Don't get me wrong....I would own nothing other than Britax seats at this point. We have 4 children and we've tried various models. We've donated the others to Goodwill. We currently own 5 Britax car seats for 4 children. We have 2 Regents, 1 Parkway(used as a spare), 1 Marathon, and 1 Roundabout. I feel as though I'm a walking advertisement for Britax and we've been accused of being uptight about car seats.

As far as I'm concerned, there are three main features that we look for in a car seat:

1. Does it fit securely in the vehicle?

Forward facing, this seat is awesome. We don't have the latch system in our van, so we never had the opportunity to use the latch belts although I'm sure they work fine. We use the shoulder belt and we've never seen any other seat get as secure as our seat. When we try to move the seat side to side, the van moves instead. The beauty of the system is that after you've tightened the lap part of the belt down as far as you can, you then slide the shoulder part of the belt into a slot that latches down on the side of the seat. Once you've done this, the belt doesn't develop any slack. Then for good measure, you attach the tether to the underside of the rear of the seat (or a tether hook in some cars). This seat doesn't move after that.

Rear facing, the seat could be improved. This is why the seat doesn't get 5 stars from me. The side lock down mechanism is tightened more by the thickness of the belt. Unfortunately, it can pop open without much pressure. (As a side note, the lockdown on the side of our older Roundabout works great. It is a different design. I'm not sure if Britax thought they were improving and have changed the design or if they have a different lockdown on this seat.) The annoying thing about this is that you have to continuously check to see if it has released.

2. Condition of the straps is important. I haven't seen one manufacturer compare to the quality of the straps. The shoulder straps are thick and wide. They don't fold up on themselves or get tangled. They are also wide across your child's shoulders.

3. Child's comfort. The side guards around the head are great for when they are getting tired and the safety foam is the same as you would find in bike helmets.

Overall, the seat is great. If I could have given it 4.5 stars, I would have. The rear facing problem was minor to us because we could use our Roundabout rear facing, but for someone who needs to use it rear facing for a while, it might be more of a problem. I'm hoping Britax improves that one thing, but overall, this seat is highly recommended by me.

This car seat was a life saver!

Our daughter is almost 4 months now and cried everytime we placed her in her infant seat, except on the day home from the hospital. We couldn't drive down the road without listening to screams - the only time we went anywhere was if she was asleep and often she woke up the minute we put her in her seat. My 8 year old and I would both sit in the back seat with her, it didn't matter. I read the reviews on this seat so we went to 2 different stores and placed her in the demo. She was fine. My mother offered to purchase it for us so we got it.

Sketptical?
I was skeptical, so I first took her for a 5 minute ride - no crying. The next day I chanced 15 minutes - still no crying. The third day we went to my mother's - a 40 minute drive each way. Within a week we were willing to try her on a 3 hour trip. She did great!

I think the key for us was my daughter can see out and doesn't feel confined like the infant seat. She spends most trips gazing out the window and quietly sucking her thumb.

Size
I've read people complain about the size, but it fits fine in our Toyota Prius and our Subaru Outback. In fact it actually allows the front passanger seat to be further back than our previous car seat with a base (Graco Snugride).

Buy Two!
We've had the seat now for 3 weeks and no crying! My husband asks me everyday "How was she in the car" and everyday I say "GREAT!" We bought a second one for the other car.

Installation
This is the easiest car seat I have ever installed, we use the latch system in the Prius and in my mother's car. IT is so much easier than the latch with the Graco seat. Using latch it takes only minutes to go from one car to another. In the Subaru we use the regular shoulder/seat belt (it's 8 years old so latch wasn't available). Which I still like better than the Graco.

It is quite expensive, but to us well worth it. If you're still reading this then you want this seat! (It doesn't feed hungry babies, so they may still fuss.)

My 2 year old daughter has been in a britax marathon ever since she was 7 months old. After hours of research and asking around, I decided that this was a good investment for the safety of my daughter, although it is quite expensive compared to the other carseats in the market. We never had a problem with this carseat and my daughter always looked comfortable in it whether she's sitting up looking out the window or sleeping. I love the headrest on the sides that allows her to sleep in the car without her head bouncing around. After using this for over a year, I decided to move my daughter into a cheaper Eddie Bauer covertible seat so her younger sister can use her Britax. BAD DECISION!! I realized on the first drive that there is no car seat out there that beats this one. In less than five minutes, her head was bobbing around, padding was so horrible, her headrest was so stiff and upright that she was struggling to get out. I thought she was old enough to use cheaper brands comfortably but I now realize how good we all had it by using a high quality carseat. I'm now looking for a larger version (Britax Regent) for my daughter so my younger can use this one. Yes its a bit pricey but I truly truly believe that it's worth every penny considering the comfort and safety of our children. If you're hesitant about spending $100 more on a carseat, consider skipping one nice dinner out with your spouse and investing it instead on a Britax. I highly recommend it and there really is nothing out there that compares to this one. Once you use one, you'll see that there really is a difference.

We have 2 of these and love them. We recently brought one with us to Europe with a Go-go Baby Travelmate attachment which made travel through the airports very easy. ALWAYS ask for and use the seatbelt extender, I didn't use it on one flight which was a Big mistake. The release mechanism went behind the seat when I tightened up the strap and it was (almost) impossible to open. Also expect to have the seat hand inspected at check-in. It only fit through the x-ray machine at one of the several airports we traveled through.

My husband and I purchased this for our quick growing son when he was about 6mo old and hanging out of his infant carrier. I had done a lot of research on car seats and quickly found myself looking at the Britax models for their quality, safety, and reliability. We choose the Marathon specifically because it can hold a child up to 65lbs.

Yes, this car seat is larger and heavier than others, but I would not trade it for anything else. The seat fits very comfortably in the back of our Honda Civic and does not obstruct any views from the rearview mirror. We have traveled extensively with this seat it goes everywhere with us. We never, never have a problem getting it to fit correctly in any type of vehicle. The seat has been in old and new cars alike and it always fits quickly and more importantly correctly!

More important than my love for this seat is my son's. He loves the incredible views provided from the seat and the comfort as well. When he naps his head never falls forward or looks like it is in an uncomfortable position. He sleeps as soundly in the seat as in his bed. My son fits securly in the seat, yet it is large enough it makes him feel like he has space to move.

With all the travel and use this seat is cleaned frequently. I can't beleive how easy it is to disasemble and wash and you don't have to video tape yourself taking it apart to remember how to get it back together. I just can't say enough awesome things about this seat. I am so glad that I found this seat and would encourage anyone to take advantage of the many great and easy to use features.

My 16 month old daughter was riding in one of these when the truck she was in, a Dodge Ram, rolled over repeatedly at highway speed. My wife was cut and bruised and her mother suffered fractured vertebrae. My daughter literally was not scratched. She didn't even have red marks or scrapes where the straps went across her shoulder. This seat is as good or better than you have heard. It is worth every penny. Plus, Britax replaces accident-damaged seats for free. So we're on our second seat and yet we've only had to pay for one. Great seat, great company.

We have really enjoyed this car seat. I did not think there was a big difference between the different car seats to justify the different prices. Wow - I was wrong. I bought the Eddie Bauer for my car which is less expensive. My wife has this one in her car. My parents bought a super cheap seat by Safety 1st. Between the three car seats, you can truly see a difference.

1) Thick straps. I was surprised at the difference the thick straps made. These straps do not get tangled and twisted as easily as the other two seats. The Eddie Bauer system is not bad - but not as good either. The super cheap Safety 1st seat is terrible. The straps twist into more os less a rope. I worry that if we were to get into a serious accident with the Eddie Bauer and more so the Safety 1st seat that the straps would dig into my son. I think the thick and wide straps of the Marathon would spread out the impact and lower the risk of internal injury. I feel much more confident considering safety with Marathon system.

2) Latches versus hooks. The latch system is incredibly easy to use. The latches are seat belt style where all you need to do is push them into the hooks and the latches click into place. They are also very easy to synch down. The left and right straps are independent of each other where the EB and Safety 1st system is comprised of a single strap that passes through the back. This made the safety 1st and Eddie Bauer strap systems were very difficult gain leverage and tighten the seat securely into the car. They also have hooks versus the seatbelt style latch system.

Definitely worth the extra money - not to mention we got an incredible deal buying it on Amazon with free shipping to boot.

We love the Britax Marathon car seat. We purchased ours in 2005 after our son outgrew his Graco infant seat (which I also loved). We called it his thrown because of the attractive fabric and size.
Yes, it is big but not too tall for our Hyundai Sonata. This is why I only gave it 4 stars instead of 5. They are very minor cons and the pros outweigh them which make it a worthy buy.

Pros:
--Very safe and . does not move an inch!(if installed properly)
--very attractive and durable fabric (I washed it in the washing machine and air dried it, even though they suggest otherwise)
--easy to install, especially if done properly--take a class through your county or have it inspected to make sure it is installed correctly.
--It is also easy to install because there is enough room in the back to put your hand through and reach for the seat belt on the other side. Other car seat models have a small hole which look more difficult/less comfortable to install.
--comfortable for the child, padded evenly. soft fabric.


Cons/troubles we had:
--there is the round piece b/w the legs where the bottom harness clips into and it is always turned around and I have to yank it out to get the clip, but if it bothered me enough I would just take it off. To be honest, I don't know why it is there.
--the velcro on the sides to secure the unused strap is a nice feature except when the straps are on the longer side, or pulled out more, they no longer match up w/those velcro pieces so the scratchy velcro has fuzzed up the fabric on the seat. very minor.
--the slot for the over the shoulder seatbelt area (where you have to clip the seat belt to the car seat) broke on one side, but it was probably because my husband was pulling the seatbelt too tightly through the clip. So we can only install it on that same side of any car. again, minor.

But we have loved the Britax so much that we intend to buy another for our 2nd child, I am just debating and reading these reviews to decide on which model to get this next time.

I *love* this seat. I *hate* this company. It's an akward position to want a safe, comfortable car seat for your child but to not want to support a shady company. Do a little research on Britax and minimum retail price. They are not the only baby gear company that does this by any means - but in my opinion, when it comes to car seats and child safety, this practice is unacceptable. But what can you do? If you want a 5 point restraint that will last a long time - you don't have many choices. So it annoys me to no end. I won't boycott them but I want other parents to realize this. Every once in a while you can get a deal on an attractive Britax seat - snag them while you can!!! (At least one retailer is allowed to sell at a slight discount all the time but do you think it's coincidence that the seats they carry are ugly?) We just snagged two of these in the Ashley print for my twin girls who we can no longer stuff into their baby buckets easily. It's a very cute print. We have the Marathon in Granite for my son who will be 5 tomorrow so I have a lot of experience with this seat.
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br /Now here's why I love it.
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br /First - your child will be in this seat for a LONG time. We had a roundabout to begin with with my son - the Roundabout is a waste of money IMO. Britax pricing and your child will likely outgrow it when you're not ready to put them in a booster - skip the Roundabout, go for a Marathon. Like I said, my son will be 5 tomorrow and he is still in his Marathon. He's a big 5yo, though - he's been in a booster in my husband's car for a while and will soon be moving to a booster in my car. I hate to move him to the booster - I feel he is safer in a 5 point harness PLUS he still often falls asleep in the car and the Marathon is way more comfy for that. But you have to move them out eventually and I am glad we got as much use out of this as we did. (Just know the weight limit is not completely useful - he is no where near the weight limit, he's maybe 48 pounds - it's height that will limit your use)
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br /Second - it is ridiculously easy to install. We have used this seat in a WIDE variety of vehicles (for a while we had to fly to visit family which meant lots of rental cars and such) - sedans, minivans, SUVs - we have never had a problem getting a rock solid installation. And while we never used this rear facing for my son (I think he was 20 months when we upgraded to the Marathon) we did try it rear facing in a few cars just to see if it would work. It worked just fine in a Hyundai Elantra and a Toyota Prius, neither of which are monster cars. Now we have a Sienna and there's no question of it fitting since that is a monster car. The rear-facing tether strap thing is pure genius - we did use this with the Roundabout and the concept is the same. Forward facing or rear facing, any vehicle, you will be happy with the installation. If you need to move the car seat to someone else's car - it will take you less than 5 minutes and there will be NO SWEARING. (I had to move a cosco seat once and that is what really drove home the point that not all car seats are equal)
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br /Third - comfort for the child, which might just fit under the car seat having a high weight limit. Like I said my son still falls asleep in the car. It's pitiful to see him sleeping in a booster seat - he's all flopped over and contorted. When he sleeps in this, he looks perfectly comfy. The nice, soft covers are a plus, too (though they do come in some odd fabric choices as well).
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br /Fourth - washability! You can take EVERYTHING off of this seat - cover, foam pad, straps, buckles - toss it in the washer on cold/delicate... then hang it to dry - it will look brand new. So spilled milk, a power barf, or a blown out diaper are no problem. (I think the manual may suggest washing the cover by hand and spot cleaning the straps but let's live in the real world here... I have washed my son's cover and straps many times and have had NO problems, and many other parents I have talked to have said the same. Hand washing takes time and spot cleaning is no match for the messes kids can make...)
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br /There is one thing I do not like about this seat and that is the weird fabric wings on the straps. A lot of car seats have these and they seem to annoy a lot of kids. They used to be velcroed on so you could remove them easily but now they are sewn around the straps so now you have to remove the straps to slip them on and off. Probably saved Britax a buck or two to eighty-six the velcro.
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br /Overall this is an awesome seat. The only reason I give it four stars instead of five is because of my feelings about the company.

This is our second Marathon for our second child and they love them. It passes the road trip test for comfort and very safe. We were rear ended on a freeway at night and the kids never even woke up from their sleep. They are the best in my book.

We bought two of the Britax Marathon's in the Onyx when my daughter turned 1, was 20 lbs and ready to be forward facing. She has loved this seat and it has been comfortable for her during long road trips. We are replacing it only because of an accident (my daughter didn't even acknowledge the accident she was so secure!!) that completely disabled my Jeep Liberty. We're looking at a booster now that's she's 4 and over 40" tall. I would recommend this to anyone wanting safety and comfort.

We bought this seat based on the safty features and all the rave reviews we read and heard about it.

We bought this through Babies R Us, and installed it immediately, as I truly did not feel safe with the car seat my two year old was sitting in as it truly wasn't that safe and it was a cheapy from wal-mart (not knocking all cheapy stuff from wal-mart cause I love wal-mart, but when it comes to feeling comfrotable and safe I will pay that little bit extra for it).

Also we are about to take a long trip from California to Texas in about a month, and the car seat that my daughter was sitting in would have been pretty uncomfortable for her to sleep in, and my husband and I were commenting after we installed the Britax on how we wish we could sit in it because it looks like a recliner seat that you sit in your living room! lol!

Now PLEASE!! keep in mind that this a pretty large car seat, so you really should go and check it out in person before purchasing, I know with our last car being a small compact car (suzuki arieo 2005), we would have had some trouble instaling it in the car as it being such a large seat and our car being such a small car, so recently (about two weeks ago) we got a mini van so it fits absolutly perfect in there, I can easily get my two year old in out out of it with out a hitch and I am exactly 5ft tall lol!

You should be, NO, you WILL BE impressed with this car seat!!

We own two Britax Marathons, one for our daughter and one for our son. I did my research when my daughter was born in 2003, and this was the best car seat. One of the pros to it was that it stated that it could hold a child up to 65 lbs. My daughter is tiny, in the lower percentiles in weight and height, very petite. She is just about 40 lbs now, and is having trouble fitting in the seat, the buckle is too tight in the crotch area. When I phoned Britax, they had no explanation, and no suggestions for getting any more use out of her seat. This has also happened to three other children in her playgroup. If you want the seat to be able to grow with your child past 40 lbs, DO NOT BUY THIS SEAT!! Otherwise it is a good seat for babies, and did make me feel safe.

I bought this car seat for my two year old after our nine month old grew out of his infant car seat. My neighbor has the marathon car seat for her daughter and loved it and she had done some extensive research on car seat safety. I wanted a car seat that would be suitable until until our son was physically ready to be in a booster car seat and this seat fits up to 60 lbs. I wish I had spent a little more money on this car seat when our first son transitioned from an infant seat to a larger car seat, but I had bought a Graco seat, which was fine, but very difficult to move around in the car. When we got this car seat, I went into the garage and moved one car seat out and put the other one in. I was prepared to sweat installing this car seat (as I had with every other car seat we'd ever had) but this seat was sooooooo easy to install! I couldn't believe it. And it was really easy to secure, it fits really well. We have a jeep grand cherokee which has a larger back seat, so I can see how it would be a pain to fit into a very small car. The only complaint I have is that the lower buckle does not "click" into place very easily and I always have to double check it, because if you don't really push it together firmly, it doesn't snap in like it should. But other than that, its a great car seat, he says its more comfortable (he complained that the old seat was "itchy") and we are planning to buy another one for our younger son in the spring.

This is a great convertible seat. It had good reviews everywhere and it showed as the lowest content on chemicals on the cover([...]). Fits great on a 2007 Jetta, so any car this size or larger will work quite well. Baby is confortable and does not complain.
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br /Este es el mejor asiento que he encontrado, cabe muy bien en el coche y el bebe esta muy agusto en el. Un estudio sobre contenido quimico de asientos infantiles le da muy buena puntuacion en cuanto a bajo contenido de quimicos, lo cual fue uno de los factores importantes.
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br /Highly recommended. Muy recomendable.

The seat seemed quite comfortable for our 9 month old baby. But now at 10 and after another growth spurt I can't wait until we can turn the seat forward as her poor feet meet the back seat and she looks "squished". I preferred our previous car seat, the Graco SnugRide infant car seat for ease of installation and removal (a God send during travel). Which brings me to my biggest complaint; sub-par installation. It just doesn't seem as safe and secure as our previous seat. What's more, not everywhere we fly to has a car seat rental option with the car rental - more remote, smaller airports. The Britax seat is clumsy and frustrating to remove and the plastic seat belt security clips feel very cheap. It looks like a nice, comfortable seat but it just doesn't feel as safe, from a car safety viewpoint.

My son likes the car seat. Today he spit up in it and I had to take the seat cover off. Britax has a video to show you how its done, but in their demo, the seat is not in the car - so of course it is easy! Most of us will try to remove the seat cover while the seat is STILL in the car. You have to undo 3 buckles (difficult when the seat is still attached) and pull the straps through the seat (gross when the seat is covered in spit up), so the straps got spit up in the process. Britax really ought to come up with a design where the seat cover is easier to take off especially when most of us will take the seat cover off when its gross (and do you really want to struggle 30 minutes pulling straps through a spit up car seat!!!!)
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br /Worse of all, after I got the seat cover removed, the tag in the back said "hand wash only"!!! If I knew that, I wouldn't have removed the seat cover in the first place and would have simply cleaned it while it was still on the seat.
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br /Very frustrating!!!

The Britax quality shows with this car seat. It seems to be very comfortable for my little boy as he seems to fall asleep easily once settled in. It was infinitely easier to install than the Graco infant carrier base that we had. There are only two things that I don't like...the shoulder harness straps seem to twist every time and I have to straighten them each and every time I put him in the seat (of course this may be operator error) and the back of the seat if pretty tall. My son is still rear facing and I have difficulty seeing over the back of the seat to see his reflection in the mirror system we have. Otherwise I really like this seat and I like that it is going to last for a while. I think it's worth the few extra dollars for his comfort and safety.

We have just started using this carseat with our 4-month old daughter. She is very comfortable in it and seems to like it a lot more that her infant carseat. We love the color, and it was very easy to install. It doesn't take up any more room in our small Nissan Sentra than her infant carrier did. The only reason that I give it 4 stars instead of 5 is that the buckles don't always click when you snap them in, and it makes me feel uneasy. Especially because the instruction booklet says to listen for the click.

We've had this seat for two months now and love it. It is very easy to install into vehicles with the latch system and is equally easy to remove. We also like the pull strap at the front of the seat to tighten the shoulder harnesses after buckling in the little one. Our biggest complaint is that the shoulder straps seem to twist and tangle quite often, making it a challenge to buckle in a squirming child at times.
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br /Overall, a great seat and great pricing service from Amazon.

We already had Britax carseats and ordered two more because we were so pleased with them. We'd highly recommend!

We have had this car seat for about a month now and we do like it. The only complaint I have is that the straps do twist every now and then if you do not velcrow them out of the way when putting child in and out of the seat. It was easy to install, I did on my own without my husband it does not budge!! It is very comfy and my child has no problem being in it and falls asleep just as easy as he did in his infant car seat.

I decided to fork out the cash for the Britax even though I don't normally go for top of the line things. After reading tons of reviews I figured this was an investment in my child's comfort and safety for the next several years as well as my convenience. I have not yet been disappointed.

We've been using the Britax Marathon for about a month now and it seems to be great. It was easy to install and seems to be very comfortable. I also like how easy it is to buckle my 12m old son. One thoughtful feature is the strips of velcro that allow you to secure the straps to the side as I place my son in the seat. That way I don't have to fish the straps out from underneath him. The only problem was that the straps that are used to secure the car seat to the car were installed backwards by the manufacturer. My husband was able to fix it in about an hour, but it was really frustrating. Otherwise, it's a great car seat.

My daughter grew out of her first car seat. After reading rave reviews about this one, we chose it in a heartbeat. The chair itself is perfect. She is comfortable in it and if fits well in my car. My only complaints are about the straps. They twist around very easily. You have to make sure they are untwisted before attempting to put them on your child. Second, the straps are very hard to tighten. You have to use all of your might to get them tighten up. I'm talking pulling like you pulling tug o' war with the car seat. Third, the release button is extremely hard to push. You have to use both thumbs to push the button down and even then it's still hard to push. But other all, I feel like she is very secure in that seat and she is comfortable in it. I just wish the straps weren't so hard to pull.

I would say this product was easy to install and is the Mercedes for Car Seats! Although the box arrived thrashed! The car seat was in fine shape with no scratchs/dings. We've got 2 and they seem more comfortable than the competitor brands seen in the store. Wait for a season change and you'll get one at a much lower price! Our kiddo is safe and secure! I would say he's more secure in this seat than an infant pull out seat for sure!!

I love the Britax marathon. It is quite large (I have a toyota highlander and it feels a little cramped on each side of the car seat) but the sturdiness, and ease to install and handling of the straps, its all worth it... I know its expensive but worth the cost when considering safety! [...]! Good luck..

This is a great car seat. I have heard from many parents that it is the safest car seat and it is very high quality. My only concern was whether it would fit rear facing in my car, but it fits perfectly. This is a rather large car seat, but given that it accomodates up to 65 lbs., that is to be expected. My son is 6 months old and already outgrew his infant car seat so hopefully this is my last car seat purchase for him!

I just bought this seat for my 9 month old daughter & am so happy with it. It installed great & is a very nice seat. We love Britax products - we currently own a Roundabout & a Regent. All have installed super tight without too much effort & are very comfy for the kids.

I don't know who like this seat better, me or my daughter?!
After doing a lot of research and reading tons of reviews I knew this was the seat for us. My daughter is 2yrs-29lbs-35in and has a Saftey 1st Summit Deluxe. I liked that seat at first, but there was hardly and EPS foam, would only harness up to 40lbs, and my daughter learned how to unbuckle the top buckle.
I want the safest for my daughter, and the Britax Marathon will allow your child to harness up to 65lbs and I dont see her learning how to unbuckle herself with this buckle. I have a Buick Lacrosse and the latch system was super easy to install(and I'm 7m pregnant!). Although in my car the top tether it quite close to the back head rest, so it was a bit challenging to tighten up. It fits great in my car, and isn't bulky either. I didn't have a problem with the bottom buckle being too close to my daughter's legs as I had read in some reviews. Once installed, I took my daughter out to sit in the seat and she did not want to get out! It is very comfortable and there's a ton of padding and EPS foam. I have another daughter due in May and once she's ready for a convertible seat I will give her this one and get my daughter now the Regent so she can harness as long as possible. Definately would recommend this seat to everyone I know.

This is our 4th Britax car seat and we love it. We have the roundabout and the frontier. I have to say that the frontier is really difficult to get in and out and is huge. I prefer the marathon by far.

This car seat is awesome- fantastic price! I've actually purchased three of these previously for my son - one for my car, one for my husband's, and one for my mom). The kids are so comfortable in them - i will never use anything else! I started both of my children in the Graco Snugride, which is great for a tiny infant. However, both of my children grew very rapidly, and the Snugrides are only supposed to be for children up to 22 lbs. I believe my daughter is there already and my son was by four months, so what's a mom to do? This carseat is a fantastic option because it can be forward or rear-facing and it has a recline for rear-facing so the baby isn't thrown forward in the seat. My daughter is so comfy in it (at only 4.5 months). We didn't discover this with our son until he was about 10 months and his poor little legs always looked so uncomfortable in the snugride. So now we have purchased a total of 4 of these car seats. I intend to buy two more yet (one more for my car and one more for my husband's - my mom got this one and my husband and I are still sharing the Snugride for her, but not for much longer.) This car seat is pricy, but worth every penny. I highly recommend!

i love this car seat... we have an infant carrier and didn't want to buy a new car seat every other year. now that he's 9 months old, this should be his one and only! my baby constantly falls asleep, even short distances, so it must be comfortable. easy to tighten and loosen up for his bulky jackets.

We have three Britax Marathons (one for each of our children). I wouldn't purchase any other carseat. I was recently in an accident with one of our children in our minivan. She was in her Britax, and suffered no injuries. This is a great carseat and you won't regret spending the money to purchase one for your own child.

We purchased two of these car seats for our 8 month old son. We had an infant carrier previous to this convertible seat, but our son was approaching the weight limit and seemed to be getting too tall as well. I am very pleased with these seats so far. The instructions were easy to follow. It took my husband and I about 6 or 7 minutes to install. I installed the second one by myself and it took a few minutes longer. I would recommend two people if possible, but it is absolutely manageable on your own. Adjusting the straps is a bit tricky and when we have to adjust them again it will probably require removing the car seat, but I don't think this should be a deterrent for buying the seat. My son fits in this seat well and seems to like it. He does get hot when he's in the seat for a long period of time, but based on his infant carrier and reviews of other car seats this seems to be a common problem for most seats. Finally, the space it takes up in the back seat is the same as our infant carrier. The passenger's seat that it sits behind is adjusted at the same angle and distance back. Although, it does seem a lot bigger it still fits in our small cars.

I am a fan of Britax car seats. This is my second purchase for my second son. I checked out prices and amazon had best, probably because this was a closeout.

This is our third Britax and we still love them! The straps are study and don't twist when you remove the squirming toddler from their seat. The seat covers are plush and hold up reasonably well (our 2 1/2 year old Marathon is starting to show a bit of wear). They are always rated high on the safety standards and are so easy to install.

I own four of these - have six grandchildren that I baby sit and put them all in a big SUV. Had to get rid of two other brand car seats because they never worked properly or felt safe. The Britax are well constructed and reliable and come in all colors to match car interior - or not. They meet all safety standards and have good safety rating. Easy to take cover off to clean it too!

This is our second Marathon. The first was in a car that was, unfortunately, totaled. Neither my husband nor I gave any thought to replacing it with anything else. It's sturdy, easy to install and adjust, the fabric is durable and can withstand anything my 15-mo. old daughter can give it, and she's comfortable. The velcro near the armrests keeps the straps out of the way when placing her in the seat. If she's still using this seat when we have another child, we'll definitely get another for baby #2.

This is a really great car seat! I thought the price was too good to be true, but it wasn't. I received the car seat in new condition as stated and it came to my home extremely fast. I found the best price ever for a Britax carseat here on this website. I still can't beleive I got it for a steal, when in the stores this car seat goes for $279.99. This car seat is one of the safest out there, which is the most important reason why I purchased it!

This carseat is excellent. I'm glad we spent the money on it. My son falls asleep as soon as we start moving in it. I can't wait to turn it around when he turns 1 so he can see out the window. It sits high. No complaints. Recommmend!!!!

My wife and I wanted a seat that was rated good and had nice features. We picked the Britax Marathon based on user ratings and reputation of the company's product. This seat was so easy to install using the anchor system. The only "wish" I have is that the seat would recline a little more, it's a little steep for a rear facing infant. Other than that the quality is great and our son seems to love the chair. Well worth the little extra in price.

I have one for my son and bought this one for my daughter and both kids love it. I love the safety rating and the fact that these are made in the USA!

This is the best car seat I have ever used. When I opened the box, you could just tell how thick and sturdy the design is. The material is a velour not fabric, which is really nice. I have never used LATCH before because it always seems so awkward and hard to figure out, but with this car seat, I installed it with LATCH in less than 10 minutes. I was so impressed that I am buying another one for my son. The harness lasts up to 65 lbs, which is really safe, and it's high up so they can see outside the window better. It's also airplane safe which I really like. I have not used it rear facing, only forward facing. This was the best deal out there on these car seats, and it arrived less than a week after I ordered it!! Definitely worth the money, especially where your kids safety is concerned.

Our daughter was getting so upset being stuck in one position by her infant car seat that she would cry as soon as we put her in it. This britax is like a limousine for her. Spent 12 hours in the car returning from Canada Thanksgiving weekend and she couldn't stay awake it was so comfy!

The Britax Marathon is a great car seat. My son, 9 months old now, has used this car seat since he was three months old. It's easy to set up and my son seems to be very comfortable while riding in it. I bought one at Target for $279 and a few months later the price here on Amazon was so good ($185) that we bought 4 more of them!!! One for every family member's car (mom, dad, and grandparents). They are great seats... wouldn't buy any other brand name but Britax!!!

the car is perfect. Easy to install and high quality. You won't regret to pay the extra bucks for it.

I have several friends who have this seat and have been very pleased. I am as well. It is easy to install and my son appears to be very comfortable. Well, at least the screaming has stopped when we put him in the car =)
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br /I don't know that I would put a newborn in it though. We started using it around 3 months (12 1/2 pounds and 25 1/2") and would have liked to be able to tighten the shoulder straps just a bit more.
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br /Would buy again for a 2nd child.

the best- comfy, covers clean like charm, I always know he is the safest he can be...our 3rd Britax, 2 marathons, 1 roundabout...the a pair of frontiers will be the next...love them!

We bought this carseat after our Graco wouldn't fit securely in our 2008 Honda CRV. This one went in much easier and is very sturdy. Also, the straps are easy to adjust and baby seems very comfortable. I also really like the velcro hold backs for the straps. Makes it easy to load/unload the baby.

We are so happy with this seat. It is so much more comfortable for my 11 month old. I love the colors and the fact that there is velcro on the inside of the seat, which holds the straps away from my baby as I am loading her in and out of the seat. I would recommend this seat to anyone!

I purchased this seat and I have to say it is great! I read all the reviews and decided this was the best and safest seat for my little one. As a bonus the "graystone" color matched my interior perfectly! The seat is very comfortable for my little one and the straps to secure her in couldn't make it any easier. They have the velco to attach to the side so you dont have to always worry about them under your little one when trying to put them in it. The straps have 5 adjustable holes and they pull out quite far to give you room to put your little one in the seat. It has shoulder pads to keep your little one comfortable rather than the straps digging into their shoulders. INSTALLING the seat --WAS A BREEZE! It does not budge when you try to move it. My daughter loves it because she is higher up and can see better out the window of the Dodge Caravan. It is worth every penny! Don't hesitate, just buy it!

This seat is perfect. Fits vehicle well. Baby loves it. Waaaaaay better than eddie bauer seat previously purchased. All around excellent product.

We have two boys, one almost 5 and the other 2 1/2. We first got the Britax Marathon when our first son was born (almost 5 years ago!). We've passed the Marathon down to our 2 year old now.
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br /The seat is STILL in great shape and by far the best we've ever owned. (We've had 3 other brands). The cover and straps have been washed countless times and are also in great shape. I have not needed to buy a new seat cover yet.
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br /The carseat is sturdy, safe, secure. We use the latch system in our car but have used the seatbelt when we've been in vehicals without. Either way the carseat remains secure using either system. I also like it because it sits a little higher than other brands so our children can see out the window. They like that...
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br /I would recommend this seat to any parent. It is worth the money.
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We just received a this carseat as a gift. The person who gave it to us ordered it off of another website and was upset to see that, although it was new out of the box, it had been sitting in the box for two years. Carseats expire 6 years after their manufacture date. She wanted to return it but would have been out of sixty bucks shipping costs. I told her it was fine and that our son would most likely be in a booster seat within four years anyway. Has anyone purchased this carseat recently (Graystone) and looked at the manufacture date? We want to get the same carseat for our other vehicle. I am curious since this one is cheaper than the other prints. Thanks to anyone who can post a response to answer this.
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br /My husband installed the carseat in our Camry and it is a tight fit. We're excited to see how our son does in it for our long, five hour,trip home tomorrow.
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We've owned ours for two years now. I bought it for my son when he was 6 months old and we've been using it ever since. The covers come off and wash easily and the straps have help up VERY nicely. The seat easily installs into every car we've put it in. (Both with and without the LATCH system.) It is currently in my 1996 Eagle Talon and it fits in the back just fine.ALMOST as easily as it fits into my husband's 1993 Suburban. (I say ALMOST because the Suburban is a beast of a big vehicle. lol) I just don't see ever using another carseat for him.

All of my friends were right when they told me this is the best convertible seat on the market! You can't go wrong! My son loves his new car seat and it has the highest safety ratings! If you look around, you can get great deals when they have sales, usually in the fall and spring! They retail $280 and I got mine for $225 on Amazon!

This car seat is wonderful. I have two of them. One for each of my children. It is very easy to use and very safe. Since I already had one for my oldest and loved it, it was an easy choice to buy one for my second.

We just bought our second marathon for child #2. Our oldest was a bad car baby until we got the Marathon and now loves it. Our youngest was a good car baby before and now is even better. Compared to other car seats, the Marathon blows them away in terms of comfort and ease of installation. The one downside is the size of the thing. We have a Higlander and with 2 Marathons the middle seat has all but disapeared. Also, when installed rear facing the expanse of the Marathon restricts how far back you can move the front seat. Since we're short people it's not a problem for us but I can see it being a problem for taller folks.

After researching car seats online for some time, I caved in and spent the money on the Britax Marathon. It is worth every penny!! My daughter is 26 pounds and has so much room to grow. She falls asleep every time she is in th car now. It was so easy to install, took no time. I would buy this seat again without hesitation.

Great car seat, easy to install with latch system. Very safe and cool designs make it easy to spend the money.

This car seat is exactly what I was looking for! My 13 month old son loves it, especially now that he can sit forward-facing. We had no trouble fitting it in either our SUV or Honda Accord in either the rear-facing or forward-facing position. We ponied up the extra money for the Marathon because of the higher weight limit and I"m glad I did.

We love this car seat. My daughter is so comfortable in this seat and it has plenty of room. She's big for her age and this seat allows her to sprawl out and really get comfy. Although you pay a little more for the Britax Marathon, I would recommend this to seat anyone. It's worth every penny.

We own three of those, to accommodate our 1 year old twins and our 4 year old. The kids love the seats. They look really comfortable in them. The sides provide nice support when the child takes a nap. Removing the cover for washing is easy, the quality of the fabric is really nice. Especially notable is that these seats will be good for a child from about 6-8 months old to about 5 years old - the wide range guarantees that you will not need to worry about changing your child's seat for years. We could not recommend these seats more, worth every cent.

Seat has good features and is generally easy to install. The strap features are well designed and fits our 16 pound baby well with plenty of room to grow. The seat is very large and does not fit well in older cars without the new style anchors.

Our little girl loves her new big girl seat. I love the cow print! It was easy to install, it is easy to get her in and out.

Great carseat, easy to install, our 11-month old is happy and comfy in it. It fits fine rear-facing fully-reclined in the center back seat of our 94' Corolla.

br /We had this same seat for out first child and have been very happy with it so we got another one for our second child. Both kids are very comfortable in it, it is easy to install and we feel very confident that they are safe while we are driving.
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br /Only negative comment is about the tax we had to pay on the seat because we live in NY State.

While all the Britax fanboys are busy congratulating themselves over their beloved Britax seats, I will say that this is a poor fit for some vehicles. This seat is meant to be reclined quite a bit and doesn't fit in my BMW very well. The consequence of its mandatory recline position is that the front edge diggs into the seat cushion. It's not a good fit and not sufficiently adjustable.

I bought this seat for it's rave reviews and safety rating. I am confortable knowing my child is in the safest seat out there. I purchased two of these seats (an extra one for grandma's car) and received a reduced rate and free shipping for having bought two and taking the cowmoofladge pattern, which may not sell as well as others but is more attactive in person than the picture does it justice. I bought an onyx for myself, but now wish the cow pattern was mine, lol!

HOWEVER, my baby is five months old and about 20-lbs at this point. The reviews I read said that the seat "reclines" which was important to me. I want my baby to have the best of everything, to be comfy as can be and to be SAFE. But this seat has a minimal recline to it, and is no where near the amount of "recline-ability" that the infant seat I'd been using up to the point of getting this product. So his little head hangs in front of him when he falls asleep and he looks terribly uncomfortable. He cries sometimes when I put him into it and usually every time getting him out (if I don't get him out fast enuf). The seat is LARGE and obstructs my view out the rear passenger window. I can no longer see him the mirror on the head rest he faces, which I'd used before with his other seat in orfer see him from my rear-view mirror. Also, I no longer have the option of putting his smaller car seat into/on to the shopping cart when I go to the store--something to think about moms.

In time, my baby will grow and hopefully this seat will be a better product for him down the line. However, as things are now, I would not have taken him out of the seat he was in before this one, until later. And I might have reconsidered another model also, as far as being able to see out my window and using the mirror that I had back there to view him from.

I spent alot of money to end up having such mixed feelings.

:(

We have the BRITAX MARATHON for our twin boys and we love it. The only thing that is a nuisance is the fastener.The constant checking to make sure it's locked properly. The somewhat positive is my sons cannot open the bottom fastener which is great but my concern is if we had an emergency how would they get themselves unfastened if I was unable(reason only gave 4 stars). Other than that, they are comfortable and I definately feel like they are as safe as they can be in a car seat.

We received the Britax Marathon at my daughter's shower. She is now 2 and a 1/2. We liked it so much that when my son was about to turn one, we purchased another one for him. It is pricier than other more "economy" brands, but very worth it (especially the piece of mind). We chose the onyx color for both. They don't get hot in the heat like one would suspect. They keep a clean appearance even though I often hand back cookies and goldfish to keep them content on the road. Wish I could say the same for the floor mats! Again, we are very satisfied with these car seats. The children are comfortable in them and they have multiple adjustments to fit them as they grow.

I highly recommend Britax carseats. My brother introduced us to Britax when I was still pregnant and at the time, thought that all carseats are created equal. NOT! We first used Graco and Evenflo seats and saw that our young son was constantly sweating and breaking out in rashes everytime after he was in the carseats. And yes, he HATED them, but we thought that was normal. Don't you love it when you realize that there IS a solution to a problem? We took my brother's advice and switched to the Britax Roundabout and Marathon. Our little guy never broke a sweat in his carseats again. To see the joy on his face and know that he is sitting in comfort and safety, is priceless. It seems that Britax uses quality material and you can see/feel the difference.

I highly recommend Britax as a smart investment for all parents. Plus, I love opening the box and not having to assemble anything! It literally comes right out of the box and ready to go! Who said that you can't have safety AND comfort? Britax is worth every penny. And yes, now I know why my brother describes Britax as THE MERCEDES OF CARSEATS! I'd love to see Britax expand their stroller market and keep the same quality philosophy in mind.

Britax, are you reading this?

This seat got great reviews for safety. It is more on the expensive side, but what's a couple bucks compared to your kid's safety? We now have two of them. Easy to clean also.

After a lot of online research on seats, my husband and I decided to take our one year old to a big box store to try out a few. Out of the eight or so we sat him in on the store floor, this seat was the only one he was happy in. The seat components also seemed far superior to most models out there - and they had better be as this is by far the most expensive seat offered at most stores.

The expense however, has proved to be well worth it. Our son had always resisted his infant seat, constantly fussing and wriggling. It has been great to have a seat he is comfortable in and that sits high enough that he can see out all the windows.

My long lanky son has plenty of room and is comfortable and happy; and I am confident he's as safe as I can make him. Perfect.

I bought this car seat for my 1year old and he loves it. It is such a comfy seat and he always is happy when he gets in it. I thought that it was going to be alot more bulky then it really was, so that is always wonderfull. If I have to buy another one I would!!

We call this the Lexus of carseats. My 7 month old is extremely comfortable in here and it looks really nice too. I like how easy it is to snap him into it.

My mother-in-law bought this for me, luckily from Sears so I can return it without difficulty, but I had my husband just sit it in the back seat, middle position and even with it the reclined position I can't see out the back window of my SUV. It's impressive though ... I think I'll get the roundabout and see if i can see over that one. I'm 5'2".

We already had a Britax car seat for my 3 year old daughter. I was hoping to move her up into a booster seat, but she was not ready to give up her car seat for her younger brother yet. That's how I decided to get a new car seat for my 10 month old son. And since I had good experience with my first one, I just stayed with the same brand and type.
Both my children are tall and this car seat seems to accomodate that.

We have had this seat in my husband's car, and so I have not used this as much as our infant seat. Now that my son is outgrowing the infant seat, I will be using it more often. I bought it for the great ratings, and the only thing I don't really get is why there is prickly velcro on the side of the straps where the baby's arms rest. I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong. It seems like the velcro is to hold the straps out of the way for putting the child in the seat, but when buckled, they are sitting on top of his legs.

I am also looking for a car seat stroller to fit this, and have no idea where to look! I'll post again, after I use this seat more, but so far, so good!

We were just at the baby store to choose carseats and the Britax Marathon carseat on display had a Gogo Babyz Travelmate attached to it. It was so easy to maneuver that my 7 year old daughter wheeled her 20 pound baby sister around the aisle for fun. Two large, solid, screw-in knobs attach the Travelmate to a backplate that secures the seat. The whole combination looks very sturdy and relatively easy to use. We bought both the Marathon and Travelmate. We were looking for a better alternative to the Sit 'n Stroll. This may be it. I cannot compare the two options as I have never tried the Sit 'n Stroll, only read the so-so reviews.

Received timely and product is excellent quality. Very happy.