When you have children you quickly learn just how expensive they can be right from the beginning. After I had my first son I thought we would be set for many months with diapers, wipes and even clothing that we had received from our family and friends. I was shocked when after only a month I was having to buy new things because he had run out of diapers or already grew out of his clothing. The same thing was true with his car seat! He is almost 8 but in these 7 short years I had to purchase 3 different car seats to accommodate him growing, I don’t know about you but this was a HUGE expense for us when added all together.
Recently I was sent the Diono Radian RXT Shadow for Aubrey. This was perfect timing because like my previous child she too had started to outgrow her car seat and need something bigger that could convert into a booster seat in a few years. Right from the start, before I even took the seat out of the box I was already a fan of the Radian RXT. This is because it is a seat that you can use right from the start and continue to use until your child no longer needs a booster seat. The seat actually has a 10 year life and weight limit of 5-120 pounds. It can be used all of 3 stages including rear-facing, forward facing and a booster seat.
Features Include:
- Rear-facing: 5 – 45 lbs
- Forward-facing: 20 – 80 lbs (and up to 57″) in a 5-point harness
- Booster to 120 lbs
- Steel alloy frame and aluminum reinforced sides
- Safestop® energy-absorbing harness system
- Adjustable head support, reinforced for complete side impact safety
- Energy-absorbing EPS foam panels on all sides
- Rear-facing tether capability
- LATCH installation up to 80 lb child
- Infant body support cushions
- Memory foam padding for superior comfort
- 5 shoulder and 3 buckle positions for custom fit
- Expandable sides and longer seat bottom for leg support and comfort
- 12 height positions for adjustable head support
- 2 recline positions in forward-facing mode
- Sits low on vehicle seat for easy child boarding
- Fits 3 across in a mid-size vehicle and offers more shoulder space
- Add up to 4 cup holders (1 included)
- Folds flat for travel and storage
- Rubber bottom grips for no-slip installation
- 10 year life
There are several different colors to chose from in this particular seat. We ended up going with the Shadow which is a darker plaid. I think it goes great with our dark leather seats and if Aubrey spills something on it, it will pretty much hide it. I had no trouble putting the seat together and installing it with the latch system in my car. It took me about 20 minutes or so from start to finish and I found that using the instructions and online videos helped me tremendously. The latch system is bar-far the best I have encountered in seats. Aubrey’s last car seat had a latch system that was very poorly done and had to be adjusted quite often to make sure the seat wasn’t moving back and forth. I thought this was “normal” until I installed the Radiant RXT and was shocked at how secure this seat was especially compared to my last car seat.
Aubrey was very excited about her new seat, especially her own cup holder. The RXT can hold up to 4 cup holders which I could definitely see coming in handy for snacks, or if you have other children in the back seat that don’t use car seats.
Safety is probably the most important thing to look at when you are purchasing a seat. Diono’s steel-frame car seats have consistently earned the highest safety ratings in the most demanding crash tests in the industry.
I think the second most important thing about a car seat is comfort. Normally we run quite a few errands throughout the day and having an uncomfortable seat would make these trips both bad for Aubrey and me. It’s hard enough to get things done in a limited amount of time but if you have a preschooler in the back complaining the whole time, is not a good situation. Aubrey immediately noticed how soft her new seat is, it’s also low enough to the seat that she is able to climb up inside by herself. The sidewalls on the sides of the seat is what Aubrey calls her seat pillows. The first time she was able to ride in the car with her new seat she actually feel asleep in about 5 minutes.
We are loving the new Diono Radian RXT Car seat! As a mom I feel so much more safe riding in the car knowing that Aubrey is secured in her seat so well. This is the perfect choice for parents who also want a high quality car seat that will last them from the time you bring your baby home from the hospital all the way up until they are big enough to use a lap belt. In my opinion, this is the only seat you will every need.
Buy It:
You can purchase the Diono Radian RXT Online or in stores for around $339.99
Stay tuned for a Diono RadianRXT Giveaway in the week or so!
Disclosure; This is a non-paid post and honest opinions were used. All opinions expressed are based on my own experience and may differ from others. Thanks to the company and/or pr agency for providing me with the car seat to review.
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