Sunshine Kids - Radian80 Convertible Car Seat

[chemie15]

Anyone every heard of or used the Sunshine Kids - Radian80 Convertible Car Seat. I am looking for a FAA approved car seat and this one seems really nice, but I have never seen it before. Let me know what you think of it.

 

[tanyaandallie]

How old is your child and what is you child's weight?

The Radian is a great seat! One well loved by those of us who are car seat fanatics. It is a nice tall seat with a high weight limit so will last a long time. It is FAA approved, but most carseats are FAA approved.

 

[2002Disneybride]

We have this seat! It is heavy, but we always take it with us to wdw. DS has used it on the plane, but now we check it with our luggage.

 

[chemie15]

my daughter is 1 and on the smaller side for size

 

[Mom2m&k]

We have two and love them both. I do think they are for a child that is doing very well sitting upright...I would not get one for an infant, but that is just my opinion.

 

[MommyBryn]

I've been looking at the 80 as well. My best friend has to of the Radian65's. She loves them, but says the seatbelt slot is kind of small so it's hard to reach her hand in there to pull it through (they don't have latch). My husband really liked them because they're just very sturdy. My oldest daughter is almost 3 and small for her age so we could use the 80 for it's full lifetime, no doubt. I believe they have an 8 year "lifetime" (expire after 8 years). Also, I like that Sunshine Kids has a carseat replacement program if you get in a wreck and don't have full coverage or your insurance won't replace your seats. Makes it much more worth the price, IMO, knowing that you won't have to resort to a cheap one just because you can't afford to buy the same one again if you have to, ya know?

 

[Elmo888]

my daughter is 1 and on the smaller side for size

I have one for DD4, and it is great. It is sturdy and just seems rock solid. It is heavy though, and once I installed it the first time, I said that it wasn't moving (it has a few times). I'm not sure that I would want to travel with it. And if your DD is still rear facing (the longer, the better), it might be a tough fit, depending on your vehicle, since the back is so high.

If you are looking for a good seat for traveling, Cosco Scenara receives high marks. It is good up to 40 lbs, but the shoulder slots are high enough that it can last a while. DD4 still fits in it (I still use it as our extra seat for DH car or to take in friends/family cars). It is also lightweight and around $40 (check Target and Walmart for that price).

 

[3BoysRDisneyFreaks]

We have 2 of the Radian 65's. One for the 3 year old and 1 for the 1 year old.
I love the Radian. DH lugged both of them through airports on our last trip. They are HEAVY. I love him. He is an awesome DH.

We have 1 rear facing still for the 1 year old DS. The Radians are installed in our 2008 Ford Fusion. It has to be in the middle position because it is so tall that is the only way it would fit properly rear facing.

Once they are installed you don't want to move them because they are a little hard to get in if you have a hand bigger than a 5 year old.

I would purchase them again.

Sarah

 

[MommyBryn]

If you are looking for a good seat for traveling, Cosco Scenara receives high marks. It is good up to 40 lbs, but the shoulder slots are high enough that it can last a while. DD4 still fits in it (I still use it as our extra seat for DH car or to take in friends/family cars). It is also lightweight and around $40 (check Target and Walmart for that price).

I agree! We have a Scenera for DD (for everyday use and for traveling) and we love it! I've also seen them on sale for GREAT prices (at places like Shopko and Kmart)...$20-28 usually.

 

[tanyaandallie]

If you like the Radian, you might look at the Radian 65 rather than the 80, esp if you have a tiny kid. The top harness slots ont he 65 and the 80 are the same. Most car seats are outgrown by height well before they are outgrown by weight. The 65 lb weight limit is plenty for the average sized kiddo. Most kids are going to outgrow the seat by height well before they hit 65 lbs.

In addition, SK is releasing a new version of the Radian in early 2009. If you can wait, I'd check out the new one. It will have better side impact protection than the current seat.

The one draw back of the Radian is that rear facing it's tough to adjust the recline. So, even kids who are older (like your dd) are still forced to sit at a 45 degree angle. Most other seats you can adjust the angle some so the older kiddos who have good head support can sit up a bit more upright.

Just remember to keep your little one rear facing as long as possible! The Radian has a 33 lb rear facing weight limit. Most kids can rf in the Radian for a very long time.

 

[all4fun]

Anyone every heard of or used the Sunshine Kids - Radian80 Convertible Car Seat. I am looking for a FAA approved car seat and this one seems really nice, but I have never seen it before. Let me know what you think of it.

my daughter is 1 and on the smaller side for size

Ditto Tanyaandallie's post.

In addition, this site here has a list of recommended car seats that also list the pros and cons of each. The Radian is listed here.

Sunshine Kids Radian 65

Available at: specialty stores and online
Features: 5-33 lbs. rear-facing, 22-65 lbs. forward-facing; LATCH-equipped for children up to 48 lbs.; EPS foam; high harness slots; tether that can be used rear-facing as well as forward-facing; SafeStop crash force load limiter for forward-facing harness use (requires tether to 40 lbs.; remove SafeStop at 40 lbs.); folds flat
Drawbacks: harness not removable for cleaning/replacement; weight; removable rear-facing base easily lost; incompatible forward-facing installation in vehicles with a long or stiff buckle stalk.

I also agree that the Scenera 5pt is a good seat for travel. We used that seat for travel and as a back up seat until my ds turned three, when he outgrew it by height (he was on the slender side, but outgrew this seat by height since he had a long torso). This seat has 15" top harness slots. In comparison, the Radian65 & 80 seats have 18" top slots. I liked the Scenera since it was not very bulky and easy to travel with. It is very basic and lacks a lot of padding and some other "frills" that other seats have, but the lack of extra padding or plush cover never seemed to bother him. If you're looking for one seat that will last you a long time, then the Radian would be a better choice, as long as it's compatible with your vehicle. You can go to www.skjp.com and click on store locator to find a retailer in your area that may sell this seat.

hth