Help deciding on a new toddler seat

[nononose]

I'm having trouble deciding, and thought this forum is a wealth of knowledge, so am posting my question here.

DD is currently RF in a True Fit, but I"m not sure how long she will stay rear facing.  Baby due in a few months, but will be in a Snugride for the first little bit.  We're looking at a second seat for DD for the other car now.  The other car has a bit more room, but I'm limited in my car (small car, tall drivers). The True Fit works great space wise, but I have some trouble with strap adjustment - love the seat, but want to try something else.  I'm not sure if the new seat will be for DD or the baby (after the infant stage), so I'm open to all options.  DD is average weight/height, long legs (so torso height doesn't seem to be an issue).  I'm currently deciding between the Complete Air and Evenlflo Symphony or Triumph.  I'm enticed by the ease of tightening straps!  Any comments or suggestions comparing those 2, may be including the True Fit in the mix?  Oh - this seat should be good for long trips - it will be in the vehicle we take on the 5 hour drives to visit family.   Thanks!

[mama2soren]

Any of those seats would be good choices for a RF toddler.  Do you have a Babies R Us nearby?  They usually carry all of the seats you mention (aside from the True Fit), and they let you take them out to your car to try them.  Some people love the strap-tightening mechanism on the Triumph, and others hate it.  It often has to do with how the seat fits in your car (ie: is the knob easily accessible, or shoved deep into the seat cushion?).  Trying the seats in your car and letting DD sit in them will help you make a choice.

[an_aurora]

I agree, any of those would be a fine choice.  They would all take up less room than the True Fit (I'm not sure about the Symphony, but I have a Triumph and a Complete Air).  The Complete Air is narrow and might fit next to the True Fit depending on your car.  I started my DS out in the True Fit and loved it for the newborn & infant stage.

[nononose]

Thanks for the advice.  DH actually chose the Radian.  Now, there's no way at all for that to go in either car RF, but it installs nicely FF in my car.  No chance of fitting any seat in the centre, even with 3 Radians (honda civic).  Possibly with 2 Radians, but I don't think a 3rd person would fit anyway.  The Radian does not fit beside the True Fit - both have to be outboard.  I agree that the True Fit is a large seat ... but so far it's still the only seat that will fit RF in my car!  I don't understand why everyone knocks it for size! (I guess the width).  Anyway, I'm still not decided on the Radian.  DH really likes it.  I also bought the CA, but it's still in the box.  I haven't attempted an install of it yet.   Any thoughts adding the Radian to the mix?

[alegna]

Well, if you're going to ff then I wouldn't bother with a radian.  How old is your dd?

-Angela

[nononose]

She's 2.  WIll be 2.5 when babe arrives.  She's RF in my car still (well, I installed both seats in my car just to try them out, but this seat is for the other car - it's a great install FF in my car).  To be honest, I don't think we could ever use a Radian in RF - it's just so huge!  (Does it really require a 45 degree angle??? - Either way, if it has less of an angle, it sits too high and impares vision of the driver - a much greater danger than FF in my opinion).  I'm getting rather confused and annoyed.  I don't think there's any way to put 2 RF seats in my car, so once the baby arrives in 3 months, I think she's FF regardless.  DH liked the seat itself, which is why we got it.  He liked the slimness, the less obstructive sides, the backpack feature, the feel of the straps and the sturdy construction.  We are replacing an Eddie Bauer seat that I HATE. 

May be I should try installing the CA after work tomorrow.  Still, it looked like a rather large seat too.  (sorry, getting quite frustrated!)

[nononose]

I should add, DD is at least 28lbs and we're in Canada, so the Symphony and Triumph only go RF to 30lbs anyway - the seat would be short lived RF for us.  The TrueFit goes to 35, and the CA to 40 (I believe).  She's tall, but long legs, so might not really be tall while seated.   Any other suggestions are welcomed.  Also, another reason for the Radian - it's the only seat she agreed to sit in in the store!  May be not a valid reason though - she's fickle!

[alegna]

2.5 is on the young side to be ff.  Personally I won't let my kids ff for even a trip around the block until after 3.  Dd was rf until 3.5yrs and I plan to keep ds rf until at least 4 (buying a new seat to do so)

ff seats block visibility too.  As do high back boosters.  Blocked visibility seems to come with kids  lol

That said, I would NOT purchase a radian to ff.  I would look at the nautilus and the frontier.

The Radian does not require a 45* angle- it does tend to force it though.  It just depends on your car's seats.  I've actually heard people with good luck getting it more upright in civics (I paid attention b/c my dh drives a civic  ;)  )

-Angela

[mama2soren]

I would feel uncomfortable FF a 2 year old full-time, especially if they were small enough to RF comfortably in almost any seat on the market.

Britax convertibles fit nicely RF in Honda Civics.  I used to drive a 2-door 1997 civic with a RF Marathon in the center, at a 40-45* angle.  It fit well, with enough room for DH and me in the front.  I've put our Boulevard RF behind the driver in my mom's 2009 2-door civic at a 30-35* angle, with plenty of room for the driver.  We even fit two more adults back there with the seat, thought I admit, I was in the middle and a little squished.  It would be absolutely NO issue to have two RF seats in a civic, though they'd likely fit best both outboard.  I'd choose RF a 2 year old outboard than FF in the center any day.

Several other brands have taller shells for RF toddlers, but it sounds like your DD has a pretty short torso.  My DS is not particularly short-torsoed, but he still fits very well RF in his Boulevard at almost 3 and about 39" tall.  There are super deals on the classic Britax models, now that the new styles are out. 

If you are certain about your decision to FF, consider the seats that Alegna mentioned.  There's no reason to buy a seat that can RF if you only intend to use it FF.  The Nautilus and Frontier will last longer FF than the Radian, though the Radian is likely to last many kids to age 5-6 harnessed.  The Nautilus and Frontier also convert to good boosters down the line.

[an_aurora]

You can get three seats in a Civic, so no worries about nothing fitting in the center :)  I'm not sure what year yours is, but I have heard that Radians install very nice and upright in them RF.  

[nononose]

Thanks ladies.  Not trying to be difficult; I do appreciate the help but ...

It's a 2008 Civic.  How on earth do 3 seats fit in the back?  I can't even see a way to fit 3 Radians!  There's a big lip at the side of the seat.  

As for RF seats.  I've been having a he!! of a time with this!  DH is 6'3" (big and tall), I'm 5'9" and car has a manual transmission - it is not an option to move the driver's seat up. Driver's seat must be able to go on the last notch (I drive one up), but can be completely upright.  I actually moved the seats all the way up to the front, and the Radian still did not fit RF.  Now, that was at a 45.  I don't think a 30 would give us enough room.  

I'm curious - what's the reason for not using a Radian for FF only - just that it's a higher cost and it won't do a booster, or is there a problem with that seat FF?  I'm confused!  BTW, in FF outboard, it fit perfectly.  Just a little higher than the backseat, but with the car's headrest removed actually gives more visibility to the driver.  It looks like it was made for that spot.

[mama2soren]

If you use seatbelts instead of LATCH it can be easier to get 3 across, because you can move the outboard seats a little closer to the doors.   I know someone with a 2004-ish 4 door who had a RF Radian passenger side, a hig back booster in the middle, and a FF Boulevard.  It can totally be done!  Have you tried installing with a seat belt instead?  I would think the Radian would fit well RF in the center position, between the two front seats.  There's no center LATCH, so you'd have to do a seat belt install.  LATCH is no safer than seat belt, and in some cases, a belt can help you get a more upright angle with the Radian.  If outboard, the Radian can be braced against the passenger seat (not the driver's seat, because of advanced air bags), which can help it fit well in smaller cars.  

There is no real inherent reason NOT to use a Radian FF, except that your 2 year old will be much less safe than if she was RF.  It is a perfectly fine for FF kids, for sure.  But, you are paying for a RF/FF seat that you will only use to FF, so you're only getting half of what you pay for.  That's all.  

Are you so set on keeping the Radian?  There might be other great seats that would suit your needs more easily, it sounds like.

[mama2soren]

This link might be useful to you: http://www.car-seat.org/search.php?searchid=3221077

[an_aurora]

Radians are narrow, BUT if they are all three facing the same direction, they take up a bunch of room since the widest point is at the shoulder.  For this reason, two Radians with a My Ride or a Britax convertible in between actually take up less room than three Radians, since the MyRide or Britax overlap the Radian perfectly.  It's odd thinking that a huge seat takes up less room than a Radian, but that's how it works.  

Also, I had a Marathon in my car, FF, and replaced it with a Radian when it was crashed.  I don't have any more room with the Radian than I did with the Marathon, because the MA overlaps the bolster on the side of the seat, allowing it to be closer to the door, whereas the Radian is flat and has to be moved away from the door.  

Here's a list of successful 3-across combinations in various years of the Civic: http://www.car-seat.org/search.php?searchid=3223425

[nononose]

Thanks ladies.  I haven't had a chance to try the CA yet - DD is sick.  Can't get to the link an_aurora.  We don't need 3 across yet - just 2, but it would be nice to have one in the centre!  I'm still determined to find the right solution here - as frustrating as it is!!  As for the Radian - no, not set on it, but it was only a 48 hour return policy and we're past that.  The infant seat we have is the Snugride - the 22lb limit one, not the 35 (smaller).  But i don't think 2 RF side-by-side will work anyway.  Will try.  After DD is no longer sick and it stops snowing and I have some daylight time to try it out!  (that means Saturday).  I was concerned about putting the Radian partly over the lip on the seat though - it didnt' seem like it woudl be secure enough, or sit straight up (can't be good for the kids to be strapped in on an angle?).  I'll play with it though.  Really curious about seeing that thread an_aurora - will try to find the time to search for it, but if you still have the link, can you repost?  Thanks!!

[brennan]

Can you not put the baby behind the driver?  That's our plan, dd is rfing in a marathon and I have no intention of turning her, but with dh at the same height as your dh there's no way it would fit behind the driver. 

[nononose]

I'm sure that's not an option.  The infant seat actually takes up more space than the True Fit, so wouldn't go behind the driver - we couldn't even do a centre install because that required the driver's seat to be too far forward.  (In fact, I couldn't even sit in the passenger side while pregnant with the seat installed - it was ok after the baby arrived though!).  I'll have to spend some time with this on the weekend.

[nutritionistmom]

We have a Radian installed fairly upright in our 2005 Civic. DS is 4 yo and 35 lbs. I can fit quite comfortably, but I'm only 5'4". DH is 6'3, it definitely wouldn't go in behind him and I'm not certain it wouldn't be in the way in the center position. I haven't tried. It's not blocking anyone's line of sight where it is.

[an_aurora]

Sorry the link didn't work!  Try this http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=33226&highlight=successful  and you click on "search this thread" and put in "Civic" and it will find it.  If this link doesn't work, just search "successful three across thread" under the main search and that will work.  

If you can put the Radian in the center, a My Ride fits beautifully RF next to the Radian facing in the same direction.