Sunshine Kids Radian 80 Car Seat Review
Like many parents, I’m very particular about the type of car seats I buy for my kids. While I’ve never been in a car accident, I simply don’t want to have any regrets in case I ever am. I just can’t imagine putting my kids into a car seat that fails on them when they really need it!
Unfortunately, my fears have a basis. There are numerous stories all over the internet about how seat belts used with boosters have failed when they were needed the most - in the middle of a car accident. Someone I know lost their 10 month old baby because the car seat belt failed when their car lost control and rolled.
Because of my concern for safety, I’ve done quite a bit of research on car seats. There are two brands that stand out as being extra safe, especially because they have seats that allow children to remain in a 5-point harness as long as possible. Those brands are Britax and Sunshine Kids.
I decided to buy the Sunshine Radian 80 car seats. I felt they would keep my girls nice and safe up until they are 80 pounds. Most car seats have weight limits of 40 pounds and then want you to move your kids into a booster. The Sunshine Radian keeps them safest in the 5 point harness for double the normal weight limits! They also have some other great features as well.
Internal steel frames - sunshine and heat won’t make these car seats less durable
Convertible options - these seat can be set both rear-facing for infants and forward facing for older kids
The harness belts don’t fold up - cheaper car seats tend to have harnesses that fold up and get really hard to handle
LATCH system - because car seat belts have been known to fail, the LATCH system allows the car seat to be strapped directly to the car for better safety
Transportable - while the Sunshine Radian 80 seats are heavy due to the strong steel frame, they do fold up nicely and transport easily like a backpack. This feature is pretty neat if you have to do airline travel.
Narrow - you can actually fit three car seats in a row in the back of a minivan if you need to. That works real well for me now that I have added another baby to our family. All three kids sit together in car seats from ages 0 to 8 years old!
I never regret buying my Sunshine Kids Radian 80 car seat. My kids are in one of the safest car seats on the market and comfortable to boot. The extra money was definitely worth it!
