roundabout vs marathon

[nglauser]

I'm looking for a new car seat for my little girl (12 months, almost 17 lbs, probably...27 inches), and I think I'll end up with a Britax. Is it worth it to get the marathon? I'm just thinking, if my daughter stays on the growth curve she's on, she won't reach anywhere near 65 lbs until she's almost done elementary school! I can imagine her not wanting to sit in a "baby" seat anymore.. any thoughts on this? She's still in her safeseat now and nowhere near the height or weight requirement; I'm just getting tired of lugging it from car to car, so I'd rather a carseat that remains in my car.
thanks for any advice..

I read about other britax seats like the decathalon - are all models available in Canada - I've only ever seen the Marathon and roundabout..?

[snowbird25ca]

Most seats are outgrown by height before weight. At present, the only Britax convertible seats available in Canada are the roundabout and the marathon. For the $50 price difference, I would absolutely go with the Marathon. It will allow her to rf longer and has top slots that will provide a couple extra years of room in the harness compared to the roundabout.

If you're planning to have more kids, you can always wait to get a convertible seat until your little one is closer to outgrowing the SS1. You do have the option of leaving her safeseat 1 in the car right now and not using it as a carrier. The Britax convertibles expire 6yrs from date of manufacture, so the longer you wait to buy one the longer use you'll get from it - especially important if you want to hand it down to multiple kids. ;)

[QuassEE]

Many people buy the Marathon for the added height benefit, not just the weight benefit. The Roundabout only goes to 40lbs, and is significantly shorter than the Marathon. The Marathon will give you the added benefit of extended rear-facing your baby/toddler/preschooler, and then remaining harnessed until about 47"-49" on average (depends a lot on where a child's height is)... So getting a larger seat with a higher weight limit isn't just about the weight--it's about height, too.

Since you have such a small child, you might want to keep your infant seat in the car and just move the baby for the time being, since Britax has a 6 year expiry and you want to get the maximum use out of the seat--which, for you, will probably be the full 6 years!

-Nicole.

[NZ Child Restraints]

Why not leave the safeseat in the car? You dont "have" to carry it just because it comes off the base!

Then you could just straight to the Graco Nautilus once the child is big enough (hopefully a bit older too) :)
- i have seen on another post that these are coming to Canada.

[nglauser]

Thanks for your help! I do realize I can just leave the safeseat in the car, and most of the time I do. Part of the issue is my in-laws want to take her places, and I'm always afraid they won't buckle the seat in properly in their car, so I figured if I have a carseat that isn't as easy to transfer, it would force them to buy their own. I probably should just tell them my concern and buy one to remain in their car, that way I can install it and take it to the firehall to make sure it is done correctly.
I appreciate the advice on the MA versus the RA, and about the 6 years. Makes perfect sense to hold off then, so I can get the most use out of it.
Thanks,
nicole