Car Seats, Part 2
You all are amazing. Thank you for all the car seat feedback. I am still torn!! But now I am torn between the Britax Marathon and The Sunshine Radian.
Here’s what is in my head – Britax: great reviews from A LOT of people and is a brand I know. Then the Radian: it has a 5-point harness for up to 80 lbs (Britax goes up to 65 lbs) and folds, which is so cool. The price is basically the same, so that is not a factor.
This is swaying me to get the Radian…
So, let’s have a face-off between these two. If you have weighed in already, feel free to weigh in again. I just can’t make up my mind. In the end, either will be fine, but I still want to feel like I got as much information as possible.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I love the community that has formed on this blog. I value each one of you.
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Well- I am a first time mom and my daughter is only 2 months… but after reading about the Radian- I would pick that one. It appears to be safer and for the same price as the Britax you are able to use it longer. GL as you decide which one is best!
Elizabeth
just a word of advise buy the one that holds for the most weight. My son was out of an infant seat by three months and now he is already 40 pounds at two and he is not fat he is tall and weighs a lot but that would mean that I would have to buy several car seats for this little one. The one that I have goes from infant to 120 pounds and it is wonderful 5 point harness and head rest adjusts and he loves it and it is not to heavy to switch between cars. Just a word of advise.
ooh, that Radian looks amazing! Go for it!!! 🙂
i have the britax marathon and love it. you can often find them at a slight discount on albeebaby.com…they are new (not “new and sitting in a warehouse” either…new, new)…they are often just a previous season’s fabric or something of that nature. we ordered ours from there and have been so pleased. it is so simple to use. our kid is tall, but he still has a ways to go (he’s 14 months). yes, the weight limit is not as high as the radian, but keep in mind that most likely he will outgrow the height before he outgrows the weight limit. the britax is super simple to install and adjust the harness which is huge! i am a bit crazy when it comes to researching products to buy and did research for about a month before finally picking. i was torn between the radian and marathon too, but i am not at all disappointed that i went the marathon. good luck!
from what i know about the radian….which isn’t much…just that the kids don’t find it as comfortable as the britax….
my son has been in his britax since 7 months and we have been very happy. he even threw up in the car one time and we had to take the thing completely a part to clean all of it….and IT WAS SO EASY!! i have had to carry it with me to put in a friend’s car and found it a breeze to re-install…
however, we do plan on buying the graco nautalis as a transitional seat….i don’t mind buying another car seat if it means it’s better for baby.
I am going to point you to http://www.car-seat.org. There are alot of techs there(myself included)who will give you great, professional advice on both seats.
For what it’s worth, your child will most likely outgrow an 80 lb. seat WELL BEFORE he hits 80 lbs. Torso height is what really matters when choosing a carseat(especially if you intend to extended rear-face!).
The Radian, while a wonderful seat, can be hard to install and takes up alot of room front-to-back. The Britax is a dream to install and it is easier to get a more upright angle for a toddler while rear-facing. Did you even know you could do that? Yet another reason to visit car-seat.org!
I have never heard of healthycar.org, but I will say that all carseats pass the same safety tests. There is no ‘gold medal’ carseat. Plain and simple. The right carseat for you is one that fits your vehicle, fits your child, and one that you can install and use correctly every single time.
As far as reading some of the other comments already written, I do not know of any seat in the US that goes to 120 lbs. Currently, the highest rated seat is the Graco Nautilus(100 lbs) and that is only in booster mode. That seat is obviously not for you.
The internet is rampant with misinformation. Please consult a certified technician(www.safekids.org) when you choose your seat to make sure you are using it correctly!
They are both great seats so I would look to see which one has the longest time of use, the experation date on the seat. 80lbs is awesome, but not if it expires in 6 years and he’ll never get near the weight limit.
The Britax Regent goes to 80 lbs.
The fact that the Sunshine folds makes me nervous–it wouldn’t be as sturdy. We have the Regent and when I took it to get checked by a professional they said they had never seen one installed so tightly. Britax makes it EASY to install.
You could buy a Marathon and then when your second baby (I’m assuming eventually) is ready for a regular seat, you could use the Marathon for #2 and get the Regent for E. Just a thought. That’s kind of what we are doing. 🙂
BTW, you can get the Regent on sale right now for $210.
Okay, I have the Radian and LOVE it. I can’t say enough good things about it. The person who commented on the folding…it does not fold while in position. It has a steel alloy frame which is the safest you can get.
We have had NO trouble at all installing these as long as you actually read the instructions. We change these in and out of our cars and have flown with them and they take just a few minutes to install. Trust me…we were flying with 2 of them and it took less than 5 minutes for my husband to install both of them while I entertained two 1 year olds on the plane.
I believe the height limit is 53 inches, so unless you have a super tall giant child I doubt you will outgrow this before they reach the 80 pounds. My 25 month olds are on the taller side (which is part of the reason I went with the Radian) and still only 36 inches tall.
I think people tend to go to the Britax brand simply because everyone has them. Radian is fairly new but I seriously can’t say enough good things about them and recommend them to anyone I know. And for anyone who has more than one in a car seat you can actually fit 3 of these across most back seats side by side. To my knowledge this is the only car seat that you can do this with.
Okay, 2 last things. If you kiddo never knows any other seat they aren’t going to think they are uncomfortable. Mine have always been just fine and have even slept in them often on longer trips (we made a 2 day trip in these before). And the harness is awesome. It is larger than most I had looked at and makes me feel safer because it just seems sturdier to me. And I know since it is larger my boys will have a harder time learning to unbuckle themselves…which I know many people who had trouble keeping their kiddos in their car seats once they learn they can undo the harness.
Okay…I am writing a book. Thought of one more thing. Yes, while in the rear facing position it does take up slightly more room than the others but it is only temporary and from my understanding once they reach a certain point they no longer have to be fully reclined. Although that point escapes me at the moment. One of mine did not reach the 22 pound mark (which is what is recommended for forward facing with this seat) until he was almost a year and a half so that is why someone told me that later on. It was a car seat inspector so I trusted their information.
Sorry to write a book!
Okay, one last thing and I promise to leave it alone. We went to a dealer (USA Baby) and they allowed us to try the different car seats we were looking at in our car and put our children in them. You may see if there is anywhere like that where you live. It was a HUGE help in us making out decision between the Radian and the Britax.
I have the Radian for my 4 year old and really like it. I picked it because of the 5 point harness and the 80 lb limit. It’s very compact. It takes up such little space in my opinion (in forward facing position). We could easily fit 3 of them in the backseat of our Camry. I think it’s easy to install/uninstall as well. I’m planning on buying another one for my 2 year old.
I have to say I just recently found your blog and I love your scrapbooking! Very cute!
I think the Radian is better – it is roughly the sameprice for longer use. Much more value for money. Also, I think it looks nicer =] xxx.
We love our Marathon!
We used the Britax Marathon w/ our 2 youngest – actually had 4 of them total in between all the cars! We loved them, they are super soft and cushiony – very comfortable compared to others I researched! I too was looking at the weight limits, etc. – but once the kids are in Kindergarten (usually WAY before they hit those limits) “baby” car seats are out, no one wants to be seen in one of those – so on to Booster Seats long before the car seats are outgrown! Just a thought . . .
We are going thru the same process for out 6 month old, so I combed thru your comments yesterday and decided on the Radian for 2 reasons — first of all, I wanted a 5 point harness for as long as possible, and that allows for it up to 80 pounds (the Marathon only to 65). Yes, she may outgrow it for height before reaching 80 pounds, but it allows for one more inch of torso height than the Marathon — and she’s a little peanut, and we’re both short, so you never know, it may last her a really long time:)
Secondly, I went to http://www.kyledavidmiller.org and read their info and actually e-mailed them about the Radian. A carseat safety tech e-mailed me right back and gave me great info; I was concerned about installation for that one, but she asked specific questions about the seatbelts in our car and based on that said she had no hesitation recommending that seat to me. So e-mail them!
Oh, and since we have a car and plan to have 3 kids, and we’ll want them all in 5 point harnesses as long as possible, so the fact that Radians are more narrow is appealing so we could actually get 3 across when needed is great.
Our neighbors have the Marathon, and it is HUGE! It looks like it takes up about half of their backseat.
So anyway, e-mail the people at that website — she also highly recommended the Marathon, so you could ask her to do a comparison for you that might help make the decision a little easier.
P.S. Rear-face for as long as possible — so much safer! Both the Marathon and Radian allow for rear-facing up to 35 pounds.
Also, 5 point harness seats are remarkably safer than a booster seat (where you just use a regular seatbelt), so my daughter and any future children we have will be in a 5 point harness as long as possible (hopefully, never having to use a booster seat at all); I think it will be a growing trend as more and more parents realize how unsafe booster seats are. And even if it’s not, she’ll just have to be okay with being in a “baby” seat like one commenter said, even if she’s the only one of her friends who still is — there will be plenty of good things she does in life that she’ll be teased for, so we might as well start teaching her early that some things are more important than being sure you won’t be made fun of:) Safety first!:)
I like the Radian.
We have a britax and i love it. i was thinking about switching the the radian, but we have not. we have twins and the britax carset is a lot wider then the radian, but i feel the girls will out grow it before they are 80 lbs, so we have not gotten a new one yet. i love the features on the britax and it seems very comfortable for them. so i would just go with your gut at this point.
i hope that helps!
melissa
Not sure what others have posted (and have a toddler grabbing at my leg so I’ll make it brief, lol!) I have honestly never heard of the Radian seat. A quick google search of the “cons” of the seat bring up gobs of sites complaining about difficulty with installation (like this one: http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=4954 ) I love our Britax, it’s easy to use, it’s safe, highly rated and recommended. Also more widely available. Remember if you are planning to switch the seat between cars it might be better to stick with a seat that is easier to install…esp with a squirming toddler waiting in the wings :0) Good luck!
I commented on your first post about the carseats, but just had to say that I think it’s cool that you are deciding between two of the best seats out there!
We have the Sunshine Radian 80 and we personally LOVE IT! We are looking forward to getting a second one very soon. Ok, and I have to admit that I love the princess pattern for our little princess, but I promise that wasn’t a factor in our decision. 🙂 One word of caution, I’ve read that the “Super Cool” cover is slightly harder to clean because it is designed for airflow.
The Radian was the easiest carseat that I have ever installed forward facing, but I can’t speak to the rear-facing as we haven’t tried to install one for my younger child yet. It’s also the easiest carseat I have ever taken apart to clean–I love how it is designed.
We chose the Radian over other seats because we hope to have a third child sometime relatively soon and we can easily fit three in our Honda CRV. It is probably true that it isn’t quite as plush as the Britax ones and it may also not be comfy for a child who is more heavyset. So far our children are very tall and slender (they get that from their father, not me!) and the tall Radian is perfect for them.
So I guess for us it just came down to the size of the seats– all the Britax ones we have seen are HUGE, and we didn’t want to have to buy a larger SUV with a third row as our family grows.
I’m sure you’ll love whatever you pick– they are both very nice seats! 🙂
Can’t wait to hear what you decide.
–ELizabeth
I have the Britax Marathon and like it. I have a son who is 7.5, a daughter who is 6 and another daughter who is 3.5. My youngest is the only one who still uses a carseat. The older two kids have used booster seats for awhile. My son is about 54 lbs, and he might physically be able to sit in the Marathon, but he always uses the booster. If my son sits in the Marathon as a joke, he looks pretty ridiculous (way too tall & big for it).
I'm sure you and your child will be ready for booster seats well before the 65lb mark. The boosters are not as bulky, so you can fit three of them in the backseat instead of two. It's good to have the option of three seats – if only for carpools. My 3.5 year old doesn't really want to sit in the Marathon anymore either, but she doesn't have a choice. My husband would love to switch to all boosters, but I'm waiting til our youngest is older & bigger (she is about 33 lbs right now).
In summary, don't be misled into thinking the seats that accommodate higher weight limits are best, because you will be ready to move into boosters well before then.
Hmmmm. Well, I was all ready to give another shout out for the Britax, but that other one looks pretty awesome. I like that it folds and already “looks” more like a booster, but wonder if the fold might compromise the safety.
Here’s the thing. I have an almost 7 year old who only weighs 45 pounds (and he is pretty average). I don’t see your kid being a very “big” kid looking at you and your hubby. The odds that he is going to get to 65 pounds before he is ready to be out of even a BOOSTER is very low…that said, I wouldn’t go on weight. You technically aren’t supposed to use a seat for longer than 5 years and by that time he won’t have grown out of it.
I think that you would probably be happy either way. I do have a hard time believing what they say about Britax being on the “worst seat list”….I’ve NEVER seen that!
Happy Shopping!!
Hi Jess –
Thanks for writing this post. I have a 6 mo. old little boy also and have been procrastinating on researching the next car seat, but thanks to you I don’t have to do much:) IMO, they both sound great but, it looks like the Radian would be a lot easier to travel with because of the option to fold it up, and with all the traveling you and your dear husband do that might be something to consider. Let us know which one you decide on. BTW, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your blog!!!
Jennifer
Hi- here is my 2 cents. The steal frame is positive because of saftey but the negative is that it is really heavy. My brother has this car seat for his little boy and I was just talking to him about it this weekend and he was saying he really doesn’t like how heavy it is. My daughter is 5 and she road with my brother to a restaurant and she sat in that seat because my brother said it fits up to 80 lbs and he said she can just sit in it like a booster and use the seat belt but when I put her in it I realized it doesn’t have a “hook” for the seat belt to go through so it was uncomfortable because it was going across her neck. Also it might seam like a positive to have a car seat that can last up to 80 lbs and be a booster but buy they time he is ready for a booster you will wish you had just a light weight regular booster because you will most likely be pulling it in and out often so your child can ride in other people cars (husband, grandparents, friends, etc). The Radian will be a pain. When your child is 5 and 6 he might feel like a “baby” having to where a 5 point harness. It also says on the site that you can’t fit 3 Britax across the row but I can tell you from experience that yes you can. I have.
I have several Britaxes and three Sunshine Radians. I like the Britax seats better. They are easier to buckle and unbuckle and I think they are nicer in design. However, when we completely filled our minivan and needed three seats for bigger kids that would fit across the back row, the Radian was the only way to go.
The Radian is extremely heavy, so their folding and carrying option is pretty lousy. I would never want to carry it more than a few steps. Also, the Radian’s biggest selling point for me was the narrowness of its build, but should your son wind up being broad shouldered it might not fit him. It can hold 80 pounds theoretically, but a wide shouldered kid or a very tall kid will outgrow it long before they get there.
And as an aside, my nine year old is only 65 lbs.
I would almost certainly buy another Britax and if I wanted the Radian later pass the Britax on to another child.
I have a friend whose two small children survived a serious car crash uninjured being in Britax car seats. That’s enough for me to believe in them.
I know here in VA kids have to stay in car seats until they are 7. I know my son at 80lbs would NOT fit in any of those car seats but they both look nice. You will eventually get one of those car seats that will take a regular seat belt when he gets to big. I am sure its hard to imagine him that big right now but they don’t stay little long…lol
We have the Britax Marathon and it is IT! Seriously, my hubby thought I was nuts when everyone told us the price.
But, for convenience, comfort, and quality – it is great! The straps are so easy to work and never tangle, and my son is comfortable.
It appears that you could use the carseat longer with the Radian, but after 2 years now with a Marathon – not sure I’d want a seat that goes that high or higher. There is definitely wear and tear, and your son’s body will change. What if you don’t really like it, and you have to keep it up to the highest weight possible-80 lbs.? Just a thought.
Forgot to add that the Marathon is super easy to install and transfer from car to car, if need be. It’s pretty big and bulky, but very do-able.
We just bought a girlie Britax Marathon for my daughter who will need the seat soon. Both of my Marathon seats were discontinued fabrics and very, very reasonable from other offers that I found online. It pays to shop around or just call the company directly and ask for something discontinued.
Email me if you have specific questions or anything-I’m from Madison and Dan and Melissa’s friend. Have a great time this weekend with them!!! 🙂 Your son is so lucky to have you as parents, and a great auntie (and Dan)!
I have only owned Britax and can only speak to that. We LOVED our Britax Marathon – safe, comfortable, and easy to install. We were in an accident and needed new carseats (just to be safe, they didn’t appear to be damaged)so we decided to go with the Britax Regent because it has a higher weight limit and we love the safety of the 5 point harness. You can’t go wrong with Britax!
Definitely, definitely, definitely the Radian! We have 2 and did not have an ounce of issue installing it in either of our 2 cars. Mine is installed with the latch (rf) and my husbands is installed with the seatbelt (rf). I will agree, it is heavy, but how often do you reeeeeally carry it around. And when you do have to, like we do about 1/month in the airport. Get the bag for $15 bucks and it’s sooo easy. A lot easier I’ll tell you than the bulky, awkward seat to lugg around. We got it for the extra height and weight room. You may not make it height wise for an 80 pound child, but either way it wll certainly be longer than the Marathon.
Good Luck! Choose Wisely!
i would pick the radian as well. I had a Britax before and it had locking clips that did a number on my seatbelt (frayed). I am not sure locking clips are on their newer models but the radian looks like all you’ll ever need. Safety is the only reason to choose a car seat and 5 point harnesses sound great.
I will never buy anything but Britax again. My two children were in a car accident (a speeding 1995 Honda Civic broadsided my 2007Honda Pilot while my husband was driving – and rolled the Pilot -with both of my kids inside). Both cars were totalled but neither of my children had so much as a scratch on them. I went and bought new Britaxs the very next day.
Plus, both my kids sleep without problems in the britax (I have a Marathon for my 18 month old and the booster for my 5 year old). Both of my kids hated sleeping in the Graco safeseat I had, but sleep like charms in these.
Just my opinion, of course. Once he gets to a certain age/weight, you’ll probably want a booster anyway. My son stayed in his britax until he was 4.5 years old, and that was a long time.
Best of luck!
I commented above already, but just had to add one more thing.
I clicked through your link for the Radian because we are getting ready to order a second one for my younger child, and I was reading their comparison between the two brands/models.
So I thought I’d just echo what they said about the sides/seat being lower in the Radian. They allow my two year old to be able to get in and out of her Radian without any help. This has been a blessing when my hands are full with the baby. She can’t quite get out of our other seat by herself yet.
Hope that helps!
And the Valentine’s pictures are too cute! 🙂
–Elizabeth
I have a 4, 2 and 7 monther in a Marathon, Roundabout and infant seat. Since our baby is outgrowing his seat, we’re upgrading our 4 year old to a Britax Frontier (5 point and/or booster seat) and moving up the other 2. I’m not sure I would keep our 4 yr old in a standard car seat anyhow! Even though she is only 35 lbs (41ish inches), she’s starting to look a little funny sitting so high in the car! The car seats are great for the little ones, but once they get so tall, a *safe* booster seat is nice, letting them sit closer to the actual car’s seat. (Did that make any sense?)
My advice, consider your future. Are you planning on more kids? Would you need another “big” carseat before he was out of it? And what kind of car would it be in. (The Britax seats are monsters!)
I love all my Britax seats-super safe and secure-(never heard of the Radian, so can’t say anything for it) and love that my little ones are snug in the Roundabout before moving on the the big one (Marathon) and am looking forward to using the Frontier (although heard it was a beast to install, not like other Britax seats -so so easy!). And my girls have NEVER complained about being uncomfortable – even on long trips.
Oh, and the seat covers are so easy to remove and wash. KEY with a toddler! And pre-schooler.
I have both a Radian and a Marathon and I prefer the Marathon. It is ten times easier to install (my dh says that is worth the price alone – the two straps make for a rock solid install in a minute every time) and doesn’t take up nearly the same amount of space when installed rear-facing. It also helps that Britax has nicer patterns – which shouldn’t be your deciding criteria but it’s a nice bonus. I wouldn’t even consider the final weight limitations as most kids will outgrow the seat in height long before they outgrow it in weight. I have a second on the way and we will be buying another Marathon!
I am a car seat technician – my foundation donates the Radian80. Now, my first piece of advice is that this convertible seat will not be the last harnessing seat you will buy.
You want to get a seat with a high rear-facing weight limit and a tall seat back as the aim safety wise is to rear-face your child ALL the way to 35lbs. Rear-facing is 5 times safer than forward-facing – for more info, read about it here – http://www.kyledavidmiller.org/pages/4209/Car_Seat_Safety:_Rear-facing_is_safest.htm. My 3.5 year old still rear-faces in his Britax Marathon as he is 28lbs.
Both the Marathon and the Radian qualify for both these categories.
Now, when you go to turn your child forward-facing, the harness is most often outgrown by height long before the child reaches the maximum weight rating of the harness. A harness is outgrown by height in one of two ways – the top of their shoulders go above the top harness slot or the top of their ears are level with the top of the shell of the seat. The Radian is the ONLY seat on the market where the top of the shoulders can continue above the top harness slot safely and is only outgrown by height when the top of ears are at top of shell.
The Radian is a VERY narrow seat. This is great for three across situations, but can also mean that a child who is broad shouldered finds the seat uncomfortable as they get older.
The Radian is good for 8 years from date of manufacture – the Britax is good for 6. If you are planning on passing this seat down to a sibling, this could be a good consideration.
The Radian can have some installation issues. For rear-facing, there is a boot that needs to be used – this pretty much fixes the recline angle of the seat at 45 degrees – this can in turn mean that it is difficult to install anywhere but the center of the rear-seat of your vehicle. Now, the center is the safer location (furthest away from side impacts), but if/when #2 comes along and #1 is still rear-facing, it can be a challenge space wise for those sitting up front. The Marathon can be installed more upright at 30 degrees from vertical as the child gets older which can be very useful where space in the front seats is a concern.
The Radian can be challenging to install forward-facing with some types of seatbelt buckles. If your seatbelt buckle emerges from between the crack in the vehicle seat where the back and seat meet, you should have no issues, however, if the buckle comes out of the seat 1 or 2 inches forward of that crack, that can be a challenge to get a good install of the seat. There are tricks that can be employed to get a good install and they are detailed here on this page – http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=28939
The Radian is great if you are ever planning on air travel due to its folding design – it is a VERY heavy seat though, so plan on getting a second carrying strap to make it into a backpack type carry.
If your vehicle is pre-2001, it will not have top tether anchors. Now, this is important. When a child is forward-facing, tether anchors reduce the amount a child’s head is thrown forward by about 4 inches – so the moral of the story is, if you have a tether anchor available in your car for a forward-facing installation, use it! If you don’t, many vehicle have the ability to be retrofitted with tether anchors (and often for free by dealerships). If your vehicle is pre-2001 – definitely get an anchor retrofitted.
The Radian is also the only seat on the market which surpasses the crash testing WITHOUT the use of top tether anchor….so if you have a pre-2001 vehicle with no tether anchor or the ability for retrofit, the Radian is the seat to go for.
My personal choice is the Britax Marathon. It is SO easy to install and use. 90% of car seats are installed or used incorrectly – having a seat which is easier to do this generally means that your seat will be installed and used correctly, making your child safe!
It is always a good idea to have your car seat installation checked by a technician – to find your local technician, you can go to this website – http://www.safekids.org/certification.
And last but not least, a shout out for the foundation’s sister website http://www.hipmonkey.com – all proceeds from your purchases there go directly to benefitting the Kyle David Miller Foundation – we donate car seats to low income families. Please feel free to contact me with any type of car seat question you have – I would be more than happy to help you out!