Help me choose a car seat/Is Britax ALL THAT? - Page 3

[KayleeZoo]

We use the Radian 65 as a back-up spare seat and are happy with it, too. I wouldn't use it as a primary seat because the shell is so shallow (no side wings that actually contain a child's head or body on either side), but it can be tethered RF and it's certainly a VERY sturdy, well-constructed seat. If you need something that will be narrow enough to fit 3 across, the Radian is the only way to go.

[PassionateWriter]

Originally Posted by changingseasons

I saw that one too. It's actually from another retailer, Baby Age (but sold through Amazon). I wonder why it's so much cheaper...? (Prices that discounted always make me suspicious. ) Could it be an older model, or is it just a less popular color or something?

i bought that one and its not the new "click" BV or whatever its called but it is a newer one in that it has the new head wings (post 6 or 7/08). ive also purchased from baby age previously through amazon.com and had a return and they were great to deal w/.

believe it or not, there is nothing suspicious about the deal. i dont think the cover is popular and not my pick of the litter but i purchased one and one of my friends did also and we are both very happy w/ them.

[changingseasons]

Originally Posted by KayleeZoo

I would not use it RF because I feel strongly about RF tethers. Some people aren't convinced that a RF tether is safer, so it depends on what set of info. you believe.

Oooohhh... good point. I guess I would prefer to have the RF tether.

Originally Posted by PassionateWriter

i bought that one and its not the new "click" BV or whatever its called but it is a newer one in that it has the new head wings (post 6 or 7/08). ive also purchased from baby age previously through amazon.com and had a return and they were great to deal w/.

believe it or not, there is nothing suspicious about the deal. i dont think the cover is popular and not my pick of the litter but i purchased one and one of my friends did also and we are both very happy w/ them.

That's great to know- thanks! Definitely not my choice of colors either, but who can beat that deal? I was hoping to find a good deal over the holiday weekend locally, since we need the car seat like yesterday... but if I don't find anything, I will probably order the one from BabyAge.

Still curious about the recline option- if anyone has any opinions about that... ??

[alegna]

Originally Posted by mama k nj

We got the Radan 65 by Sunshine Kids. I think actually bought it off of Amazon.com. Anyway, it ranks as well (might even be better) as Britax on safety testing and is a little bit cheaper.

Just for the record- there are no sources actually comparing safety testing of carseats.

-Angela

[PassionateWriter]

Originally Posted by changingseasons

Still curious about the recline option- if anyone has any opinions about that... ??

im sorry..i went back to see your Q and couldn't find it. what do you mean about the recline option?

and yeh, i figure it i care that much about the cover, i can get another one later on. i like having an extra cover anyway (this is BV #2 in my car and we have an extra for that one BUT make sure you get a post 6 or 7/08 date cover b/c from what i understand, the covers are a bit different b/c of the wings - im having a hard time seeing that and i think i may try to put an "old" cover on the "new" seat and see if it works...but Britax is dating their covers now too b/c of the wings).

[alegna]

Got my new cheap boulevard- and for the record it was a 7/08 DOM

-Angela

[changingseasons]

Originally Posted by PassionateWriter

im sorry..i went back to see your Q and couldn't find it. what do you mean about the recline option?

Oh sorry- it was a few posts back. I was wondering how necessary a recline option is, because the First Years True Fit didn't have any recline. Is that something that's important more for infants, or do you use recline with older kids? Will I miss it if I don't have it? (DD is 11mo.)

[lovemybabies924]

if u read the manual of the carseat it even says to use the recline AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE because in the even of an accident your child is not in the proper position. I would go for one w/out recline i have the safe seat step 2 by graco and i never use it.

[PassionateWriter]

Originally Posted by changingseasons

Oh sorry- it was a few posts back. I was wondering how necessary a recline option is, because the First Years True Fit didn't have any recline. Is that something that's important more for infants, or do you use recline with older kids? Will I miss it if I don't have it? (DD is 11mo.)

oh, ok. well, we have the True Fit and it does recline (its one of the reasons the seat annoys me b/c they were adamant about recline to 45 degrees when RF"ing but apparently have rethought that issue)....the BV reclines also and i keep it reclined for my 32 month old b/c he prefers that to the straight up (he's still RF'ing).

i guess i prob. dont understand so much what you mean by "recline" b/c i never used a bucket.

[changingseasons]

Hmmm... I'm only going by the little chart on the carseat shelf at Target, and the True Fit was the only one that didn't have the "recline" box checked. But if it actually does recline, then never mind.

So why would they put a recline feature if it makes the car seat unsafe? Like in what circumstances would it be ok to use it??

[zosiasmama]

Someone probably already posted this but:

Britax runs a semi-annual sale. It is coming up in 2 weeks. here is the info with what prices to expect for each seat.
http://babycheapskate.blogspot.com/2...atch-post.html

[chickabiddy]

Originally Posted by changingseasons

Hmmm... I'm only going by the little chart on the carseat shelf at Target, and the True Fit was the only one that didn't have the "recline" box checked. But if it actually does recline, then never mind.

So why would they put a recline feature if it makes the car seat unsafe? Like in what circumstances would it be ok to use it??

It's fine to use rear-facing. Most seats don't allow it to be used forward-facing.

[changingseasons]

Originally Posted by chickabiddy

It's fine to use rear-facing. Most seats don't allow it to be used forward-facing.

Ooooohhh.... ok

[Ironica]

Originally Posted by changingseasons

How important is having a seat that reclines? Do you use that? Or I guess would Iuse that with an 11mo, or is that more for infants?

There's two types of recline:

* Many (most? all?) convertibles have a "recline block" or some other adjustment. To use the seat correctly, it *must* be reclined while rear-facing, and not reclined while forward-facing. The recline is NOT for comfort; it's for adjusting the angle of the seat for different seating positions. Combo seats (harness & booster, forward-facing only) may require a recline during harness use and more upright during booster use, too (the Frontier is like this).

* Some seats have a comfort recline. Thing is, recline interacts with the safety of the seat. A more upright posture while rear-facing is safer, provided the child has sufficient head control. Not sure exactly what the parameters are on front-facing recline, but I'm guessing it's similar. So... seats that recline *for comfort* are trading some safety for that comfort.

My DS1 has never had an issue falling asleep in his Marathon or Frontier, rear-facing or front-facing (only the Marathon rear-facing of course). The only time his head has ever flopped forward was when we were on hilly terrain, changing the overall angle of the car.