If only I had discovered this seat sooner....

I have always been a little car seat obsessed, so my girls never went anywhere with someone else unless I had schooled them on proper use and installation. I always worried that if I wasn't the one to install the car seat, it would be done wrong (and it usually was!). Since discovering Britax Marathon, I can relax a little. It is SO easy to install! I have a 1998 Chevy Venture minivan (no LATCH) with a really awkward seat configuration. It is the two front seats, a middle row with three seats, and the back row only seats two. This has made my life very difficult with regards to car seats. Upon the birth of my little guy, we needed to have three kids in the middle row, because we don't always have the rear two seats in, and the seats are a tad narrow. The infant carrier fit well, but our Alpha Omega was absolutely incompatible with our model of vehicle(when used in any of the seating positions in the third row, rear seats it was fine). The plastic base of the seat was just too wide. If I removed the base and used pool noodles to adjust the incline, it was acceptable, but was really finicky, and frequently I would spend 45 minutes trying to get it right and still not be happy with the fit. So I started to research my options a lot more thoroughly than in the past.

When I discovered Britax, I was skeptical. It was a little funny looking, because it didn't look like the car seats you see at the department stores, and WOW is it pricey! Admittedly, I was initially deterred by the price tag, and purchased a Sunshine Kids Radian (which I love as well, and will also review). Still, I started to harbour a secret need for the Britax. As my son approached 2, we still had him rear-facing, but were started to face a major issue: when he would get mad, he would kick his sisters in the ribs! So it was time to turn him around, and I jumped on the chance to get another car seat. I ordered the Marathon, since I needed it quickly, I could only get it Granite. I originally wanted Crocodile. I ordered this seat in the end of January, and it came in in just a few weeks later, and I was pleased to see that the manufacture date was January 18th, 2008. I was very annoyed to buy our infant seat, and later discovered it had been manufactured over a year prior to our purchase:that knocks one more usable year off of its life because you are only supposed to use them for 5-6 years, depending on the brand.

It turns out that the Granite is very nice, it is very neutral looking, and very plush. When my hubby stopped grumbling about buying yet another car seat for the last child, he did begrudgingly tell me that it looked like our son would be riding around in a Lazy Boy...

The Britax Marathon is amazingly easy to install. After the drama, and the physical workout of installing the Alpha Omega, I could not have been more shocked that I installed the seat in under 5 minutes! I was so shocked that I was convinced that I must have done it wrong, so I did it again, and again. After installing it three times, I was confident that I had done it right. Although the Britax is a large car seat, the base is surprisingly narrow. Ours is installed in the centre position, with a child on either side of him, one of whom is in a booster (Graco Turbo). I have also installed this seat in a Chevy Tahoe without LATCH, and it too was quite easy. When I get a chance to install the seat in a vehicle with the LATCH, I will update this review.


***UPDATE***
I finally had the chance to install the seat with the LATCH system, and oh my goodness, it was so easy! (And quick!)


As I mentioned before, this seat is huge. Too me, that is a bonus because I know this seat will last. My six year old daughter easily fits in this car seat with room to spare. My girls outgrew the Alpha Omega's sooner than I would have like because they were to tall. This seat is also heavy, and a little awkward to carry around. The seat sits quite high, giving the child an awesome view of the world outside...keeps them quiet! The harness system is great, I love the fact that we have not had any issues with twisting straps. That was an ongoing frustration with other car seats, it is time consuming to adjust them properly, and if not adjusted, could be quite unsafe because you couldn't tighten the buckles enough. Another feature I liked was the buckle pad that protects babies thighs from being pinched in the buckle. It is made from the same plush fabric as the car seat cover, and hasn't lost its shape and starting bunching up like others have.

I imagine that this seat could be incompatible with some cars, but generally I think that this car seat is a great choice. I have found it easy to install, easy to use and comfortable for my son. After all, if it is too difficult to install or use, people will make mistakes, or shortcuts that can jeopardize a child's safety.


I am really glad I bought this car seat, it is a high quality car seat, I truly believe it is incredibly safe, and although my initial reaction was that it was funny looking, I now quite like the way it looks. It is a shame that some people would not be able to afford a seat of this quality because they are so expensive.

SPECS:

Rear Facing:
Weight: 5 lbs. - 35 lbs.
Standing Height: 49 or less"
Seated Shoulder Height: 9.5'' - 16''


Forward Facing:
Weight: 20 lbs. - 65 lbs.
Standing Height: 49 or less"
Seated Shoulder Height: 12'' - 16''


Product Weight (lbs) 16.5
Exterior Product W x H x D (in) 19.5 x 27.5 x 25.5
Seating Compartment Height (in) 24.5
Seat Area Depth/Width (in) 9/11
Shoulder Width (in) 11.75
Harness Slot Heights (in) 10 / 12.25 / 14.5 / 16.75
Buckle Strap Depth (in) 5.25