Britax Marathon - Is it too big for my car??

[amanda101mya]

I purchased a Britax Marathon for my now 7 month old son. I have heard all of the rave reviews it has. I have a 2004 Ford Taurus. I recently (yesterday) installed it into my car (i used the LAYCH system - loved it - easy to do) - rear facing. My Taurus is a good size car.

I had to put his car seat behind the passanger seat. My 7 year old daughter has her booster seat behind the driver seat. I can not put the car seat in the middle, because when the two seats are side by side, I can not get my daughters seat belt in the buckle.

Since the car seat is right behind the passanger seat, it (as you know) takes up a lot of room. There is not a lot of space between the car door opening and the seat. So to get my son in I put him in at an angle by the bottom of the seat and "plop" him in the right way. Not an easy task. To get him out, I have to get him out basicly feet first. I just know I am going to bump his head one day doing this.

Does anyone else have this problem? Does the big base come off the seat? If it did, it would lower it enough so I could get him in easier. Should I get a new seat?? I know in about 5 months I can move it to the forward facing position and it will be a lot easier to use.

That is the only problem I have with the seat. I love everthing else about it, it fits perfectly in the car, I just think Ford should have made their door openings a lil bigger. This is the only car we have at the time. I told my hubby we need to buy a bigger vehicle to fit the car seat :)

Thanks for any and all input.

[skaterbabscpst]

While you cannot remove the base, there are a couple of things you can do to give yourself more room.

First, make certain the passenger seat it upright, not reclined. This doesn't seem like it would make a difference, but it does. Having the seat upright will allow you to push it further back without having to adjust the child's seat too much. It's also significantly safer for that front seat passenger because it's common for them to submarine under the seatbelt during a crsah when the seat is reclined.

Second, you can install your son's seat more upright now. The full infant recline is only for brand new babies. Unless your son has special needs, he can sit up a little more now. This isn't to say he MUST be more upright - just that it's safe to do so.

As for turning him forward facing, that's not really a good idea. Children under two need to stay rear facing. This is because they are at significantly increased risk of serious permanent injury forward facing. The old recommendation of a year and twenty pounds is based on seats that were available more than ten years ago, not on safety.

[Defrost]

Skaterbabs, I don't think this is a front-to-back-space "too big," it sounds like the vehicle door is small?

OP, it sounds like your problem is that the door is too small, right? The space left between the carseat and the open door doesn't leave you with enough room to get him in? I've seen this before in smaller 4-door cars, and it's not just the Britax seats. Any RF convertible tends to do this.

If that's the problem, you might want to consider a Radian. It's a convertible carseat that doesn't have a base, so it sits considerably lower. It's the only thing I can think of that would open up a narrow entrance-space.

[aisraeltax]

im completely confused about the delimma. I had my son RF'ing in a Saab which i *thought* was about the same size as a Taurus and never had an issue (my son likes being reclined though...do you have it reclined enough).

1 year is way too young to FF'ing safely..i know thats what the law is in most states but if you do a search here you will find LOTS of reasons not to FF until the limits of the seat (which is probably 35 lbs. if you just got the MA).

[Defrost]

im completely confused about the delimma. I had my son RF'ing in a Saab which i *thought* was about the same size as a Taurus and never had an issue (my son likes being reclined though...do you have it reclined enough).


If it's what I'm picturing, it really has nothing to do with the size of the vehicle. It's the shape and size of the door in relation to the vehicle seat.

I agree that installing the carseat with more recline (45 degrees, no more, of course) might help, if the child is comfortable riding that way; and of course the baby needs to stay rear-facing. :thumbsup:

[amanda101mya]

It is a problem with between the Door and the car seat. I actually read somewear that if I anchor it to the floor that may bring the seat down some. I am going to try that and maybe I can work it to wear he is in the middle.I have another booster for my daughter that may not be so wide that she may fit better in it.

I also find it is hard to get the straps buckled between the legs. I know this is a common problem, and I will just have to get used to it. Overall I love the seat and I love knowing he is safe. I will get it to work. I think I should have gone with the Roundabout, but I liked the higher weight limit of the Marathon.

Thank you for all of your suggestions.

[Defrost]

It is a problem with between the Door and the car seat. I actually read somewear that if I anchor it to the floor that may bring the seat down some. I am going to try that and maybe I can work it to wear he is in the middle.I have another booster for my daughter that may not be so wide that she may fit better in it.

When you say "anchor to the floor," do you mean using the rear-facing tether? Remember to read the manual for specific instructions on how to do this. It should recline the carseat a bit more, but you do need to be careful not to over-tighten it, as it can break the recline mechanism on your carseat. Ideally you should first re-install the seat and try to get more of a recline that way before adding the rear-facing tether. Also, be careful not to over-recline the seat - it cannot be more reclined than 45 degrees.

[amanda101mya]

I was talking about the rear facing tether. The book said it can be used. But I will double check and also try to re-install the seat tonight to see if that helps. Thank you.

[cpsaddict]

It is a problem with between the Door and the car seat. I actually read somewear that if I anchor it to the floor that may bring the seat down some. I am going to try that and maybe I can work it to wear he is in the middle.I have another booster for my daughter that may not be so wide that she may fit better in it.

I also find it is hard to get the straps buckled between the legs. I know this is a common problem, and I will just have to get used to it. Overall I love the seat and I love knowing he is safe. I will get it to work. I think I should have gone with the Roundabout, but I liked the higher weight limit of the Marathon.

Thank you for all of your suggestions.

Getting the Roundabout wouldn't help the situation, as it sits on the same base and has the same high sides. My bff has a Dodge Calibur and the doors are really short and small. Her dd is 18mths(almost) and it is a challenge to get her in rf, but it is SO much safer. She once in a while gets her head bonked, but not hard or anything. As for getting the crotch strap buckled. you can remove the bell pad and that might make it easier to buckle him. Also, you can remove the rubber HUGS on the straps. Sometimes, struggling to get him in the seat, then struggling with the crotch strap and then the straps can seem daunting and just not worth it. Removing the hugs makes tightening much easier, IME. The MA really is wonderful, although getting him in and out might be something you have to get used to. Good luck!

[lilysmomma]

Getting the Roundabout wouldn't help the situation, as it sits on the same base and has the same high sides. My bff has a Dodge Calibur and the doors are really short and small. Her dd is 18mths(almost) and it is a challenge to get her in rf, but it is SO much safer. She once in a while gets her head bonked, but not hard or anything. As for getting the crotch strap buckled. you can remove the bell pad and that might make it easier to buckle him. Also, you can remove the rubber HUGS on the straps. Sometimes, struggling to get him in the seat, then struggling with the crotch strap and then the straps can seem daunting and just not worth it. Removing the hugs makes tightening much easier, IME. The MA really is wonderful, although getting him in and out might be something you have to get used to. Good luck!

That's me! Yes, dd gets her head bonked every once in a while but normally only when I'm in a hurry:o To the OP, I know excatly what you are talking about. I know in my experince though that it wasn't any better with a ff Marathon. I watched a friends 4 y/o a while back and I hit her head every time I put her in. I think over time you will find little tricks that for you as far as getting your dc in. I personally, kind of slide dd in at an angle with her head lower than her feet to put her in the seat. Than to get her out, I just do the reverse... feet first, than head. I hope that made sense:) I think an occasional head bonk is worth it considering how much safer they are rear facing at that age:twocents:

[amanda101mya]

Yeah, that is how I have been doing it - at an angle. Works the arm muscles good. I think I will tough it out. It is hard when it is poor rain and trying to get him in there - I get soaked. But it is worth the lil headache to know he is safe. I will say this was the easiest seat I have ever installed. It does not even move a milameter, it is so secure. It was easier to get in my car than it is to get my baby in the car :)

[natysr]

One thing that I do is kneel on the extra part of vehicle seat that sticks out from the side of the carseat, that lowers me down, then I can put him in the car more easily without bumping his head. Most of the head bumping I did was when I had a Boulevard Outboard. Eventually as Jordan got older, he got tired of getting his head bumped and he just climbs in his seat himself.

[amanda101mya]

I will try that tonight when I pick him up from Daycare. Thank you. I will also try to reposition it this weekend to see if it helps. I was going to do that this week after work, but I am sooooo busy when I get home, I have no time.