# Help Me Fix Our Error! (Carseat!)



## Jenne (May 21, 2004)

So, in another thread the OP was comparing the Sunshine Kids Radian with a Britax. That was essentially our decision as well. We went to a local store which carried both brands and were told by the saleswoman that the lowest strap height on the XTSL was at 10" and that a newborn wouldn't fit. Further, she said the head protection is stationary which DH really wants. So, we went with the Advocate.

Evidently, the strap slot position info is wrong! wrong! wrong!









So, we will be returning the Advocate (thanks for the info btw!) but now are in a connundrum. I doubt there will be room for a Radian because DH drives a Dodge Neon and I drive a Toyota Matrix. We will be getting a new car sometime after Baby Valentine arrives but I couldn't say what it will be our when.

DH wants the safest seat available. Period. End of story. He also wants the seat to "look" safe (hence the Advocate purchase...that thing looks like it could be tossed out of an airplane!).

Help! Please! Thank you!









Jenne


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## rhiOrion (Feb 17, 2009)

Our MyRide 65 fits in my Kia Spectra, though the front passenger has to be a little cramped. Might be worth trying it out in your cars (I think it may be too big for the Neon, but I'm not sure). It's way cheaper than any Britax, but it looks very very safe in my opinion. And it tends to fit newborns just fine.


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## chely7425 (Aug 8, 2007)

The TrueFit is another one I would consider.. it can be used without the headrest for awhile (I believe till 22 pounds or a certain height) and it fits newborns very well.


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## NaturallyKait (Sep 22, 2006)

All car seats are safe. They all pass the same testing, and the test results are not public so unfortunately it's not possible to know what is "safest".

I don't reccomend the Britax seats because they're outgrown faster than other seats and cost a lot more. I do however really like the Graco MyRide 65 and the First Years/Learning Curve True Fit for convertables that will fit infants well. The Radian is another highly reccomended one, but I'm not sure about it's fit in a Neon. There's a successful Radian install thread on car-seat.org if you're interested in checking it out


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## Jenne (May 21, 2004)

Huh. The website with the measurements says the Advocate has the lowest slot height at 10". The Britax website says it is 9". When DH measured it tonight it was 8.5". I'm going to call Britax in the morning. It seems like most of the convertible seats are around 8" for the low slot height...this shouldn't be this difficult!!!

Jenne


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## BellaClaudia (Aug 1, 2008)

there are many britax kinds so maybe you have the shorter one..
Marathon.. Roundabout etc..


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## Jenne (May 21, 2004)

Yeah, I have an Advocate...

Jenne


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## WindyCityMom (Aug 17, 2009)

That's odd because I was under the impression from CPSTs I know that Radians fit newborns really well.

You could install a Radian center- it works well there.


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

Radians do fit newborns well, in general. But, they're hard to fit in cars at a 45 degree angle for a newborn.


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## chickabiddy (Jan 30, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *BellaClaudia* 
there are many britax kinds so maybe you have the shorter one..
Marathon.. Roundabout etc..

All bottom slots are the same (that is, the old generation of seats were the same and the new generation is the same) across models.

Do you have an Advocate or an Advocate70? There is a difference. The Advocate70 may fit an average full-size newborn. The Advocate will not.


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## Jenne (May 21, 2004)

It is an Advocate 70 CS.







Give me some good news!







Please!









Jenne


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## cdmommie (Aug 7, 2007)

We are all about the Britax here







Love 'em. DD2 is 17 months and is RF in her Marathon and DD1 is 3yo and is now in her new Frontier. They just feel more "heavy duty" to me than most other brands and their customer service is awesome. They also seem much more comfortable for the kids than other seats we have used.


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## sewaneecook (Nov 1, 2005)

We have a Radian XT and there's no way it would fit RF in our Corolla (in any of the 3 back seats). The TrueFit has worked well (without the headrest for the first year and added the headrest, less of a recline after that).


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## chickabiddy (Jan 30, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jenne* 
It is an Advocate 70 CS.







Give me some good news!







Please!









Jenne

Okay! The Advocate70 IS likely to fit most average-size full-term newborns. The slots are similar to the Radian's, so the store employee did give you bad information, but unless you know you make little little babies, there is a very good chance that it will indeed work for you.


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## Jenne (May 21, 2004)

Oh, good! DH just about cried last night when I told him we had to get something else. I think he is in love with this carseat. Seriously. He looked at the other choices and said, "They just don't look that sturdy and comfy. I don't want them."







He will be much relieved!

I figure we'll make average sized babes. I'm 5'9 and so is DH. I'm rubenesque although DH is not. I was almost 8lbs at birth. DH was 6lbs. So, I figure a 7lber is in our future!









If things change and she comes early I have a friend who said she would trade me her bucket for our carseat for a little while.









I sincerely appreciate all the help.
Jenne


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## mamadelbosque (Feb 6, 2007)

I seriously doubt you'd get a decent rf install with a radian while still being able to use both front seats - if you were willing to sit in the back for the next, oh, 2-4+ yrs while your dc is rear facing, you'd probably be OK. But you wouldn't have a front seat to ride in









I have a truefit premeir which I loathe. Its *huge* front-back. Yes, you can take off the headrest. But, its the same size front-back w/ the headrest on @ 35* as it is w/o it at 45*. Admittedly, its not *QUITE* as huge as the radian front-back, but nearly so. Saves, oh, maybe an inch of space. Maybe.

I also have an evenflo triumph advance which I *love*. It fits beautifully in DH's civic, in my accord, and in every other car I've ever had it in. Its *SUPER* easy to adjust - push down and pull straps to loosen, turn the knob to tighten. Easy peasy.

From what I understand the efta, tfp & radians all fit newborns fine - I didn't use any of them w/ my boys as newborns (had a bucket for the first few months), while britax' generally do not, though I've honestly never had a britax nor understood the obsession about them... they mostly seem way overpriced to me.


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## shanniesue2 (Jul 4, 2007)

I haven't read all the posts, but I drive a Vibe (same thing as the matrix, only with pontiac body styling). We have a MyRide that fits fine in it. I can't get a good middle seat install on it b/c of the 60/40 split. We have it installed on the passenger outboard side. Because the front seat does have to be moved forward a bit. DH and I are both comfy with the amount of leg room we have in the front. But we're also not enormouly tall (I'm 5'4" he's 5'10") I have tried an AOE (which I hated), a triumph advanve and a... a... oh I can't remember what it was, it had those "easy" LATCH clips... the ones that your supposed to just push into place and voila! The MyRide was the easiest one to get installed of those 4.


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## shanniesue2 (Jul 4, 2007)

double post


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sewaneecook* 
We have a Radian XT and there's no way it would fit RF in our Corolla (in any of the 3 back seats). The TrueFit has worked well (without the headrest for the first year and added the headrest, less of a recline after that).

The Radian does RF well in the Corrola


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## khaoskat (May 11, 2006)

Ok, I can tell you this..I own 4 Britax Carseats...
Marathon (actually probably expired now)
Parkway Booster
Roundabout
Boulevard

We were just in a nasty accident. Drunk Driver rear ended the car behind his , he failed to stop for the cars because he came to the intersection as the light turned green so we were all still stopped; heard him squeal his tires; heard the initial hit on the lady behind us; then we were hit and shoved into the intersection.

In our car we had the Roundabout and Boulevard.

The lady behind us was in a Toyota Corolla or Camery. He hit her so hard, that she no longer has a back end on her car. The back bumper area and truck were shoved into her back seat. The front of her car is not that bad.

We know the frame on our van got twisted a bit, and it may have bent the rear wheel mounts as well. We are thinking there is a good chance they will total our van (a 2002 Toyota Sienna).

Our carseats functioned perfectly, even though they are older (as in close to being expired for the Roundabout and the Boulevard is 5 years old).

Even our Evenflo infant seat, which is like 4 years old, worked great. The two kids in the car (infant and Roundabout) were not injured in anyway.


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## mama2soren (Feb 12, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *an_aurora* 
The Radian does RF well in the Corrola









I'm not sure it would be comfortable for a front seat passenger to have the Radian at a 45* angle, but it works great at a more upright angle in a Corolla!


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