Convertible Carseat for 2003 Ford Escape

[EDHobbs]

I am so confused about what carseat I need for my 7 mo. He is 27.5 in long and weights 17 lbs. He is only a little over an inch away from being too long for his Graco Snugride. I am looking for a convertible carseat that is safe and will fit in my Ford Escape and one to fit in my husband's Dodge Dakota (4 door).

I thought I had decided on the Britax Marathon 70 but then I was introduced to the Diono Radian and now I am just really confused. We know that we would like to have a second child within the next 2 years so it would be nice if we could fit 2 carseats in the back of each vehicle without having to purchase new vehicles or carseats.

There are lots of pluses to both as well as a few negatives but I just don't know what would be best now. Any suggestions??

Thanks!

 

[wendytthomas]

The Marathon has a shorter shell (by a lot) than the Radian, and less leg room. If you'd like, though you could buy it now, use it for a couple of years, and then pass it on. It's easier to install than the Radian, and often takes up less front to back space. But it may not get kids who are long in the torso to three or four rear facing, and for kids long in the leg it may get uncomfortable before you're ready to turn them.

The Marathon and Radian puzzle well together, so if you get one now, and then a Radian later, you should be able to fit an adult still in the back of both cars with them.

Your son will outgrow his infant seat when he has less than 1" of shell above his head, not at an arbitrary overall height limit.

Other seats I'd have you consider would be the Safety 1st Complete Air, Maxi Cosi Pria, First Years True Fit, and Evenflo Triumph 65. All are tall with a lot of leg room.

Wendy

 

[EDHobbs]

How do the safety ratings compare on the others that you have listed to the Marathon. I know the Marathon has really good ratings and I want to ensure that I have the best overall seat for my lo.

Thanks!

 

[cpsaddict]

There aren't any ratings actually. Well, none that are released to the public. Diono releases their ratings, I guess, but with nothing to compare them to, they are kind of useless. I have a 2007 Ford Escape and I had a 2001 Escape. The Marathon 70 fits like a glove in both. It takes about 2 minutes to install, front or rear facing. I also had the Radian in there and it took a bit more work, but it went in nicely as well and fairly upright. Now, I could not stand using the Radian daily. The harness adjuster is awful, IMO. I didn't worry overly much about the supposed shortness of the Marathon, since we would have another baby within 2 years to pass it on to, which is exactly what we are doing. DS will use the Marathons and DD will have Frontiers. My DD is heavy(almost 40lbs), so we went with a FF seat, but when the time comes, you could pass the Marathon down and get another, taller rf seat if you have a small kid.

 

[wendytthomas]

Diono releases their crash test results, not ratings. There are no ratings to be had. There are ease of use ratings, but most of us find those faulty compared to what we see in real life.

Wendy

 

[EDHobbs]

Thank you for all of the information! I feel really good about the Marathon and I think that is what we will be going with!

 

[livilou]

I know it's neither of the above but we have a Complete Air in MIL's Escape (though it's a 2007) and it fits wonderfully!

 

[EDHobbs]

There aren't any ratings actually. Well, none that are released to the public. Diono releases their ratings, I guess, but with nothing to compare them to, they are kind of useless. I have a 2007 Ford Escape and I had a 2001 Escape. The Marathon 70 fits like a glove in both. It takes about 2 minutes to install, front or rear facing. I also had the Radian in there and it took a bit more work, but it went in nicely as well and fairly upright. Now, I could not stand using the Radian daily. The harness adjuster is awful, IMO. I didn't worry overly much about the supposed shortness of the Marathon, since we would have another baby within 2 years to pass it on to, which is exactly what we are doing. DS will use the Marathons and DD will have Frontiers. My DD is heavy(almost 40lbs), so we went with a FF seat, but when the time comes, you could pass the Marathon down and get another, taller rf seat if you have a small kid.

Do you use the rear-facing tether for the Marathon? It is a little awkward as you have to finagle my ds under it but over the side of the seat. I know it makes it safer so I am really weighing the safety vs conveinence. Any tips/thoughts?