B.G.
Hi E., My son has been in a Marathon since he was 10 months old. He will be 4 at the end of the summer and is average size. Now that he is older, he is not putting on weight as fast as he used to. He still has more than enough room height wise. I have an 8 month old daughter and purchased a Marathon for her too. I had considered putting her in his Marathon and buying him a booster. However, after watching my friend's 4 and a half year old in a booster, it's just not as safe. Eventhough he is a well minded and complient child, he would still pull himself out of the seatbelt a bit to grab something he wanted, etc. Too much freedom. This boy is VERY, VERY tall for his age (4 and a half)!!!! He was in his Marathon until recently and still met the weight and height requirements. I doubt if your daughter will grow out of the Marathon all that quickly. I know the weight limit on the Marathon is 65 lbs and up to 49" tall. Anyway, because he's not riding in the Marathon Monarch (booster) safely, she just bought him the brand new Britax Frontier. You might check it out if you really think she needs something larger. It is new and you might have to wait about a month for one. When she purchased, they were on backorder. She bought this, not because he was too big for the Marathon but because she felt he would be more comfortable with his long legs. Lastly, if you decide to buy another Marathon watch them on Ebay (new ones) and babyage.com has them on sale for $210 with $8 shipping. I think I read today is the last day, however. I decided to buy a brand new Marathon for my daughter because the expiration date on my son's Marathon is 2010. That will make my daughter 2 and a half yrs old and I'd have to buy a new seat at that time anyway. Also, by the time my son is out of his Marathon, there will be something bigger and better on the market by then. Lots to think about but at least you have many options. Good luck to you!