# Car Seat advice for Newborn - Radian/My Ride/True Fit/Triumph Advance/Complete Air which one?



## faeriecurls (Jul 30, 2008)

I am due with our first in August and I am completely overwhelmed with car seat choices (have walked out of 2 stores practially in tears because I am so lost!) I could really use some guidance/input - here is my situation:

- We do not own a car (live in NYC) and when we need a car we rent one so it will rarely be the same car. We probably rent a car 3-4 times a year.

- We only are looking at convertibles b/c we would never get the use out of an infant carrier to justify spending $150+ for 1-2 uses. We want the longest use out of whatever car seat we wind up with.

- We will probably need to travel by air both cross country & to Europe in the first few years.

- We want the absolute safest seat we can get that will work from a newborn through at least Pre-K years (maybe beyond) and will be keeping baby RF as long as possible.

With that information (I'm not sure if you need anything more - these are all the factors we have considered), which would you get (cost is not a really big factor) out of these seats (I would love a why/why not too if you have one). Or is there one I am missing that you would recommend?

-Radian 80SL
-Radian XT SL
-Graco MyRide
-True Fit
-True Fit Premier
-Triumph Advance
-Complete Air

Thanks so much in advance!


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## MJB (Nov 28, 2009)

The Complete Air won't work for a newborn.
I would choose the MyRide or Radian because they rear-face until 40 (or more) lbs. The TrueFit and Triumph only rear-face to 35 lbs. (which my kids hit before their 3rd birthday).
The Radian XTSL is probably safer than the 80SL because of the head wings. I'm pretty sure that's the only difference between the two models. I have my 4 yr. old in a Radian I bought in 2007 that does not have head wings and I am satisfied with the safety.
The MyRide costs about half as much as the Radian and is a very good, safe seat. I would be buying one for my new baby if I could fit one in a 3-across situation with my older kids' carseats. It will get most kids to 4 rear-facing and will last forward-facing until 5+ when most kids are safe in a booster. The Radian would last longer both rear- and forward-facing but the MyRide will get most kids to best practice guidelines (4 yrs. rear-facing and 5-6 forward-facing).


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## Farmer'sWife (Jul 11, 2009)

I have used the Radian XTSL, True Fit and Triumph Advance and like them all for different reasons. If you are looking at traveling, a Radian might be a good fit for you. Although they are kind of heavy, they fold and have a carrying strap. They also are narrow and fit on an airplane seat well.


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## BathrobeGoddess (Nov 19, 2001)

The TF is heavy and wide but will fit a newborn well and be smaller without the headrest on for a baby. It is also easy to install imo. Maybe the best install I have ever gotten in a lot of different cars. The Radian is easy to travel with if you strap it to your back but it is really heavy and I can't imagine trying ti install it in many different vehicles since it has install issues with so many cars. The MyRide is a taller seat but isn't as heavy as either of the other two. Not the easiest install but doable for sure.

If it were me, I would do a true fit...


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

EFTA is too wide for airplanes. Possibly not for the sort of large airplane you'd take to Europe, but I'd stick with something with a narrower profile.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

And if you like a seat that won't work for a newborn, check around with your friends, and in the Finding Your Tribe for your area and see if you can get an unexpired infant seat. Since they last for 4-8 years and infants only use them for a year or so at most, there's likely to be someone who'd love to have their perfectly safe seat reused instead of trashed.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Plus side, the cars you rent will be newer and will have LATCH


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## Hannah32 (Dec 23, 2009)

We just registered for the Graco My Ride because it could be used for the longest possible amount of time. It also really wasn't that expensive either.


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## WindyCityMom (Aug 17, 2009)

the myride or radian









I own a complete air for my older DD and my 10wk old still doesn't fit in it.

She fits rather well in her MyRide though.


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

I would do a radian if you want longevity. If you get an SL, you'll be able to install with LATCH every time until your child ougrows the seat, because rental cars will be new enough. So you don't have to worry about install issues since the only real install issues are with the seatbelt.

The other option is a seat like the MyRide, which will last you a good long time rearfacing. When your LO outgrows that or goes ffing, you could then invest in a ride safer travel vest which would be the ultimate in portability for travel and wouldn't take up much room for storage.


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## mama2soren (Feb 12, 2009)

DahliaRW said:


> I would do a radian if you want longevity. If you get an SL, you'll be able to install with LATCH every time until your child ougrows the seat, because rental cars will be new enough. So you don't have to worry about install issues since the only real install issues are with the seatbelt.
> 
> But not all cars, even new ones, allow LATCH after a certain weight, right? I'm almost certain that my 2008 Honda requires a seatbelt install after 40 pounds.


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## newmommy7-08 (Feb 2, 2008)

I would NOT buy a MyRide. DS, at 20 months old, 27 1/2# and 32" is already on the next to the top slot in MIL's MyRide. He's only on the second slot in our TrueFit. The TrueFit I can install in about a minute, the MyRide takes me forever... I really hate that seat! LOL The TrueFit's latch clips are SO much nicer. We're buying 2 new TrueFits for our twins due in August and we're not using infant seats for them.


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## faeriecurls (Jul 30, 2008)

mama2soren said:


> Quote:
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> 
> Originally Posted by *DahliaRW*
> ...


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

I know the trufit was recommended for newborns, but my 6 pounder did not fit i the trufit at all in the beginning. I would go for a less expensive infant seat.


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

faeriecurls said:


> Quote:
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> Originally Posted by *mama2soren*
> ...


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## faeriecurls (Jul 30, 2008)

DahliaRW said:


> Quote:
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> 
> Originally Posted by *faeriecurls*
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## chickabiddy (Jan 30, 2004)

faeriecurls said:


> Quote:
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> Originally Posted by *DahliaRW*
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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

According to the manual, you do have to rethread the harness on the xtsl. http://www.skjp.com/simg/19544803.pdf


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## chickabiddy (Jan 30, 2004)

Thanks -- I must have been confused.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

The rethreading would kill me on a seat that you will only be using occasionally.

We got the TF Premier with our little guy and he fit nicely in it. He was born at 8 lbs and his smallest was 6 lbs 14 oz. He used the infant inserts until about 2 weeks ago (at 5 mos) when his head reached the top of the shell. It's a really easy install, adjusting the straps is easy and there's no rethreading necessary - it's an easy slider adjustment. The drawbacks being that it is wide (in the center seat I couldn't fit a skinny adult on the side) as well as deep (in the infant recline, the front seat is unusable for an adult, it's so close to the air bag).


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## mamadelbosque (Feb 6, 2007)

I would not buy a radian simply because they are so finicky about installs. I'd go for either a truefit premier (for the anti-rebound bar & no-thread harness) or a triumph. I *love* my triumph. I'm OK with the tfp, though it is far more of a pita to install, imo, than the triumph.

FWIW the triumph fits in my car (99 accord) the best out of tfp/radian/triumph by far. The radian made the seat infront of it utterly useless as it had to be pushed all the way forward. The truefit isn't quite as bad, but then again, we never used it at the 45* incline, while the triumph allows the seat to be almost all the way back. Good luck!!


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## mama2soren (Feb 12, 2009)

DahliaRW said:


> Quote:
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> Originally Posted by *faeriecurls*
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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mama2soren* 

But everything I've read says Honda has placed a 40 pound limit on LATCH for all their vehicles (post-2005 included). I have an XTSL, and I'm assuming I will have to do a seatbelt install when DS is 40 pounds.

Sunshine kids has done their own testing and says the seats can be latched to 80lbs. The standards for latch changed (effective september 2005) and the anchors on the sls are different. You can call sunshine kids if you don't believe me, but that is what they say.


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## chickabiddy (Jan 30, 2004)

Sunshine Kids will assure you it is safe, Honda will probably tell you it is not. I generally recommend that when there are conflicting recommendations to go with the most conservative, but it has to be the parents' call.


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## claddaghmom (May 30, 2008)

Comfort air won't fit a newborn

I found a TF was easier to install than a Radian, but a Radian is easier to tote around b/c it folds. And the TF just seems...spread out.

I don't know if I'd risk a MyRide as a first and only carseat b/c the profile seems shorter. Unless you don't mind potentially buying another seat later on.

I wouldn't automatically price yourself out of a carseat, especially if you are able to check in on a BRU or Target seasonally. I just picked up an Evenflo discovery for $12 at my local Target. It will be used as a backup for my mom's car.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

I'd get a MyRide or True Fit. Both fit newborns well and are easy to install. I would stay away from the Radians since there is no guarantee they will fit in whatever car you rent.


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## faeriecurls (Jul 30, 2008)

I don't feel any less confused then I did yesterday







but DH & I have decided that the Radian XT SL is the one we are getting. We haven't bought it yet and probably won't until June or even later so we still have time to change our minds, I just feel like I can't absorb and sort out all of this info.


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## BathrobeGoddess (Nov 19, 2001)

My 2 cents on the super latch is that I am completly uncomfortable using it past my car's latch limits. I don't care what they say at SK...if my car's actual anchors haven't been tested there is no way I'm trying it out with my kido...but I think I am hyper sonservative becasue of my own experience with a car accident as a child...


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

I figure if the SL starts failing in cars, there will be a recall. And so far it seems to be ok (and SK is pretty stringent about their testing). No company wants to get sued if the car seat does not hold at the weight it's supposed to, so I would guess they'd be cautious about it. Personally, I wouldn't have an issue using the SL in my car latched, if I had one.


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