When I was looking for a convertible car seat for my son, I started asking around the mommy community. Sunshine Kids, now Diono, came back hands down the favorite. For many reasons, Radians rank amongst the best car seats available. This seat is very heavy. If you are a person who moves the seat around a lot, this could be a negative for you, but it is heavy for a reason. It has a solid, metal frame, which makes it unbelievably sturdy. It folds up pretty small, which makes it great for travel. It installs very easily with the Super latch system or a seat belt. The seat cover can be completely removed for easy washing. My only complaint is the lack of cup holders. It actually makes me quite crazy not having cup holders in these seats. My younger son has the new Diono Radian, and this seat did come with a removable cup holder, but it is completely useless. By the time my son was old enough to know how to use it, he immediately pulled it out and threw it on the ground. That started at about 1 year old and now over 2, he still takes it out and throws it if I put it in...so we have completely stopped using it. But, considering this seat some of the highest rear facing weight limits, amazing crash test results, very high weight and height limits for the 5 point harness, I can overlook this shortcoming.

krista94

Jacksonville, FL

We have two of these. Our 15 month old is rear facing in one and 3.5 year old is forward facing in the other. I feel very safe knowing our girls are in heavy duty steel reinforced car seats. Its scares the crap out of me to see some of the other flimsy seats on the market!

sarahelaine

USA

I am so happy to have purchased the Radian 80 for now Toddler. He is a very tall little boy in the 90%. He was to tall for his infant seat at 9 months old. I needed him to stay rear facing and I still want him to because my research says he is much safer that way. Most seats he would already be to tall for. It rear faces to 40lbs so we have a way to go since he is just over 30 now. We still have about 3 inches above his head. I drive a Honda civic and some times I need to fit 3 car seats in there. With any other car seat this would be impossible but not with the Radian. It would not be good for a two door car though for rear facing because it does sit back pretty far. It works best rear facing in the middle seat of a Honda Civic. On the sides the seat needs to be to far forward for anyone else to sit up there. I love that they can just slide their legs over to the side if they don't want to put them against the seat so I don't feel like he is cramped in this seat. I highly recommend it. Durability Love that these last for 8 years instead of the standard 6 of other seats.

bradsgirl1972

Lexington, KY

After much research, my husband and I decided to purchase a Sunshine Kids Radian 80 for our three-year-old son.  He is tall and skinny, and we want to keep him rear-facing as long as possible (children are hundreds of times safer in a car accident if they are rear-facing instead of forward-facing.  In fact, all of us, adults included, would be safer if we were rear-facing!).  With the Sunshine Kids Radian 80, our son is able to stay rear-facing until he is 45 pounds (unless he outgrows it in height first; a child has outgrown the rear-facing limit of his seat when his head is one inch or less below the top of the car seat shell).  Considering he is only 30 pounds soaking wet at three-years-old, he should be able to stay rear-facing for quite some time!  After that, he'll be able to stay in the Sunshine Kids Radian 80 until he has reached 80 pounds, which is fantastic!  My only complaint about this seat is that I have a hard time installing it.  No matter how hard I try, it seems to be difficult to get the seat snug enough in my vehicle.  I'm told that using the included rear-facing tether will help with this problem, so I'm looking forward to trying that and seeing how it works out.    So many parents are under the impression that you turn your child forward-facing at 20lbs, put them in a booster at 40lbs, and put them in the regular seat as soon as the law allows.  Please do serious research before making these decisions, and know that there are seats out there like the Radian that allow your child to be safer for a much longer time.

iheartgarlic

Corona, CA

I bought this seat when I was pregnant with my second child.  She has used it since birth, at 7lbs even.  I absolutely love this seat.  I have since bought one for her older brother and any future children will be in one too!  My son is 6 years old and it feels great to be able to have him in a 5 point harness still.  My daughter is 2.5 years old and still comfortably rear facing in this seat.

KeriJMiller

Minneapolis, MN

I love my Sunshine Kids Car Seats!  I have three children under five years of age and I drive a VW Passat.  When shopping for a new Car Seat for my daughter, safety and space were both very important.  I did a lot of research on a variety of seats and the Sunshine Kids seats seemed to be the perfect option for my needs.  The seat is made with a steel frame which allows it to be so compact while maintaining safety.  The downside to the steel frame is that it is rather heavy, however I only move the seat for various reasons about once a month, so that is not a big issue.  The seat is very simple to install and takes only a few minutes to change from one vehicle to another.  Another plus is that has a very cute cover!  There are two negatives about the seat, but neither are a big deal to me.  The first is that the seat is straight up and does not have much of an incline.  Upon purchasing it, I was concerned my daughter would not be comfortable, but after a summer full of road trips she has has no problems at all going to sleep.  My second concern is that the bottom buckle is rather close to the child, which does not bother my daughter, but I bought the same model in a different color for my son and he complains about it being too close to his "area" sometimes.

ncmomofthree

Statesville, NC

The Princess Radian80 car seat is what we purchased for our third baby. Not only is it just adorable covered in quality fabric, but is it practical and safe. I love the easily adjustable straps that tighten and expand quickly so each day whether we are wearing winter coats of light jackets I can make sure the fit is just right. The padded cushions are designed to grow with your child. We've used this car seat to bring her home from the hospital and she was snug and comfortable in all the soft padding they provide. It held her head and body in place and gave a safe a comfy fit. Now that she is one years old, we've easily adjusted the strap height and padding. The sleek design makes it an easy fit in the car. Sunshine Kids makes high quality car seats that meet high safety standards. Well work every penny.

Agator

Wichita, KS

When we were expecting our second child, I knew we would have to upgrade my oldest daughter's car seat.  Although the baby carrier fit in the back seat next to her old seat, there was no way we could get 2 toddler seats side by side in the back of a sedan because they would be too wide.  After doing LOTS of research, I found Sunshine Kids car seats.  I loved that they were only 17" wide so that they could fit next to each other safely.  The safety factors they put in were reassuring as well. After having the Radian 80 for both of my 2 oldest daughters for a couple of years, I can say it was a worthwhile purchase!  The low profile sides made it easy for the girls to climb in and out on their own a lot sooner than my friends' kids in the more traditional seats.  They could also see out the windows better which meant they were happier passengers.  After our third baby got too big for her infant carrier, we purchased a newer the Radian 80SL to match the older girls.  She is now rear facing and loves being able to sit between her sisters.  Be aware that the Radian 80 is tall.  In the rear facing position it is very difficult to fit in the back seat unless the front seat is pulled up a great deal or unless it is in the middle and can fit between the front seats.  It worked in a Chevy Impala in the middle seat and now in a Ford Expedition.

momof3girlies

Houston, TX

Sunshine Radian 80 is the tallest, slimmest, biggest weight limit car seat on the market.  It is the only car seat that you will be able to fit 3 across in your car.  When you have multiple children in multiple car seats, this is the one to buy!  My children, 4 years old and 1 year old twins, fit comfortably in them.  My oldest is very tall for her age (as big as a 7 year old) and could move into a booster.  I choose to keep her in her car seat because she is safer there.  She never complains about it and loves her seat.  I still have plenty of strap for her to grow even more, as well as plenty of head room.  This is the one car seat you will ever have to buy.

Safirecat

Washington, DC

We love this car seat!  Recommended by a friend, this seat is perfect for our car which has a smaller back seat.  Much narrower that the Britax Marathon but super comfortable.  My daughter fits perfectly and has plenty of room to grow...up to 80 pounds!  It is also great to travel with b/c it fold and has a carrying strap to hold it over your shoulders.

gr8mom22

Mount Kisco, NY