Disclosure: I was provided with a product sample to facilitate this post. The words and opinions expressed in this review are strictly of my own.
Mother’s Day is only a few weeks away! What do you plan to gift the new or expecting mom on Mother’s Day? For those fathers-in-waiting, don’t forget to do something extra special for the mom-to-be in your life! She would like to feel appreciated and recognized as a mother even though the baby hasn’t officially arrived! What can you give her? One suggestion would be something she can use for the baby that gets her even more excited about the bundle of joy coming and would make her days as a new mom easier.
The baby market is an endless pool of products. The infinite sea of choices can be overwhelming AND confusing! Discovering the perfect baby gift isn’t as simple as it sounds. One way to narrow down the options is to look at favorite celebrity moms for some product advice. Let’s face it, when it comes to baby products celebrities don’t normally skimp on safety and style. They have all the options and connections at their fingertips and get the best-of-the-best in baby products.
The first step is knowing what every mom needs to have. For instance, ever new mom is going to need to transport their newborn baby back home. So, a good gift idea is a car seat suitable for a newborn. As we all know, car seat safety is the ultimate in importance and should be the deciding factor. However, with so many on the market claiming to be the best how do you begin with your search? This is where the use of beloved celebrity mom’s assistance can help narrow down your options!
Celebrity moms use Diono® Convertible Car Seat for travel! Who? Celebrity moms including Tori Spelling, Holly Madison, Brooke Burke, Lisa Ling, Ali Landry, and Miranda Kerr are just a few who are fans of Diono® car seats! Why? Because the company offers the most stylish ride around packed with ultimate safety and the most bells and whistles for the price! Oh, I should mention celebrity dads also prefer Diono® too!
Diono®Radian rXT Convertible Car Seat Review
Most of you know I have been out of the baby market for a while. My youngest child is now 10 and I haven’t had a need to dip into the vast market of baby products for years. That is until now! My daughter is pregnant with my first grandchild and is due in August. It is time to jump in the baby product pool and get busy preparing for my grandson!
I wanted to give my expecting daughter a gift on Mother’s Day to help show her how excited I am about the baby and something she really needed besides baby clothes. Well, every new momma needs a car seat for the momentous occasion of bringing their newborn home, errands, shopping and traveling to grandma’s house!
Diono®
Already knowing and being a mommy fan of Diono® (formerly known as Sunshine Kids Juvenile Products) car seats for over 8 years, I was ecstatic to have the opportunity to leap back into baby product reviews with the Diono® Radian rXT Convertible Car Seat! Diono® has established a reputation for unparalleled safety testing, style, and functionality. Their products are revered by consumers as being high quality, innovative and dependable while still being affordable.
Birth to Booster 5 to 120 pounds
The Radian rXT Convertible Car Seat will be the ONLY car seat my daughter will need! From rear-facing ( 5-45 pounds), front-facing (20-65 pounds in a 5-point harness) to a booster (50 pounds up to 120 pounds), the car seat accommodates your growing child. Basically, you are investing in 3 seats for the price of one.
Safety as main concern
As a grandma, safety is my main concern! I have no worries with Diono®. They are one of the safest brands out there! Diono® car seats are made with a full steel frame for unmatched safety. The frame is wrapped in thick engineered plastic to withstand severe crash forces, aluminum reinforced sidewalls for side impacts, and energy absorbing EPS foam surrounding your child for strength and safety. This is no light weight car seat and weighs about 30lbs! However, it is worth its weight for the protection it gives!
The Radian rXT comes with a rear-facing tether capability to help reduce seat rotation during an impact. It adds an extra layer of protection when your child is facing the rear.
Padded for Ultimate Comfort
One of the features (besides the sturdiness) I noticed about the Diono® all-in-one car seat is the plushness! The car seat is padded with plush interlock knit fabric and comes with plush head and body support cushions for newborns and infants.
As moms know, bottle spills happen! No worries, because the cover is machine washable. I did not try removing the cover, therefore I do not know how easy it is to take on or off. However, I can tell you the fabric feels durable and was impressed by the overall design.
Compact and Fold up for carrying
The Radian rXT (17″ wide) is super slim and portable. You can actually fit 3 of the car seats across most mid-sized vehicles, making it perfect for the growing family. It also folds up for storing or transporting. With that being the case, I have to say it definitely has some weight to it (approximately 27.7 pounds). Finding a car seat that folds down is a rarity, so this is a great feature!
Installation easy?
Being that there will be times I will need to transport my grandson from place to place in the Radian rXT, I need to be fully aware and capable of installing the seat myself in our Jeep. So, this is what most people want to know! Was the installation easy? Here is the truth…yes and no! It is as easy as it could be, but for someone like myself who is out of practice it took watching a video from Allana Pinkerton, Global Safety Advocate at Diono® to make sure I had done it correctly. The included manual is sufficient in directions. Yet, when it comes to child safety I want to make sure it is perfect! Don’t be too proud to get full help in making sure the seat is securely installed. You can have the safest car seat in the world, nevertheless if it is not installed properly it is useless. Just when you think it is right, go back and double check again!
Rear-facing base
When installing the Diono® car seat rear-facing, the rear-facing base must be attached before installing the seat in your vehicle. This only takes a minute to place on the bottom and it fits together like a puzzle. There is a metal tab to lock the base in place. Then you need to make sure the feet of the base go into the seat bite and that the car seat is sitting completely on the vehicle seat.
Vehicle’s seat belt system
It is VERY important to pay attention to the information about your vehicle’s seat belt system, and how to lock the seat belt. Vehicles can vary greatly, and this will overall affect the install of the car seat. For instance, our Jeep seatbelts are equipped with Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR). It allows for a much straight forward installation!
Lap/Shoulder Belt install
I used the Rear-facing Diono® Car Seat with Lap/Shoulder Belt install instructions. It is as simple as pulling the seat belt out, routing it through the rear-facing belt path and buckling it in. Next, you remove any slack, pull all the webbing (seat belt) out until you hear a click, push down on the car seat, and remove any slack by feeding back into the retractor. If done correctly, the seat should move less than an inch side-to-side and back-to-front.
Proper Angle
Now the confusion sets in! There is this thing called a Diono® Angle Adjuster. Apparently, for us out of practiced individuals who don’t remember things like proper car seat angles this is like a foreign object! The Angle Adjuster isn’t suitable for any child who cannot sit up unassisted or have head control, so it’s not meant for newborns. Therefore, it is recommended to consult your pediatrician for the correct angle for newborns and children without head control. Does this mean the install I just did is unacceptable? After further researching, it is recommended to seat at a 45-degree angle until the child has more head control. 
Key Features
- NEW! Premium, plush interlock knit fabric (available in Black Cobalt, Black Mist, Black Plum, Black Scarlet and Essex colors)
- Full steel frame for unmatched safety
- Comfortably seats rear-facing children from 5-45 pounds
- Seats forward-facing children from 20-65 pounds in a 5-point harness
- Converts to a booster for children from 50 pounds up to 120 pounds, and up to 57″ tall – proper fit in booster mode
- Unique SuperLATCH™ system makes installation easy
- Fits 3-across in most mid-size vehicles while providing spacious interior for child
- Folds flat for travel and is FAA certified
- Infant body support cushions and memory foam add comfort
- Aluminum reinforced sides with energy absorbing EPS foam additional side impact protection
- Safe Stop® energy absorbing harness
- 12-position adjustable headrest
- 5 shoulder and 3 buckle positions adjust for a comfortable ride.
- Rear-facing tether capability
- Expandable sides and long seat bottom offer proper leg support
- Low-sitting profile makes it easy for your child to board
- Angled cup holder keeps drinks upright and within easy reach
- Cover is machine washable
- Rubber bottom grips for no-slip installation
- 10 year life from the date of purchase
$299.99
Car seat safety check
As you can see, there is more factors than just securing a car seat for a proper installation. Angles, proper head support, adjusting the harness correctly are some of the other concerns. According to a report in The Journal of Pediatrics, nearly all families (95%) made at least 1 error (any misuse) in either positioning of the infant or installation of car seats. Consequently, I plan on getting a car seat safety check for ultimate safety and peace of mind. I suggest all parents and grandparents do too! It could be as simple as calling your local police or fire station, dealership, or baby store; most will do it for free. Or another option is finding a car seat inspection station near you through the NHTSA directory or call 866-SEAT-CHECK.
Car seats have expiration dates!
Here is a fun fact you might not—but— should be aware of; Car seats have expiration dates! Most car seat expiration dates are between 6 to 8 years deepening upon several reasons. Elements such extreme cold and hot conditions, recent technology and safety advancements have a deciding factor in determining the expiration date. Diono® Radian models expire 10 years from date of purchase and approved for the use of harness mode for 8 years and up to 10 years in booster mode.
Registration
Don’t forget to register your Diono®! If there is ever a recall you want to make sure you are reached. Send your name, address, email address if available, and the restraint’s model number and manufacturing date to Diono LLC, PO Box 77129, Seattle, WA 98177, or call 1-855-463-4666, or register online at us.diono.com/product-registration/
Just My Color radian® rXT
Diono® recently launched their Just My Color radian® rXT series! The new line offers beautiful and bold colors with customized detailing. Here is more about the series.
Looking smart on the move is no mean feat and we all have our own sense of cool. So why travel incognito? Now your squad of little ones can choose their own new look when traveling around the state.
We’ve married the two things that make us great! Our wonderful tried and tested rXT series seat with a beautifully tailored set of new seat cuts, trimmed and detailed in dynamic colors and customized detailing.
So why wait? Whether you’re on a winning weekend away, enjoying a cheering ride, or staying local and keeping it real – don’t be boring, be “Just My Color”.
$349.99
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