Radian 65 or First Years True Fit for TALL 13 month old? *UPDATED WITH PICS*

[Shanynn]

Hi there,
My 13 month old DD has outgrown her Britax in height and I need to purchase a new car seat. She's already 33", so height longevity is the most important factor as well as RFing as long as possible. She weighs 24 lb.
We just got a 2011 Scion XB that will allow for using latch in the center back (yay!). We pick up the car on Wednesday so I'd like to get her car seat as soon as possible.
Would you recommend the Radian 65 or First Years True Fit (or something else entirely?)
What's the best deals you've found on either of these? (Budget is tight).
Thanks in advance!!!!!

[jjordan]

What Britax seat is she in now? Can you post a picture (of her in the seat)?

[AshleyAnn]

I also have a tall DD and I love my true fit premier. At 27lbs, 36inches at 17.5 months she still has at least 6 inches of growing room in the TFP. It installs easily with the seat belt - the first time I used it I found the lockoffs to be a pain but after that I knew the trick to getting them to lock. Now that I've installed it a few times its super easy and is amazingly solid. It fits in DH's two door car so I'm pretty sure it will fit in your car too. Its a bit wide and it is heavy but its never been a problem for me.

I considered the radian and just wasn't impressed. Its well known for being a pain to install and I needed both hands to unbuckle the chest clip. I also felt really uncomfortale with how shallow it was - I like DD to be encased in a bubble of car seat.

[Shanynn]

What Britax seat is she in now? Can you post a picture (of her in the seat)?

She's currently in the Britax Roundabout, but has just a tad less than an inch of shell above her head. She's already asleep, but I will try to take and post a pic tomorrow.

[Shanynn]

I also have a tall DD and I love my true fit premier. At 27lbs, 36inches at 17.5 months she still has at least 6 inches of growing room in the TFP. It installs easily with the seat belt - the first time I used it I found the lockoffs to be a pain but after that I knew the trick to getting them to lock. Now that I've installed it a few times its super easy and is amazingly solid. It fits in DH's two door car so I'm pretty sure it will fit in your car too. Its a bit wide and it is heavy but its never been a problem for me.

I considered the radian and just wasn't impressed. Its well known for being a pain to install and I needed both hands to unbuckle the chest clip. I also felt really uncomfortale with how shallow it was - I like DD to be encased in a bubble of car seat.

Thanks for the feedback on the True Fit! Forgive my ignorance, but what is the premier? And how does it differ from the regular true fit?
Thanks!

[AshleyAnn]

Thanks for the feedback on the True Fit! Forgive my ignorance, but what is the premier? And how does it differ from the regular true fit?
Thanks!

There are three models of truefit. The regular, recline, and premier...

The recline is an improved upon model of the regular that has a recline foot to improve RF installs and makes it easier to get to the harness adjuster when RF.

The premier is one step up from the recline. It has the same recline foot but it also has a T-shaped bar that flips up when RF to provide anti-rebound protection (like the RF tether on the britax). I really like the stability of the foot and feel it is an amazing feature, well worth the extra cost. They often go on sale for around $150.

I adore my premier but would consider a recline if I got a really good deal. I would not get a regular model. The harness adjuster is almost impossible to reach and you need noodles to achieve a proper recline angle.

[Shanynn]

There are three models of truefit. The regular, recline, and premier...

The recline is an improved upon model of the regular that has a recline foot to improve RF installs and makes it easier to get to the harness adjuster when RF.

The premier is one step up from the recline. It has the same recline foot but it also has a T-shaped bar that flips up when RF to provide anti-rebound protection (like the RF tether on the britax). I really like the stability of the foot and feel it is an amazing feature, well worth the extra cost. They often go on sale for around $150.

I adore my premier but would consider a recline if I got a really good deal. I would not get a regular model. The harness adjuster is almost impossible to reach and you need noodles to achieve a proper recline angle.

Thanks for the additional information! I'm not sure I understand the recline foot. I guess I thought recline was for infants who couldn't support their head properly. Is reclining still important now that my daughter is 13 months old? She prefers to be as upright as possible. Or is this feature just to get it to fit properly? (sorry for my confusion)

[AshleyAnn]

Even with an older child they need to be somewhat reclined in a RF seat. A young baby needs to be reclined severly, while an older child can be reclined to around a 30 degree angle. Most cars have a sloped seat that make the car seat install much much more upright than that so you need to use pool noddles or tightly rolled towels to make it fit properly. The recline foot just makes it easier to get the seat sitting properly.

It also makes raises the harness adjuster a few inches so its easier to reach, which is a HUGE improvement.

[Shanynn]

Even with an older child they need to be somewhat reclined in a RF seat. A young baby needs to be reclined severly, while an older child can be reclined to around a 30 degree angle. Most cars have a sloped seat that make the car seat install much much more upright than that so you need to use pool noddles or tightly rolled towels to make it fit properly. The recline foot just makes it easier to get the seat sitting properly.

It also makes raises the harness adjuster a few inches so its easier to reach, which is a HUGE improvement.

Thanks so much! Just found the Premier model online for $134.21! http://www.dealomite.com/infant-toddler/strollers-car-seats/The-First-Years-C670-True-Fit-Premier-Bionic-Splash-Black-Gray
That's only a few dollars more than the basic model, so I think I'm going to jump on it. Thanks again for all your help!!!

[essnce629]

I have a tall toddler and a True Fit Premier and would highly recommend it. Are you sure she's about to outgrow the MA though? Are you taking the ruler and measuring perpendicular to the carseat? DS2 is 23 months old now and about 36", 25lbs, and has a long torso (outgrew the chicco keyfit 30 by length at 9 months), but he still has about 3" of shell above his head in his RA50 which is the same shell as the MA. Do you have a classic MA or the new MA70? The MA70 definately has much shorter shell and DS2 only had 2" of shell above his head when we tried it out way back when he was 13 or 15 months old, so if that's the seat you have I can see it being outgrown soon. What percentile is your DD in weight-wise? DS2 is a skinny minny in like the 10th percentile so the 35lb rear-facing weight limit is not a problem since I'm sure he'll be at least 3 before he weighs that much. If he was more average weight or above average I'd probably go with a Radian for the higher rear-facing limit.

[BabyBearsMom]

Wow your DD must be really long torsoed! My 1 yo is 32" and still has tons of room in her Marathon and her Boulevard (she is RF'ing, not sure if it would be different if she was FF). We used to have a TF Premier (it was in a car accident) and it is a very nice seat. It's very tall. It is not as easy to install as the Britaxes. I would say it is a good seat if you are looking on a bit more of budget. The Radian's are really tall. They wouldn't work rear facing in my old car though because the back is so long, so I haven't owned one. My Sister has one and it is a very nice seat though. I think either are good choices. I've read about some issues with the Superlatch in them recently and that they can be hard to install with a seat belt, but I don't have personal experience.

[Shanynn]

Thanks for all the great feedback! I'm going to take a picture of DD when we go to music class in a bit and will post it later this afternoon (if I can figure out how). I misspoke earlier and said she's in a Marathon- she's not! She's in an older Roundabout. Sorry! It was wishful thinking! I will post the photo later, and hopefully you all can point out if I'm misunderstanding the height requirements. Thanks!!!!

[Shanynn]

My DD in her current carseat (I hadn't raised the buckle yet):

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/4858/20110503110515.jpg

http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/3728/20110503110503.jpg