Question about Britax Marathon....

First off, let me say WOW have things changed since my teenagers were little and in car seats. Now with my nearly one year old I find it so confusing.
I think we have decided on a Britax Marathon, they get good reviews and when searching info on installation in a n '06 Caravan, seemed people had few installation issues.
My question is this.... the official Britax website states the weight limit at 65lbs, yet Babies r Us Canada states in its adverts that it is for up to only 45lbs?
Is this merely a misprint?
Any info would be appreciated

It used to go to 48lbs... however, as of September '07 they all go to 65lbs now.

In an '06 Dodge Grand Caravan, you have a few different choices that work well and will last a good long time.

Britax Marathon ~ $300 (TRU, baby boutiques)
-rear facing to 30lbs, forward facing to 65lbs
-tall top slots, will last most kids to 5 years old
-rear facing tether

Sunshine Kids Radian ~$229 (Baby Boutiques, online - Babyproofingplus.com)
-rear facing to 30lbs, forward facing to 65lbs
-tallest top slots for convertible seats on the CDN market
-rear facing tether
-low profile/no base seat, nice for getting kids in/out of the seat
-most leg room rear facing
-will last most kids to age 7

Compass/First Years TruFit ~$200 (TRU, Zellers)
-rear facing to 35lbs, forward facing to 65lbs
-nice tall top slots (second highest on CDN market)
-easily adjustable harness height, no rethreading required
-low profile/no base seat
-will last most kids to age 6

Evenflo Triumph Advance ~$150 (Sears, Walmart)
-rear facing to 30lbs, forward facing to 47lbs
-nice tall top harness position (comparable to Trufit)
-infinite harness height adjustment... straps are always at child's shoulders, very nice.
-side knobs for adjusting harness... will most likely get stuck in the captain's chair due to contouring. Not a huge issue as you can recline the vehicle seat, adjust and then put it back upright... may be a big deal if you like to adjust every time you get in/out
-will last most kids to age 6

You really can't go wrong with any of those choices.

Just some pics for you of rear facing... this is in an '03 Dodge Grand Caravan, but they're fairly similar.

Marathon...


Radian...


One more of the Radian in an '08 Dodge Grand Caravan... this is my just turned 3 year old on his last day of rear facing (hit 30lbs)...

Thank you very much.
I have been reading about all the types mentioned.
I keep reading rave reviews about the Britax, The others get good reviews too, though i read the Radian is one of the heaviest...
Is Marathon good on comfort?
The Marathon is quite expensive, but I've been saving up, and if the comfort and ease of the seat warrant the higher price, I dont mind buying it.
One more question... How forward to the front seats have to go to accomodate the rear facing MArathon? I ask this as hubby is the driver and his seat needs to be quite far back, and I am pregnant, so I keep my seat as far back as possible due to air bags... So i worry that the seats might be so big that they will not fit correctly.
A friend of mine uses the Evenflo but says her daughter seems to find it quite uncomfy.
Thanks again for all the info, this is very new to me. (and we will be doing it again in 5 months)

Well, the '06 captain's chairs slide back and forth if I remember correctly, so you'll gain more room sliding it back all the way before installing.

The Radian does take up more space than the Marathon, but not by much... maybe one click forward in the front seat.

The Marathon is a cushy seat and very nice seat, but with the arrival of these other three to Canada, I'm not so sure it's as worth the $300 price tag anymore.

The Radian is heavy, but how often will you be moving it? We use ours for travel and have the backpack straps for it and find it *much* easier than our Marathon was, when travelling by plane.

I'm not super in love with the Trufit because I find their straps to be fairly twisty, especially in the buckle tongues and that is a big pet peeve of mine... although others on this board swear by their Trufits and love them. If your child is under 22lbs, the top head portion on the Trufit comes off and that will give you more space for front seat passengers... after 22lbs, it needs to go back on though.

Once babies have good head control, all of these seats can be installed at a more upright angle. The Radian is hard to install at a more upright angle due to the rear facing boot that must be used when installing rear facing. However, this is not an issue in your vehicle as the Radian can easily be installed at an upright angle of 30 degrees (anywhere between 30 - 45 degrees is acceptable for babies with good head control).

Since you mention having another one right away and wanting an upright install for space in the front, I'd be inclined to stick with your first choice of the Marathon. It can be installed upright, is nice and cushy, has the rear facing tether (which I love), and has non-twisty straps.

What seat do you have for the baby?

Right now my 11 month old is in an evenflo.
He is the one the Marathon will be for.
And when our other one comes along, although we will at first put him/her in an infant seat, i would like to be able to put him/her rear facing into a Marathon also... does it work well for infants? I know size/weight-wise it says it is appropriate.. they just seem so big

The Marathon is not suitable for a newborn. If you have big babies, he/she may fit into the Marathon earlier (2 - 3 months), but most babies seem to start fitting nicely around 4 - 5 months old.

Are you sure your 11 month old still fits in the infant seat? The infant seat is outgrown when ONE of the following happens.
1. Weight limit exceeded (22lbs)
2. Height limit exceeded... meaning head is within one inch of the top of the shell. This is a good example on how to tell if your seat is outgrown by height rear facing.

If your 11 month old is still fitting in the infant bucket seat, then your kids are on the small side and you probably won't see them fitting properly in a Marathon until around 6 - 7 months old.

The evenflo infant seat takes up a lot of space front to back. The handle is required to be in the down position in the vehicle and in addition to that, you are required to have 1.5" of clearance between the handle and the front seat.

If you find that you haven't been using the Evenflo infant seat properly in the vehicle (I know I never knew about the 1.5" of clearance and handle down with my first), and you find that it now takes up too much space... I'd look into a Graco SafeSeat1 for the new baby. The handle is allowed to be left up and it should easily last your baby close to 2 years old.

The Marathon will take up way less space when installed in the same position. It is allowed to be braced against the front seat (not jammed into it, but light touching is completely fine).

If the new baby fits into the infant seat just as long as the first, then the first will be just over 2 years old (closer to 3 years if you were to use the Graco SS1 with the new baby) when the second baby needs to go into a convertible.

If the first is ready to be turned forward facing at that time, you could pass the Marathon down to the baby and your then 2 year old could go into a combination seat like the Frontier or Nautilus... both are forward facing only seats that convert into *good* boosters and both will be the last seat you'd need for that child.

The other three seats I mentioned will all fit a newborn well. Their lowest slots are lower than the Marathon's. I still prefer a bucket seat for as long as possible as it's easier with our winters to get baby into the seat, cover with blankets and then take out to the vehicle. No bulky coats/clothes allowed in the carseat... it causes the harness to be looser than normal and your child is at risk of ejection during a collision.

Thats a good idea about Passing the Marathon down when my other one is about 2...
Yes, i'll stick with the bucket infant for the new one, also easy to carry in/out.
My 11 month old had slowed in growth, was 18lbs at his 10 month check up, (we actually went to a pediatrician about it but all seemed fine. I was told that often, breastfed babies slow in growth after the initial first 6 month weight gain)... and was lengthwise still within limits...
I don't drive, and my husband works 6 days/week 10 hours a day, so really, we walk everywhere and spend very little time in the vehicle... but last week I walked to the dr office for a prenatal and weighed my son, he was just 11 months old at that time and only month had passed in between his last weigh-in and this one and i was shocked to see he weighed 21.5 lbs! Happy that he gained over three pounds in a month, but suddenly realized that we better add more money to the car seat fund and buy one asap, lol.
He actually hasnt been in the car in about two weeks, so he hasnt even been in it since reaching that weight.
I didnt know about the handle position/space actually. there is about a .5 inch space i think.
We are going on a four hour road trip at the end of the month on a bad stretch of highway, and i do want to make sure that before this lil man goes into a vehicle again that we have a proper seat for him.
So i have taken your notes down and will get the marathon for my 11 month old and
perhaps the Graco SafeSeat1 for our new addition when he/she comes along. Thanks again for all the help

HippyMum said:

First off, let me say WOW have things changed since my teenagers were little and in car seats. Now with my nearly one year old I find it so confusing.
I think we have decided on a Britax Marathon, they get good reviews and when searching info on installation in a n '06 Caravan, seemed people had few installation issues.
My question is this.... the official Britax website states the weight limit at 65lbs, yet Babies r Us Canada states in its adverts that it is for up to only 45lbs?
Is this merely a misprint?
Any info would be appreciated

Click to expand...

My youngest is in a marathon and we have an 07 caravan, we've never had any installation issues with it. Though you're right, it is sort of bulky with rearfacing (not at all when forward facing). It can touch the seat but shouldn't be too into it, If you want when I get home I can measure from front to back and tell you how many inches that is so you can sort of get an idea and see if it would work for you. My DH can't put his seat tooo far back, but comfortably, and since it's best to keep a kiddo rear facing until they outgrow the limits you want to make sure it's something that is comfortable for all of you.

It is very cushy, and comfortable for DS though

xnaivete said:

It is very cushy, and comfortable for DS though

Click to expand...

Well, that helps to make everyone happy

I went ahead and ordered the Marathon. I have been obsessing over car seats now for awhile, lol and had to purchase one before i googled myself crazy with reviews, ratings etc... over all, most people seem satisfied, and d/h may just have to deal with having his seat closer until Jan when the new lil babe is born and I move my seat into a closer position (and can put my older baby behind me.)

Thank you so much to everyone with the helpful advice!

I just wanted to add that you might want to sit in the second row when your DH is driving. That will eliminate the need for both front row seats to be pushed far back. Plus, your little one will love having the company!

That could be an idea, cept when we are all out together, as I have three teenagers aged 19, 15 and 14 that are all taller than i. The boys are reaching the 6 foot mark, lol.... wont be an option when the newest addition gets here, then there will be 7 of us in the 7 seater. it will work til the newest one gets here in January however and if the teens arent all out with us.