I have asked about suggestions on convertable carseats here before and have gotten great advice. I narrowed them down to a couple different ones. Once concern I have is that when I was reading reviews for the Sunshine Kids Radian I read that the cover could not be washed. Is that true? It seems silly to have a toddler seat not be washable.
Yes, they are washable! I take off the cover of mine every so often and toss it in the washer.
We have had the Sunshine Kids Radian65 for our 3 year old daughter for 2 years now. It has a nice microfiber cover that easily washes with just a wet cloth and dried naturally. I also bought a "piddle pad" that fits nicely in it (at babies r' us) and that way if your child has an accident (urine or whatever) you can throw the piddle pad in the wash.
We love the carseat though....it is so nice that it folds up for travel - we have used it 3 times in an airplane seat and it fits very nicely. Also, love the slim design, it looks like it was made for our Honda Odyssey.
We have the newer Radian XT. The pink color for a girl gets dirty very fast. While they might be washable, I heard that the knobs are hard to get on and off. I would never take the cover off, as I can tell I'd NEVER get it on right again.
Our son has the same, but in sort of silver breathable mesh cover that never shows dirt. Even a urine accident or two won't hurt it; it dries well. The kids don't generally eat in the car, either.
But, we do have the piddle pad if needed, and for long trips we put him in a pull up just in case we cannot stop when needed (such as on an icy highway where we are fearing for our lives!), even though he's 3 and potty-trained all day.
Most car seats say to not machine wash the covers. Of course you CAN, but its not recommended because it may strip of its anti flammable component. Most importantly, DO NOT PUT THE COVER IN THE DRYER! If you machine wash it, hang it to dry. Machine drying will make it shrink, and it won't fit back on right, the harness slots won't line up correctly and thats very important.
Also make sure that your vehicle doesn't have rigid belt stalks. The Radian's can be difficult to install, and if you have the rigid belt stalks (the female end that comes out of the bight of the seat), it may not install in your vehicle. Just something to keep in mind. :) The Radian's are GREAT seats!
