Review: Diono rainier Convertible Car Seat

08/26/2016

For those looking for a new car seat, I recently had a chance to review the new Diono
rainier Convertible Car Seat. The rainier is a convertible car seat from Diono, with enhanced safety features.

The rainier shares a few great features with the Diono radian rXT. The unique SuperLATCH system, side impact protection, a full steel frame and aluminum reinforced sides, expandable sides and long seat bottom for proper leg position, adjustable headrest, folds flat for travel and the seat converts from rear facing, to forward facing to a booster still making it the only seat you’ll need to buy!
While the rainier and radian rTX look very similar there are some unique features that differentiate the rainier. The reinforced extra deep sidewalls are lined with energy-absorbing foam for extra head and body protection and increased side impact protection. The seat’s space saving design is 17” at the base and 23” at the front top sidewall making for an easy fit with maximum protection. The car seat life is 10 years and offers extended rear facing capacities up to 50lbs and forward facing up to 65lbs.

I love the new look of the new rainier seat! Although it has a new look, the rainier still offers the same features we love. It folds up in an easy to ship and unpack format.  The unique benefit of the fold up feature allows you to easily transport it as a
backpack, carry it with a handle, or store it compactly when not being used; all of which are very convenient.

From transport mode, the seat folds down easily with a quick click and is ready for installation. This model has a lot of padding around the sides, headrest, harness straps and seat area making it comfortable for any size child. The seat sides also can be adjusted wider or narrower for more leg and hip room which is a nice touch. The sleek styling of the rainier and neutral colour options allow for it to match with any car interior and the seat’s narrow footprint makes it ideal for fitting in any size car with room to spare.

As mentioned, the harness straps have memory foam padding in them, great for extra comfort around the shoulders. This is not always a feature in some of the more common car seat brands which is nice to see in the Diono models. My squirmy toddler usually fusses when the straps go around his shoulders and he didn’t complain at all about the straps on the rainier. In fact he tries to do it up himself!

Installing the car seat was easy with the help of the installation videos on the Diono website. The adjustment buckles on the rainier move pretty smoothly and are easy to install in both my SUV with the back tether strap connected to the anchor in the trunk, or in my husband’s smaller car.

The Rainier is priced at $429.99 and is considered one of the luxury car seats on the market.  The fact that it is convertible, meaning it can be used from birth to booster, grows with your child, and has a very high safety rating, (both for automobiles and for airplanes) definitely makes it worth the investment.

All in all I highly recommend the Diono rainier if you are in the market for a car seat. Diono has done a great job at ticking all the boxes when it comes to safety, comfort, ease of use, value and style. Go to ca.diono.com/where-to-buy/ for a list of Diono (online and in-store) retailer.