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We were very happy to be asked to review the Diono Radian 5 carseat in exchange for our honest review by Hello Baby Direct.

The Diono Radian 5 is a group 0+/1/2 carseat with extended rear-facing from birth up to 25 kgs (approx 7 years old) which is 5 times safer than forward facing and is the only car seat to offer both rear and forward facing with a 5 point harness up to 25kg.

You can decide when the time is right for your little one to go forward facing with Radian 5. When forward facing the 5-point harness is suitable from 9kg up to 25kg with SuperGrip energy absorbing harness pads that significantly reduce impact forces on your child in a crash.

The Radian 5’s full steel alloy frame provides the strongest carseat, your child is surrounded in comfort while the aluminum reinforced side walls and headrest provide complete body protection for your little one.

The Radian 5 initially looks quite daunting when you first open the box as there are several different parts. However it is actually really rather simple to assemble and install in the car, once you understand what each part is for and how it works – there are lots of helpful videos on YouTube if you do get stuck, or you can contact Diono for advice anytime if there is anything you are unsure about.

So you get the main carseat that is initially folded up – which makes the Radian 5 easy to transport and store when not in use, a rearward facing base and a rearward facing bolster, a padded insert for newborns and young babies, a cup holder and the user manuals, which are fairly straightforward and easy to follow.

So once you unclip the seat by unfastening the fed velcro strap, you can remove the labels from the seat and adjust the harness to the correct length by sitting your little one in the seat, fastening the harness and pulling down on the adjustment strap that hangs down from the front if the seat until the harness is tight against their body with normal clothing on – no coats or thick layers should be worn underneath the harness.Next up is to attach the rearward facing base to the bottom of the seat by engaging the 4 clips on the base with the 4 holes on the bottom of the seat and pushing downwards until it is fixed in place and secure by fastening the metal clip.The next part is to attach the rearward facing bolster to the reverse side of the backrest, to do this simply line up the two black plastic pegs in the bolster with the two holes on the backrest and push down firmly on each black peg until it pushes down and clicks into the backrest.Now the Radian 5 is ready for installation in your car. You will notice that the Radian 5 has 2 straps already attached to it, one with a metal clip to attach to the tether point and one with a red plastic clip which is the seatbelt locking guide, then there is 1 separate strap with a metal ring at one end and a loop at the other which will be become the rear facing tether point in your car.Take the seat and the separate strap out to the car and place the seat rear facing onto your vehicle’s back seat, push the seat downwards and towards the back of the car, to make the edge of the rear facing base push into the gap between the seat pad and the backrest of your vehicle’s seat.Next pass the seat clip with both the shoulder and lap straps of vehicle seat belt through the hole in the side of the Radian 5 seat and fasten it into the vehicle’s seatbelt buckle on the other side.Pull the shoulder strap extremely tight on the buckle side, then pull tight and lay it on top of the lap belt on the door side and fasten with the red plastic belt locking guide – this needs a strong pair of hands and is easier if one person is holding the straps tightly and flat together while the other fastens the locking guide.Next pass the separate strap underneath the runner of the vehicles front seat, we needed to use a thin blunt object like a letter opener to tease the strap underneath the runner, then pass the metal ring through the fabric loop on the other end of the strap and pull tight – this is the tether point for the Radian 5.Next find the strap with small metal clip which is already attached to the back of the Radian 5 and attach the clip onto the metal ring of the tether point you just installed on the vehicle’s front seat runner, and pull on the other length of strap until it is tight – the top tether is now installed.Move your vehicles front seat as far back as it will go until it makes firm contact with the back of the Radian 5.The Radian 5 is now safely and correctly installed in your car and you should not be able to move it more than 1 inch with 1 hand – in our car the Radian 5 doesn’t move at all even when shoving with two hands it is fixed solid.I am happy with the recline of the Radian 5 in our car, it is comfortable for Adalena whether awake or asleep and she seems happy enough on quick trips aswell as longer journeys.I feel confident that Adalena is safe and well protected in the Radian 5 carseat and I am happy that it enables us to keep her rear facing for longer than her previous carseat, meaning she will be 5 times safer in the event of a crash than if she was forward facing.The Diono Radian 5 costs £213.99 and is available in 7 stunning colourways (ours is the Plum) from Hello Baby Direct.

https://www.hellobabydirect.com/

You can also check out the Diono Radian 5 on the manufacturer’s website.

radian 5

*Although this carseat was sent to us, all views and opinions expressed in this review are my own and are based on our experience of everyday use of the Radian 5 carseat over the course of several weeks.