Update: Here is my review of the Graco Extend2Fit with 3 across guides.

Every now and then a car seat manufacturer comes along that raises the bar. A couple of years ago, Clek did it by becoming the first manufacturer in the US to offer 50-lb rear-facing seats with the Foonf. The ability to rear-face children in car seats until they reached 50 pound had been available in Sweden for years, but until a few years ago, it had not been an option available to parents in the United States.

Two years ago in 2014, Diono challenged Clek by offering not one, but two 50-lb-capable rear-facing convertibles: the Rainier and the Pacifica, and offering each at a lower price than the Foonf. Clek, of course, responded soon after with the Fllo, which was cheaper and lighter than the Foonf and narrower than the Rainier and Pacifica.

Things stayed the same until 2015, when Safety 1st entered the 50-lb game this year with the Advance EX 65 Air+, which became the first 50-lb seat under around $300. It was bulkily-sized and bulkily-named, but it was more affordable. Finally, Graco has entered the 50-lb game with the soon-to-be released Graco Extend2Fit convertible, which promises 50-lbs of rear-facing goodness for under $200 MSRP. Is it too good to be true? Let’s take a look!

How long will children be able to rear- and forward-face in the Graco Extend2Fit?

Children will be able to rear-face from 4-50 lbs and forward face from 22-65 pounds. There is a 49″ height limit when forward-facing, the standard 1″ from the top of the seat rule applies when both rear- and forward-facing, and an infant insert must be used when your child is at the lower end of the weight range while rear-facing. There is a 10-position adjustable harness that tops out at 18 inches, and you can choose from 6 recline positions; 3 of which are designed for rear-facing and 3 of which are exclusive to forward-facing.

How much will the Graco Extend2Fit weigh, and what are its dimensions?

The Extend2Fit is expected to weigh around 25 pounds and is about 20″ wide from one cupholder to the next, which means you’ll still want to consider seats like the Fllo and Foonf if you’re interested in narrow seats that allow you to rear-face to 50 pounds while still working in 3 across situations. Graco states that the seat is designed to be sufficiently compact such that an average-height man will be able to use a front passenger or driver seat immediately in front of the Extend2Fit without needing to pull the vehicle seat forward excessively. I’m not sure what that translates into in daily use, but I’ll be happy to test the seat and add it to my rear-facing convertible space guide once I have it in my hands.

How long will parents be able to use the Graco Extend2Fit?

Per Graco, the Extend2Fit has a 10-year shelf life, meaning you will potentially be able to get 10 years of use out of it. Practically speaking, you’re not going to get that much time with one child, as a child who used it from birth would almost certainly outgrow the forward-facing 65-pound limit long before reaching 10 years of age. However, you’ll definitely be able to use it for at least 6 years with most children, and even longer with shorter or lighter children. And quite frankly, the best combination / booster seats on the market, the Frontier G1.1 and Pinnacle G1.1, are still going to be the best choices for getting your kids to the point where they don’t need car seats anymore.

How much will the Graco Extend2Fit cost, when’s the release date, and where can I buy it?

The Graco Extend2Fit is expected to cost $199, placing it right under the $200 barrier that’s often the most many parents can afford when it comes to car seats. You’ll be able to buy it at Amazon, and I’ll have a review ready as soon as I get my hands on one. It should be available for pre-order this December and formally ship in January 2016.

This is great news for fans of extended rear-facing and affordable car seats, and will hopefully lead to more parents taking advantage of the myriad of reasons to continue rear-facing past 1, 2, and into the preschool years.

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If you find the information on car safety, recommended car seats, and car seat reviews on this car seat blog helpful, you can shop through this Amazon link for any purchases, car seat-related or not. Canadians can shop through this link for Canadian purchases.

If you’re a sports fan, you might have a lot of sports gear around your home, and even within your vehicle. Perhaps you’re even raising a little MLB, NBA, NCAA, or NFL fan in the back seat. Whatever team you support, if you’re in the market for a booster seat, you might want to consider the Lil Fan High-Back / Low-Back booster seat series. They’re designed to keep your little ones safe while allowing them to show off their fan pride. Around where I live, most folks are for the Cubs, White Sox, Cardinals, Bears or Packers. There are still a few Bulls fans, but not like there used to be in the ’90s. At any rate, enough sports talk; let’s take a look at the Lil Fan Booster. I picked mine up, as usual, from Amazon, and decided to see if it held up on the safety end as well as it did from the sporty end.

2015 Lil Fan High-Back / Low-Back Booster – What’s the big deal?

The Lil Fan high-back / low-back booster, beneath its sports insignia, is a dual mode booster seat. In other words, it’s designed to be used with children who have outgrown forward-facing harnesses but who still aren’t ready to use the adult seat belt. To determine when kids are ready for the adult seat belt, I recommend the 5 step test.

The Lil Fan can be used in both a high-back booster and as a low-back booster. I prefer high-back boosters to low-back boosters, as they free you from depending on the vehicle’s seat to comfortably fit a child’s upper body (i.e., the torso) and from depending on the vehicle’s seat to include a well-fitting head rest. However, the low-back end allows you to continue using the booster if your child outgrows the high-back part before reaching the point where s/he no longer needs a booster.

Buy the Lil Fan booster on Sale at Amazon here.

Lil Fan High-Back / Low-Back Booster Limits for Weight and Height and Measurements

High-back booster: 30 to 110 lbs. Your child must be between 38″ and 57″ tall, and according to the box, at least 4 years old. Personally, I recommend using rear-facing or forward-facing harnessed seats until your child is at least 5 years old, as very few children will be physiologically or psychologically ready to use a boostered seat at that age.

Personally, I’m far more comfortable with 6, 7, or even 8 years of age if your harnessed seat will allow it. Oddly enough, the 4 year old minimum age range isn’t listed anywhere on the manual or booster itself.

Low-back booster: 40 to 110 pounds. Your child must be between 40″ and 57″ tall and at least 4 years old, and the vehicle’s head restraint must provide an adequate head support.

Lifespan and other measurements: The Lil Fan has a 6 year lifespan before
you will need to replace it due to expiration. You also need to replace it if it is involved in a crash. Seven height positions are included in the head support. The lowest of the 7 height positions is 14.5″ while the tallest is 20.5.” This isn’t as high as that found in the best boosters and combination seats on the market, such as the Frontier G1.1 / 90 and Pinnacle G1.1 / 90, but it’s off to a very good start, and it’s better than a number of other boosters on the market.

The seat is 13″ deep and ranges from 10″ in width at the rear part of the seat to a max of 13″ by the cup holders. The seat itself measures 17″ in width at the armrests, which makes it a good choice for 3 across installations due to its narrowness. You can check out the full 3 across car seat guide for more tips of combinations likely to work in your car, SUV, pickup truck, or minivan.

Using the Lil Fan High-Back / Low-Back Booster

Vehicle fit

The Lil Fan was easy to set up out of the box, and it’ll only take you a few minutes to have it in ready to use condition in your given vehicle. At 17 inches across, it’s a good booster for 3 across setups. There are narrower boosters out there, like the Clek Oobr, but of course, they won’t come with your favorite fan branding. Using the cup holder will increase the width, of course.

Child fit

The Lil Fan fits a good range of kids, although it’s definitely not the tallest-fitting booster on the market. That award goes to the Frontier G1.1 / 90 and the Pinnacle G1.1 / 90. That said, you can still get a child most of the way (and in some cases all the way) with the Lil Fan in its high-back mode without resorting to the low-back mode. Remember to look for the signs to let you know when your child is and isn’t ready to go without a booster. If your child doesn’t pass the 5-step test before outgrowing the Lil Fan in the high-back mode, s/he almost certainly will before outgrowing the low-back mode.

When using a dual mode booster seat like the Lil Fan, there are a few elements to keep in mind. First of all, the shoulder belt guide must always be either at or just above your child’s shoulders; you adjust this by adjusting the booster’s head rest height. If you reach a point in high-back mode where your child’s shoulders are above the highest height setting for the shoulder belt guide, you’ll need to remove the high back and use the low-back mode, or the bottom.

Comfort and Maintenance

The Lil Fan series are comfortable seats with a light amount of padding throughout the body. Maintenance is relatively simple; you simply remove the cover and machine wash it in cold water. You’ll want to use a mild detergent and the delicate or gentle cycle, and it’s best to line-dry the fabric to reduce wear. To remove the cover, you unsnap it from the high-back and pull off the elastic on the low-back.

Buy the Lil Fan booster on Sale at Amazon here.

Why Buy the Lil Fan High-Back / Low-Back Booster?

As wonderful as it is to have the wide range of teams available through the Lil Fan series, for me, the most important element of this car seat, and of any car seat, isn’t aesthetic, but functional. The question I’m always asking myself is how good of a job the seat does when it comes to keeping kids safe. And when it comes to keeping kids safe in a booster seat, I prefer to see them spend several years in two kinds of seats before ever sitting in a booster. That means rear-facing for as long as possible before forward-facing (ideally until 4 or even 5!), and once forward-facing, doing so for a number of years (ideally until 8!) before beginning to booster. Finally, once kids are boostering, I like to see them using boosters for as long as it takes until they can sit in vehicle seats with adult seat belts safely; that usually takes most kids until they’re between 10 and 12.

The Lil Fan will do a good job in allowing most kids to use it until they pass the 5-step test. For most kids, this will require using it in both high-back and low-back modes, because a number of children may outgrow it in the high-back mode. If you’re looking for booster seats that will allow kids to use them in the high-back mode from start to finish, you’re looking for a seat like the the Frontier G1.1 / 90 and Pinnacle G1.1 / 90. Those are the two best booster seats on the market right now.

That said, the Lil Fan set is a good one, and I have no hesitation when it comes to recommending it as a boostering option for parents, especially those who follow televised sports. It’s a safe, quality, and relatively affordable booster seat that’s far more appropriate for young children than sitting directly in a vehicle’s seat. You can buy the Lil Fan booster in 31 NCAA team colors here with free returns and free shipping. You can buy MLB booster seats for a range of teamshere. You can also buy diaper-toting backpacks for the NFL and NCAA and diaper-friendly messenger bags for the NFL and NCAA, as well as NCAA sling bags. Who knew car seat safety could be so sporty?

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If you find the information on car safety, recommended car seats, and car seat reviews on this car seat blog helpful, you can shop through this Amazon link for any purchases, car seat-related or not. Canadians can shop through this link for Canadian purchases.

I’ve been a fan of Hauck’s German car seats, strollers, portable cribs, and high chairs ever since I came across one of their artfully-designed strollers some years back. I learned about their first US-based car seat at the Las Vegas ABC Expo, and was happy to learn the Hauck Prosafe 35 (and its twin, the iCoo iGuard 35) were now available on Amazon with free shipping. I placed an order, wrote some 3 across guides while waiting, and settled down for a good review when it arrived. In short, it’s a good little infant seat that can be used to rear-face infants and toddlers who weigh between 4 and 35 pounds.

2015 Hauck Prosafe 35 – what’s the big deal?

The Hauck Prosafe 35 is a straightforward and parent-friendly infant car seat. I like it because it’s sturdy, relatively affordable, and can be used with babies big and small. It’s not my favorite infant car seat on the market, the Kiddy Evolution Pro, as you can’t use it for nearly as long before your child outgrows it. However, the Prosafe 35 does well in its own right by allowing you to rear-face your baby as long as s/he weighs between 4 and 35 pounds, and having a tall enough shell to allow you to take advantage of much of that weight limit.

The Prosafe 35 and iGuard 35 feature a number of goodies including a seatbelt lock-off, a pair of recline angles depending on the weight of your child, high end LATCH lower anchor connectors, a good amount of EPP energy-absorbing foam for buffered side impact protection, a lightweight aluminum handle with an anti-rebound feature, and a reversible infant insert that can be used to either help cool your baby or keep him or her warm.

More broadly, the Prosafe 35 / iGuard 35 is an infant seat, which means you can only use it while rear-facing, but that you can use it from the day your child leaves the hospital. Remember, however, that you can use convertible seats when leaving the hospital if you choose to.

If you use an infant seat like the Prosafe 35 / iGuard 35, you’ll definitely still want to pick up a convertible seat in a year or two to enable you to continue to rear-face. There are a number of great choices which I’ve reviewed here. The main reason to choose an infant seat like the Prosafe 35 as a first car seat instead of a convertible seat is that it’s going to be a lot lighter and easier to install.

Buy the 2015 Hauck Prosafe 35 on Sale at Amazon here.

2015 Hauck Prosafe 35 Limits for Weight and Height

Rear-facing: 4 to 35 pounds. Your child can be up to 32″ tall. The shell itself is 21″ tall, which is taller than the limits on many infant seats today, and the standard 1″ rule applies; the top of your child’s head can’t come within an inch of the top of the head support. An infant insert is included that comes in two parts: fabric and foam. You need to use the insert with the foam wedge when your baby weighs under 11 pounds, while you can choose to use the insert without the foam if your baby is between 11 and 22 pounds.

Even though the vast majority of states still permit forward-facing once your child has turned 1 (except for New Jersey!), as a reader of The Car Crash Detective, I hope you’ll consider rear-facing for longer (such as until 2, 3, or even 4 if you can), the way our Swedish brothers and sisters do. Remember that rear-facing is the safest position we know of for children of all ages.

Once your daughter or son has outgrown the Prosafe 35 by weight or height, she or he will need a convertible seat to continue rear-facing.  I’ve spent years reviewing the best convertible car seats on the market here.

Dimensions and Lifespan of the Hauck Prosafe 35

The ProSafe 35 weighs 10 pounds without the base and 8 more pounds with the base attached. It’s not the lightest seat on the market by a long shot, but it’s not bad for short trips. The lowest harness position is 5.5″ without the infant insert, while the highest is 11.” The shell height tops out at 20″ when you factor in the 1″ rule.

The ProSafe 35 can be used for up to 7 years (commonly known as the car seat’s “lifespan”), and needs to be replaced once it’s been involved in a crash. Seven years after the date of manufacture, you will need to buy a new car seat (and here’s why). It also comes with a 2-year warranty, which is great, since most car seats come with a 1-year warranty.

The interior width of the ProSafe is 9″ at the base and 11″ at the shoulders; the exterior width is 14.5″ at the base and 19″ including the handles. The handle width makes it more of a challenging seat for 3 across car seat installations than an infant seat like the KeyFit 30 or B-Safe 35 Elite.

Using the Hauck Prosafe 35

Installation with base: recline and seat belt lock off

The Prosafe 35’s claim to fame is the recline lever that doubles as a seat belt lock off. Having a good recline angle is essential when transporting an infant due to their extremely small airways, which is why pretty much every infant seat base allows you to adjust the recline to accommodate your vehicle’s seat angle.

Hauck aimed to make this process easier by allowing you change your base angle without moving your base from the seat. You set the base where you want it to go and open the red lock-off. From there, you push the lock-off to the vehicle seat back and raise the base so the recline foot can drop. To reduce your recline setting, you simply push the lever once more while you allow the base to drop to your desired angle.

Since you can use the lever to lock your seat belt at the same time, you can both tighten your belt and lock your recline and belt once you get a good recline angle. The seat belt lock off isn’t necessary in modern cars, but it’s a nice bit of insurance that your belt won’t go moving once it’s in place.

When using seat belts, keep in mind that the inflatable kind (such as those found in some models of the Ford Explorer, for example) may not be used with the seat. This goes for both based and baseless installations.

You can see your recline indicator on top of the Prosafe’s base, which makes it easy to use while installing the base. You can choose between a pair of recline positions. One is for babies who weigh less than 22 pounds, while the other is for babies who weigh more.

Installation with base: LATCH

The LATCH connectors are the push-in style and work smoothly. You can store your connectors in the base in a tiny compartment for each connector. The manual can also be stored in the base. You can buy an extra base (handy for installing the seat quickly in multiple vehicles) here.

LATCH borrowing in the center is allowed if the vehicle’s manufacturer allows you to do so and if there is less than 22″ between the two anchors. Most vehicles don’t allow LATCH borrowing, so keep that in mind before attempting to do so and make sure it’s specifically permitted in the manual.

Installation without base

The baseless installation for the Prosafe 35 is also straightforward, thanks to the large and flat base of the infant seat, which makes the installation stable. You can use a pool noodle to firm up the installation if necessary, but you probably won’t need it. A good safety tip is to angle the handle toward the back of the vehicle’s seat to give you anti-rebound protection; the handle is made of aluminum and designed to offer such protection.

Child Fit

I tried the Prosafe 35 with a variety of training dolls and children and it did a great job with just about all of them. Because the harness height starts at 5,” infant inserts are available, and the crotch positions are adjustable, it’s a very flexible seat for infants of all sizes. The largest child I tried was 12 months old, 30.5″ tall, and 24 pounds; she still had a good amount of room in terms of height and shoulder width, which means this is an infant seat you’re likely going to be able to use up to a year and maybe a bit past it before switching to a convertible.

Regarding the infant insert, there are two parts to keep in mind: fabric and foam. You use the fabric insert with foam when your baby weighs between 4 and 11 pounds, and you use the fabric insert without the foam when your baby weighs between 11 and 22 pounds. There are two fabric choices available with the insert; one is grey and smooth while the other is fuzzy and white. The slick fabric is better in hot weather while the fuzzy one is better in cold weather, but you can use either at any time.

The crotch strap is like the recline settings for the Prosafe 35 in that you can choose between two positions: one is for when babies weigh less than 22 pounds, while the other is for when they weigh more.

There are a pair of harness loops to choose from; unfortunately, you don’t get a no-rethread harness here, as you do in a seat like the Click Connect 40. The upper loops are designed to be used with babies at the 4-11 pound range, and the loops fit into the lowest harness slots available in the shell. The three higher slots are designed to be used with the loops for babies who weigh more than 8 pounds. The instructions are repeated on labels sewn into the harness loops, so don’t worry if you forget ahead of time.

Additional goodies

Additional things I like about the Prosafe 35 include its compatibility with a pair of strollers, the iCoo Acrobat and the Hauck Twister. According to Hauck, more strollers and adapters compatible with the Prosafe 35 will be released next year.

I’m a fan of the machine-washable cover included with the Prosafe 35. I also like how easy it is to install and remove the canopy and cover on the seat. I’m not a fan of the fact that you need to spot clean both the harness and the canopy, but the harness spot cleaning is pretty standard across most car seats due to the importance of not damaging the fabric with harsh detergents.

As is the case with most infant car seats, the Prosafe 35 can be used on airplanes per the FAA. However, it can only be used without the base; for some reason, the base isn’t FAA approved. This just means you’ll use a seat belt install with the seat.

Buy the 2015 Hauck Prosafe 35 on Sale at Amazon here.

Why Buy the Hauck Prosafe 35?

In the end, there are a lot of infant seats to choose from today in the United States, which can make the process of bringing your baby home in one a bit of a challenge. You can choose from models like the safe and popular Chicco KeyFit 30 to what I consider the best infant seat on the market today, the Kiddy Evolution Pro. The best reasons to base purchasing decisions on car seats, in my opinion, involve how well the seats do keeping children safe. For me, that starts with rear-facing.

Unless you have a child with very special needs, such as a highly premature infant who is in need of an infant bed, your infant should start out rear-facing in either an infant seat or in a convertible seat in the rear-facing position. I prefer starting out with infant seats since they’re lighter and since you can install multiple bases to effortlessly move seats from one vehicle to the next.

Infant seats also make it much easier to transfer sleeping infants from the vehicle to the home, or vice versa. That said, no infant seat, not even the best available today in the United States, the Kiddy Evolution Pro, will get your child to age 4, which is where I believe we need to aim for when it comes to rear-facing, the way the Swedes do. To get to 4, you’re going to need to switch to a convertible seat somewhere along the way; I’ve reviewed plenty of these here.

However, even though it won’t get you to 4, the Prosafe 35 will almost certainly get you past 1, and will keep your child safe and cozy inside it all the while. More importantly, you’ll get a secure installation without much trouble, which is essential when you keep in mind how many car seats are improperly installed each day. I heartily recommend the Hauck Prosafe 35, and you can buy it here in black. You can buy an extra base here. You can buy the Prosafe 35 with the Twister Plus stroller here or with the iCoo Acrobat Plus stroller here. Unfortunately, it’s not available in Canada, but the closest Canadian equivalent I’d recommend is the KeyFit 30, available here.

If you find the information on car safety, recommended car seats, and car seat reviews on this car seat blog helpful, you can shop through this Amazon link for any purchases, car seat-related or not. Canadians can shop through this link for Canadian purchases.

Diono is one of my favorite car seat manufacturers now, as they’re determined to make it possible to rear-face for longer in the United States. Reviewing best practices suggests that extended rear-facing is the least risky way of transporting children in passenger vehicles, so whatever makes this more feasible makes our children safer. I’ve reviewed their latest convertible models, the Rainier, Pacifica, and Olympia, and have been thrilled with all of them (although the Pacifica and Olympia have since been discontinued).

2018 update: The Diono Radian R100 continues to be one of the absolute narrowest and best options for rear-facing in the United States and Canada. The only significant changes in the last few years have been in fabric options; the seat is fundamentally the same.

However, their older flagships, such as the Radian RXT, Radian R120, and Radian R100, are still excellent seats that can keep the average child rear-facing until s/he turns at least 4, per Swedish guidelines. The RXT, R120, and R100 also have several advantages over the three current Diono seats, including being cheaper and being the narrowest convertible car seats you can buy. Today we’ll take a look the Diono Radian R100 All-In-One Convertible Car Seat and why it’s worth considering as a cheaper alternative to the RXT and R120. You can buy the Radian R100 here.

Diono Radian R100 – What’s the big deal?

If you followed car seat developments in the last few years, especially around 2014, when there was only one option for 50-pound rear-facing (the Clek Foonf), you likely heard about the Diono Rainier, Pacifica, and Olympia. The first two seats were two of only a handful that allowed children to remain rear-facing until 50 pounds, while the third seat used to be one of the best on the market with a 45 pound RF limit. The Pacifica and Olympia  have since been discontinued, reducing the Diono convertible lineup to the Rainier and 3 Radian seats. However, the Diono Radian R100 is still well-worth considering for anyone interested in a 3-across friendly, extended rear-facing capable convertible car seat.

Technically, it’s an all-in-one convertible car seat, which means you can use it rear-facing for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, and then turn it forward-facing to use during the elementary school years, and then even use it for a while as a booster seat. It’s a slightly older seat than a number of seats on the market right now, but it’s no less safe and should definitely be considered by every parent shopping for a new car seat.

Like the R120, it’s basically the same seat as the RXT except without the head support. The main differences between the R120 and the R100 are that there are slightly lower weight limits present in the R100. Oh, and it costs significantly less. You can skip down to the “Why Buy the Diono Radian R100” section if you just want a summary of why it’s worth it.

Diono Radian R100 Limits for Weight and Height

Rear-facing: 5-40 pounds with a 44″ height limit. There is also a 1.5″ height limit relative to the top of the head rest; your child’s head can’t come within 1.5″ of the top of the seat, to put it more directly.

Forward-facing: 20-65 pounds with a 57″ height limit. Diono stipulates a 1 year minimum for forward-facing and suggests waiting until s/he reaches at least 2. However, best practices suggests rear-facing for as long as possible. I recommend doing so at least until 4, which is daily practice in Sweden, where the fewest young children die per capita in car collisions. Here’s an article providing tips to keep your toddler rear-facing, if you need additional support making it possible.

Booster mode: 50-100 pounds with a 57″ height limit. The R100 is the same as the other Diono convertibles and all-in-ones in terms of the requirement that your child’s shoulders reach the 4th pair of harness slots before you use the R100 as a booster seat. Remember the 5-step test is your go-to-guide for determining when a child is ready to stop using a booster seat and start using a regular vehicle seat and seat belt. If your child doesn’t pass it, and most children won’t until they’re typically 10 to 12 years old, s/he’s not yet ready to sit safely without a booster.

Buy the Diono Radian R100 on Sale with Free Shipping at Amazon.

Dimensions of the Diono Radian R100

The R100 is 17″ wide at its widest point, making it one of the best convertible seats on the market right now for 3 across compatibility. It weighs approximately 26 pounds. The internal width is around 14″ at the shoulders and a bit more down at the thighs.

Using the Diono Radian R100

When you unbox the Radian R100, you’ll notice that it’s collapsed, which makes it easy to attach straps to it and carry it about like a backpack. This comes in handy if you’re traveling and need to use it in a portable situation like in a taxi (where car seats are still necessary) or on an airplane. Of course, it’s FAA approved and airplane compliant as a result. The LATCH straps are stored on the back of the seat, as well as a seat belt clip that you might need when installing the seat in an old car that doesn’t include a locking seat belt. The seat is a solid one, and it makes it easy to see the lineage of the later Dionos when examining it.

Harness adjustment

When installing it for the first time, keep in mind that you might need to adjust your harness straps to make sure they’re even. You have 5 shoulder harness positions to choose from, and there is a recline base that you need to use while rear-facing. Due to the wide range of harness slots and the good span of harness height, most children will find a position that fits them well while using the seat. The harness is unfortunately not a no-rethread design, but is still reasonably easy to adjust. To adjust it, you go behind the seat, pull the straps out of the splitting plate, and thread them into the harness slot you’d like to use.

When rear-facing your child, you’ll need to make sure the harness straps are either at your child’s shoulders or below them; when you’re forward-facing, the straps need to be above the shoulders. However, Diono does allow you to forward-face with your child’s shoulders above the highest shoulder harness slots as long as your child keeps within the weight limit for forward-facing and still has the tops of his or her ears below the highest part of the car seat. This is unique to Diono and shouldn’t be done with other seats.

In many of my 3 across car seat guides where I reference Dionos, I’ll also reference the angle adjuster you can buy for them. It’s cheap, it’s compatible with all of the Diono all-in-one and convertible seats, and  it helps you reclaim a bunch of front-cabin space that would otherwise be compromised by the seat. It’s definitely a good idea to pick one up if you’re in a shorter vehicle (anything under about 190 inches) or if you’ve got taller drivers or passengers. The last thing you want to do is forward-face early because your child seat is a pain to use.

Buy the Diono Radian R100 on Sale with Free Shipping at Amazon.

Why Buy the Diono Radian R100?

This is my favorite part of any review. To put it simply, I’d buy the Radian R100 because it offers many of the benefits of the more expensive Diono seats while costing a bit less. It allows you to rear-face your child for up to 40 pounds. That’s not nearly as good as it gets anymore, as there are a number of seats that will allow you to rear-face until 45 or even 50 pounds on the market, but it’s still good enough to get many kids to 4 while rear-facing. Remember that the longer you rear-face, the safer your child is. While parents tend to forward-face at 1 in the US, in Sweden, it’s not done until 4. As a result, it’s quite rare for a young Swedish child to die in a car crash. This here is why I’d buy the Radian R100.

How does the R100 compare to the R120, RXT, Rainier, Pacifica, and Olympia? (A short Diono convertible comparison)

Besides that, I’m also a fan of the steel frame in the Radian R100, although I wish it had the aluminum reinforced head rest for additional head support as well as the EPS foam around the head for side impact protection that you get with seats like the Radian RXT and Rainier. You also get shallower sidewalls in the R100 compared to in seats like the RXT, Rainier, Pacifica, or Olympia, which results in slightly less side protection. If this matters to you, get the RXT, Rainier, Pacifica, or Olympia. If it doesn’t, get the R100 or R120. If you want to rear-face past 40 pounds and you want to do it in a Diono, go with the RXT, R120, Rainier, Pacifica, or Olympia. If you want to rear-face past 45 pounds in a Diono, your options are the Rainier or the Pacifica. If it doesn’t have to be a Diono, you can also choose between the Fllo and the Foonf.

In short, the Radian R100 is an incredibly narrow (17 inches!) seat that will make it one of a small number of seats possible to install 3 across in just about any vehicle. It’ll let you rear-face until 40 pounds and it costs less than any other Diono convertible on the market. It also has a 10 year lifespan as a booster and an 8 year lifespan when used rear- or forward-facing, which is about as good as it gets right now for a harnessed seat.

The Radian R100 is a great car seat and, in my opinion, still one of the best you can buy today in the US for children between zero and four. You can buy the Diono Radian R100 in Black Plum, Black Mist, Black Cobalt, and Essex prints here. Canadians can buy the Radian R100 here.

If you find my information on best practices in car and car seat safety helpful, you can do your shopping through this Amazon link. Canadians can  shop here for Canadian purchases. Have a question or want to discuss best practices? Join us in the forums!