Recommend this seat to Everyone

We received this car seat as a shower gift, but didn't take it out of it's box until it was too awkward to strap our 10 month old infant dressed in her winter jacket into the infant carrier. It became just too "snug" of a ride.

As soon as we strapped her into the Britax Marathon, our daughter immediately started enjoying car rides. She took on a "princess like" stance and appeared to be much more interested from her vertical vantage point.

The seat is easy to install and is very secure. It sits up a bit higher than some infant/toddler seats so toddlers can look out the window and exclaim "CAR!" over a hundred times in a trip with wonder. We immediately went out and purchased the identical car seat for our second car.

I had been reluctant to abandon our infant carrier, as historically I had been challenged strapping in nieces and nephews in their car seats. I always felt like the locking mechanism was similar to a brain teaser puzzle that I failed to know the secret.

The Britax Marathon harness and locking mechanisms are simple. I didn't require any training, and every aunt, grandma that has assisted in strapping my daughter in her chair have been successful with their first attempt. My 23 month old hasn't learned to undo the straps yet.

Style - honestly now car seats add zero style to a back seat, but the Granite color at least blends into our fabric. Vacuuming up crushed crackers has been a breeze and looks brand new after spot cleaning.

This is not a seat to transfer from vehicle to vehicle on a frequent basis. I also wouldn't travel with this seat, as it is large and rather heavy to lug through airports. Renting carseats with our rentals though has made me appreciate our choice in car seats even more though. None of the other models that we've test driven in other cities have come close to equalling our experience with the Britax Marathon.

Knowing that the seat is safe for children up to 65 pounds made it an easy choice. Initially, we registered for this seat based it's published safety standards but have been even more impressed with it's other features.