Britax Car Seat Advice

We have a Marathon. We love it. Very user friendly, solid, and safe. I have a Ford Crown Vic and we fit a Marathon on one side, and a Britax Decathalon on the otherside. And sometime another older child in the middle!
The main issue we had was when they were rear-facing. If they werent tilted correctly they barely fit and seeing out the back window was a challenge.
I would suggest before you buy to make sure it fits well rear-facing AND forward facing.

We have 2 marathon seats in our minivan (2nd row and they take up 2 captains chairs). I bought the first one because my daughter grew super fast and I wanted something that was going to last for more than a year. When my daughter has a growth spurt I just adjust the strap position. I bought the second one after my son was born for the same reasons. I don't know much about the roundup, but I do like the marathon seats. The kids are comfy and they are easy to use as far as carseats go.

My only cautionary statement would be make sure whatever you choose the baby will be in a 5 point restraint for as long as possible. A booster seat just won't cut it until they are a certain height and weight. There is a youtube video that explains it in a very sad tale.

Best of Luck

I had the same problem with my son when he was 4 mos, what a pain! At that age, they still fall asleep on shorter trips and I was constantly waking a sleeping baby. We started with a Marathon, but had to replace it when he was 18 mos (nothing wrong with the seat). We bought a Recaro Young Sport, which I love more than the Britax. Same ease of use, super safe, and when child is old enough it changes from a 5 pt harness to a booster seat. He also seems more comfy on long trips. The only problem is that it is a forward facing only seat. When my daughter was born, I bought a Graco Safeseat to avoid this situation happening again, with hopes of getting her to age 1 with infant carrier. Maybe consider buying a larger carrier seat?

I have the Britex Decathalon and love it. All britex are large. My daughter used to fuss inher infint seat. At 6 months we switched and she is never uncomfertable. But... We did get a larger SUV due to no room in the back seat. But I highly recomend the decathalon.

We have the Marathon and love it. One of the advantages we liked was that it goes to 65lbs so we can go from this to a booster seat if necessary. The Toys R Us stores will let you take the seat out to the car to check the fit - that might be best to make sure you have enough room for the other kids. I have a LeSabre and my 14 yr. old and a friend can still fit back there with the car seat in place.

Definitely buy Britax. I am a big fan of the Decathalon - for $20 more than the Marathon you get the head pillow and infant positioning system that will fit your 4 month old better. I am still using the extra pillow with my 14 month old and he is 26 lbs. There is also the Boulevard which has the same extra pillow as the Decathalon but also has the side impact wings.

We had the same issue with our daughter who outgrew the carrier seat at 5 months. We got the Roundabout since the marathon seemed huge for our car. It was fine and she switched into a booster this summer at 3 years old.

Please plan to keep your child in a 5 point harness seat as long as possible. They are much safer than a booster seat.

We have used the marathon for our 3 year old, since he out grew the carrier, and love it. He still fits comfortably - he is about 40 pounds - but we just purchased the Britax Regent for him so his 6 month old sister could move into his marathon. I was concerned about putting my son into a booster seat too early. We went back and forth between getting 2 more marathons or 2 booster seats (2 cars) but in the end found the Regent. During our research we found that kids should be in a 5 point harness for as long as possible. I don't know if this means the roundabout and then another seat for you or going with the bigger marathon and keeping him in it for as long as he can but either way we agree that Britax is a great choice!

I love my daughter's Britax Marathon. It's big, yes, but so perfect to grow into. It should fit in your wagon - it fits in my Mom's Hyundai XG.
Good luck!

I have both and at first I thought the marathon was too big why did i get it now i am so happy because my son is about to outgrow the roundabout and will still be able to fit into the marathon for a while. It is the safest for them to be in as long as possible, safer than booster. my littlest one is growing like a weed and I will probably get the marathon for him too. longer term marathon is better but if he is growing like a weed then you may only be using roundabout for a short while.

E.,
I agree that the Britax is the way to go. I have both the Marathon and the Roundabout (one in each of our cars). My 15 month old son (who is 90th percentile in terms of height) definitely prefers the Roundabout to the Marathon in terms of comfort. Whenever we put him in the Marathon, he just has too much room and can't seem to find a comfortable position if he wants to go to sleep. Good luck with your choice.

Hi E.;

I have a VW Passat Wagon, and I find it that I can just squeeze and I mean squeeze, three kids in the back seat, one in a 5 point harness/booster (http://www4.shopping.com/xPO-Eddie-Bauer-Deluxe-High-Back..., one in a backless booster and one without a booster. I highly recommend Britax, and for the Passat, I would go with the Roundabout, or buy a convertible like the one I have, if you regularly need three kids in the back seat.

If you like the Marathon, maybe your 13 year old can sit in the front seat, after all he or she is a teenager now. Good luck with your decision.

We have the Britax Roundabout, and the Marathon. I started with the Roundabout when my now 21mo was still rear facing, because I didn't think the Marathon would fit in the back of my Camary. We ended up needing a second car seat for my husbands car, a Subaru Outback. Both seats fit rear facing in both cars, the Marathon sit higher(which could be a problem in some cars rear facing) and the seat itself is only slightly wider, but both have the same base. Both seats are an excellent fit forward facing in both cars. I like the Marathon better, because the Latch straps on ours are easier to work on the Marathon, but both are GREAT car seats!! I went through 5 different seats for my now 7yo, and never found one I liked as much as these two. The covers come off so easily for washing also, and come out like new. Anyway, if you have a babies r us by you, they may let you try each out to see how the fit is in your car. If it fits I would go with the Marathon.

I would go with the marathon. I was in the same situation. FOr my son who is now 5 I got the marathon because he was bigger. Its always a safer bet. And they are the safest.

well, I always go with Graco,

They have't let me down yet,

I also have an 11 year old a 3 year old and a 21 month old

I am Still using the Graco from my 11 year old, for the 21 month old
and a GRaco 3 point booster for the 3 year old
Although I should have gone for the 5 point as this seems
it would have held him better

NOw that he is 3 he can sqeeze out of the 3 point which can be a problem

M

Hi. I have Marathon and Roundabout in our car. I would totally just go for the less expensive, smaller seat (for both reasons) and moreover b/c I think your hunch that the child will grow out of the Marathon before it becomes worth it is right on. My four year old is getting close to Booster seat time, long before the life of the marathon is up. And it takes up more room so i'll be glad to switch to the booster sometime soon.
That said, I also have a Graco or something else in the other car, and the Britax car seats ROCK for **ease of use**, good quality, safety, etc. etc. They are defeintely worth the investment, I just don't think the Marathon is necessary. Good luck--happy travels.

Our son outgrew his car seat way early too. We went with the Graco SafeSeat, which accommodates longer and heavier babies. We didn't want to get one that went all the way up to 65 pounds because it was just too big for him as a still-little (but big for being little!) guy. Only difficulty is it's not compatible with all strollers that accommodate an infant car seat, so check with your stroller's manufacturer.

We have the Evenflo Titan car seat for him now that he is bigger.

i just made the switch myself (my baby is 20lb and 7 months) and i bought the britax marathon and love it. one problem: i took it to my sister's house this weekend and when we tried to get her two kids in the car either side of the marathon (which was in the center position - we have an old volvo wagon) they couldn't buckle their seatbelts - the carseat was so wide, it blocked their access to their anchor buckles.

I love our Britax Marathon. Yes, it's big but well worth the size and investment. Our 4 1/2 yr. old is still in it and I feel much safer to have in a 5 point harness as long as possible as opposed to a booster seat. Too many people move their kids up when they meet the minimum requirements. Here's a link to a video if you need motivation to keep your child in a car seat as long as possible. It's a real tear jerker, especially if you watch it 2-3 times, but I've never forgotten it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azgBhZfcqaQ

A little about me:
I'm a mom of 4 1/2 and 2 1/2 year old boys with a little girl on the way. I am a certified elementary teacher, but stay home while occasionally substitute teaching.

Hi E.! It is S....small world! Go with the Marathon, we have 2 for the girls and they have been great, very solid and safe.

Definitely go for the Marathon. The Roundabout is a nice seat but will be outgrown much more quickly than a Marathon. Children almost always outgrow car seats by height before weight and the Marathon provides more height growing room than the Roundabout. I have a Marathon and it fits rear-facing in my VERY small 2-door car. Car-seats should be at a 45 degree angle for babies who lack head/neck control and the recline can lessen when babies do develop that control.

Have you went to Babies R Us and tried out either seat in your car? FYI: Britax has an online sale from Feb 24-Mar 2 at sites like www.albeebaby.com, www.elitecarseats.com, www.babycatalog.com and www.babyage.com.

Oh, I forgot to mention that there's a new car seat called the Compass True Fit. It's priced less than Britax seats and has a removable head rest to make the seat smaller for rear-facing: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000YBILWY?smid=A1VC38T7YXB528&a...

Both are excellent carseats. I would go for the Roundabout. The Marathon is quite cumbersome and you will have difficulty fitting more than 2 carseats in your small car. I also have 3 children,a Roundabout and 2 booster seats. My car is a huge SUV and they just fit. Good luck = )

Hi E.,

I have both the Britax Marathon (for my 3 year old son) and the Roundabout (for my 18 month old daughter) in a VW Passat wagon. We opted to buy the Marathon for my son because it is one of only a very few carseats that have a 5 point harness up to 65 pounds (most are only to 40 pounds), the safest way for your child travel. We passed his Roundabout to my daughter. We absolutely love both Britax seats, and they install well in the Passat. The Marathon is especially easy to install forward facing. However, since your baby is only 4 months old, he will still need to be rear facing. The Roundabout fits rear facing in the Passat well, there is plenty of room for the front seats to be pushed back. While we never installed the Marathon rear facing in our Passat I would like to mention that it is MUCH taller than the Roundabout, and might be tight on space rear facing. I believe that both seats are very equal in width and have a similar footprint, the difference is in the height. If you install it in the middle of the back, that might leave enough room for your other children, but would be a little tight on elbow room.

My advice would be to go with the Marathon over the Roundabout, as you will get more use from it long term, I think it would be the better investment. By the time your baby outgrows the Marathon he will be able to travel without a booster seat (6 years old/60 pounds is the current law, I believe), and that will save you from having to buy a booster seat, which you will have to do with the Roundabout.

Sorry for being so long-winded, I hope this helps!

S.

We have the Roundabout for the same space concerning reasons. I have an Altima and we have no space issues with the Roundabout.

I think that when you go to the store, they may let you use the models to see how well they fit in your car.

Also, I just got an e-mail from Babies R Us and they have a sale on Britax car seats right now....just so you know!!!

I had the roundabout and really loved it. I did purchase a booster once my daughter was 3 yrs old and 40 lbs. I like this way better because the carseats that 'convert' to boosters are to bulky and by the time you are ready for a booster, your seat has seen better days! plus, a regular booster is much easier to transfer from car to car.

I have the roundabout now and LOVE it... spacious enough to be comfy for my daughter but small enough where I can fit others into my back seat. I tried the Marathon but it was SO high that it impeded my vision in my rear view mirror! I have an SUV and put the car seat in the middle, and I agree with your friend that once the child grows out of the Roundabout a booster should be fine!
Good Luck!

Well, you're right... Britax is the way to go. I have both the Roundabout and the Marathon, and they're both great. But I too have a VW, and you're right about the size...the Marathon might be too big. I also think the Roundabout is a little easier to use. Hope this helps.

We chose the Roundabout for the same reason - the Marathon took up too much space in our Subaru Outback. We have been very happy with it. We took it on an airplane last month and found it easy to transport and fit into the seat while most of the reviews I read about the Marathon said it was heavy to carry and more difficult to fit into a plane. Yes, we'll have to upgrade sooner but I'm hoping we'll make it to the booster rather than another carseat.

I am in a similar situation. My son just turned 4 months and he is 19.5 lbs already. The Baby Trend Seat I have should go up to 22 lbs but because he is 26.5 inches long I can barely clip him in.

I am going to go with the Marathon after many strong reco's. I don't think it is that much wider than the round about, just taller...let me know if I am mistaken..

I am torn though because I am not ready to give up the bucket. I am still contemplating getting the Graco Safe Seat before I purchase the Marathon...it goes up to 30 lbs. I know it is a lot of weight but waking him verses carrying him in the bucket and giving up the snap and go this soon is tempting me to hold off. I really like the portability and until he can grab a hold of me when I take him out of the car I feel it is to soon to go to the convertible seat.

My niece just turned 1 and is 17.5 lbs and still in her bucket....her brothers are 4 & 6 and with all the carting around she would never have a nap. My sister-in-law votes for keeping her in the bucket for as long as she can.

Hope this helps.

K.