I bought this for my 10 month old, but ended up using it for my 3 1/2 yr old! I took a long trip alone with the 2 kids and wanted to have them both rear-facing. My daughter is too big to rear face in her Britax, but she can in the Radian. She was very comfortable and could keep her toys & books on her lap easily while rear-facing. She enjoyed being "backwards" like her little brother and even wanted to stay that way for a while after the trip. I've decided to keep her in the Radian and let the baby be in the Britax, even though it's a girly print. The Radian is forward-facing now and is very easy for my daughter to climb in and out of. It installed well with LATCH in my minivan and my sister's car. It isn't a snug (unmoving!) as my Britax seat, but it is within the safety range of less than 1 inch movement. I was unable to install it with a seat belt in my minivan, but I think that's more the van's fault. It takes up a lot of room when rear-facing, so it is not for a small car. That is why we got another seat for our daughter before we had a minivan. I wanted a Radian, but was sure it wouldn't fit in our Cavalier rear-facing. If your baby is over 1 yr, you can use Radian's angle adjuster, which helps a lot. This seat is wonderful. It's very sturdy (and heavy). I like the headwings for side impact protection and my daughter leans comfortably on them when she falls asleep. I have experienced some problems tightening the straps at times, as I've heard other Radian owners have. I'm not sure what causes it, but as I'm using it now, there is no trouble. I'd rate this seat 5 stars for safety and comfort, but I can only give it 4 stars because it's not as easy to install and adjust the straps as some other seats. Once you can get that done, though, this seat is wonderful!
Pros
- steel frame
- high weight limits
- easy to climb in and out of
- safety
- comfort
Cons
- can be difficult to install
- difficulty adjusting straps
- takes up too much space rear-facing