Diaper Swappers

Koli Ava · 05-06-2010, 07:45 PM

Hi ladies! I need some help deciding on a new carseat for my 2 year old daughter and a new booster seat for my 7 year old son.

Currently my daughter is rearfacing in a Recaro Signo and my son is in a Recaro Vivo booster in our 2007 PASSAT 3.6 SDN 4M. My mother is moving to our town in early June so we need to buy an extra carseat and booster seat for her vehicle. She drives a 2005 Chevy Silverado Crew Cab Z71. It fits both our Recaros fine and allows my daughter to rearface, so we may move those to her truck and buy new seats for our Passat.

I love our Recaros, they have worked great for us and we have been using them for over a year now. I was leaning towards buying the same seats for my children again. I have heard great reviews on the Radians too though. I also like that a child can be kept rearfacing in them for longer than most seats as extended rearfacing is very important to me.

I've been looking at the Recaro Signo G2 or the Radian XTSL for DD.

I would also like to hear which booster seats are recommended for a 7 year old. I'm thinking of another Recaro or the Sunshine Kids Monterey.

The price does not matter, I am more concerned about safety and comfort for the children.

Any thoughts on this and advice would be very welcome. Thanks! : )

jjordan · 05-06-2010, 08:03 PM

I don't know a lot about recaros, but I do know lots of people love their Vivos. However, from what I've heard, I think the Monterey is more comfortable for bigger kids.

As for a convertible, I know less about the Recaro convertibles than I do about their boosters.

BUT, FWIW, I never really hear the experts recommending the convertibles any more, and Radians are highly recommended. I checked car-seat.org and saw successful Radian installs in a few passats, although none that were 2007's. If you order from diapers.com, they have free returns in case the seat doesn't work out.

ETA: I just saw that Recaro has a new booster and a new convertible, but I don't know anything about them other than the product descriptions from those links.

babygirlsmom1005 · 05-06-2010, 11:11 PM

I have owned both a Recaro Como (same as the G2 with minor changes - the shells and body of the carseat are the same) and a Radian XT (40 lbs RF'ing limit and not super latch).

For a older extended rear facing stand point - the Radian is a must (if you are able to try it in your vehicle first to make sure it's compatable, that would be great - though it is a simple install in my suburban, so is the Recaro).

I moved my daughter out of her Como at 3 1/2 years old, she was FF'ing in it and didn't have any leg support from it and also was squished into it via shoulder room (and she's not a large kid - she's right now 4 1/2 years old and 36 lbs and ALLLLL legs with a 17 inch inseam and 41 inches tall).

If your are looking to rear face for a long time to come, I would go with the Radian over the como (for both FF'ing and RF'ing) because of the room it provides in both leg room and shoulder room.

Right now my Como is with a friend of mine harnessing her 4 year old son.....do I still have my Como love - why yes I do - it's the seat I have owned the longest (since 2007) and will more than likely own until it expires. I just don't have anyone to sit in it now and have a whole family of carseats here at the house to choose from.

IDK about the boosters......but hopefully helped with the convertibles.

Koli Ava · 05-07-2010, 05:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjordan

I don't know a lot about recaros, but I do know lots of people love their Vivos. However, from what I've heard, I think the Monterey is more comfortable for bigger kids.

As for a convertible, I know less about the Recaro convertibles than I do about their boosters.

BUT, FWIW, I never really hear the experts recommending the convertibles any more, and Radians are highly recommended. I checked car-seat.org and saw successful Radian installs in a few passats, although none that were 2007's. If you order from diapers.com, they have free returns in case the seat doesn't work out.

ETA: I just saw that Recaro has a new booster and a new convertible, but I don't know anything about them other than the product descriptions from those links.

That is good to know about diapers.com! I had read they could be a tricky install for some cars.

And thank you for the link on the new seats. I thought they might be coming out with new ones soon. I just wish they had info up on them, but they don't even have them on the main Recaro site yet. The Probooster looks a lot like the European version of the Recaro booster.

Quote:

Originally Posted by babygirlsmom1005

I have owned both a Recaro Como (same as the G2 with minor changes - the shells and body of the carseat are the same) and a Radian XT (40 lbs RF'ing limit and not super latch).

For a older extended rear facing stand point - the Radian is a must (if you are able to try it in your vehicle first to make sure it's compatable, that would be great - though it is a simple install in my suburban, so is the Recaro).

I moved my daughter out of her Como at 3 1/2 years old, she was FF'ing in it and didn't have any leg support from it and also was squished into it via shoulder room (and she's not a large kid - she's right now 4 1/2 years old and 36 lbs and ALLLLL legs with a 17 inch inseam and 41 inches tall).

If your are looking to rear face for a long time to come, I would go with the Radian over the como (for both FF'ing and RF'ing) because of the room it provides in both leg room and shoulder room.

Right now my Como is with a friend of mine harnessing her 4 year old son.....do I still have my Como love - why yes I do - it's the seat I have owned the longest (since 2007) and will more than likely own until it expires. I just don't have anyone to sit in it now and have a whole family of carseats here at the house to choose from.

IDK about the boosters......but hopefully helped with the convertibles.

Thank you, this is very helpful too. : )

I have heard the Recaro Signos and Comos lacks leg support FF and the shoulder room can be a problem as they grow. This is hard because she still fits great in her Signo and my husband only wants more Recaros.

He took one look at the Radian last night and didn't care for how the sides look, he just doesn't think there is much side support there. We have never seen a Radian in person so it is hard to tell. I want to see if I can find a retailer near us that carries them so we can check them out more.

I'm starting to think we may keep the Recaros in our Passat and buy a Radian and Probooster for my mother's truck. Then when DD outgrows her Signo we can buy another Radian for the Passat. Now to convince my DH! That may be hard to do...

Koli Ava · 05-07-2010, 05:20 AM

I found a place about 6 miles from us that carries Sunshine Kids! DH really doesn't like the idea of them, but he has agreed we can go look at them this morning.

jjordan · 05-07-2010, 09:32 AM

Lucky you to have Radians so close by! The XT has head "wings" so your dh might like that model better than the 65 and 80.

Koli Ava · 05-07-2010, 11:08 AM

It worked out well! I'm glad there is a store close by that carries them and I was able to go take a look. They are really nice seats and very solid.

My husband LOVES our Recaros and he would be happy to just buy another set. But he does understand I want a seat that can rearface as long as possible, so I think I've talked him into a Radian XTSL. He even narrowed it down to which two colors he prefers.

So DD will be getting a Radian XTSL and DS will be getting a Recaro Probooster. I just need to pick colors.

jjordan · 05-07-2010, 11:31 AM

Yay! Hope you love both new seats!

Koli Ava · 05-07-2010, 12:07 PM

Thank you!

Just placed my orders! I bought the Recaro Probooster in Blue Opal and the Sunshine Kids Radian XTSL in Nitro. I will update with photos when they arrive!

I will do a review on the new Probooster for sure, I'm sure some people might like to see side by side photos comparing it to the Vivo.

martha.nelson · 05-07-2010, 01:03 PM

Can't wait for the review on the probooster!

05-06-2010, 07:45 PM	#1
Koli Ava Registered Users Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 1,685 Ratings: 41 Feedback: 100%	Recaros or Sunshine Kids? Need both carseat & booster seat! Hi ladies! I need some help deciding on a new carseat for my 2 year old daughter and a new booster seat for my 7 year old son. Currently my daughter is rearfacing in a Recaro Signo and my son is in a Recaro Vivo booster in our 2007 PASSAT 3.6 SDN 4M. My mother is moving to our town in early June so we need to buy an extra carseat and booster seat for her vehicle. She drives a 2005 Chevy Silverado Crew Cab Z71. It fits both our Recaros fine and allows my daughter to rearface, so we may move those to her truck and buy new seats for our Passat. I love our Recaros, they have worked great for us and we have been using them for over a year now. I was leaning towards buying the same seats for my children again. I have heard great reviews on the Radians too though. I also like that a child can be kept rearfacing in them for longer than most seats as extended rearfacing is very important to me. I've been looking at the Recaro Signo G2 or the Radian XTSL for DD. I would also like to hear which booster seats are recommended for a 7 year old. I'm thinking of another Recaro or the Sunshine Kids Monterey. The price does not matter, I am more concerned about safety and comfort for the children. Any thoughts on this and advice would be very welcome. Thanks! : ) Last edited by Koli Ava; 05-06-2010 at 08:25 PM.

05-06-2010, 08:03 PM	#2
jjordan Registered Users Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 7,630 Ratings: 20 Feedback: 100%	Re: Recaros or Subshine Kids? Need both carseat & booster seat! I don't know a lot about recaros, but I do know lots of people love their Vivos. However, from what I've heard, I think the Monterey is more comfortable for bigger kids. As for a convertible, I know less about the Recaro convertibles than I do about their boosters. BUT, FWIW, I never really hear the experts recommending the convertibles any more, and Radians are highly recommended. I checked car-seat.org and saw successful Radian installs in a few passats, although none that were 2007's. If you order from diapers.com, they have free returns in case the seat doesn't work out. ETA: I just saw that Recaro has a new booster and a new convertible, but I don't know anything about them other than the product descriptions from those links. Last edited by jjordan; 05-06-2010 at 08:20 PM.

05-06-2010, 11:11 PM	#3
babygirlsmom1005 Registered Users Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: North Texas Posts: 2,774 Ratings: 92 Feedback: 100% My Mood:	Re: Recaros or Sunshine Kids? Need both carseat & booster seat! I have owned both a Recaro Como (same as the G2 with minor changes - the shells and body of the carseat are the same) and a Radian XT (40 lbs RF'ing limit and not super latch). For a older extended rear facing stand point - the Radian is a must (if you are able to try it in your vehicle first to make sure it's compatable, that would be great - though it is a simple install in my suburban, so is the Recaro). I moved my daughter out of her Como at 3 1/2 years old, she was FF'ing in it and didn't have any leg support from it and also was squished into it via shoulder room (and she's not a large kid - she's right now 4 1/2 years old and 36 lbs and ALLLLL legs with a 17 inch inseam and 41 inches tall). If your are looking to rear face for a long time to come, I would go with the Radian over the como (for both FF'ing and RF'ing) because of the room it provides in both leg room and shoulder room. Right now my Como is with a friend of mine harnessing her 4 year old son.....do I still have my Como love - why yes I do - it's the seat I have owned the longest (since 2007) and will more than likely own until it expires. I just don't have anyone to sit in it now and have a whole family of carseats here at the house to choose from. IDK about the boosters......but hopefully helped with the convertibles. __________________ Marcie wife to Mike mom to Madeline 10/2005 , Marshall 4/2009 and surprise #3 due 9/2011

05-07-2010, 05:20 AM	#5
Koli Ava Registered Users Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 1,685 Ratings: 41 Feedback: 100%	Re: Recaros or Sunshine Kids? Need both carseat & booster seat! I found a place about 6 miles from us that carries Sunshine Kids! DH really doesn't like the idea of them, but he has agreed we can go look at them this morning.

05-07-2010, 09:32 AM	#6
jjordan Registered Users Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 7,630 Ratings: 20 Feedback: 100%	Re: Recaros or Sunshine Kids? Need both carseat & booster seat! Lucky you to have Radians so close by! The XT has head "wings" so your dh might like that model better than the 65 and 80.