New dad - Help me choose a Britax car seat

Greetings all --

1st time poster and soon to be dad. My wife is due 8/12/2006 and we're having a boy! This whole parenting thing is all new to me so I've been scouring the net for baby forums etc and stumbled across this one - theres some great info here! My wife and I have been busy trying to get the nursery together and havent really paid attention to anything else and someone told us that the hospital won't release your kid if theres no car seat (kind of a no-brainer, but we just didn't think of that! ). So, we've been shopping around and pretty much narrowed it down to two Britax car seats. They are:

My wife likes this cow looking thing because its a bit cheaper and she thinks its cute:

Britax Marathon LATCH Car Seat

I prefer this one because it just looks cooler and looks more comfortable.

Britax Baby Safe Infant Car Seat

Does anyone have experience with the two? Which is safer and easier to install? It could all come down to what my wife wants and she'll just veto my vote.

Thanks in advance,
-NoMoreSleep

Depending on your financial situation, I would probably get both. Not necessarily both that you have shown, but both an infant seat and a convertible seat. Newborns often have a hard time fitting into convertible carseats, like the cowprint one. I actually have a Britax MA and nanny for a three month old and she STILL isn't big enough to officially be near the bottom slots. Yes, they are rated for 5 pounds and up, and as long as you got the straps extra snug, I'm sure it'd be fine, but I still prefer to use an infant seat from the start and THAN get the convertible seat when your little boy outgrows that (usually between 6-12 months). Then when you buy the MA, your son can use that all the way to 5-7 years old and than go to a booster

For what its worth, there are some much cheaper infant seats around. In fact, just about every other infant seat is cheaper than the baby safe so if price is an issue, you can easily just get another infant seat and than buy the cowprint MA when that baby outgrows it. JMO!

Well, they're different types of seats....

The "best" carseat: fits the child, fits the vehicle & will be used correctly everytime!

• The Marathon is a great seat for toddlers, but the harness slots need to be even with or BELOW the top of the shoulders for rear facing, so it may not fit a newborn safely
• I don't really like infant-only seats myself either except that they make it possible to take the carseat out of the car during really hot/cold weather & you can have multiple bases installed in various vehicles to make life easier!
  • However, I think the particular infant seat shown in that picture has been discontinued

You can use the Carseat Compatibility Databse to see which seats install in your vehicle correctly & when you've chosen a carseat it's a great idea to have a local Child Passenger Safety Technician check the install > http://www.seatcheck.org

Why vehicle year, make, model do you have? & do you have a budget for spending on a carseat? Maybe we can offer some more ideas....

I agree with Longhorn Lady, the Marathon is a great convertible carseat, but using an infant seat at first with a newborn would be my preference. Also, the Britax Baby Safe infant seat has been discontinued. If that's the infant seat model you really want, it may be available elsewhere at a reduced closeout price, so it would be wise to do some price comparison shopping.

First, congrats!

Second, both are safe. Britax is the Cadillac of car seats, so your taste is ideal.

What car do you have and what year is it? Would you be using LATCH or the belt for an install? LATCH is pretty easy for any seat just about, a belt can be just as easy or it can be tricky, depends on the seat, the car, a bunch of things.

Probably the easiest way to install it is to take it to a CPS technician in your area (http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/childps/CPSFitting/Index.cfm) and have them install it for you the first time and they can show you exactly how to install the specific seat you've bought in your specific car. As good as we are here, we're still just 2D online, having a real 3D person with their hands in your backseat can't be beat.

We used a convertible seat from birth for our daughter and we loved it. I don't regret it in any way, she was and is a long torso'd gal, so she could reach the minimum strap height (I think, I can't remember now, but it seemed ok at the time), but a lot of techs would recommend that you go with an infant seat from birth as those are designed for newborns, then switch to the convertible when your child has outgrown the infant seat.

The first seat you listed, the Marathon, is a convertible seat. It would work weight wise from birth, but the straps need to be at or below your child's shoulders for rearfacing and many children don't have the torso length to get up to the lowest slots (sidebar here. When carseats say they work from X" to Y", that's a good guide, but go more by where the shoulders are in the seat and how much room you have left at the shoulder straps and then as the kid gets bigger, at the head).

The second seat you listed is an infant seat. It's good only rear facing and will probably last anywhere from 4-12 months, depending on your baby's weight and height. After that you must use a convertible for a rearfacing child and then switch them to forward facing when they've reached the maximum weight limit for rearfacing (for the Marathon that's 33 pounds, or when their ears are at the top of the shell which probably WON'T happen, it's a tall seat).

So, since you can't decide, I guess my advice is to buy both. You'll use them both, the infant seat for maybe up to a year, and then the Marathon for probably three or four years. You may want to wait to buy the Marathon, though, since seats are good for six years from date of manufacturing, and if you have a small child you may regret having it sit for a year or so in your garage or attic and have the expiration date come at you a lot faster than it should.

Congrats on the upcoming birth of your son! August babies are awesome. And your wife won't have to be pregnant for the WHOLE summer. That'll make you both happy.

Wendy

Holy quick replies Thanks everyone for all your input.

Longhorn Lady
For what its worth, there are some much cheaper infant seats around. In fact, just about every other infant seat is cheaper than the baby safe so if price is an issue, you can easily just get another infant seat and than buy the cowprint MA when that baby outgrows it. JMO!

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Price is not an issue when it comes to my boy. Are the cheaper seats just as safe? I see some Graco seats that are way cheaper.

papooses
Why vehicle year, make, model do you have? & do you have a budget for spending on a carseat? Maybe we can offer some more ideas....

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We are getting a 2006 Toyota Rav4 and there is no budget for the carseat - I want to get the safest and best carseat available.

Jeanum
Also, the Britax Baby Safe infant seat has been discontinued. If that's the infant seat model you really want, it may be available elsewhere at a reduced closeout price, so it would be wise to do some price comparison shopping.

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Hmm.. I didn't know that. I'll have to look into it and check out some of the price comparison sites.

wendytthomas
So, since you can't decide, I guess my advice is to buy both. You'll use them both, the infant seat for maybe up to a year, and then the Marathon for probably three or four years. You may want to wait to buy the Marathon, though, since seats are good for six years from date of manufacturing, and if you have a small child you may regret having it sit for a year or so in your garage or attic and have the expiration date come at you a lot faster than it should.

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Thanks for the good info, I didn't know certain car seats were for certain ages. So, I guess we'll get the one I wanted and have to wait on the cowprint one.

Congrats on the upcoming birth of your son! August babies are awesome. And your wife won't have to be pregnant for the WHOLE summer. That'll make you both happy.

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Thanks! We're both extremely happy and can't wait to meet our little one! We live in South FL - my wife doesn't really mind the heat.. it's the upcoming hurricane season she's worried about. Lets hope for everyone's sake that this year will be much better.

Thanks again for everyone's help!
-NoMoreSleep

Sounds great

Remember not to get a used carseat & you might also want to check out the new Britax Companion for infants

BELATED CONGRATULATIONS!!!

NoMoreSleep said:

Price is not an issue when it comes to my boy. Are the cheaper seats just as safe? I see some Graco seats that are way cheaper.

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LOL You sound JUST like my husband with the above statement, it made me chuckle. I saw that the Baby Safe carseats are going for approx. $329 and are for babies from 4 - 22lbs and up to 30" long. Even though we are fortunate enough to have disposable income available, even my hubby would have a hard time spending that much money on a seat that will last anywhere from 3 to 12 months (less money for him to buy his "toys" LOL). I commend you for wanting to stick with Britax since they pretty much the best seats out there. However, if I could do it all over again, I would do the following:

Buy a Graco SafeSeat (approx $129) which fits babies from 5 - 30 lbs and 32" long. It's the infant carrier style (where you install the base in the vehicle), which gets mixed reviews on this forum, but I personally LOVED for when baby falls alseep in the car! The best part is that with the higher weight and height limits, it should last your son close to a year, if not longer.

After your son outgrows the SafeSeat, I would buy him the Cow-print Marathon (approx. $269) that your wife likes, unless another pattern she likes better become available in the next year or so. That should last him until he needs a booster seat, which won't be until he's about 5 or 6 years old.

Like other people said, I would hold off buying the Marathon until you NEED it, simply because you don't want the carseat to sit unused for a year. That shaves one year off of it's 6-year expiration. I personally would want to get the full 6-years use out of my Marathon.

Colleen

Well if price isn't an issue, I guess you have tons of options and really can't go wrong. Any of the Graco Snugride2's are great, as is the SafeSeat that the PP linked you up to. Another bigtime favorite on the forum of late is the Chicco KeyFit which I actually have never seen before, but have just heard raves about from people here. Also, I think someone mentioned the Britax Companion also. You can't go wrong with any of those infant seats.

And than right before your son outgrows his infant seat, you can get the cowprint car-seat which will make you good to go for the next 5+ years

Buy a Graco SafeSeat (approx $129) which fits babies from 5 - 30 lbs and 32" long. It's the infant carrier style (where you install the base in the vehicle), which gets mixed reviews on this forum, but I personally LOVED for when baby falls alseep in the car! The best part is that with the higher weight and height limits, it should last your son close to a year, if not longer.

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We looked @ a few Graco seats last night and decided on the Metropolitan. It looks nice and comfy. Spare no expense up to $150!!
Graco SnugRide Car Seat - Metropolitan

Now to baby proof the house.. I guess we have a while until that needs to happen, but I think I'll just go ahead and order everything I need now.

-NoMoreSleep

Great Just remember to have the install checked by a local CPST >>> http://www.seatcheck.org & you might also find the following link helpful >>> http://www.thecarseatlady.com/rearfacing.html Congrats againe!

Longhorn Lady said:

And than right before your son outgrows his infant seat, you can get the cowprint car-seat which will make you good to go for the next 5+ years

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Hopefully they'll discontinue that cowprint by the time we're ready to buy. (hope the wife doesn't find this forum)

papooses said:

Great Just remember to have the install checked by a local CPST >>> http://www.seatcheck.org & you might also find the following link helpful >>> http://www.thecarseatlady.com/rearfacing.html Congrats againe!

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Thanks. I'll definately have the seat checked out to make sure it's properly installed. Is there some sort of mirror available so that you can see your kid while he's sitting backwards?

-NMS

fwiw, I have the cow, and it's a LOT cuter in person than the web pictures indicate. When we bought ours, it was the only pattern my chosen retailer had in stock, and we needed it right away. I figured I'd just get a cover I liked better later on. A few months later a friend wanted to trade her girly cover for a cow, since it's really gender-neutral. I figured, whatever, sure. So we switched. I gave her my cow, and she gave me her Ashley Floral. It's pretty, but when I needed a replacement cover I went for a new cow instead - it stays clean so much better, and my daughter loves getting into her "cow seat! MOOO!" every day.

It grows on you.

No, there isn't. It's really not safe to attach a mirror. If you were in a wreck, that mirror is flying right at his head.
He'll be fine. He can't get away!
At $150 for the snugride though... that seems really steep. My favorite infant seat is the SafeSeat by Graco. Have you checked into that one? Cheaper than $150, and you can use it for at least a year and probably closer to 18 months. Then buy a Britax. I am partial to the Boulevard, but nothing wrong with the Marathon.

There are a lot of mirrors. Check out babies r us or any baby store that sells accessories. You can get cute bear ones, black and white ones, circle ones, ones with two mirrors, big ones, a whole bunch. I had a huge one and loved it because I could see her face and then some. I kept a plastic golf club we had gotten from a subway kid's meal on the floor in the front seat so I could move the mirror around from the front seat. LOL

Wendy

NoMoreSleep said:

Hopefully they'll discontinue that cowprint by the time we're ready to buy. (hope the wife doesn't find this forum)

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ROTFL! I, too, cringe everytime I see the cow print! Maybe I suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder, but having that seat cover would drive me BONKERS. Our three carseats match or complement the interiors of our three vehicles, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Our Radians are Graphite, and I was going to get a Onyx Marathon. But, I decided to be adventurous and buy the Platinum pattern that is sold at Babies R Us to complement my gray/black interior!

As for the mirrors, if I were you, I'd try not to use one, because they can become a projectile in a crash. I'm guessing you're going to be taking off some time from work when the baby is born? My husband did, and for every outing the first week or two, one of us sat in the backseat with baby. After that we both rode upfront with baby alone in the back. By the time hubby went back to work, I felt comfortable enough to take baby out with me in the car without me having to see him. 9 times out of 10 he fell asleep anyways!

Colleen


Edited to add: I DO like those University carseat covers for the Marathon that are being sold on the Babies R Us and Target websites. I've been on the lookout for the University of Maryland cover, but there is no photo available. It's most likely going to be red, so I'm not sure how much I am going to like it. Why couldn't my alma mater have better school colors?!? LOL

Ditto on the mirrors, the projectile potential risk isn't worth it IMO. And as Splash said, the baby isn't going to get away. Your reluctance about the cow print reminds me of my DH. He has a strong aversion to carseats with the really "girly" covers and doesn't want to drive around with pink flowery ones in his car, lol.

Even if the mirror only weighs a few ounces it can become a couple pounds of force hitting your child in the face during a crash So ... unless the child has a severe medical reason for needing a mirror, it's not worth it

P.S. I myself prefer the Zebra cover over the Cow

I want to get my hands on one of the "paws" covers, but they always go for more than I'm willing to spend for a used cover. We had Big Cat for our RA and I liked it a whole lot.