# Sunshine Kids Radian or Safety 1st Complete Air?



## JessieBird (Nov 21, 2008)

Hi there! I've narrowed down my search for our next car seat to these two. Which would you choose and why? If you have either of these, would you recommend it or do you wish you'd bought something else?

(Our main requirements are that it allow for ERF of a big boy and top safety / overall quality. Bonus would be trim size as we hope to have more kiddos soon and, if we are so lucky, will have 2+ seats in the car in a few years.)

Thanks!


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## Dandelionkid (Mar 6, 2007)

I have 3 across in my elantra and really love my radians b/c: easy to install (either with clips or seatbelt), safety rating excellent, fabric beautiful and easy to clean.


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## bobandjess99 (Aug 1, 2005)

i would say radian, except you are in canada?? The complete air goes to 40 in canada, so thats a huge advantage.....although either is a great seat. there were some quirks with teh Complete air..the wings arent high enough above the sh0oulder sometimes..so the childs shoudleres are getting pressed on whenthe harness is inthe correct position..that really bothered me. Otherwise, i love the seat. the radian is a great seat, but the shell (and in canada, the wight limit) is just less than the radian.
but tghe radian is nice and narrow.

There really is no way to answer this for another person..you have to pick for yourself, lol.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

I am picky about brands about carseats. Some I trust, some I don't. Given those two choices (and only those two choices) I would choose the radian.

Also, the radian tethers rf- which I think is an important safety feature.

-Angela


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

The complete air is only an inch wider than the radian, so it's still really narrow. I love my radian, but it drives me nuts that I can't get it to install more upright than around 45 degrees. For that reason, I'm probably going to purchase the complete air over a newer radian to keep my ds2 rfing when he gains another pound.


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## Justmee (Jun 6, 2005)

We have two radians and love them


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## emilysmama (Jun 22, 2005)

We have a Radian, but I am not familiar with the other carseat you mentioned, so my opinion cannot offer you a comparison.

However, I thought that I would mention that a big reason that my husband loves the Radian is because it folds up, which makes taking it and using it on board the airplane much easier than any other car seat.

I like it because it is so very easy to install, even without the LATCH.


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## Drummer's Wife (Jun 5, 2005)

I think I'd go with the Radian over the Safety 1st air (because of brand).


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## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

Quote:

I am picky about brands about carseats. Some I trust, some I don't. Given those two choices (and only those two choices) I would choose the radian.

Also, the radian tethers rf- which I think is an important safety feature.








:


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## tbone_kneegrabber (Oct 16, 2007)

I haven't seen a Radian irl although I almost bought one. I didn't really like the SafetyAir. I did not believe my kid would make it to 40lbs rf. Also it only ff to 50 lbs so then you need to turn around and buy ANOTHER harnessed seat (or I would b/c my kid will probably be 50lbs before he's ready for a booster). I would consider the safetyair instead of a bucket, but not instead of another convertible.


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## christina10106 (May 11, 2008)

Radian.


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tbone_kneegrabber* 
I haven't seen a Radian irl although I almost bought one. I didn't really like the SafetyAir. I did not believe my kid would make it to 40lbs rf. Also it only ff to 50 lbs so then you need to turn around and buy ANOTHER harnessed seat (or I would b/c my kid will probably be 50lbs before he's ready for a booster). I would consider the safetyair instead of a bucket, but not instead of another convertible.

The CA has 2" more of rfing height over the radian shell. Just an fyi. Yeah, the 50lbs thing isn't great for ffing in general, but honestly, my oldest is 40lbs and almost at the top slot in the radian. So he wouldn't make it to 50lbs height wise in the CA either. I would be that most kids would be booster ready by the time they outgrow the CA (or the radian) ffing.


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## bobandjess99 (Aug 1, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tbone_kneegrabber* 
I haven't seen a Radian irl although I almost bought one. I didn't really like the SafetyAir. I did not believe my kid would make it to 40lbs rf. Also it only ff to 50 lbs so then you need to turn around and buy ANOTHER harnessed seat (or I would b/c my kid will probably be 50lbs before he's ready for a booster). I would consider the safetyair instead of a bucket, but not instead of another convertible.

just to chime in, you absolutely can NOT use the complete air as a "bucket"..this seat will NOT fit newborns. the bottom slot is at 10 inches, and the babies shoulders need ot be at or above that....99% of babies aren't go to be that big at birth...most babies will need to be 2-6 months old to fit into the complete air.

I also refute the other assertion..I belive almost all children can make it to 40 lbs rfing, becauae the shell is just that tall - the only kids who might not make it all the way to 40 are going to be extremely tall, yet very thin kids who meet height before weight.

Both are great seats...in the united states, I woudl probably get a radian, unless I knew it wouldnt install in my vehicle, which does happen. However..the OP is in canada, and in canada, the complete air has the unique advantage of being the ONLY seat to RF to 40 pounds..radians only go to 35 there...depending on the build of your child, those extra 5 pounds might be minimally important (like, if your kid makes it to age 4 before hitting 35 pounds) or they might be critically important (like if your kid hits 35 pounds at 2).
If I felt the radian woudl get my kid to 3+, I'd still probably go with it...but if the kid is big and hefty, I'd probably choose the extra 5 pounds on the complete air, personally.


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## DevaMajka (Jul 4, 2005)

The Sunshine Kids site says the Radian65 and Premier only rf to 30lbs.

That was one reason we didn't go with the Radian for the baby. I LOVE the Radian for DS1, though.

The XT rf's to 35lbs.


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DevaMajka* 
The Sunshine Kids site says the Radian65 and Premier only rf to 30lbs.

That was one reason we didn't go with the Radian for the baby. I LOVE the Radian for DS1, though.

The XT rf's to 35lbs.

Actually, at the bottom it says: Rear-facing 5 - 40 lbs for seats manufactured after September 1, 2008

But in Canada it's only 35 for all seats.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Of those two options, the CA since DD is too tall for the Radian.


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## Erica09M (Jul 28, 2008)

If I was in Canada, I'd definitely go with the Complete Air because of the 40 pound rear facing limit. That's very important to me. I live in the US, and we're actually buying one next month for my 14 month old. I kept going between the Complete Air and the Learning Curve True Fit, and have finally settled on the Complete Air because that extra 5 pounds of rear facing time will likely get us an extra year. The 50 pound forward facing limit isn't a big issue for me for a couple reasons. #1, my oldest is a little over 4 years old and still under 40 pounds. If my other daughter follows suit, she won't reach 50 pounds for quite a while. And #2, in the even that my younger daughter reaches 50 pounds before I expect her too, she can move into her older sister's Nautilus that harnesses to 65 pounds. By that time my oldest would definitely be able to sit in a high back booster.

Have you thought about the True Fit?


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *an_aurora* 
Of those two options, the CA since DD is too tall for the Radian.

the ca has a higher shell than the radian? what about strap heights?

-Angela


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## Erica09M (Jul 28, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *alegna* 
the ca has a higher shell than the radian? what about strap heights?

-Angela

The harness heights are about the same, but the CA offers more rear facing time than the Radian because you can use the CA rear facing until the top of the child's head reaches the top of the head rest. With the Radian, the 1" rule applies. The CA shell is 27 inches, but the head rest at it's highest is above the shell.... leaving more height for rear facing.

In the manual the CA states to only use the seat rear facing for children 40" or less, but also mentions until the head is at the top of the head rest. No 40" child is going to have their head at the top of the head rest. Most 40" children will probably still have a good 5" or so above their heads. Some CPSTs will tell you it's fine to use the seat rear facing past 40" because like other height recommendations offered in a car seat manual, we throw those out and go by the following guidelines:

A rear facing seat is outgrown by HEIGHT when there is only 1" of shell above the child's head (or in the case of the CA, the head is at the top of the head rest).

A forward facing seat is outgrown by HEIGHT when the child's shoulders go above the tallest harness slot (except I believe the Radian allows for the shoudlers to be over), or when the tops of the child's ears reach the top of the shell.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

thanks!

-Angela


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

I think harness wise (ffing) you have about 1/2" more in the radian.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

The shell on the CA is about 2" taller than that of the Radian.


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## painefaria (Jul 4, 2007)

I can not comment on the other seat but we love our Radian XT. We had DS in an AOE until earlier this year (we got him a XT for his second B-day) and HE loves it. I will say that the bigger/taller seat is difficult to fit in some of the smaller cars. But you probably realize it. We just bought the True Fit which is wonderful but very different from the radian. I think that DS will fit longer in the radian because of the design... I like the wings on the XT


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## DevaMajka (Jul 4, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DahliaRW* 
Actually, at the bottom it says: Rear-facing 5 - 40 lbs for seats manufactured after September 1, 2008

But in Canada it's only 35 for all seats.

I'm totally missing where it says that. Would you mind pointing it out? I don't want to spread misinformation if I'm wrong!


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

http://www.skjp.com/product/97556/165XX/_/Radian65

Quote:

Rear-facing 5 - 35 lbs*

Forward-facing 20 - 65 lbs and up to 53" in a 5-point harness

Steel alloy frame and reinforced sides for side impact protection

Energy-absorbing EPS foam panels on all sides

Patented SafeStop energy-absorbing harness system

Rubber bottom grips for no-slip installation

5 shoulder and 3 buckle positions for proper harness fit

Fits 3-across in a mid-size vehicle and offers more shoulder space

3-in-1 infant positioning system and toddler head support

Foam padding for extra comfort

Folds flat for travel and storage

Sits low on vehicle seat for easy child boarding

Advanced V-shaped forward and rear facing tether system

*Rear-facing 5 - 40 lbs for seats manufactured after September 1, 2008


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## phatchristy (Jul 6, 2005)

OK, I should stay away from reading car seat stuff...

Because somehow I got convinced to buy the TrueFit for my DS over the Radian...waiting for it to be delivered.

I read more and now I'm confused! Of course, it may be because this DS seems to be rather lean (in comparison to his older brother he's more like his sisters~ 30th percentile). Maybe they figured that he would be fine in that because he would outgrow it first by height--not weight--rear facing?


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