[SusanMae]

I would find a new tech personally. And are you sure he was a tech? I ask that because people claim to be just because they work at xyz...and are around lots of seats and are installing them when they have no business doing so.

1. You don't use pool noodles with a Britax convertible.
2. Unless the car manual or the carseat manual forbid putting the carseat next to a side airbag, there is no reason not to put it next to the airbag.

Are your other children in boosters?

A Radian might be a good fit because it's the narrowist convertible on the market. A radian would probably have to go in the middle because it has such a fixed recline, whereas other convertibles have the ability to be more upright. And older babies and toddlers can be more upright.(Sorry if baby is a boy and I used the wrong pronoun.)

Susan

How big is your baby? She'll be too big for the carrier when 1 of 2 things happen. She has less than 1" of hard shell above her head OR when she hits the weight limit.

	Britax - Click for more info Britax International has been producing reliable child safety products for over 30 years. Not only does Britax have decades of experience creating car seats and other children's safety equipment, Britax has a long standing reputation as an industry leader and innovator. Britax International is headquartered in the United Kingdom, but Britax car seats are designed and manufactured at facilities in Germany, Austria, and the United States. In the summer of 2002, Britax strengthened their commitment to creating the safest car seats with the opening of a brand new, state-of-the-art crash testing facility in North Carolina. Britax car seats have a reputation around the world for being some of the safest, most reliable, and best designed child safety seats ever made.

	Convertible Car Seats Convertible seats are for infants and toddlers. The seat can be used as a rear-facing seats for younger children, and switched to a forward-facing seat on the child's first birthday if the child weighs at least 20 pounds. However, experts recommend keeping the child in a rear-facing position until he or she outgrows the weight or height allowed by the safety seat.

	Sunshine Kids Radian 80 or 65 - Click for more info If "the Sunshine Kid's Radian 80 convertible car seat is (probably) the only car seat you will ever need," the "probably" part of this statement comes into play when you directly compare the Radian 80 with the Britax Regent. While the Radian 80 has a very high weight capacity, the seat width is only 10" vs. the Regent's 14" seat. The Britax Regent may be a bit wider, but it is very bulky, is only forward facing, and does not fold like the Radian 80. Because the Radian 80 is so narrow, you can potentially put three of them side by side in the back seat. Three Regents side by side? Impossible.