A couple of months ago, a friend and fellow mom sent me a link to a You Tube video about Kyle Miller. Tragically, Kyle was killed in a car accident when the seatbelt, which was supposed to secure his seat, failed, ejecting him from the vehicle. The message was to keep your child in the five-point harness car seat as long as possible. . Fortunately, there are a few car seats that allow five-point harnesses up to 65, even 80 pounds. . My husband and I chose the Britax Marathon™. (Britax also offers a booster seat, which is illustrated in Kyle’s video, but it was too big for our back seat and because of the popularity of the video, we can hardly find it.) Marathon has been a wonderful investment in our daughter Kari’s safety and comfort. Read on to see if the Britax Marathon is next to you and your little one.
The Britax Marathon is a bit pricey (here in New York, we pay about $270 plus tax) but with all the health benefits, we found the peace of mind to be worth it. The ability to fasten the seatbelts, but also with a key system that holds the seat right on the car’s panels. This was the system we chose, since our vehicle can accommodate this feature. The seat also features side crash bars, which most car seats don’t have. The Marathon also features the Versa-Tether line, which still ensures that your seat is held in place, and the harness is long enough to reach through minivan and SUV seats to apply the buckle.
In the name of comfort, Britax beats it hard. The first Kari to line the carseat had a high seat that ended up bald around the middle. The Britax seat has a shorter base which allows the knees to bend and the feet to recline on the rounded edge. The Marathon also has a “belly guide” that protects your small stomach from the buckle between the legs and keeps the intersection of the straps from digging in. The highlight in the comfort department is that the Marathon has 4 shoulder height straps. This was the reason why Kari’s new carseat needed to be high in the first place and the top shoulder holes of the old one were below her shoulders. Marathon height savings that go almost to the top of the seat, so I know Kari has a lot of room to grow.
The marathon also offers a lot of opportunities. The one I like the most is the little Velcro attachment that keeps the harness straps to the side while you put your child in the seat. It doesn’t help to dig around to find the belts under your child! Another convenient aspect of the harness is that it doesn’t get complicated. I don’t know how she managed it, but it’s evasive! The straps are easy to fit and you only need to pull one of the straps to tighten the harness once your child is on the sword. If you purchase the Marathon for a newborn, the feature also reclines with one hand. This seat is also approved for airline travel, has many different types and colors of the cover, which are easily removed and are machine washable… all the features that the parent will recognize!
All of which brings me to one gripe (besides the hefty price tag): there is no cup holder. Something so simple, yet for $270 I think it’s included. What’s worse, I don’t seem to be able to locate anyone in the state for sale. It’s not the end of the world, and Kari figured she’d hold a sippy cup between her knees. ..but should have it for $270? That is; This is the only wonderful complaint about this seat. All the positives definitely outweigh the negatives about the Britax Marathon. If you have a larger vehicle that can accommodate the extended model, even better. Allows five harnesses up to 80 pounds.
If you’re approaching the stage for the front seat, take a look at the Britax. I also recommend watching Kyle on You Tube, just search for “Five Point Harness”. Have two handy weapons and see why the upper weight limits offered by Britax are so important.
