5-point harness seat beyond 40 lbs.

[kroppink]

I've been reading past messages & have gleaned lots of great info, but I'm still uncertain about what to do. ;)

We currently have an Evenflo Triumph. We'd like to get the next step up now for our son who is 2.5 year old, weighs about 31-32 lbs., & is 35.5" tall. We want a 5-point harness that lasts beyond 40 lbs.

It would be nice to get a seat that sits lower than the Triumph, so it's easier for my son to climb up into his own seat. Also, when I lift him in, I often bop his head on the ceiling!! :( Ouch!! Now that he's getting big, it's hard to get lift him in there with the ceiling clearance in our car (Toyota Highlander). If I want a lower seat, I'd need to avoid all convertible seats -- correct? Also, I don't like that his feet dangle onto the seat of the car... when he has wet or dirty shoes. Where would his feet end up if he's in a lower seat, like the Britax Regent? Would I avoid this problem?

Here are the seats I'm considering right now:

Britax Regent -- Looks really comfy & I love that the 5-point harness lasts for so long! We're ok with the price. Unfortunately, we'd have to get a separate car seat for air travel. How much wider is the Regent than our Evenflo Triumph? I think the Triumph is considered a pretty wide seat too. (Again, we have a Toyota Highlander, so I don't think space would be an issue. We are adopting a baby in a year, so we'll eventually have a 2nd car seat back there too.) Also, is the Regent comfy enough for sleeping? Our son doesn't generally sleep in the car (in fact, I discourage it!! ...if he sleeps 5 min in the car, he'll skip his nap!). BUT... we DO want him to sleep on the occasional road trip. Will his head be ok in the Regent for sleeping?

Britax Boulevard -- I saw a post where someone said that Britax advised them to get the Boul. instead of the Regent for their son's size (which was similar to our son). I don't really understand that, as obviously kids are going to continue to grow & change in size -- but the post has me concerned about getting the Regent. Anyway, the Boul. is appealing because of the head support for napping on car trips. But it's a convertible, so it's probably raised up just as high as the Evenflo Triumph?

I think I've eliminated these:

The Cosco Apex doesn't look as comfy as the Regent. True? Seems like the only reason to get the Apex over the Regent is cost or lack of space for the Regent?

I haven't seen enough info (or the manuf. site) on the Sunshine Kids Radian. Any reason to get it instead of the Regent? Maybe just space & a slightly lower price? Looks like it maybe has more of a head rest on the sides, but my dh pointed out that the sides are straight up all the way... meaning that the sides are as far out as your shoulders -- which doesn't make a good head rest. Should I be considering this seat?

We're taking a road trip, so I'd love to make a quick decision & get a new seat by next week!! Hopefully someone can ship fast! ;)

Thanks so much for the help!!!
Karin

[kroppink]

I'm adding another note to my own post... :) I've just done more research on the Radian & it does sound really good! I like that it's narrower & can fold for travel. We have traveled with our Evenflo Triumph in a wheeled bag. I can't find a weight for the Triumph to compare with the weight of the Radian, but it seems like they might be similar in weight. ? Has anyone ever gate-checked a car seat? I don't want to risk them damaging our seat again by checking it.

Pictures of the Radian make it seem like it's lower than most convertibles. Is this really true? I'm tired of bopping my son's head on the ceiling. ;)

Thanks!
Karin

[mommyto4]

The Radian has slightly higher top harness slots than the Marathon/Decathlon/Boulevard but not as high as the Regent. I don't know how upright it is in comparison to the Regent. It does sit really low which is great for letting little ones climb into themselves, but some kids like to be up a little bit so they can see out the window. Just something to think about. I think that the Radian and Regent are both great seats.

[kellyotn]

I think either a Radian or a Regent would be good. The main "con" to the Regent RIGHT NOW for a kid his size would be that he might be somewhat swallowed in it. Its totally SAFE, but it might be hard for him to sleep in it as it is pretty wide, his head might not rest comfortably to the side when sleeping. But, you are right in that it will last the longest by far and he's just gonna keep growing! It also sits very low and looks like a big kid seat.

The Blvd will sit up higher than the Triumph I believe. Its pretty darn high. You get used to it though. My daughter started climbing in by herself, so that eliminated the head-bonk. She LOVES being up so high, she can see everything out the windows and really likes that.

You could get the Blvd or Radian for your son now and pass it down to the new baby in the future. Something to consider.

If my kids shoes are muddy, I remove them no matter what car seat they are using. I don't want those shoes anywhere near all the places they could reach with their feet!! ;)

edited for clarity

[kroppink]

Thanks so much for the help! :) I just ordered the Radian through Target.com. Hopefully it will come in time for our trip next week. We're going to try it out on a plane in a few weeks too. Hopefully it will be easy to get installed on the airplane.

Thanks again! I'll let you know how it all goes. :)

Karin

[kellyotn]

That's great! Hope it works well for you. Its supposed to be a very nice seat. I wish the stores around here carried it.