Britax Marathon for newborn

[Tiger926]

I can't use infant carriers due to physical health restrictions (osteoporosis and severe Vit. D deficiency at a very young age), so we want to buy a Britax Marathon (they are finally available for purchase in Canada, but we have to drive 2 hours to purchase it) for our new baby being born at end of June, as well as my DD3.5. Here are my questions:


1. Anyone use a Marathon for a newborn? I know the minimum weight is 5lbs, so any experiences for Marathon users and newborns would be greatly appreciated.

2. My DD3.5 has always been 100% percentile for height - she is currently 38lbs, and 41" tall, and is only a half inch from outgrowing her brand new Evenflow Chase harnessed booster - can't stand this seat, but it was our only option. What are your experiences with tall kids and Marathon? We love the 4 slots and figure she'll be able to use it for awhile - hopefully her torso will stop growing though, as we want her to be in a harnessed booster for as long as possible.

FYI - here in Canada, we are harnessed boosters until 48lbs (they are working on changing the law to 65lbs, like U.S.).

Any info about your Marathon experiences would be greatly appreciated as no one in my city has them for purchase, nor do I know anyone who owns Britax seats (we are usually the only ones who buy high end baby gear amongst our friends/family).

Thanks, Tiger

 

[Mouse House Mama]

I have used it with 2 newborns and plan to use it with our next one as well. I am only sorry I didn't think to use it with our first child as he hated the infant carrier and so did I. My kids are all tall (my oldest is off the charts!) and we have had no problem. I highly reccomend them.

 

[northriver]

We used the Roundabout from birth. DD was 8.5#. Make sure you have one of the head support things, or at least a towel to support babies head. She looked so small in that seat at the hospital! But one great thing about the Britax seats is that they are super easy to adjust right there in the hospital, because obvioulsy you won't know what size your baby will be, lol! DD is tall for her age but still fairly comfortable rearfacing at 20 months in the Roundabout. I can't say for sure how long she will be in it, but it looks like we will be able to use it longer than I thought, but I will probably get a new Marathon when she outgrows the Roundabout in the rearfacing position. The Roundabout because it fits rearfacing in many vehicles that can't accomodate a larger seat.

Ideally you will be able to find a store where you can try the seat in your vehicle before purchase. You can read all of the Britax manuals online before you get to the store to try the seat. More than once, Babies R Us employees have given me incorrect installation instructions. They never want to stand out there in the cold. And they pretend they know what they are talking about but most of them have very little training.

In my case the infant seats - I tried 3 - were incompatable with the seatbelt path in my older Subaru. The Marathon worked but I had to move my front passanger seat so far forward to accomodate the carseat it was extremely uncomfortable for the front passanger.. The Roundabout was a perfect fit installation wise as well as for the comfort of the other passangers.

 

[jas_mom1]

My daughter is almost 5 and only 41.5" tall right now. She is still using her Marathon and has plenty of room to grow. I can't remember if she's in the 3rd slots or the top slots. Either way, she will be in the Marathon for a while longer. My son used it until he was 6.5 years and he still hadn't outgrown it in size.

Dianne

 

[Tiger926]

Thank you for all of your great opinions. We are leaning towards the Marathon instead of the Roundabout as our daughter is very tall, and based on fetal measurements thus far, this baby is large as well.

We are going to the store to try out the seats - already emailed them and they gave me the date of their new Britax shipment so we can plan accordingly.

Thanks again, Tiger

 

[Oceana]

i used a marathon with my 1st and a decathalon with my second from birth... frankly I hate the infant baby bucket seat thing and would much rather carry my baby close to me than in a heavy bucket and I have no heath concerns

It was fine for both my babies as newborns, they were both born around 7lbs and something ish oz... the decathalon has a infant pillow thing which was very nice

neither of my boys are tall so I cannot really comment to how that works

I love them and they work great!

julie

 

[tjlovespooh]

I love the marathon. We did have an infant seat for ds when he was born, but he outgrew the max hieght requirement early & we put him in the marathon before he was even 3mo That being said, I found the infant seat a waste of $$ for us and would have definitely went with the marathon from birth.

 

[becca011906]

the only safe way to put an infant in a convertable seat is to be sure in a britax seat only b/c they alow it that the lowest harness straps MUST be atleast with in 1" of the babies sholder, idealy and much much safer the childs sholder need/should be at or above the harness for rear facing...
Really most babies are NOT big enough to fit well in a convertilbe seat, i NEVER used my infat car seat as a carrier i used it as it was made for a car seat, you don't have to take them out, baby will be safer, and more confertable in an infant seat.
Please if got to www.car-seat.org you will find LOTS of info and acurate info from many techs (for US and Canada) there is a tech that posted many pics of her newborn a few months ago in britax convertible even the smaller one baby's thigh straps were so far away that the baby could actully pull the let up through it... NOT safe at all.

I am a tech and we were trained NEVER put a newborn in anything but an infant seat it's just safer...

 

[Tiger926]

the only safe way to put an infant in a convertable seat is to be sure in a britax seat only b/c they alow it that the lowest harness straps MUST be atleast with in 1" of the babies sholder, idealy and much much safer the childs sholder need/should be at or above the harness for rear facing...
Really most babies are NOT big enough to fit well in a convertilbe seat, i NEVER used my infat car seat as a carrier i used it as it was made for a car seat, you don't have to take them out, baby will be safer, and more confertable in an infant seat.
Please if got to www.car-seat.org you will find LOTS of info and acurate info from many techs (for US and Canada) there is a tech that posted many pics of her newborn a few months ago in britax convertible even the smaller one baby's thigh straps were so far away that the baby could actully pull the let up through it... NOT safe at all.

I am a tech and we were trained NEVER put a newborn in anything but an infant seat it's just safer...

I guess I'm confused as to why it has a 5lb rating then? I do see that infant seats are a bit more sculpted to fit an infant, but I'm not that impressed with them myself. Anything that can be lifted out of the base, just doesn't seem that safe to me, whereas a convertible seat is securely in the car and not meant to move whatsoever.

At what age do you recommend using a convertible seat then? My very tall daughter outgrew her seat by a few months old, so it was into a convertible seat as there was no other choice - I totally understand your point, but when babies outgrow their infant seats by a few months old, then they have no choice for a convertible seat, yet you are saying that these aren't safe. This is very conflicting info as there is no other choice when baby has outgrown their infant seat.

If you could better explain your answer, that would be great, Tiger

 

[becca011906]

they are rated to 5lbs that means they passes a very very minimum standards... of placing a 5lbs dumby that doesn't wiggle and sqirm and pull thier legs up to their chest a lot (fetal position), they could have a long torso on the dumby to have it's sholders with in one inch... children don't out grow a rear facing eat till thier head is with in one inch of the hard plastic shell on the top OR they reach the upper weight limit of the seat, the printed 'height' restriction is more like guide lines of an average childs growth to the weight comparision... does that make since?? Like i have a car seat that says good for up to 38" or 40lbs, yet my 4 year old still fit in it at 44" tall b/c she has a very short torso and only weighted 38lbs at the time, she has since out grown it... by weight and height.
What we are supose to recomend is that a child stay in the seat they are in till they out grow it... by the reasons i said above by weight or by the head coming with in 1" of the hard plastic on the top shell.
If you really want a convertilbe seat from birth, then you might what to look into sunshine kids radian seat, that has a rear facing limit to 33lbs (i think 30 in canada), ffing to 65 (in the US), and of course like all seats has to stop at 48lbs in canada... But this seat does in install well in some cars, although with LATCH it installs quite well. The radian has much lower slots then the marathon, and a baby would likely be able to have the harness at or below the slots. It also had about 1.5 inch higher top slots then the marathon, although like i said that it doesn't install well in some cars when you have to use seat belt...

 

[Tiger926]

they are rated to 5lbs that means they passes a very very minimum standards... of placing a 5lbs dumby that doesn't wiggle and sqirm and pull thier legs up to their chest a lot (fetal position), they could have a long torso on the dumby to have it's sholders with in one inch... children don't out grow a rear facing eat till thier head is with in one inch of the hard plastic shell on the top OR they reach the upper weight limit of the seat, the printed 'height' restriction is more like guide lines of an average childs growth to the weight comparision... does that make since?? Like i have a car seat that says good for up to 38" or 40lbs, yet my 4 year old still fit in it at 44" tall b/c she has a very short torso and only weighted 38lbs at the time, she has since out grown it... by weight and height.
What we are supose to recomend is that a child stay in the seat they are in till they out grow it... by the reasons i said above by weight or by the head coming with in 1" of the hard plastic on the top shell.
If you really want a convertilbe seat from birth, then you might what to look into sunshine kids radian seat, that has a rear facing limit to 33lbs (i think 30 in canada), ffing to 65 (in the US), and of course like all seats has to stop at 48lbs in canada... But this seat does in install well in some cars, although with LATCH it installs quite well. The radian has much lower slots then the marathon, and a baby would likely be able to have the harness at or below the slots. It also had about 1.5 inch higher top slots then the marathon, although like i said that it doesn't install well in some cars when you have to use seat belt...

Thanks, I am aware of all of that. My daughter did outgrow her infant seat very early as she has been in the 100% for height since the day she was born; therefore, no choice but convertible seat based on my daughter's very tall height. Based on your post then, you seem to imply that it's best for an infant to be in an infant seat for as long as possible, even if that is only for 3 months? What convertible would you recommend then?

I have done a bit of research on the Radian, but didn't realize that the slots were better suited for an infant? This confuses me as it seems to have the same technical specifications of the Marathon - why is this one better for an infant? Speaking of the Radian - do you think this is a better choice over the Marathon for my very tall 3 year old?

Sorry for all of the questions, but I have been researching car seats for a good 5 years now, and I still get confused with all of the info that is and isn't available to us as parents who are just trying to secure our children in the safest seats possible.

Thanks, Tiger

 

[becca011906]

the marathons lowest slots are 10inches a newborn will likely not fit in them properly b/c they will be way below them... the top slots for marathon is 17 w/ two other inbetween.
the radian has the bottem slots of 8 inches i think (i can measure them tomorrow in the morning for ya) and top slots of 18.5 inches so it will last early and and longer...
Since you are in canada and can only harness to 48lbs (sad i know) then a marathon will likely be just fine for you dd unless she is getting close to our growing it by hight before she is 4 y/o (when they are 'usally' OK in a booster) and most kids are close to 48lbs more more before they would need/want the extra 1-1 1/2 the radian offers. IF the radain will work in your car, you could use it for the infant till the older child outgrows the marathon by hight then move the older child to the radian and baby to marathon...

 

[Oceana]

the marathons lowest slots are 10inches a newborn will likely not fit in them properly b/c they will be way below them...

I would like some other statistics to back this up. I have very average sized babies both in height and weight.... goodness 100% is a dream

7 or so lbs and 20 or so inches nothing on the large or small size

and the straps were plenty low enough to come home from the hospital both times... We even had our seat with our baby in it inspected on the drive home by a certified person and we were told everything was perfect.

Do you have first hand experiance ever seeing a newborn in a britax marathon? How do you know what the testing standards are for a 5 lb baby in the seat?

 

[becca011906]

Tiger962 hope you don't mind me linking to your post at the carseat forum where there are techs that can help as well as a pic someone posted of an average sized new born in a marathon... NOT a safe fit at all.
http://www.car-seat.org/showpost.php?p=87339&postcount=7

here's a CPS tech's webpage with tons of pics of car seats, ect...
http://s47.photobucket.com/albums/f157/carseatqueen/Britax Boulevard/


there's lots of info on that board if you search for infant in convertilbe seat or infant britax and you will get tons of posts with people wanting to get a convertilbe to skip the infant seat either b/c they don't like them or b/c they are looking to save some $, ect... and the most recomended seats for an infant is a cosco senera or radian b/c of the lower bottem slots...

I don't have statistics, if you child is born with a long torso and thier sholders are with in inch of the bottem slots of the marathon then sure they are fine, if you call britax and ask about using a convertible for a 5# baby they will tell you the harness has to be with in 1 inch of the babies sholders... In my posts i have said the "average" and "most" infants do not fit in the convertilbes at birth, my kids were all three over 9lbs at birth and still didn't fit in convertilbes till they were close to 6 months old, they all three have short torsos as well...

 

[jessica52877]

I definately found the board a PP recommended helpful. But I also don't find a problem with an infant in a Marathon, it does so much depend on the size of the baby and length, etc, but I also find them safer then an infant car seat. We used our infant one for less 3 months, I found that I did not care for it at all and did not feel that my son was as safe in it. That was back in the day of a 3 pt harness though when I could have a 5 pt with a convertible.

 

[all4fun]

I've seen the concerns raised by Becca about the top slot being rather high for newborns raised on the BBC car safety tips board as well.

The techs there usually recommend the Cosco Scenera w/5 pt harness for newborns as the top slots are 7.5" (2-1/2" lower than the Marathon's). My nephew has been riding in this seat since he was about 10lbs, & 6wks old in my MIL's car and it fits him great.

If Britax states the straps can only be 1" or less above the shoulders for a newborn in r/fing mode, then I wouldn't want to go against their instructions because they have good reasons for recommending this.

What I have seen recommended is to plan on using the convertible from day 1 if you want to, but have a backup plan in mind, in case the convertible is just too big. This could be the Scenera or an infant seat. If you use an infant seat for the first few months, there's nothing saying you have to ever take it out of the car!

hth.

 

[Oceana]

OK here is what I think the difference is... on the decathalon it has 2 places the middle buckle (between the legs) can come out... I think this makes a huge difference. Putting it in the more narrow seat slot means you have to move babies butt back further. newborns slouch and you have to get their bottoms up under their spines rather than let them slouch into the chair... my very average sized babies fit just fine with the shoulder straps. the laid backish angel should help with this but some is mom and dad have to kinda shimmy babies big giant diapered bottom back past the footed PJ and the car seat cover friction

does this make sense? Our very average sized newborn fit fine but we did take time to put baby in the chair the right way

 

[Tiger926]

Tiger962 hope you don't mind me linking to your post at the carseat forum where there are techs that can help as well as a pic someone posted of an average sized new born in a marathon... NOT a safe fit at all.
http://www.car-seat.org/showpost.php?p=87339&postcount=7

here's a CPS tech's webpage with tons of pics of car seats, ect...
http://s47.photobucket.com/albums/f157/carseatqueen/Britax Boulevard/


there's lots of info on that board if you search for infant in convertilbe seat or infant britax and you will get tons of posts with people wanting to get a convertilbe to skip the infant seat either b/c they don't like them or b/c they are looking to save some $, ect... and the most recomended seats for an infant is a cosco senera or radian b/c of the lower bottem slots...

I don't have statistics, if you child is born with a long torso and thier sholders are with in inch of the bottem slots of the marathon then sure they are fine, if you call britax and ask about using a convertible for a 5# baby they will tell you the harness has to be with in 1 inch of the babies sholders... In my posts i have said the "average" and "most" infants do not fit in the convertilbes at birth, my kids were all three over 9lbs at birth and still didn't fit in convertilbes till they were close to 6 months old, they all three have short torsos as well...

Becca - That was my thread, and you actually helped a lot over there, so thanks!

All is good. We are going to buy the Graco Safeseat for our infant as we really like this seat.

Thanks for all help, Tiger