RF carseat for toyota matrix

[Chloe'sMama]

Hi all-

Car seat shopping again...... I have a Raidan 65 and a Complete Air in my van and I already have a Recarro Signo in my DH's car and now DD2 is out of her infant seat and DD1 is 34.5 lbs and will be out of the signo soon.  

Both girls are tall (DD1 is 40 inches at 3 years).  I need another seat for Dh's 2004 Toyota Matrix.  I think we can put DD2 in the Signo behind Dh's seat (he is tall and has the seat ALL THE WAY back).  I can handle having the other seat up pretty far, but I don't think the Sunshine kids will fit in that car.  I am also not super happy with the Complete air.  I would like something easy to install (like the Signo) since we do take them in and out of the car quite a bit.  Is it time for DD1 to be FF in DH's car?  She is fine RF and doesn't make a fuss about it, so I would like to RF her for longer.

I would like a seat that harnesses FF until DD1 will be out of the seats.

Thanks!

[Maedze]

When you say, "You want to find a seat that will harness DD until she is out of the seat" I want to be sure that you understand that she will need a booster after she outgrows her harnessed seat, yes?

The Signo is a very large, bulky seat.  It would not be my choice for rear facing behind a driver of a small car who needs a lot of leg room.

If you want to turn DD1 forward facing, you could purchase a combination seat like the Britax Frontier 85, Graco Nautilus or Recaro Prosport, which all convert to decent belt positioning boosters.  

Alternatively, you could pick a seat that rear faces to 40 lbs that will fit well behind the driver and may accommodate her height (perhaps the Evenflo Momentum 65? and put the Recaro Signo rear facing for the baby, behind the passenger. 

[prone_to_wander]

I just had a similar question. We went with a true fit.

[Chloe'sMama]

Thanks for the responses.  

I was thinking of something like the Raidan since it harnesses up to 80 lbs (the kids should be out of even a booster before that, right?)

The true fit was one we looked at  before, but it only RF to 35 and then FF to 65, so we wanted something like Raidan, but that does not have to be at 45 degree RFing.  We may just go with the Raidan and FF her in the matrix only (she is in there maybe once per week at the most).  

THanks for the info.

[mama2soren]

Originally Posted by Chloe'sMama 

Thanks for the responses.  

I was thinking of something like the Raidan since it harnesses up to 80 lbs (the kids should be out of even a booster before that, right?)

The true fit was one we looked at  before, but it only RF to 35 and then FF to 65, so we wanted something like Raidan, but that does not have to be at 45 degree RFing.  We may just go with the Raidan and FF her in the matrix only (she is in there maybe once per week at the most).  

THanks for the info.

I suppose in theory the Radian is capable of harnessing an 80 pound child.  However, I cannot picture an 80 pound child who hasn't completely outgrown the seat by height.  Most seats are outgrown by height long before weight.  For a FF child, the harness slot must be at or above his/her shoulders, and the tops of the ears must be below the top of the shell.  A child will outgrow the Radian way, way before reaching 80 pounds, but also way before he/she is old enough and large enough to pass the 5-step test (which indicates that a booster is no longer needed).  So, no, buying a Radian will not let you get by without a booster.

If you are not going to RF her, I would not recommend buying a convertible seat.  Buy a FF harness/booster seat like the Britax Frontier or the Graco Nautilus.  Both convert to boosters, and both have taller harnesses than the Radian.

[Chloe'sMama]

So, for tall kids, how long with the Britax last compared to the Nautilus?  There is quite a big difference in price.  I am willing to pay for something that will last harnessed longer, but DD1 is 40 inches at 3 and I think she will continue to be on the taller end.  If I am going to have to turn it into the booster at the same time because of height, I might as well get the less expensive one.

Thanks

[Maedze]

Ok, just want to clear something up.  A Radian (or really, any harnessed seat) that is rated to 80 plus pounds will NOT eliminate the need for a booster.  Seats are outgrown by height as well as weight.  For a child to get anywhere near 80 lbs in a Radian, he'd have to be obese.   The slots are about 17" (although you can go over).   Most kids outgrow the Radian around 6. 

The Radians will last significantly longer both rear and forward facing than the Britax convertibles.     However, if you're comparing a Britax Frontier versus a Graco Nautilus, the Frontier will last another year or two in harnessed mode. 

[Chloe'sMama]

Thanks for clearing that up.  Looks like we may just need to FF her in the Britax Frontier just in DH's car.

Can you think of any other option for keeping her RFing in that car?  

[Maedze]

You could try the Evenflo Momentum 65, which apparently has a nice tall shell, and now rear faces to 40 lbs, and can be installed nice and upright.

But if you decide to forward face at this juncture, I wouldn't sweat it.  Just be sure to always use your top tethers!