Radian vs. Nautilus - little long please bear with me!

[maestramommy]

We had tried out the Radian65 this past summer, and found that it will fill in our backseat along with our RA and MA. So that is a no brainer option for us when Laurel outgrows her infant seat by next summer. Buuuuut, I was just thinking, what if I could get a Nautilus to fit back there with our RA and MA? It's a lot cheaper, and Dora is already Ffing on occasion. We did it a couple of times last week when traveling. She is 31 lbs. 2 lbs til she hits the rfing limit on our MA. She turned 4 in October, so I feel like we've already been given a generous length of time for her to be rfing. Now Jool's reply to the other Nautilus thread made me wonder if the Nautilus is particularly upright, or if it's all ffing seats? Dora will most likely be ffing by the time we get our next seat, so I was thinking maybe we could get her into a Nautilus, put Arwyn in the MA and Laurel into the RA. Otherwise Laurel was going into the Radian. BTW, we have an 05 Accord.

[bubbaray]

The GN is particularly upright AND for whatever reason, kids are prone to "head flop" in it. The top slots of the RN are pretty close to those of the GN. I dunno, I prefer the RN actually. I also am not sure you can get 3 across in your vehicle without a RN in the mix. I would not hold out much hope that a GN would work, its very wide.

If both fit in your vehicle with 3-across, overall I prefer the RN. I also wouldn't buy the GN as a booster -- there are better dedicated boosters out there IMO (something like a Parkway is pretty narrow).

[WatchingThemGrow]

When I tried the RN and the GN in my CRV, the RN would fit 3 across but the GN would NOT fit. I was trying it with MA and RA and with 2 MA. It's a wider seat at the base.

What's it been like having 3 RF?? We did it for a second, then turned DD around (34 lbs at the time), then she and DS1 were bothering each other. Maybe a 4yo wouldn't do that the way a 36 mo would... How has it been getting everyone in/out of the accord?

[maestramommy]

When I tried the RN and the GN in my CRV, the RN would fit 3 across but the GN would NOT fit. I was trying it with MA and RA and with 2 MA. It's a wider seat at the base.

What's it been like having 3 RF?? We did it for a second, then turned DD around (34 lbs at the time), then she and DS1 were bothering each other. Maybe a 4yo wouldn't do that the way a 36 mo would... How has it been getting everyone in/out of the accord?

Hmm, rats. It's already a tight fit right now, so I think replacing the infant seat with a Radian is our only hope.

Having 3RF has been fine. I don't really know anything different. On our trip this weekend we did have to turn Dora around a couple of times, and it wasn't a problem. She and Arwyn don't really fight in the car. Right now they (verbally) gang up on Laurel because she has been really fussy in the car lately. :p Getting everyone in and out of the Accord has been no problem. I got into this rhythm. Then today I had to use the Pathfinder because of snowstorm, and it was a PAIN. Great for strapping them in, But trying to get Laurel into her seat in the CENTER is annoying. I can't imagine doing it in a minivan.

[o_mom]

DH has an 06' Accord... I think you really need a Radian to make things work for three across. I don't think a Nautilus would even physically fit in there, though I could be wrong. I have had Radian center with Britax seats outboard and Britax seat center with Radians outboard. I have one (now discontinued) booster that works in the mix, but the angle of the seats at the sides makes it really hard to fit anything that isn't up on a base or very narrow.

Also, the RA and MA will eventually expire and you will need a harnessed seat for Laurel for the next 6+ years anyway. I would say start with a Radian as the next seat... then if you need to replace another one, see if a Nautilus will fit in the mix. You don't need the 'SL' models and certainly don't need the 80 lb versions, so focus on finding a good price any model you can. You should be able to get something for under $200 vs. $120-140 for the cheapest Nautilus.

Anyway, if it fits, a Nautilus would be fine for a 4 yo. The headflop on the Nautilus is more than most FF seats, but a 4 yo will probably be OK with it.