Recommendation on Convertible Car Seat?

I too am looking for a convertible car seat. I have a 7 1/2 month old little girl who is ready to be done with the infant seat. My friend just bought the Marathon and loves it. I just can't see spending $299.00 on a seat. What do you think?

Definitely the Britax Marathon. It came highly recommend to me by many and I would highly recommend to others.

We've owned a Roundabout and currently use a Marathon and a Maxi-Cosi Priori. Although the Britax are simple and nice, the Marathon fit but was huge in the back seat of my car which typically fits three adults across comfortably. We now have it in my husband's Highlander but it still seems bulky.

After I bought the Maxi-Cost Priori, I wish I had learned about them earlier! They are one of the top European brands with safety ratings equivelant to Britax. People in the US just don't know about them since they just started selling in the US.

The great thing is the Priori has a recline feature with 4 settings. It's easy to install with latch or a seatbelt.
Also has easy to adjust straps. Plus I can reach back (while stopped) if my son falls asleep and recline him with one hand. They also have great color combinations to choose from. Target used to carry them in-stores for $199 and still has them online. That's $80 less than the Marathon and $30 less than the Roundabout. Babies R Us, Baby Grand and BabyUSA carry them so you can take a look at the great quality.

If I had $200 to spend I'd get rid of my Marathon and buy another Maxi-Cosi Priori!

It depends on the size of your car, too..we have a 2005 Toyota RAV4, the smaller sized ones before they added length to the wheelbase. We had it behind the drivers' seat, facing backwards, and it fit even with my Hubby's 6'4" frame in front of it - hard to do in the smaller car. But it also has the benefits of sideimpact protection, goes up to 65 pounds, and can be used forwards or backwards, reclines, for smaller babies, and the strap height is adjustable on the fly, without having to remove the seat and rethread the whole strap system!!! We love it, and we got a great deal - clearance price ( discontinued fabric), free shipping and no tax, and fast delivery on this website - www.albeebaby.com .

Good Luck!

Jessie

We have the Sunshine Kids Radian 80 Car Seat
by Sunshine Kids. My daughter has been in it since she came home from the hospital and it goes up to 80lbs. It is extremly safe and when we brought it to the police station to have them help us install it the police officer said it is one of the safest seats around and she wished more people would have them. It is heavy but we haven't moved it from our car. It does fold up for travel and comes with a travel strap. Below are some of the features...

Features:
Steel alloy frame - Strongest convertible car seat made
SafeStop harness system - Absorbs impact energy in an accident
4-panel system EPS safety foam - Total side-impact protection, more than any other seat
V-shaped top tether - Can be used rear-facing
5 shoulder and 3 buckle positions - Proper harness fit for all ages and weights
Narrower outside width - Fit three seats across the back seat
Infant body support - Converts to pillow cushions for older child
Folds to 7 (17.8 cm) thick for travel and storage convenience
Low profile - Easier to get child in and out, plus safer positioning for child
Rear-facing for children 5 to 33 lbs
Forward-facing for children up to 80 lbs
Seat weight is 20.5 lbs

We have a marathon, and we love it. But we also have vehicles with a lot of cab space. Some britax models are designed to fit into smaller vehicles, and that could make one better than another for your needs.

We have had a Britax Marathon since our little boy outgrew his infant seat and we have been VERY pleased. He is still in it at 4 1/2 years old! Our favorite feature (other than the safety rating) is that it goes in & out of cars so easily. Good luck with your search.

we have eddie bauer convertibles and have found them to be easy to use and clean. purchased at sam's club for $75-100 less

We have the Britax Roundabout and love it! It was the perfect size. We did not go with the Marathon b/c it was so much more expensive and knew that our daughter would outgrow the height requirement before she ever reached 65lbs. The Roundabout hold them to 45lbs., but at that size they can move onto a highback booster. My older daughter is now in one of those and the baby is in the Roundabout.

I think I went with the Marathon by Britax. I like the car seat and my son seems to be comfortable in it. We didn't start him in his Britax until after 12 months, he's a smaller child and still fit safely in his infant car seat until about 13 months. There is a Britax website, Britax.com that's really helpful. You can enter the age, weight and height of your child and it narrows down the best options for you. You can also compare different Britax models and weigh the pros and cons of each. You have to keep in mind seat size because some the the Britax car seats are really large and don't all cars in the rear-facing position. Good luck!

After researching on Consumer Reports we went with the Evenflo Triumph...goes up to 50 lbs...just as good if not better ratings vs the Britax and much less expensive.

Lots of fans of the Marathon here, but after looking at it, we went with the Britax Roundabout for a few reasons. For one, it is smaller. We liked that because it fits better in any car, regardless of size, and also fits in ALL airline seats. Since we tend to travel quite a bit, that was important to us. The Marathon does not fit in ALL airline seats, although it does fit in some/maybe the majority. It is also easier to carry around because it isn't so large. Also, my mom has a smaller BMW and I was worried the Marathon wouldn't fit in her seats. It also was rated the best by consumer reports, which is very important to me.

On the downside, it does not have as large of a weight/height limit. However, I did not see this as a down side. My son is smaller (always has been) and I figured that if he stayed in the same percentiles, which he may or may not, he'd fit in the Roundabout until he was 5-6 years old and the Marathon until he was 8-10 years old. I figured that the average 7-8 year old wouldn't want to sit in a seat like that anymore anyway and would prefer more of a booster seat by then. I just can't see putting an 8 year old in the same seat that my 1 year old used, but I think we'll get more used to that over time. The seats are an investment, though, and I can see why people buy the Marathon to get more time out of them. They are a wonderful, safe, and wise investment, though, and I highly recommend the Britax brand!

Loved my Marathon! My dd rode in that til about 6 years old and I switched her to the Regent.

Plan to buy another Marathon for my 3mo.old when she's ready for a convertible.

There are other seats out there, other brands, even cheaper but they don't install as nicely or have as many extra's and the comfort Britax has. I've literally owned about every brand and I'm pretty biased and will stick to Britax again and again. The seat is only as good as it is installed. Britax is by far the easiest seat to install.

C.,

Everyone I know who has any model of Britax loves it. We have two Britax Roundabout seats and love them. I think the most important thing to consider is which model will fit best in your vehicle. Perhaps a sales associate could help you with determining that.

I had a cheap Cosco seat (provided for free by my employer) for about a month and couldn't stand it. The straps didn't adjust easily and the I kept pinching myself with the buckle. The Britax was definitely worth the investment.

L.

Of the three Britax seats, I prefer the Marathon. The Boulevard and Decathlon are nice, however they are a bit shorter than the Marathon. All three will hold up to 65lbs, however its unlikely your hcild will reach that weight. BUT the Marathon will easily hold your child to 5yrs old... if not 6.

My oldest moved to the Marathon when he was almost 3 and outgrew the Alpha Omega in height. HE rode in that until he was 4 and our youngest otugrew the infant seat. He rode in a booster for 3wks, and then I purchased the Britax Regent so he could remain harnessed. He is now 6.5 and still in the harness.

My youngest rode rear facing in the Marathon until he was almost 2, and he reached 33lbs, the rear facing weight limit on our Marathon (the new ones rear face to 35lbs!) your child should remain rear facing until the rear facing weight lmits on the seat.

ANYWAY, there are alot of good seats out there, and any seat is safe as long as its not expired, never been ina crash, installed correctly, and used correctly 100% of the time, meaning no bulky jackets in the carseat, tight harness, harness at or below the shoulders while rear facing (at or above for forward facing), chest clip level with the armpits.

The Evenflo Triumph ADVANCE Will rear facing to 35ls, and forward face to 50lbs, and will hold most children to age 5. Its a great seat for around $150.

Try to avoid the 3 in 1 seats (Alpha Omega, Eddie Bauer, Safety 1st), they are ok rear facing, but usually outgrown in height before they are physically ready to use the seat in belted booster mode. You can get a seat that will harness your child for 2-3yrs longer for just a bit more money.

Of hte three you listed, I would recommend the Marathon. In February, Britax has thier annual sale, you can get a good deal on a Marathon. www.albeebaby.com usually has good deals too, and yoiu can choose your cover fabric too.

Just remember to install the seat correctly, use it correctly, and keep your little one rear facing as long as possible (the AAP recommends rear facing to 2yrs old and 33lbs!)

EDITED TO ADD- that I see alot of people say it depends on the size of the car, which I very much disagree with. We have the Marathon and have fit it quite easily in the back of a Chevy Aveo.... the little subcompact car! I didn't even have to move the front seat to accomidate it. My son rode rear facing in that quite a few times when he was 2-3yrs old... plenty of room. If you cannot fit a carseat in your car, please find a CPST (child passenger safety technician) to show you how to install correctly.

I have to go with most of the responces. We have a Marathon and love it. I purchased another brand for the 2nd car that was about $100, might have been a Cosco. It was fine only for short trips as there was ALOT less padding but my DS has already outgrown it in height so I had to buy another seat because he isn't big/old enought for a regular booster. My DS is just over average for weight and height.
My point here is that I ended up spending more on the cheaper seat and the new convertable than another Marathon would have cost.
We have put many miles on the Marathon and my son loves to ride in it. He has never had any trouble falling asleep or staying comfortable in it. We have been using it since he was about 8 or 9 months old and it is in great shape. It is very easy to install with either the latch or a seatbelt.
Remember that the weight limit is not the only size limit to look at. CHECK THE MAX HEIGHT FOR THE SHOULDER HARNESS! Everyone I have talked to has told me their child outgrowns the harness height adjustment before reaching the max weight for the seat. The Marathon adjusts almost 2 inches higher than the less costly models and brands we looked at.
I would recommend the Marathon to everyone.

We have the Evenflo Triumph Advance and it seems to be very comfy and the straps are easily adjustable. I'd definitely buy it again.

We have Three Marathons and love them!! My husband and I are huge on safety and keeping our kids in 5 point harness' as long as possible. (weight and height wise) We have a 5 year old in one and she loves it, my 3 year old is in one and it is awesome for him too. He would fall asleep and I would not have to worry about his head bobbing or laying on his chest, he would just tip to the side and still be comfy!! My son is 4 months old and will be going in one soon as he is a pound away from out growing the infant seat. We love them and I searched the web alot before buying. we just bought our last one for $179 and had free shipping!! We bought the first one at Target and paid $219 so after that purchase I looked around on the internet before we bought more!! But we do love them as they go to 65 lbs!!! I havent had any of the other Britax carseats but I am sure you will be completely satisfied with either one!! Congrats on being a mom!!!

We have had the Marathon for both of our cars for 4 years are are using it with our second and love it!!! It goes to 65lbs which is plenty.......once our oldest was almost four and a pretty tall and solid kid our little girl was ready to move out of her infant seat and our son wanted a big boy seat (we got the Compass highback booster seat for him). We moved our daughter into it as rear facing and switched it shortly after she turned one. We have been very pleased with the quality and the ability to wash it up after many of accidents and sick children!!!! Great buy!!!!

I have the Decathalon model and I just love it. When I purchased mine I looked into all of the above mentioned and settled on the Decathalon. It can be placed backwards, forwards and reclines a bit so your little one can sleep comfortably on long car rides. It is very soft so it has got to be comfortable to ride in as well as having the safty you need and want. One thing I did notice is that it sits up bit higher then most car seats so that when your child grows it is harder to get them into the car seat without hitting their heads on something... :)
But my son and daughter enjoyed being able to see out the windows because of that added height.

Hope this helps!