I’ll never forget the moment that I put my little babies in their bucket for the first time on our way home from the hospital. The bucket was so light and I couldn’t imagine how my new tiny baby would ever fill out the whole thing. But it happens and it happens fast! The great thing about an infant bucket is that they serve a purpose for a short period of time- a baby who sleeps most of the day needs to be portable!
Then one day it happened. I put them in their bucket and picked it up. I felt like I was going to fall over! My shoulders and wrists started to hurt also. How did the infant bucket get so heavy all of the sudden?! I really couldn’t carry them in it anymore. With both kids, that has been my cue to go buy a new car seat! Get the baby out of the bucket asap and into a convertible car seat.
But where to start? Like any baby item that I have purchased I research. I want to make sure that I’m getting the best bang for my buck. With car seats I also want to know about their safety rating, the quality, the durability of the car seat and the longevity. Car seats like any baby item can be overwhelming. There are SO many to buy with so many different features. I was thrilled when I was offered a Diono Radian RXT car seat the same week that I planned on buying my sons new car seat. The funny thing is that I was going to purchase a Diono Radian RXT anyways and let me tell you why.
I made a mistake when I purchased my older child’s car seat. I got caught up in a good deal that I didn’t think about her being able to grow out of the car seat earlier than expected. You see, she’s very tall so although she is so far under the weight limit of the car seat she will outgrow it in length first which means I will have to purchase the next type of car seat for her. When shopping now for my son the longevity of a car seat was so important for me. I love that the Diono Radian RXT takes me from all the way from 5 lbs to 120 lbs! Kids can also ride rear facing in the Radian RXT up to 45 lbs! Seeing that my little (or big) guy is 20 lbs at 10 months I’m assured that he will be able to stay rear facing for quite a while! Then once I decide to flip the car seat around to forward facing, this is the only seat I will need. The seat is able to switch from a forward facing car seat into a booster. The only seat I will need! That’s music to any parent’s ear and wallet!
Safety ratings are also really important to me, especially in terms of a car seat. I need to ensure that my most precious cargo is safe. I love that Diono makes their crash test ratings available on their website for consumers to read.
The quality on the Radian RXT is supurb. The car seat has a steel alloy frame aluminum, reinforced side walls, energy absorbing EPS foam and an energy absorbing 5-point harness. These things give me peace of mind that god forbid we should ever be in a car accident, my little guy will be well protected.The fabric is plush making it comfortable for little and big riders.
I chose the Radian RXT in Storm. I can’t wait to share our experience with all of you.
Visit parentscanada.com/carseats for all the information you need for getting the right car seat.
What features are most important to you when looking for a new car seat?
Disclosure: I was provided with a Diono Radian RXT for sharing my experience choosing a car seat, installing it and using it. All of the opinions in this blog are my own.
When it comes to choosing a car seat, it’s all about comfort and safety.
My friend has a Diono car seat (or maybe two) and raved about it. I agree… they outgrow car seats so fast! Right now, the biggest thing I look for in a car seat is a removable, washable cover – ’cause you KNOW it’s gonna get dirty! 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
Car seats are so important. I’m still surprised at the amount of parents who take their children out of car seats and boosters before they should. My daughter Gabrielle, who’s 9, is quite annoyed that I still have her seating on a booster. She’s always telling me about her friends not having to sit on one anymore…
Diono was our first choice for a convertible seat but unfortunately when we were ready to change they were all out of stock!! Go figure, I should have planned better.
Looks like he’s getting some good use out of that car seat.
Choosing can be very overwhelming and I have heard nothing but amazing things about Diono. One of my favorite features is that you can have three in a row! Originally I was going to purchase a Diono but the store didn’t have any left!
We made the mistake of buying a seat that our son grew out of pretty quickly. great review, looks like a great seat!
Great tips! I have never heard of Diono, but I love the way they look. They have so many safety items built in that its not hard to fall in love with them!! Great review!
Safety and comfort is so important when choosing a car seat. Great tips in your review…thanks for sharing!