Safest 5 Point Harness Car Seat Around: Britax Marathon, 5 to 65 lbs Weight Limit
Written: May 29 '08 (Updated May 31 '08)
Product Rating:
Durability:
Ease of Use:
Pros: 5 point harness, safe, safest car seat on market, Britax
Cons: High base, seems big for newborns, straps stain
The Bottom Line: I highly recommend a Britax car seat for being the safest for children. As overprotective as I am, I trust the Britax name to keep my baby girl safe.
pablothegreat's Full Review: Britax Marathon Convertible Car Seat - New Denim
I chose a 5 point harness Britax Marathon car seat for my daughter. Why? I wanted her to be as safe as possible riding in the car.There are few drawbacks to owning this car seat and I would buy another one in a heartbeat. Many things can be scrimped on for a child--generic Walmart brand clothing, Dollar store toys--but when it comes to being safe in a car, the expense of a quality trusted car seat is a necessity. Years ago, many people did not drive much outside of their local small town but these days, we travel a good bit. To see family, go on business trips, vacations, visit friends, go to doctor appointments...we were always on the go! Knowing my child is safely buckled up in the back seat gives me peace of mind and that is worth way more than what the 5 point harness Britax car seat cost. When she outgrew the Britax Marathon, I purchased the Britax Regent http://www.epinions.com/content_424111410820 (previously called Husky).
When my daughter was born, I did not realize the importance of a 5 point harness car seat. After a little research, I saw that her car seat which was not a 5 point harness car seat was unsafe for her. I will be including links below about the importance of 5 point harnessing in car seats. I called stores in our area and even up to two hours away and could not find one local store that carried Britax car seats. Finally I looked online and purchased one from an online retailer. I was able to pay around $230 and get free shipping.
When you see one in person, right away you notice the plushness and rich fabric. Think comfortable recliner soft and comfy! Thick plush fabric makes a wonderful comfortable seat for baby. The Britax Marathon has a puzzle lock...it fits together horizontally so you can fit the now one piece down into the slot between baby's legs. I really liked this as it made it easier to fasten my daughter in. The audible click is a great way to ensure everyone in the family knows when baby is safely buckled in....you hear when the latch is snapped into place by a click. I adored these straps and buckles, the puzzle latch made it a simple, fast task getting even my fighting daughter in. The seat has shoulder pads to cushion the belt. The chest clip is easy for adults but hard for babies and toddlers to unlatch. No amount of squirming and fighting against the harness will allow the child to get out of this seat. Our other infant car seat, my daughter would slip and slide and put her arms through the harness so her upper body would be out of it but not in this Britax Marathon. Once she was buckled in, she was in for the duration until we arrived at our destination!
Another feature that I loved about this car seat is the velcro on the straps and the sides of the seat so I could place the straps securely out of the way while I put my child in and took her out. With only a couple of clicks, an adult can quickly release their child from the seat. One click for the chest strap and one click for the waist straps, push the button in and it comes undone. The straps do not tangle at all. Our other infant seat was horrible at this and I was always worried about them getting tangled and not being effective in a crash. The Britax Marathon has wonderful straps that never tangled at all.
The seat can be adjusted to 4 different positions for growth. A belly pad keeps the buckle away from skin when the day is hot. I did think the thick belly pad was a little warm on hot days for her! No one wants to be covered up with something heavy on warm days. Britax brand car seats have EPS foam which protects the child in case of crashes, this is a thick foam that reduces impact.
This is a car seat for infants and toddlers. As most parents know these days, it is safest for baby to stay rear facing as long as possible. The Britax Marathon can be rear facing as well as forward facing. Babies can stay rear facing in this seat until they are 33 lbs and forward facing until they are 65 lbs. 49 inches is the height maximum. You can use this seat with or without LATCH. LATCH is easily accomplished with no problems. If you ever do have issues, contact your local auto dealer or police station to find someone to help you. Some places will install anchors free of charge if your vehicle does not have them. I always preferred a technician to install it and check it after I did install the car seat to make sure it was installed correctly. Most car seats are installed incorrectly!! The locking clips on the car seat lock the seatbelt in where you need it to go. To tighten the straps up, you will lift up the metal lever and pull the long strap down (hangs in front of the seat). To loosen, lift the lever up to release and then pull out on the straps. Let the lever go and it locks into place again. Very simple! One major concern is car seats not being installed tight enough against the seat...this seat will be rock solid once you install it. I had trouble with our other car seat, no matter what I did, it still slid around.
It weighs almost 16.5 pounds and is not easily changed from vehicle to vehicle. This is a heavy, bulky car seat. The size is 19.5 x 27.5 x 25.5 inches. You can bring it on airplanes but you will need some type of rolling trolley to get it to the gate! Rearfacing you can tilt the car seat back for sleeping babies.
At the time of my purchase, there was little choice in pattern. I thought most looked too boyish for my baby girl. So I went with new denim expecting to hate it. But I wanted to order it quickly so she would be safe. That is what was most important. When it arrived, I loved it! The plush fabric was so dark that it looked almost black instead of blue. Hard to explain but a rich deep blue that was nearly black! The cover was easily spot washed when a sippy cover overturned and for small messes.
Now what I did dislike about it....the height of the base made me have to lift my daughter UP into the seat each time. This hurt my back multiple times a day as I lifted her up especially as she got bigger. When you have a toddler who will not willingly get into her car seat, this can be rough! The car seat cover is washable and that was no issue but taking off the cover and putting it back with the straps made me nervous if I was doing it correctly each time. I always worried that I was not doing it right. The straps never seemed to get clean enough, stains set in and I could not get the stains out of the straps. This from formula dripping from a bottle. Even though this car seat says for 5 lbs and up to 65 lbs, I can't imagine a newborn in it. It would swallow up a newborn baby in this large seat! Also there is no carrying handle to carry a newborn into the house while he is sleeping. So you will be waking him often to get in and out.
I have seen many car seats and have never seen any like Britax car seats. Safe, comfortable, sturdy...you can tell by the looks of it that it is safe! A very well made seat that I trusted to keep my baby safe. My baby slept better in her car seat than anywhere! I highly recommend a Britax car seat for being the safest for children. As overprotective as I am, I trust the Britax name to keep my baby girl safe.
This issue is near and dear to my heart. I see children hanging out of old car seats, not buckled in properly....it upsets me to think that these babies and small children will not be protected in the event of a crash. I know that the 5 point harness car seat is expensive but if I can save up for it, anyone can! It is a one time expense unlike diapers! Yes, other brands are on the market but it is hard to trust ones that have not been on the market long. I know many families who are using and have been using the Britax car seats for years and ones who were in crashes....one little girl did not have a scratch on her but her mom had two broken arms and was bruised up, the car was totalled. None of these families have had problems with the Britax car seats and were safe in crashes. This includes us...we have never been in a car crash** but have trusted and used the Britax car seat exclusively for years.
Here is a visual on installing the Britax Marathon:
**Updating to add a tidbit of important information:
Police stations and fire stations have car seat technicians to install or check the installation of your car seat. You do NOT have to wait for a public community car seat check, call and ask that they make an appointment for you. Make sure the person that does it, either reads the manual OR has installed Britax car seats before. Keep the manual in a safe place for easy access. Always follow instructions in the Britax manual down to the letter or the car seat will not be installed correctly. Additions of certain items including toys are not recommended, read the manual for more details on this.
What is so good about THIS item?
5 point harness, safe, safest car seat on market, Britax
What is unique about this item?
Britax brand name.
Is it worth the price?
Yes, definitely.
There has to be some bad to this item, right?
High base, seems big for newborns, straps stain
Any warnings people should be aware of?
Bulky coats should not be worn when child is buckled into a car seat (any car seat) as they could pop out of the loosened harness. We keep a heavy woolen blanket just for this purpose--my daughter gets buckled in and then I cover her up with the blanket. The chest clip should be at the level of the child's sternum always. Listen for the click to ensure that the buckle is buckled. Remind anyone buckling your child up to listen for the clicks. Always read the instructions prior to installing and make sure that instructions are followed carefully as installing it wrong could be unsafe. For more information: http://www.car-seat.org/forumdisplay.php?f=1
Final verdict:
I highly recommend a Britax car seat for being the safest for children. As overprotective as I am, I trust the Britax name to keep my baby girl safe.
pablo the safe Families with babies and families without babies are sorry for each other. Ed Howe
**I wanted to add a little note so as no one suspects me of telling a fib...we have never been in a collision where the car seat would have been tested. The two incidents we have had, one at Sonic http://www.epinions.com/content_430626016900 and one where something actually FELL on the car http://www.epinions.com/content_431449738884 , wouldn't be classified as official crashes and did not test the car seat at all. Neither time other vehicles were involved.
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