Britax Marathon vs Britax Boulevard

I have the marathon and another Britax and I love the Marathon. The other Britax (can't even remember the name b/c I don't like it) that I have is more difficult to buckle and adjust. The Marathon was the first one that I bought and I wish that I would have gotten 2 of them. Britax is such a great brand. The first Marathon we had cracked at the base (we dropped it) so the company fixed it for free and paid for the shipping.

I too will be switching from baby carrier to a full carseat.
I have a friend who did recommend the Britax and she told me the marathon was a better choice over the boulevard. I wish I remembered why she said that. I am thinking room, growth or something.
I plan on buying the marathon. I want the yellow one with the butterflys.

If you want more info you can email my friend she became a carseat tech and she helps out a lot of moms.
____@____.com Her name is Clarissa you can tell her L. gave you the email.

We have the Marathon that we bought when my daughter was 4 months old and she is 3 1/2 now. I LOVE it still.. I am now looking into the booster from Britax that is a 5 pt harness till 80lbs .. Britax has the best safety ratings for car seats I would never choose any other car seat.. Not sure aboutt he Boulevard, but I agree if it is a Britax it should be great...

If you have a chance, go to USA Baby, they are very helpful and more than willing to give you the pros and cons of each seat (even if you don't end up buying it there). We have a Marathon that I love, and a Maxi Cosi Priori that we really like too. They are both very safe,the reason we didn't get the Blvd. is because the sales person told us when a child gets a little older they can get frustrated because they can't see to the side and have to try to bend forward to see out the side - which is probably not super safe.

As far as turning your child around early (mentioned in an earlier post) I would NOT recommend that, even if your child is tall... my pediatrician recommends rear-facing until two years old and gave me statistics in regards that were something like from age 0-1 rear facing prevents death 50% of the time and from 1-2 rear facing prevents death 80% of the time, and even if a baby's knees are bent only like one in 150 accidents had a broken leg - which is better than a broken neck in any case. My son is 14 months and still rear-facing. He has an appointment in October so I am going to ask her how she feels about turning him around. If she recommends that he remains rear facing I will follow her recommendation.

I have the marathon and my mom has the boulevard for my son. My son prefers the marathon. He doesn't like the headrest on the boulevard. He says " I can't dance in this seat" good luck in your purchase.

I Bought the Boulevard for my daughter because I liked the adjustable head rest. I think it is a great seat. I don't think it would be great if you have a husky child. I don't think it's hotter than any other seat but I do feel it is more secure. Sounds like the Marathon is a great seat too from everyone's comments!! You can't go wring with either one. Just determine which is best for your child.

We actually liked the Marathon so well that we bought two of them. One for each car. Even though they are easy to install and take out, I didn't want to keep doing that every time we needed to take a different car.

The Marathon fits small cars. I have a Hyundai Elantra. If you want to try them in your car, go to USA Baby. They will actually let you take them out to your car and try them inside. That's what we did before purchasing the one for my car. You may also want to check Allbeebaby.com for good pricing.

Another tip...use an old or inexpensive bassinet sheet to cover the seat when you're not using it. It fits perfectly and helps keep it from getting so hot when parked out it the sun.

Hi S.-

After extensive research we bought the Marathon. We liked it, but sometimes our son would cry in it. Plus it's wide (one of the reasons we bought it). We got tired of moving it in and out and bought a Britax Roundabout because it was on sale. The roundabout was much better for fit and our son loved it. Now our daughter uses both of these seats (they are 15 months apart) and she too prefers the roundabout. I don't know why. I would have recommended the marathon until I used the roundabout. So, if you have the option, go to a toys r' us store and see which seat your girl likes. The marathon has the pads (another reason I bought it) but they itch and both children would yank at them.

J.

We originally bought the Britax Boulevard and found it was just too big. We bought it to replace the Britax Companion. At 6 months our little girl wanted to sit up more than the companion would allow. When we put her in the Boulevard she got lost in it. Not to mention it was very difficult to get it to fit rear facing in our Honda Accord. So we returned it and bought a Marathon. She loves it! It fits well both rear facing and forward facing in both our cars (the other is a Honda Civic) and it is safe! She can't wait to get in her seat every time we go to the car. Just know what ever decision you make you can't go wrong with a Britax! Good luck.

I have a Boulevard for both of my boys and they're awesome. The seats are nice and wide but for smaller babies it comes with extra supports to put around the waist and the headrest has an adjustable height. The only drawback I have ever had was that the seat was a tight fit in the rear facing position in my Honda Civic. If you have a compact sedan it might not work for you. Great carseat overall though... I'd definitely give it two thumbs up. :)

I did a ton of research when buying my Britax. I read every review out there. I ended up buying the Decathlon. Have you looked at it? It is great. I love it and have never had any problems with it. It looks very comfortable, it's easy to use and install and it gets really tight in the seat. You know how some car seats still move around after you fasten them? This one does not. Good luck.

We also compared both of these last year when our daughter was ready for a bigger carseat. We're very happy with the Marathon -- she loves sitting up higher! We're getting close to purchasing a 2nd for our 5 month old who's busting at the seams in his carrier. Not sure if anyone else has already mentioned it, but don't expect to hear two clicks when buckling them in (at least with the Marathon). It only clicks once when they're buckled in properly.

Like the first person, we liked the Marathon so much, we bought it for our second child also. The Blvd looks a bit hot, but it looks like it adds more accident protection. However, in the Arizona heat (if that is where you are), you might not want such a hot seat.
Because of our kids' height (both are very tall), we had to turn them around at around 10 months to face forward. I know...a big no no, but it just seemed equally as dangerous to have them squished up. And we turned our daughter around early due to height because on a trip to Phoenix, she started screaming. We pulled the car over and she was sweating like I never saw a baby sweat. She was WAY over heated and thirsty. It was summer and the seat is hot. I'm glad we pulled over.
But to make a point, I wouldn't get a seat that adds any more heat.
The Marathon is great, holds kids until they are quite heavy and is a bit cheaper. We love both of ours!

We bought the Marathon because it ws the best safety rated carseat on the market. I did tons of research including looking at the government and non-manufacturer studies and it came back as one of the best available in 2006. We use a Marathon for each of our children now (my youngest is just turning 1). I would definately go with that one or check out the safety ratings of the blvd first. I'm would imagine that they would still be pretty high since they are both by britax. Good Luck in deciding. Oh - and the Marathon, while a little on the heavy side, is still great for traveling. I have taken it on many flights.

We have two of the marathons and love them. The girls sit high up in the seat and can see out the window, which has been great for my middle daughter. They have held up well and are being passed down to the baby. She loves it as well. All of my children have been able to sleep in them and appear to be comfortable. I think anything Britax is a good purchase. Good luck. -A.

I have two types of Britax seat...not sure if one is the boulevard...but one IS the Marathon. I believe it is the top of the line. It is BIG. I can get it into my little Honda Fit...but it's a squeeze. It is meant to last to 40 lbs though.
The covers are washable...taking all the straps off is a pain though. My daughter has learned how to slide the chest buckle around on the cheaper seat...so I like the marathon for it's "stickier" chest buckle.