds harnessed in this seat. The LX version has an adjustable base, making for easier RF installs. Check out the cute "Ella" pattern... and it's on sale on Amazon (with free shipping/return shipping!)

Any of the seats you mentioned are great choices. The MyRide will be outgrown soonest by height both RF and FF. The TrueFit has only a 35 pound RF limit, but that gets lots of kids to 3+ years. The TrueFit, Radian, and Complete Air will get most kids to boostering age.

[mama2soren]

Oh, and here's a chart with measurements for most convertible car seats (harness heights, width, shell height, weight, etc.)

[lizsky]

Thank you so much for your detailed response!  That really helped me narrow down my research.  I think the Radian or Complete Air are probably best as I'm hoping for a narrow seat that will last RF for a while.  I've been reviewing the archives here and on carseat.org for a couple weeks now and I'm torn between those 2...I'd love to try them out in person, but the BRU near me doesn't have them in the store (only online).  

It seems like a lot of carseat experts LOVE their Radians.  It really sounds like the ideal seat IF it fits in my car, given the narrow width and high RFing limit.  However, I've read so many threads about it not fitting well in some cars RF because of the front-to-back space, and other threads saying its really hard to install, so I'm hesitant.  

The Complete Air seems to be far less popular, so I still don't have the best sense of this seat...I know its slightly wider, and it sounds like installing is not too bad for the version that has a base?  There are some who say they don't like it, but I'm not seeing a consistent reason for this, but then again, I'm just not seeing very many comments about CAs in general.  My gut instinct is that this seat might work better front-to-back than the Radian but its hard to say without trying in person.  

Maybe I should tell MIL to order one and then send it back if it doesn't fit?

[an_aurora]

According to a few threads on car-seat dot org, the Radian installs well in the center of the Fusion.  And for future plans ;) the MyRide puzzles very well next to a Radian when they are facing the same direction--that combo actually takes up less room than two Radians.  So that is an option to get more than one seat in the car, using a Radian.

[an_aurora]

Oh, and I have two Radian XTSLs and a Complete Air.  I really like the CA, actually.  The Radian is a pain RF'ing in my car, but the CA is a breeze.  I had the original model, and when it was crashed I replaced it with the LX model with the base.  The LX is slightly easier to install, and the base makes it really easy to adjust the angle, which is a plus.  It's also the only seat on the market that my very long-torso'd 5yo can RF in--she is too tall for the Radian.  The wings are also much more user-friendly than the Radian--on the CA they are fixed and slide with the harness, but on the Radian they move up and down independent of the straps.  I (and many others) have a problem with the wings sliding down, and I cannot for the life of me get the wings to their highest position, which means they are squishing the shoulders of my skinny 5yo.  

[DahliaRW]

Just chiming in to say I LOVE LOVE LOVE my CA.  The install is not bad once you figure it out once (pretty much like any other seat) and it has worked well in a variety of vehicles. 

[MJB]

I have a Radian and a CA (Radian is a 33 lb. RFing limit from 2007, CA is original model) and I like the CA better. The only thing I prefer about the Radian is the RFing tether.