2 Britax Marathon VS 1 Britax Marathon and 1 Cosco Scerena

U

Unregistered

Guest
We will take our almost 9 months old DD to daycare soon, which is less than half a mile from our house. My DH will drive her to daycare in the morning and I will pick her up in the afternoon. She is close to 20 lbs and 28 inches, and rides in Graco Snugride right now. So we need to buy a carseat for my DH's 2003 Toyota Camary first, and then another one when DD outgrows the infant carseat in my 2001 Honda Accord, which is our primary car for the baby.

Based on what people said here, it seems that Britax Marathon is a great carseat that I won't regret, but Cosco Scerena is also a decent one. Since we will buy two carseats, I am wondering what is the most comfort and cost effective combination? If we go with 2 Britax Marathon, does it sound like a waste of money on my DH's car? Do you think most people will go with 1 Marathon, 1 Scerena in my case? Currently I don't see any big sales on Marathon. Someone mentioned that Sep may see some Britax sales, so should I go ahead buying a Scerena for now and wait for Britax sales later?

I am totally new to the carseat business. Thanks for your help.
 
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mish

New member
I think in that case, I would buy 1 Marathon and 1 Scenera. Another option would be a Safety 1st Avenue for your husband's car. It is made by the same company as the scenera (Dorel) but it a little better. It is more padded and has EPS foam. It is 79.00, but you can only get it at sears or kmart. You can buy it online from them.
 

Mommy2Marcus

New member
Honestly, I would just buy a Scenera for your DH's car. The reason being b/c she only rides in it for a less than 1 mile a day! I used a Scenera for quite awhile in my car as he only rode in it for short trips so I did not feel the need to spend lots of money on a seat.

However it does seem worth it to purchase a Marathon for your car as she seems to ride in it more. So I would go Marathon for your car & Scenera for DH's.

Also wanted to add that Britax is having a HUGE online sale in a couple of weeks. I think the dates are Sept. 5-12...I might be wrong. The Marathons will be on sale.

Another thing I wanted to share was that since your DD is getting close to a year that you will want to keep her RF for as long as possible It is 4-5 times safer for them to stay RF for as long as possible. Not that in my signature picture my 22 month old is still RF! Here is a video showing WHY to keep them RF!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psmUWg7QrC8
 

tanyaandallie

Senior Community Member
We have a scenera and it works well for the amount we use it, which is rarely. However, if it were me, and my child was going to be in the seat every day, I would want a seat that was tad more comfy, with some EPS foam. The Avenue/Uptown is not a ton more than the scenera. I'd choose it over the scenera if the seat is going to be used everyday.

If you have the money to spare, I do not think to marathons are a bad idea. But, it is a pricey seat if she is only riding a few minutes each day.

ETA - The Avenue is also a bit taller than the scenera so will last a bit longer.
 

Melizerd

New member
I have both a Marathon and a Scenera. I don't like the Scenera enough to want to use it every day but many people do.

If it's an every day occurrence AND buying 2 won't break the bank I'd probably get two Marathons, The sale is next month so it will be a good time to pick up two.
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
Re: 2 Britax Marathon VS 1 Britax Marathon and Cosco Scerena

Thank you so much for all the replies. I think I may get 2 Marathon if they are on big sales in Sep.
 

ginny4

New member
Re: 2 Britax Marathon VS 1 Britax Marathon and Cosco Scerena

good idea about 2 MA. we have the scenera & i can't imagine using it everyday. that thing frustrated me to no end whenever my son got in it. abtou once a week. the scenera is now my spare. we have a different seat for DS in my moms car & it is MUCH better.
 

skaterbabs

Well-known member
Another thought is the Evenflo Triumph Advance. Because of the infinite harness adjuster you don't have to worry about whether or not it's at the correct height, it's *always* at the correct height. And you can get two for the price of ONE Marathon. It RF to 35 lbs, FF to 50 lbs and the topmost harness position is actually a smidge higher than the MA's, so most kids will actually make it to 50 lbs before outgrowing it by height.
 

Melizerd

New member
I'd try the EFTA out first. The knobs annoy me to no end. I know LOTS of people that love them or don't mind them but they made me want to tear my hair out when I played with it.
 

Patriot201

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
I'd try the EFTA out first. The knobs annoy me to no end. I know LOTS of people that love them or don't mind them but they made me want to tear my hair out when I played with it.

:yeahthat:

I am also annoyed beyond words by the knobs. Other people don't mind them at all or even love them, so I would also recommend trying them out before buying. :)
 

NannyMom

Well-known member
My DD has a Marathon in my car (main vehicle), and Titan in Dad's car, a Titan in Grandpa's car, and a Scenera in Grandma's car. I would reccomend a Marathon and a Scenera hands down. Before I bought the marathon, the Scenera was in Dad's car. If you want something more comfortable then the Scenera, I'd reccomend the True Fit. I personally don't like the knobs on the EFTA.
 

magoose

New member
We own two marathons, for twins, but I think I wished I had two EFTA. For this reason that my 6 yr old outgrew the MA at 5 yrs and had another year in the EFTA. The infinite adjust harness is super nice too. Also the seat seems bigger and more comfy which is starting to be an issue now the twins are turning three. So eventhough the weight limit is lower on the EFTA a child will most likely use it longer since he can truely fit close to the weight limit because the harness appears about an inch higher. My second choice would be two MA. Anna
 

NannyMom

Well-known member
We own two marathons, for twins, but I think I wished I had two EFTA. For this reason that my 6 yr old outgrew the MA at 5 yrs and had another year in the EFTA. The infinite adjust harness is super nice too. Also the seat seems bigger and more comfy which is starting to be an issue now the twins are turning three. So eventhough the weight limit is lower on the EFTA a child will most likely use it longer since he can truely fit close to the weight limit because the harness appears about an inch higher. My second choice would be two MA. Anna

My 5 year old is just a hair too tall for the Marathon. He still (barely) fits in the EFTA, he fits in the True Fit (My 8 year old still fits in the True Fit!).
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
Your comments make me think twice about 2 MA. I am thinking about 1 MA/1 EFTA or 1 MA/1 TrueFit now? Neither DH nor I am very good at installing carseat. Although I am the one who decides what car seats to buy, DH will be the one who actually install them. So easy to install is the second criteria next to safty. Otherwise, DH will be really really mad at me.
 

mish

New member
I would really encourage you to learn to install your seats. What happens if your DH isn't around sometime and you have to? You might have an emergency where someone comes to get you and you need to install your seat in their car. You definitely need to know how to do it. Read your instruction manual and post questions. We can help. An even better idea is to find a tech in your area to teach you. Don't just let them install the seat. Make them teach you how to do it. I am a tech and my husband knows how to install our seats. What if I couldn't? I can't take the chance that he doesn't know how and might need to someday.

As far as EFTA vs TrueFit, I think either one is a good choice. The TrueFit might last longer. Also, the EFTA can sometimes be hard to adjust rearfacing, due to the knobs. I have heard that the Truefit can be a little dificult to adjust rear facing also though. I think the truefit might be easier to install because it has lock-offs. Also, if you are using LATCH to install, all truefits have the alligator style clips, which are easy to use. The most expensive EFTA uses that style clips. The cheaper ones use the regular ones.
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
Thanks for your advice. If I will be the one who installs them, I might just go with 2 MA. I think learning to install two different car seats is too much for me. One is enough.
 

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