Marathon Roundabout

Marathon Roundabout

Which one of these car seat would you recommend?

Britax Roundabout 50 Pistachio ( on sale $159) : http://www.hipmonkey.com/thumbnail.asp?file=assets/images/rab50_pistachio.jpg&maxx=300&maxy=0

Britax Marathon Labyrinth ( on sale $209): http://smartmomma.com/images/T/labyrinth.jpg
or Crocodile ( on sale $239)http://www.elitecarseats.com/assets/product_images/alternate/300/100221CROCODILE.jpg

I love the the Deco Square cover a lot but it's so expensive $279.

One more think, Do you think the Marathon cover fit Roundabout 50?

Thank you

You really need to evaluate the car you drive to see which one is best. For pointers on that look here:

http://www.edmunds.com/advice/womenfamilies/articles/103317/article.html

Opinions on Britax Marathon vs Britax Roundabout?

We have the Britax roundabout, and my cousin recently registered for the Britax marathon. Other than the price difference, does anyone have opinions on which one is better, know about the differences between the two. We purchased the roundabout because of it's rating on Consumer reports. But, I don't know much about the marathon. Thanks!!

The Marathon has a higher weight and height limit than the Roundabout, so your child should be able to use it longer rather than having to move to a booster when s/he outgrows the car seat. In that sense it will presumably be a money saver. The Roundabout can be used in the forward facing position until a child weighs 40 lbs; the Marathon can be used in the forward facing position until a child weighs 65 pounds. (Both can be used in the rear facing position until a child weighs 33 pounds.)

Also, the Marathon can be tethered even in the rear-facing position. Since studies indicate that kids should be rear-facing for pretty much as long as you can get away with it and not automatically turned around just because they've hit the 1-yr/22lb mark, that means a lot to me. (My understanding is that the Marathon is the only car seat on the market that can be tethered in the rear facing position.)

Other differences: the Marathon also has something called the "HUGS" system that the Roundabout doesn't. That has to do with the harness system -- according to the Britax site it's designed to distribute weight more evenly to minimize the risk of neck injury, and also reduce the chance of improper positioning of the chest clip.

As far as aesthetics, there are more fabric/cover options with the Marathon. (Admittedly, one of the reasons I liked the Marathon was because of the cowmooflage cover -- if I'm going to be looking at these things for a few years, I might as well enjoy the sight of them! With two of them in my car for twins, they account for a lot of the "aesthetics" of my car's interior!)

There may be more differences I'm not thinking of: you can check out the Britax Web site at http://www.britaxusa.net/.

I have the Marathon but have never used a Roundabout; I chose the Marathon based on reviews and on that weight/height differential. While I obviously can't compare the two models I can tell you my kids love the Marathon -- they seem very comfortable.

Installing a Britax Marathon Rear Facing