Diono - Radian 3R

Wanted to add that this is the car seat we are using for all cars: https://a.co/d/0fuF930 It’s perfect because it fits 3 seats in a row (big brother is now 10 and had finally outgrown it) and my husband loved the steel frame.

Diono are one of the safest car seats too. We bought the ten year one when my son was born and still use it now that he's eight. FAA compliant too which is amazing!

They don't all work for multiple ages, and with multiple car seats which was also my concern. Don't be fooled, I'm capable of objective decision making.

While I love Radians, I have one for my tot and I had one for my now adult son when they were branded sunshine kids, they are a fickle install and they are frequently too tall for rear facing in small calls. Also, in terms of boosters, they are sort of lousy. The best seat is the seat that fits the vehicle, child, and budget. Also, there’s nothing quite as nice as a dedicated booster when the time comes. Fwiw, even my son who was taller than me by 13 still needed a booster at eleven. (He did not pass the five step test in our vehicle.) If narrow is needed, the Britax Poplar is nice, as are the Cleks, and a couple other models that have ”slim fit” in the name. For boosters, I like the ones that latch into the vehicle, lined with EPS/EPP foam, tall belt guides, don’t require an vehicle headrest, and have the crotch clip to prevent submarining under the belt.

Radians have a metal frame. Typically, the ten year seats do. (Like the Britax click tight seats!) Six years from the DOM is the standard for most. I know the infant seat I had for one of my teens was five years from date of purchase, but I’ve never seen one shorter than that.

Also check the manual to your vehicle- the way it touches your passenger seat might not be permitted by the manufacturer of your vehicle. I know most Dodge vehicles do not allow it. My current complaint about the radian is the safestop- there’s no range where there’s a choice whether or not to use it. So while my son is FF in one vehicle because he’s a hair away from the RF limit in that seat, he’s RF for the foreseeable future in the radian because I don’t want to have to weigh him before each ride to know whether I have to leave the safestop on, or if I must remove it. And now that he’s had a taste of forward facing(he’s four, so no big deal if he front faces), he’d really like to be that way in both cars. Also I’m dreading having to put the harness pads back on it, since they are required for forward facing. He doesn’t like them.

My child who was 5’9” before 14 still needed a booster for the seat belt to fit correctly in our car when he was eleven. Kids should pass the five step test before riding without a booster. Unfortunately few kids actually still fit in a radian all the way to the limits of the seat. OP will almost certainly have to buy boosters for their kiddos.

I‘ve never played with a Clek, but they do look nice. I love the easy install of the Britax click tight seats, however the Radian gives my guy more leg room rear facing and a higher limit, so we are using it as our primary, and he now forward faces in the Britax when we use it in other vehicles. I really like the look of the Clek boosters, but I don’t like they have a lower height limit. Our teens did not pass the five step test at 57” in our Taurus, so I really appreciated that the Britax boosters were good to 63”. And of course we are still a long ways off from booster age. I may get one soon for my niece, we have a myfold for her, but she can’t get herself out. But now Tot is old enough that if we get a booster for her, he will be out of it before it expires.

We have a 4.5 year old and 2.5 year old twins. We transitioned from the uppa baby Mesa to Diono Radians for all three kids once our twins were out of the Mesa. The radians are great and fit 3 across! Overall really happy with the choice. We do have six car seats (3 each car) 😬 it is SUCH A DAMN PAIN to get them all in and out if you’re 3 across… so I would say it is well worth the $ if you can swing separate car seats for each car. It takes us at least 20 minutes each time and usually some sweat involved.

We bought a Diono Radian for the plane. It’s a game changer. Pros: - It’s a proper full size car seat so we use it in the second car. - It’s relatively narrow so it fits in plane seats well - The seat folds up for travel so it’s relatively compact when you carry it. - We use it in rental cars when we arrive. - You can buy a backpack style carry bag for the airport. - Our kiddo settles in and doesn’t squirm which wouldn’t happen otherwise. - It’s rated for bigger kids so we’ll get a long life out of it in the car. Cons: - It’s heavy as shit. - The strap pass through system is super annoying to use. - The sinch to tighten the LATCH strap is a nightmare. - It’s not cheap. The way I see it, lugging a car seat through the airport is always going to be a nuisance. I can handle the weight when I’m carrying it on my back. And I don’t have to store a third dedicated airplane car seat (or use a cheap light one in one car full time). Our kiddo would never tolerate being in a lap for a long time so her having her own seat with a familiar car seat is essential.

I lugged a Diono radian in its Diono bag and it was damn near a workout. The cheap Cosco seat is an attractive option.

I HATED our Diono Radian car seat! It is HEAVY as shit and an enormous pain in the ass to install. This is NOT worth it.

Yep, 2 car seats! And if you have other regular caregivers that can increase (ask me how I know 😭). Highly recommend the Diono Radian if you haven’t purchased yet. I’ve been through many seats before settling on it with my oldest (he was a very pukey toddler and the straps become irredeemable after awhile).