# britax vs sunshine kids



## mamakaikai (Apr 17, 2009)

Which would you choose for safety, and also comfort, longevity etc.

We already have a brittax marathon for dd1 and are tossed up between getting another for dd2 or a sunshine radian.
My kids are in the 98% for height. We have a small car, but are not trading in the brittax so the full 3 across thing isn't a big sell.

Pros cons?? Opinions?

TIA!!


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## mama2soren (Feb 12, 2009)

For a tall kid, a Radian hands-down (IF! you can get a good install in your car). What do you drive?


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## mamakaikai (Apr 17, 2009)

I drive a mazda protege.

My first born outgrew the bucket seat at 5 months. I expect this new baby to as well. She 11 weeks old at the moment.


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## Twinklefae (Dec 13, 2006)

The front seat will be tight with the Radian in it. (We have both a Radian and a Protege.







)

It's also not easy to get a good rear facing install with the seatbelt, so I wouldn't recommend it if you plan to move the seat much. (Ours doesn't have LATCH.)


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## chickabiddy (Jan 30, 2004)

Is there a reason you are limiting your choices to those two seats?


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## mamakaikai (Apr 17, 2009)

I don't see it as limiting! We've just narrowed it down to two! But if there is a better option...I'm open to reconsidering our choices.

We chose the brittax for safety reasons in 2008 and have had no issues with it so we're considering getting a second one.

I like the radian for it's safety ratings as well as it's low toxicity.

Just trying to select one of the two.


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## mamakaikai (Apr 17, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Twinklefae* 
The front seat will be tight with the Radian in it. (We have both a Radian and a Protege.







)

It's also not easy to get a good rear facing install with the seatbelt, so I wouldn't recommend it if you plan to move the seat much. (Ours doesn't have LATCH.)

Yes! Thank you for this fellow protege owner!

Are you suggesting not to use the Radian in the protege because it takes up too much space? Is it frustratingly space consuming?! Or just mildly?! We do RF for an extended amount of time. This is one of our main concerns. But is the radian that much worse than the marathon?

We won't be moving the seat unless it's to clean the car.


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## TheGirls (Jan 8, 2007)

For 98% kids I would not get a Britax. My DD has very nearly outgrown the new Britax seats RF by height and she is only 2yo and "only" around 80th% for height at her last visit. She also weighs less than 30lbs so the 40lb RF weight limit would be worthless. She has miles to go in her TrueFit and would have even longer in a Radian or Complete Air. She will outgrow the TrueFit by weight RF. She seriously has like 5-6" left.

If the Radian doesn't work with your car (I have a Protege, but no Radian. The TrueFit does fit like a dream in the Protege). I'd try a Complete Air or a TrueFit.


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## Coconut Chronicles (Aug 31, 2006)

Radian for sure


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## weliveintheforest (Sep 3, 2005)

I wish we got the radians instead of the britax because I would love to have 3 across occasionally.
Maybe you could go to a store that will let you install it to see the fit.


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## Latte Mama (Aug 25, 2009)

Not the Britax for sure, shell is too short to RF long enough.
1. radian
2.Complete Air
3. true fit
4. MyRide

Not ordered in preference. these are all good seats with decent-high shell heights and 40-45 lb RF limits.


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## chickabiddy (Jan 30, 2004)

The TrueFit has a 35# RFing limit, but I'd still consider it, especially for a tall child who is likely to outgrow seats by height rather than weight.


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## mamakaikai (Apr 17, 2009)

Oh no! All this talk about height! I just measured my toddler and it looks like she is about to outgrow her marathon?!! There is just so much emphasis on weight, it's hard to locate the specs for height limits on the manufacturers websites.

My toddler is 30lbs, 37 inches tall and 16-17 inches for shoulder height (measured her lying down asleep not as precise as actually sitting will need to remeasure in the am).

So it looks like my baby is going into the Britax marathon and I am now shopping for the 2.5 yr old. good thing I started this thread.....I wasn't paying close enough attention to the height thing.






















and neither are the manufacturers if they don't list the height like they do weight. What's up with that?! I sincerely just figured she had tons of time left if the weight goes to 65 lbs...


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## chickabiddy (Jan 30, 2004)

Weight is easy to quantify. Torso height is not. 17" is a very tall torso for a 37" child -- my 50" 8yo has an 18.25" torso. Kids of the same height will fit into seats differently.

A rear-facing seat is outgrown by height when there is less than 1" of shell above the head, and a forward-facing seat is outgrown by height when the child's shoulders are above the top strap settings or ears are above the top of the shell.

For a 30# 2yo, I'd get one of the tall seats mentioned earlier (TrueFit or Radian) and keep her rearfacing for a while.


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## chickabiddy (Jan 30, 2004)

Oh, and a Marathon (the one you have, not the brand-new ones) will not fit a newborn. When rear-facing, the straps must be BELOW the child's shoulders. The Marathon has tall bottom straps and will not fit newborns.

If your daughter still fits in the Marathon (and at 37", I expect she would), keep her in it. The Radian and TrueFit do work for newborns. Let the baby use the Radian or TrueFit until baby fits in the Marathon, then switch seats.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

My long-torsoed 5 year old can't fit RF in the Radian, but is RF'ing in the Complete Air







She outgrew the (classic) Marathon by 3 RF.


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## mamakaikai (Apr 17, 2009)

Thank you so much for this discussion! Great info and food for thought.

My firstborn outgrew her bucket seat by 6 months since she was 20 lbs at 5 months so I expect my new baby to do the same. I grow giants! My new baby was born 22 inches tall and 9lbs 13 oz. She's now 11 weeks and weighs 16lbs so I'm already wanting to get her the next size up so that I can air it out for a couple of months before she goes in it. Which means I should decide soon who I am shopping for!

I know my 2.5yr old is 37 inches, but need to get a proper shoulder height when she wakes up. I think she will outgrow the marathon soon, which I did not expect. SO I should be buying her a taller seat and the new baby can go in the 2008 marathon. I think?!

Seriously, am I missing something, or should car seats and other safety items for children be a little more straightforward?!!


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

The Marathon's top slot is about 16", so if you measured correctly she's likely either outgrown it or is very close (although I would not be surprised if her torso is significantly shorter than that, since that is an extremely long torso for a 37" child).

Still, baby will need a new seat sooner or later, so I'd get your DD a tall seat and RF, and the baby can have the Marathon.


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## chickabiddy (Jan 30, 2004)

As I wrote above, a newborn cannot go in the 2008 Marathon. When rear-facing, the straps must be BELOW the child's shoulders. The Marathon's bottom straps are at 10": virtually no newborns have 10" torsoes.

If your daughter has a few months left in the Marathon, I suggest getting a Radian or TrueFit now. Those seats do fit average full-term newborns. Baby can use the new seat until s/he fits in the Marathon, then baby can use Marathon and big girl can use new seat to RF and then FF.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

I'm sorry, I meant the baby can go into the Marathon _when he fits_. I was assuming you were planning on an infant seat first.


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## mamakaikai (Apr 17, 2009)

Ok. so I have some measuring to do!

At 11 weeks, my baby measures a solid 10 inches from her shoulder to her hip bone and clearly is taller if I measure down lower.

I know I'm going to sound like an idiot, but speak for all those who also don't know...can someone define torso length for car seats?!









So, buying a second britax marathon is out! I'll keep the baby in her bucket seat, maxicosi fwiw, and put her in the 2008 marathon and the 2.5yr old in the new* seat in a couple of months. I could buy a frontier or a radian, or one of the other ones mentioned above. Are they all equally safe? So many questions.

Thanks everyone!


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## WindyCityMom (Aug 17, 2009)

I haven't read all of the posts- but I'd go with the new Flutter Complete Air- it's so pretty and they changed the base a bit so that it installs better (old ones were a PAIN!). My almost 3yo tall kiddo still has YEARS left RFing in it.


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## Jenne (May 21, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *chickabiddy* 
Oh, and a Marathon (the one you have, not the brand-new ones) will not fit a newborn. When rear-facing, the straps must be BELOW the child's shoulders. The Marathon has tall bottom straps and will not fit newborns.

If your daughter still fits in the Marathon (and at 37", I expect she would), keep her in it. The Radian and TrueFit do work for newborns. Let the baby use the Radian or TrueFit until baby fits in the Marathon, then switch seats.

Huh. We *just* bought a carseat on Friday and the salewoman said that the Radian was a poor choice because of high shoulder straps so we got the Advocate instead. We haven't opened it so if that isn't true we can take it back...yikes! Is there a site with info on how high the lowest straps are in carseats?

Jenne


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jenne* 
Huh. We *just* bought a carseat on Friday and the salewoman said that the Radian was a poor choice because of high shoulder straps so we got the Advocate instead. We haven't opened it so if that isn't true we can take it back...yikes! Is there a site with info on how high the lowest straps are in carseats?

Jenne

She gave you bad info. Take it back! The Radian's lowest slot is a good 2" lower than the Britax seats. The Advocate's lowest slot is around 10", the Radian's is below 8 I believe. That said, the Radian doesn't fit RF in many cars at the 45* angle required for a newborn. It totally depends on your car.


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## TheGirls (Jan 8, 2007)

OP, is your 2.5 yo RF or FF? I would buy a RF seat for a child that age & size (in fact, I'm in the process of shopping for a new RF seat for my 30lb, 36", long-torsoed 2yo). I'm looking at a Radian or a Complete Air for maximum rear-facing time. In your situation I'd pass the Marathon down to the baby and get a new (RF) seat for the 2yo. When the baby starts outgrowing the Marathon RF (if she's under 3 or so), I'd pass down the new taller seat and look at what your older child needs then (booster or harnessed seat, depending on age).

Torso length is measured by sitting the child against a wall, and measuring from the floor to the shoulders. That will tell you how high the straps need to be on a FF seat. For a RF child measure to the top of the head, and that will tell you how tall the shell needs to be (plus 1 inch). For reference, my 2yo has a torso length of about 14" and a seated height of about 21". She has about 1" of growing room in one of the new Britax seats. And about 4" of head room in her TrueFit or a Complete Air. So my guesstimate is that she will outgrow the Britax seats at 38" tall and the TrueFit/Complete Air at 44" tall (or the weight limit)

If you plan to keep your 2yo FF, the Frontier or Nautilus are both good tall choices.


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## mama2soren (Feb 12, 2009)

In a smaller car like a Protoge, you might find you like a seat that can install more upright when RF than the Radian can. In my car, for instance (a CRV), it's pretty much impossible to get the Radian more upright than 45*, even though my 2.5 year old could be safely sitting as upright as 30*. So, the Radian takes up TONS of room in my car, and we have to keep the front passenger seat pretty far forward for it to fit. It's working ok, but sometimes I wish I'd gotten a Complete Air, which has an even taller shell and installs more upright.

This being said, I can get a more upright install in our smaller car (a Corolla), which means the Radian takes up less front-to-back room (but still makes for a pretty tight fit up front!).

If you can, find a store near you that carries Radians so you can try one out. Or, order from an online store that has free return shipping if it doesn't work out.

The Complete Air has some cute girly patterns now, so your DD might enjoy getting a pretty new seat!


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## mama2soren (Feb 12, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jenne* 
Huh. We *just* bought a carseat on Friday and the salewoman said that the Radian was a poor choice because of high shoulder straps so we got the Advocate instead. We haven't opened it so if that isn't true we can take it back...yikes! Is there a site with info on how high the lowest straps are in carseats?

Jenne

Yikes! It's not true! The Radian has lower shoulder straps for small babies, and higher top harness slots for older kids. You can use it from birth (unless you have a teeny tiny bean) to at least 5-6 (or longer if you have a smaller kid!). The Advocate can't be used at birth, some kids don't fit until 4-6 months, and is usually outgrown by height by 5. Plus, it has a shorter shell and lower RF weight limit. Go for the Radian, if it fits in your car!

http://sites.google.com/site/carseatmeasurements/


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## mamakaikai (Apr 17, 2009)

Tons more great advice! Thank you all.

hmmm, I'm not convinced the radian will fit in the protege. There is a store in town where I can try it out to see the fit.

I just measured my toddlers torso height an she is 13 and a bit inches, not the 16 I got with her lying down! So that buys more time with her marathon...but how long!?

I'll need to research which seat to get...since my original choices are looking less appealing.

*What do others have in their protege?*


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## mama2soren (Feb 12, 2009)

The best way to tell how much growing room she has left RF is to buckle her into her seat and:
1. Measure the amount of shell she has left over her head. To safely RF, there must be 1" of hard shell (padding not included!) over her head. (pics: http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=30201)
AND
2. Ensure she is below the RF limit of the seat (33 or 35 pounds, depending on the year the Marathon was made.)

If she was FF, you'd need to make sure that:
1. The harness is at or ABOVE her shoulders. If it's below, she's outgrown the seat by height. (For RF, the harness must be at or BELOW the shoulders, though.)
AND
2. The top of her ears are below the top of the shell.
AND
3. She is under the FF weight limit of the seat (65 pounds, though, I'm not sure there's ever been a 65 pound child that hasn't long ago grown out of the seat by height!)

Check out CarSeatData.Org to see how other people rate how easily seats installed into their Protoge's. Since this site is open to anyone (non-CPSTs included), take the info with a grain of salt. It's a good place to get started though!

For tall kids, look at the Complete Air (tallest), True Fit (a close second, though only 35 pound RF limit).


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## TheGirls (Jan 8, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mamakaikai* 
*What do others have in their protege?*

I have a 2003 Protege. I own a TrueFit and have tried a Complete Air in it, both rear-facing. Both fit perfectly for an older, more upright child. The TrueFit also fits very nicely without the headrest at a 45 degree angle for a young baby, but it does need a pool noodle or rolled towel to get the angle. I'm not convinced a Radian would fit RF either, but haven't tried it.


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## chickabiddy (Jan 30, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mama2soren* 
3. She is under the FF weight limit of the seat (65 pounds, though, I'm not sure there's ever been a 65 pound child that hasn't long ago grown out of the seat by height!)

I saw *one, once*.


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## ChetMC (Aug 27, 2005)

We liked our Britax seats (Marathon and Roundabout) better than our Radians.

We bought Radians to put three across in the backseat. DH preferred installing and adjusting the Britax seats. The Radians are heavy. They take up a lot of room rear facing. Our kids preferred to sit higher so they could see more.

When you have multiple kids close together though you just juggle kids and carseats as they outgrow a particular seat. If I had to pick one or the other, and I only wanted to buy one seat, I'd likely get a Radian.


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