We found out over the weekend that our Maxi Cosi infant car seat has been recalled (UGH!) so now we are on the hunt for a new convertible car seat. I am thinking of going with either the Britax Roundabout or Britax Marathon. Have you used either one? Thoughts / opinions?
My main question is regarding the maximum weight capacity. The Marathon goes up to 65 lbs, vs 40 on the Roundabout. Did your child complain about sitting in a "baby chair" once they got a little older? Should we just go with the Roundabout and then get a different booster once she gets past 40 lbs? OR should we just buy the Marathon and have that last for a couple years longer?
12 Additional Thoughts:
We have that exact Marathon.
I think that alot of children are staying in carseats longer these days because the research is showing how much safer it is. I know many of my friends keep their kids in their seats until they are 5 or 6, depending on their size -- then switch them to a booster. We plan on using the seat for about that long, so we went with the bigger one. I think since alot of kids are doing it, it is less dorky -- kind of like bike helmets?
Also to me the bigger one seems more comfy so it was my hope that she would last longer in it on car trips!
We actually have one of each. One is in my van and one is in my dh's car. My son will be four next month and is still in his Britax. When he outgrows this seat we have a Britax booster seat (not sure the name).
Through the years we have had five different Britax car seats and we have been happy with all of them. We did also buy another brand of booster seats for them and I would have to ask my dh why we did that because I honestly do not remember why.
We have been extremely pleased with our Britax car seats.
We have the roundabout and love it.
We haven't used ours yet, but we purchased the marathon. I say go for longer as they are trying to pass a new law that will require booster seats until age 8 so you might as well get as much use out of that one as possible before you have to buy another to last them until age 8.
I do not have any advice to offer regarding which car seat but I can tell you that my cousin has a Britax and was in a car accident and it literally saved her son's life. She was rear ended but her son was safe as could be because of hers.
We have been looking at buying a Britax too so let us know what you decide!
We used the roundabout for our twins when they were smaller. (They're now six.) I loved it!! My friends' reviews on the marathon were mixed - it's so big that a lot of my friends really struggled to get it in their car. One of my daughters is petite and the other is very average. They're starting 1st grade this fall, and weigh 42 and 48 pounds. I would be surprised if we hit 65 pounds by 3rd grade.
By age 5, everyone we knew was in a booster for the following reasons: 1) Yes, both of our daughters (and lots of their friends) object very strongly to sitting in a "baby chair". 2) You will likely want to start carpooling to school and activities once they start kindergarten, and boosters are SO much easier to move from car to car when you're carpooling. 3) After the toddler and preschool years, most carseats are pretty gross. Most of my friends were ready for something fresh.
This is just my experience - you should go with your instincts. Good luck!! I stressed about this, too.
I would say get the max weight possible. I spoke with a fireman and he said that all the britax models are very safe so you don't have to get the most expensive model, but i would for sure get the higher weight capacity- you never know what size your kids will be!
I'm going to be watching this post carefully! I've heard raves about the Marathon, and I think that's the favorite recommendation of that Baby Bargains book?
We have both the Roundabout and the Marathon. We bought the Roundabout for mini #1 but when he turned 40 pounds, we put him in a booster because we needed the Roundabout for mini #2. Then just a few months ago the Roundabout "expired" (I put it in quotes because I am skeptical but we went ahead and bought a new car seat anyway) and we bought the Marathon instead. I don't know if mini #2 will complain about being it in longer, but he loves it now and he's 3yo and about 30 pounds. We'll have to buy another car seat when Miss C outgrows the baby carrier, and I'll probably just buy another Roundabout. The Marathon is HUGE, btw, if that's with fitting in your vehicle.
You can't go wrong with Britax, regardless. Elitecarseats.com is where I buy mine - free shipping and no sales tax.
We purchased 2 Roundabouts circa 2002 (one for each car). We loved them and our two children rode safely in them up to age 3-4 at which point they were replaced by boosters. My seven year old weighs 60 pounds, I cannot imagine him still being in a Britax carseat...especially in the school drop-off lane!
The marathon is great and my almost 5 year old twins have no complaints!
We have two of the marathon's and my 5 year old is STILL sitting in it. We always called it a safety seat and to be quite honest she has never complained. One time we had her use a booster and she complained the entire time because she couldn't see out the window. We have been more than pleased with this model and have had both of them for 5 years.....and they aer still going strong! I love the fact that it has the 5 point harness system and it has a great safety reputation. I don't know what I will do when they both outgrow them because they give me complete peace of mind knowing they are safely buckled and strapped in. Oh, they also have an anchoring tether strap that anchors the seat to the floor as an added safety precaution. Hope this helps
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