Sunshine Kids Radian 80 Car Seat Review

We purchased 2 Sunshine Kids Radian 80s when we found that we needed to fit 3 car seats accross the backseat of our Acura MDX.  I was uncomfortable leaving one child out of reach in the 3rd row.  I did some research on my own, but these seats were also recommended by our local Safe Kids car seat installation experts. 

These seats allow us to safely and securely carry 3 children in the backseat.  We could have used a 3rd Radian in the middle, but found that our Britax fit fine between the two Radians. 

My daughters, ages 4 and 6, like that the seats are slim and look somewhat like a booster to them.  They have plenty of leg room since the seats sit lower in the car and back farther.  The straps are very easy to buckle and unbuckle and the chest clip is sturdy.  They tighten and loosen right in the front, similar to our Britax seats.  The covers remove easily for washing.  Just remember how you took them off- or putting them back on is tricky!

I do have some small complaints.  The seats are extremely heavy if you plan on moving them frequently.  They do fold and have a shoulder strap- but again, they are so heavy that this doesn't help much. 

The shoulder straps feed into several pre-determined slots in the seat's back.  If your child is at an in-between height, it can be difficult to choose the correct slot.  With our 4 year old, we ended up having the shoulder strap a bit higher than I was happy with. 

These seats are MAJORLY difficult to install with a car's seat belt.  Latch installation is a breeze- you just have to really push into the seat to get it tight.  But with the seat belt installation takes quite a bit longer to get that safe tight fit.  Even the installation expert had a time getting it in tight enough. With quite a bit of pulling we can get them in- but again- not good for a car seat novice.  I would recommend getting these installed the first time by a professional. 

My number one pro is that they are small and can help you fit 3 seats across one backseat.  Or gives you more room with two of these in a smaller car.  They go up to 80 lbs- which means your child can stay in that safer 5-point harness longer.

I highly recommend these seats!