Britax Marathon Convertible Car Seat

The legendary Britax Marathon convertible car seat is your ideal selection for comfort, safety and convenience for infants and children of all ages. Many parents say it takes the guesswork out of properly fitting your child into a convertible car seat because its so easy to adjust the harness straps to fit your little one. This versatile car seat can accomodate children rear-facing from 5 to 33 pounds and children forward facing from 1 year old and 20 pounds up to 65 pounds. The built-in vehicle belt lock-offs are only one of the many factors that make the Marathon simple to install wherever you are whether that be a car or an airplane. The clips keep the car seat installed tightly when using seat belt routing. And the Marathon ensures the highest level of safety.

The Marathon's Versa-Tether system is usable with the top tether points on newer vehicles. This allows you to anchor the top of the car seat and prevent unsafe tilting for your child. Combined with LATCH system connectors with a push-button release, these assets will make certain the most sturdiest and safest possible installation in your vehicle. Not to mention the unique and patented "floating" HUGS System, which includes a belly pad and a soft, washable and stain resistant seat cover to add some comfort to safety. While the harness straps on many other carseats can tend to twist after several uses, this seat's straps are meant to stay smooth, which reduces the chance of improperly positioning the chest clip. The Marathon is designed to reduce head movement for your child and keep the child's head and neck safe in all situations. EPS protective foam surrounds your child's head and torso for maximum protection. These systems along with a sculpted base reduce G-force effects on the head and the body of a child in the event of an impact.

The Marathon, like all Britax car seats, comes in a wide variety of colors and patterns to suit any taste and ensures a comfortable and safe ride for any size child. The Marathon is also approved for airplane use.

Specifications:

• Rear Facing: 5 lbs. to 33 lbs.
• Forward Facing: 1 year old and 20 lbs. / up to 65 lbs.

Gift Wrap not available.

Shipping Note: This item ships via UPS Ground within contiguous United States only. Cannot be shipped to AK/HI, PO boxes, US territories, or APO/FPO addresses.

Britax Marathon Convertible Car Seat Reviews

Average Rating: Number of Reviews: 3 Displaying Reviews 1 to 3 of 3   Write Review

Submitted By: Laura   Date: 09/15/2008 My husband and I originally purchased a carrier and base system, but our daughter outgrew it by 5 months; we tried several models of "stay in car" convertible car seats, but the LATCH systems were poorly designed and often came unhooked. We decided to try the marathon car seat. The LATCH system is secure and durable; the car seat adjusters are easy to use, baby is comfortable and most importantly safe. One feature we especially like are the Velcro pieces on the side to hold the harness out of the way while you are securing baby.

Submitted By: Alison from howard beach, NY   Date: 06/16/2008 This car seat is very sturdy and was easy to install. I love the way my 10 month old looks so comfortable in this car seat. After researching car seats, we chose the Marathon for its safety features, ease of installation, and straps that don't tangle. We found all this to be true and more. The straps are very easy to adjust with baby in the car seat. We have it rear-facing and it's a bit big and high in the middle seat between my two other children. All in all we are still happy with this purchase and think it's a great car seat.

Submitted By: Keri from Orient, Ohio   Date: 06/10/2008 I did a lot of research before purchasing a Car Seat, I wanted to make sure it was the best (this is my child's life at risk). This car seat had wonderful review through the consumer reports, they are tested daily for safety in different range impacts. I have the cowmooflauge print which is so cute, very east to install with the latch system only took me 5 minutes. I have been using mine for 4 months now very easy to get baby in and out since it has velcour to keep straps out of the way. Another feature I like is different strap levels for the shoulders so many car seat only have 2 or 3 slots to adjust the shoulder straps but this one more so baby is much more comfortable. The material is very soft. This is such a great car seat I bought another one for our second car.

Write Review

Average Customer Rating: Displaying 3 of 3 product reviews

Britax Marathon Convertible Car Seat

Building on the success of its Roundabout convertible car seat, European-based Britax Child Safety, Inc. launched its Marathon model as the next generation of convertible car seats, able to securely support a child in forward-facing position up to a whopping 65 pounds. As a convertible car seat, the Marathon can be installed facing rear for newborns and infants and then convert to a forward-facing seat to accommodate older babies. In the rear-facing position, the Marathon holds babies from 5 to 33 pounds, and in the forward-facing position the seat can support 20 to 65 pounds and up to 49 inches tall.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the rear-facing car seat position at least until one year old and 20 pounds. The Marathon easily satisfies this safety recommendation by offering a rear-facing harness that will fit most children from birth until well past their first birthday. The Marathon is also an excellent choice for babies who have outgrown their infant rear-facing only seats but are still too young to move to a forward-facing seat. The unique benefit of the Britax Marathon, however, is its ability to hold children up to 65 pounds and 49 inches tall in the forward-facing position, extending the seat's use to age 5 for most kids.

To accommodate the higher weight limit, the Marathon is slightly larger than the Roundabout and weighs 22 pounds verses the Roundabout's 15. The good news is that once these convertible car seats are installed, weight is insignificant because most parents won't remove the seat very often. Even with its larger size, the Marathon's contoured base will easily fit in most vehicles as a forward-facing seat. In the rear-facing position, the Marathon might be a tight squeeze in sports cars and other vehicles with smaller back seats. You'll want to allow 31 inches of back seat space to ensure a proper fit.

The Marathon offers a tangle-free, five-point harness with four harness heights to provide a snug and secure fit for years of use. The seat's front harness adjustment is a lift-lever style and is located under a protective flap on the seat cover. According to Britax, the lift-lever adjustment was intended as an alternative to the usual push-button adjustor and is designed to be easier for individuals with low-hand strength and easier to access in the rear-facing position.

The Marathon convertible car seat includes unique and innovative safety features, such as Britax's patented HUGS, or Harness Ultra Guard System, which helps avoid improper chest clip placement, distributes the harness load to avoid webbing edge irritation, reduces forward head movement, and gently cushions the neck and chest. Another terrific safety feature is the patented Versa-Tether system, which anchors the top of the seat to the vehicle, reducing forward or backward movement in the event of a collision. While most car seats only provide tethering in the forward-facing position, Britax's Versa-Tether allows rear-facing as well as forward-facing tethering for maximum seat stabilization. The Marathon also features a patent-pending rip-stitch tether that reduces G-force effects on the head and body in the event of an impact.

As with other Britax seats, installation of the Marathon is easy and secure using lap belt and shoulder belt harnesses as well as the LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren) anchoring system that accompanies most vehicles made after 2003 and a few models made in 2000 to 2002. The seat's premium, push-button LATCH connectors ensure a quick, simple, and tight installation every time. If you do not have LATCH or if you'll be using the car seat in an older model automobile with metal locking clips on the safety belts, the Marathon includes built-in lock-offs to tightly secure the vehicle's seat belt in both the rear and forward-facing positions. For children weighing more than 48 pounds, be sure to use the vehicle's seat belts, not LATCH, unless otherwise specified by the vehicle manufacturer. The Marathon conforms to all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety standards and is certified for use in aircraft, meaning you can secure the Marathon into an aircraft seat to keep your baby snug and your hands and lap free. Of course, always check with your airline for any size requirements or other regulations regarding child seats.

The Marathon convertible car seat includes all of the comfort and convenience features that you've come to expect from Britax, including rear- and forward-facing recline options and a one-hand recline handle for easy adjustments to keep your little one content. The Marathon's plush, microfiber cover is removable and washable. Premium comfort pads protect baby's delicate skin from coming into contact with the harness system, and the matching belly pad keeps the lower buckle from irritating or pinching baby's tummy. The Marathon's high density comfort foam gently cushions the child, while the EPS protective foam liner - the most widely used and highly regarded protective foam in car seats today - manages and distributes energy for a comfortable, relaxing ride. Especially convenient are the Velcro harness belt holders, which keep the harness to the side while placing the child in the car seat, making boarding less stressful on the parent and baby.

The Britax Marathon is a favorite choice among parents worldwide, thanks to its intelligent design and versatility. BabyEarth offers the Britax Marathon car seat in nine different fabric options to satisfy every style, including Mossy Oak - perfect for dad's little outdoorsman, and the playful Cowmooflage.