Need RF Car Seat Recommendation - 1 more ? Post 8

[Kitten007]

Okay so I am getting ready to look for sales on a new RF Seat for DS2. I think I might have to buy 2 new car seats for both my boys because DS1 has the Alpha Omega Elite (really wide base). I have been searching here and on-line and feeling very overwhelmed. Does anyone know/recommend 2 seats that can sit next to each other in a Saturn Ion3 or small 4 door sedan?

Currently have:
DS1 - Graco Snugride
DS2 - Alpha Omega Elite

I have heard of Britax and are they really the safest car seat on the market? Is the bases small? Or is another brand better?

Thank you so much for the help!

[KrisM]

Radians are narrow, especially at the base. I can't fit 2 next to each other in my car and they are long for rear-facing. Plus, newer versions rear-face to 45lbs!

Britax Marathons and Roundabout 50s are very popular. I know my Boulevard (sim. to Marathon) will puzzle with the Radian's base, but I'm not sure if they'd do that both rear-facing.

[o_mom]

Check your manual, but I'm pretty sure you can remove the base on that Alpha Omega, which would give you more room to work with. The Radian is narrow, but it can be difficult to install in some cars, so you need to be able to try it out or be willing to return it if it doesn't work.

[Joolsplus2]

Yup, unless you have one of the newest AOE's that BRU sells, then the base is removable and it will narrow the seat down a good deal when you remove it. Though the armrests still make it pretty wide.

Britax does have somewhat more safety and ease of use features and what feels like higher quality construction than most other brands, which is what makes it a bit more expensive. But you can usually find a bargain and get it for a similar price to the Coscos or Evenflos (and they have very narrow bases and are known to 'puzzle' well next to other seats).

:)

[arivecchi]

I'd go Britax (Marathon or Blvd) or a SK Radian (65 or XT SL).

[AnnieW625]

If I had to buy a Britax convertable today I would go with the BLVD over the Marathon because for the same price (when a BLVD is on sale) as the Marathon you get better features like headwings and a no rethread harness, plus the BLVD's gender neutral prints tend to be on sale more than the Marathon. If you don't care about the extra headwings, belt lockoffs, and a no rethread harness then I would look at the Britax Roundabout 50. It's basically a lighter version of the Marathon and will keep a kid harnessed as long as the Marathon or BLVD (most kids outgrow seats by height and not weight). It seems to be a nice seat for less than $200.

We have a Marathon, and DD had an Evenflo Triumph 5 (the seat that Evenflo Triumph Advance replaced) and she loved that seat more than her Marathon. We were very happy with our Triumph 5 that the next time we are in the market for convertable seats we'll most likely consider the Triumph Advance. Very nice seat for the money!

[arivecchi]

Radians are narrow, especially at the base. I can't fit 2 next to each other in my car and they are long for rear-facing. Plus, newer versions rear-face to 45lbs!:yeahthat: Radians are so narrow I wish I had known about them earlier. We have a Britax Boulevard for my 8 month old that we love and a Britax Frontier (forward facing only seat for older toddlers). They take up pretty much my entire back seat because they are so wide. I am waiting for delivery of a new Radian XT SL I ordered (rear faces to 45 pounds - so my almost 3 year old can rear face again), but I already tried a Radian 65 in my backseat with the Boulevard and gained a whole seat in the backseat, so that now I can have the two car seats and an adult sit in the back. I would imagine with two Radians I would have so much room!

[Kitten007]

So it sounds like I should look into the Evenflo Triumph Advance, Sunshine Kids Radian, and Britax Blvd? I did go on the Britax website and did the carseat recommendations and would prefer the Blvd.

So these are all really good safety wise? I am just sooooo nervous about my children's safety. That is why I am having a major major gut wrenching hard time. I want the best for my kids. Heaven help us that we never ever get into a nasty accident, but I don't want to be beating myself up if something happened to them just because I didn't pick a safe seat. I do get my seats safety checked and installed properly.

If those are the top three seats and great in safety then I will head over to BRU and start checking them all out.

Thank you all so much! It really means a lot to me!

[KrisM]

So it sounds like I should look into the Evenflo Triumph Advance, Sunshine Kids Radian, and Britax Blvd? I did go on the Britax website and did the carseat recommendations and would prefer the Blvd.

So these are all really good safety wise? I am just sooooo nervous about my children's safety. That is why I am having a major major gut wrenching hard time. I want the best for my kids. Heaven help us that we never ever get into a nasty accident, but I don't want to be beating myself up if something happened to them just because I didn't pick a safe seat. I do get my seats safety checked and installed properly.

If those are the top three seats and great in safety then I will head over to BRU and start checking them all out.

Thank you all so much! It really means a lot to me!

I don't think BRU has the Radian. You may have to order it online. I ordered my first from Target, since I can return for free at the store.

Also, you might end up with 2 different seats. Like I said, I can't get 2 Radians next to each other in my car, or 2 Boulevards, but I can do 2 Boulevards with a Radian in the middle, since the Radian sort of goes underneath the Boulevards. I can also do 2 Radians with a Boulevard in the middle for those same reasons.

[codex57]

Britax isn't the end all be all of seats. I dunno if they're the safest, but they're one of the very few who make an effort at proving that their seats really are safe. They really put thought into their designs. You can easily argue they're overpriced, especially for their newest safety "features," but you really can't go wrong with them. If you stick with their basics (Marathon, Blvd, Roundabout, Roundabout65), you're not paying for fluff (like their CS lines or the Advocate).

[Kitten007]

I don't think BRU has the Radian. You may have to order it online. I ordered my first from Target, since I can return for free at the store.

Also, you might end up with 2 different seats. Like I said, I can't get 2 Radians next to each other in my car, or 2 Boulevards, but I can do 2 Boulevards with a Radian in the middle, since the Radian sort of goes underneath the Boulevards. I can also do 2 Radians with a Boulevard in the middle for those same reasons.

Awesome! That is what I was hoping to do...the puzzle fitting thing! Thanks for the info on the Radian being on-line only. Thank you!!:bowdown:

[arivecchi]

You can order Radians and Britax car seats from diapers.com and they have free return shipping. They don't have the new Radian SL ones yet that go to 45 pounds rear facing because those car seats are brand new and are being shipped in Oct. for the first time. I don't think you can go wrong with a Britax or a Radian though. The Radians will just give you more time rear facing since they have higher rear facing weight limits (40 or 45 as opposed to 33-35 with Britax). One more thing, the Radians fold flat for travel. The Radian 65 is the bare bones version, the 80 has more padding and the XT has headwings for more head protection (like the Blvd.) I just ordered a Radian XT SL from babycatalog for $229!

Radians - RF to 40 pounds

http://www.diapers.com/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?productId=7880

http://www.diapers.com/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?productId=7879

http://www.diapers.com/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?productId=7875

Britax - RF to 35 pounds

http://www.diapers.com/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?productId=13894

New Radians - RF to 45 pounds

http://carseats.babycatalog.com/infant-to-toddler-convertible-car-seats/radianxt-sl-car-seat/rxtsl.html

http://carseats.babycatalog.com/infant-to-toddler-convertible-car-seats/radian80-sl-car-seat/r80sl.html

[Kitten007]

You can order Radians and Britax car seats from diapers.com and they have free return shipping.......

Thank you! Thank you! You all are so awesome for the help! Off to start looking at everything!

[arivecchi]

I'm glad you are finding the info helpful. If you decide on a Radian, given the price difference, I'd go for the XT SL from babycatalog. Check out this thread:

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=99298

They don't have free return shipping, so I would first make sure it will work for you before you order from them.

[AnnieW625]

Britax isn't the end all be all of seats. I dunno if they're the safest, but they're one of the very few who make an effort at proving that their seats really are safe. They really put thought into their designs. You can easily argue they're overpriced, especially for their newest safety "features," but you really can't go wrong with them. If you stick with their basics (Marathon, Blvd, Roundabout, Roundabout65), you're not paying for fluff (like their CS lines or the Advocate).

I agree with Codex on this, however I have a love hate relationship with my Marathon. I would've been much happier with the BLVD, but the >$300 price tag scared me so I opted for the Marathon (I was hiding under a rock pre DD and didn't know you could get this seat for the same price as the Marathon). I recently played with the BLVD and I liked it much more. If someone gave me money and said go buy a Britax convertable this would be the one I would get, unless I needed it for a small car, then I'd get a Roundabout. DD detested the Marathon for an 18 mos. period and we ended up using her Triumph more for everything else including long trips because she was more comfy in it. I think that Evenflo gets a bad rap because they make crummy infant seats, but we loved everything about our Triumph. We loved that all of the harnesses were self contained and we loved the tension knobs.

I would most likely take your DC with you and see what seat works best for them. Good luck!

Reread original post and yeah the EFTA might be a little wide for the position you are talking about. Sorry for the confusion and rec.

[Joolsplus2]

The Triumph Advance is probably the last seat I'd recommend for a narrow position like that...

I wonder if you have a nice baby store where they carry the Radian? If you could see one before ordering that'd help you a lot. It should fit forward facing, but rearfacing is pretty iffy.

[Kitten007]

The Triumph Advance is probably the last seat I'd recommend for a narrow position like that...

I wonder if you have a nice baby store where they carry the Radian? If you could see one before ordering that'd help you a lot. It should fit forward facing, but rearfacing is pretty iffy.

I just looked at the Official Sunshine Kids site and found one store here in San Diego that carries the Radian seats. Gonna have to grab my husband and go check those out!

So far it looks like we are gonna look at the Radian and a Blvd....

[arivecchi]

Just FYI, the Radian 65 in the center of my back seat puzzled nicely with my Blvd out board. I was too lazy to go to a store to check out a Radian so I just ordered one from diapers.com since I knew I could return it if it did not work. Good luck!