Away in a Sleigh with Diono Car Seat
Are you doing a lot of traveling this holiday season? We’re not driving any long distances but we’ll be on the road a lot over the next few weeks. W’s safety is at the top of my list of important things. Even with all of the holiday hustle and bustle, keeping him safe as we run around is more important than anything else. Grambo didn’t have a car seat for W now that he’s a toddler so the Diono car seat was a great addition to our family.
Just in time for our holiday craziness, the Diono RadianRXT fits children up to 80 pounds in a 5-point harness. That is music to my ears! Although W’s growth is slowing down a bit, he’s still weighing in at 26 pounds at age 2. He’s a big boy and I don’t know how he will continue to grow so I need car seats that can accommodate him.
We may not be driving a sleigh this season but W still needs to ride in safety!
Diono RadianRXT Car Seat
Can I admit that I was delighted when the Diono RadianRXT arrived on our doorstep. Plum! It was plum colored. And yes, boys can work purple as well as girls. I was hoping for red or purple and I was thrilled by the color of the car seat. Hey, it’s the little things sometimes.
The interior of Grambo’s car is beige so we wanted to try something a bit different from our other gray and black car seats. The plum was perfect! And when I took the seat out of the box, I noticed a few features right off the bat that set it apart from other seats we have experience with.
There is an emergency child information pouch right on the car seat where you can put information about your child for easy access. I had never seen this before!
Travel Easy with Diono
Although all of our travel will be in a car this year, in the future we hope to make some trips that will involve plane travel. W has only flown once and he was young enough to ride on my lap. That is no longer the case. So seeing how easy it is to transport the RadianRXT is to carry, I knew we were now prepared to travel in the future!
The car seat came folded up and I could tell that it would easily travel. But it was also a breeze to unfold and prepare to install in
Grambo’s car. I even did it all by myself! I’ll admit that I usually get J to help me with car seat installation but not this time!
Easy Car Seat Installation
I am a huge fan of the LATCH installation method and my experience was no different with the Diono RadianRXT. It is the only car seat rated with LATCH for children up to 80 pounds. We opted for the forward facing installation because W is old enough and big enough. But I love that the seat can be installed rear-facing from 5 to 45 pounds. That means I could have w rear-facing still. That has been hard to find based on his size.
Forward-facing, the seats is design for children between 20 and 80 pounds. Then the seat converts into a booster for kids up to 120 pounds. If you’re looking to get great value from your car seat investment, Diono definitely offers a seat that can last your child for many years.
The LATCH connectors on the seat are also wonderful. I have used ones that are just clips. They are difficult to remove when we need to move the seat. But the Diono clips are slip to remove. It just takes a press of a little red button. That makes moving the car seat or traveling with it so easy. It also features an area on the back of the seat to store the connectors. No dangling straps or connectors when you fold it up to transport it!
What We Love About Diono RadianRXT
While I love how portable the Diono RadianRXT car seat is and how easy it is to install, those are just a few of my favorite features. What else do we love about this car seat?
- Low profile. W is able to climb into the seat on his own! The lower profile also helps me avoid bumping his head on the car when I put him in or take him out.
- Seat size. The seat length is almost the same as the regular car seat. I believe this will be more comfortable for W as he gets taller and his legs get longer. The seat also takes up less space across the backseat. I think we could easily fit 3 seats or 2 seats and a third person in the backseat!
- Extended 5 point harness. With the Diono RadianRXT, W can stay in a 5 point harness until 80 pounds if he doesn’t get too tall. That should definitely take him to the time when it is truly safe for him to be in a booster seat.
- Lasts longer. While the seat will fit W longer than other seats. It is also features a 10 year life. Many car seats expire after about 6 years but not the RadianRXT. I have a feeling it will be in Grambo’s car for many years to come!
- Easy to clean. No matter how hard I try, W manages to make a mess almost every time we’re in the car. The cover on the Diono RadianRXT can be wiped clean, hand washed, or washed in a front loading washer. I’m going to try to stick to wiping it down but it’s nice to know I have options!
Away we Go with Diono
So Grambo is now prepared to do some of the driving. Until now she’s gotten away with riding shot-gun because we didn’t have a seat for W. But he’s ready to get traveling. And I love knowing that he’s safe and comfortable. Oh, and I also love knowing that we have a seat that will grow with him!
To learn more, you can visit diono.com and I recommend checking out the Diono Car Seat Safety Center as well. It’s a fabulous resource. You can also stay up-to-date by connecting with Diono on Facebook and on Twitter @DionoUSA.
What features are important to you in a car seat?
About Mariah
A couple of features I look for is an extended 5 point harness so my grandson is safer for a longer period of time, and a cup holder is always a plus!
I love that it is Easy to clean
I hate to see my son’s head “flop forward” when he falls asleep in the car seat, so I usually have to prop his head up with a little travel pillow or blankie; it looks like this car seat already comes with head “bumpers”, so this is a *huge* plus for me!!!
I like the LATCH for children up to 80 pounds. This means you can use it a really long time and save money on buying another car seat.
I want a car seat that will last us!
I look for a seat that will last and like this one has a 10 year life span
I look for a 5 point harness and an excellent safety rating.
The most important features for me are that it’s easy to install, easy to clean, takes up less space than other carseats, and has a high weight limit in the 5 point harness position!
Extended rear facing is really important to me as well as a high weight limit.
I look for extended rear facing and the height/weight limits being higher. I also look for side-impact protection
high limits for rearfacing and harness is very important to me
I like all the features. I especially like that it is FAA certified, easy to clean is always a huge plus!
I look for how long a child can ride rear-facing – up to 45 lbs is great!
I look for longevity and Extended Rear Facing. We want the best for our children and for us that means Diono!
I love how long toddlers can ride rear facing in these seats! One of the longest on the market!
I love that my 29 month old still fits RF! And it’s FAA certified.
For me the most important features in a car seat are that it’s convertible and that it has a high rear and forward facing weight limit. As well as, a very tall shell. I want it to last as long as possible rear facing first and then as long as possible forward facing with the 5-point harness.
I love how narrow it is. I have three kids in a Honda CRV and we need the smallest carseats we can find!
I love how long it lasts!
I love the high rearfacing limits. I want to rear face for a long while and would love to have a seat that would accommodate that!
Overall I love this product but especially for the emergency pocket!
I love extended rear facing!
I LOVE that it has a high max. weight and height for rear facing. That is SOO important to us!
Your adorable little pumpkin is in an amazing seat. The high rear facing weight limit is excellent. Why would you not have him in the safest position while riding in a car? At 26lbs your little peanut really should be rear faced. Two years old is not the only (or best) indicator of when to turn a child.
I love this seat, it’s extended rear facing, but I think you misunderstand the seat’s life. It is only 10 if you end up using it as a booster. Otherwise it is an 8 yr lifespan. Please see page 7 of the owners manual.
As important as all the safety features are, I look for a seat that will fit in my car rear facing and still leave room for an adult passenger in the front!
I love the 45lb rear facing weight limit!
I have a chunky monkey 15 month old so I love the fact that this seat has the higher rear facing weight limit. I want to keep her rear facing as long as I can.
Good to hear. I am glad you want to keep her rear facing.
I like that it fits larger children. my son is in the 80th percentile!
I love the longevity of the seat!
I love that you can 5 point harness up to 80 lbs! And that it’s good for 10 years so you really get your moneys worth!
I love that this is rear-facing and forward facing and that it is a slim seat!
I love everything about this seat, especially the low profile and the narrowness of the base of the seat. Safety features are fab of course, but being able to use this seat in any car has made a major difference!
i love how long you can RF with this seat!! hoping to get one for my little man that just turned one
I look for a car seat that will allow my little one to rear face as long as possible. I also love the extended lifespan.
I love the higher RF weight limits.
I look for a seat that is easy to install and easy to use each day. If it’s too hard then it’s not likely to be used correctly, which doesn’t protect the kid and can even be more dangerous…
I love that this seat is perfect for extended rear facing which is what I would use the seat for if I won it. I love how easy it is to travel with on an airplane. I love the low profile sides. I also love that it works well for extended 5pt. harnessing up to a certain point.
For me, a HIGH rear-facing weight limit is essential, since my 5-month-old is already 23 pounds! (He weighed over 11 at birth.) The Diono is on our short list of possible seats to move him into once he gets closer to the weight limit on his infant seat.
I love that the seat goes up to 45 lbs rearfacing!
I love the extra leg room the Diono has for extended rearfacing. My now 7 year old made it to 3 years 4 months before hitting the limits of her seat that we had at that time, but by that time she was starting to run out of space for her legs (she was 95% for height and that was all in her legs). Now that there are so many more extended rear facing seats, I want to find one with more leg room for her leggy 2 year old sister to hopefully keep her rearfacing until 4.
In a seat, I look for high rear facing weight limits. My 2.5 year old is almost 40 inches tall and weights 38 pounds! I want to keep him rear facing as long as possible.
I love how tall the seat is and the higher weight limit!! Yay! More kids will fit in it for longer [especially for rear facing] which means safer kiddos and drivers all around
The extended rear facing is one of the most important features to me. My kids are small, my youngest is almost 4 and 26lbs wearing a 3T my oldest is almost 10 wearing a 7-8 and 53lbs.
Comfort…. I love cushion
This is such an awesome seat. I got the chance to review it and it is very safe and straight forward. Perfect for airplane travel!
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I am very interested in how long a child can use the car seat, and being able to use it for so long in the rear facing position is excellent!
My son is a string bean, so I look specifically for high harness heights. He’s not even 3 yet and most seats on the market seem to be too short to handle harnessing, let alone rear-facing a boy as long as he is!
I value safety the most. I like that this seat can be rear facing until 45 lbs!
My family is a plane trip away, so I love that it’s FAA Certified and so easy to fold & unfold!
Liza @ Views From the ‘Ville recently posted..Creating Disney Princess Magic For The Holidays #DisneyPrincessWMT
Things that love in a car seat is a five point harness that fits young kids that weigh more. My two year old is 35 pounds! We have a hard time finding carseats that fit him. I love that this one does have the five point harness and has a higher weight limit on it!
Megan recently posted..gold, incense and myrrh
i love a car seat that will last, a high weight limit and multiple ways of using it RF,FF, and booster
@Mariah It is great you have such a nice seat for your son and he is safe and all, but just wanted to ask you to look into extended rear facing as at his age he would be so much safer rear facing still.
I look to see how easy they are to take in and out of the car
Love that it’s extended rear facing.
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I really like the emergency pocket and it is easy to clean…
I love the steel reinforced seat, and how low profile it is. Also the best feature of this seat, is that it is very tall with such a high weight limit.
I love when a car seat has a 40+ pound rear-facing limit and extra high shell. I also love when it’s easy to install and easy for the kiddo to climb into and out of.
I look for a carseat that can hold my newborn all the way up to toddler, that way I can spend more knowing that it’s the only seat I need. As well as one I feel is very safe for my child!
I love the 10yr or 8yr lifespan I’m a foster parent and throwing them out after 5years is such a bummer!
I love that the Radian is a comfortable, long-lasting seat. My daughter is almost 2 and she can still comfortably rearface with room to grow.
My favorite thing about this seat is the high rear-facing weight limint. I also love that it’s narrow. We’re expecting our 3rd baby and will have 3 seats in our SUV!
5-point or 5-piece harness (Race Car Drivers use this, so should our babies) this is one feature that it has to have and I love a cup holder.
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Features I look for are, higher weight limits when rear facing and forward,facing, and easy to clean.
I look for easy installation and easy belt releases.
I look for easy installation, and extended rear facing!
I love that the frame is made of metal instead of plastic- I had no idea that’s how other car seats are made. And it’s awesome that it lasts so long… love that you can use it for multiple kids!
I love the emergency card that is attached. Seems very hand in the case of an accident or any other type of incident.
I love that the seat rear faces up to 45 lbs!
I love the colors of these seats – also love how slim it is!
Lindsey G. recently posted..Baby Food Pouches vs Jars
i love the ease of this seat from the latch connectors to how long it can be used for
i love the way it folds to travel the 5 point harness and it well bulid to be secure your baby is safe
its big enough for growth
I love the 5 point harness, I love that it can be rear facing up to 45 lbs. I love that it converts to a booster up to 120lbs. I love its latch system. I love the colors especially the green floral pattern!
I look for a car seat with a high weight limit for the 5 point harness so that it will last longer!
This looks like a great car seat. I like how it is easy to install and that it can be rear facing.
FAA Certified is important for me because I fly a lot.
Jaime Nicole recently posted..New Year’s Eve Parties with Kids: Keeping Everyone Happy, Healthy, and Sane!
Loved your write up. Your review helped clear up some final details about the Diono. And I’m a fan of purple as well