Car Seat Dilemma? Britax Marathon or Decathalon?
Friday, January 22nd, 2010 at
7:49 pm
Anyone have an opinion about which is better. My daughter is 8 1/2 months and has just about outgrown her snug ride. The woman working in the store says the only difference bwtween the 2 is the Decathalon was made for newborns. I figured if that was the only thing then why spend the few extra $$s. But if the Decathalon is just a better car seat then I would get that.
Thoughts please!
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We have 2 Marathons and love them. Here are the differences between the 3 bigger Britax seats from Baby Bargains:
The marathon, decathlon, and boulevard are all 5-65 pound convertible seats.
The marathon is the first and most basic. It features 4 harness heights, double straps anchor attachments with bars (instead of using the belt path). It can be tethered rear facing and used rear facing from 5-33 pounds and forward facing from 20-65 AND over a year old.
The decathlon features additional infant padding that makes this a very plush seat and very supportive for newborns. It use a single anchor strap routed through the belt path. It has 3 different crotch strap settings and 4 harness heights. It can be tethered rear facing and used rear facing for 5-33 pounds and forward facing 20-65 pounds AND over a year old.
The boulevard also has additional padding for infants, as well as side ‘wings’ marketed br Britax as "True Side Impact Protection." These EPS lined wings help to contain the child’s head in a side impact crash. The harness on this seat is adjusted with a knob and can be adjusted 1/16 of an inch at a time, allowing for a perfect fit every time. It has double anchors straps that are hooked to bars and not routed through the belt path. It rear faces from 5-33 pounds and forward faces from 20-65 pounds AND over a year old. It can also be tethered rear facing.
Always the best for baby. Sticker price is immaterial. the baby’s safety and comfort are paramount. regards.
I would go with the Britax. I have heard it is the best and when I switch my son to his bigger seat this is the one I am getting. It has the best neck support and is very comfortable for the kids. Good Luck!
Hi,
My son is 4 months and in the next 2 months I am going to buy the Marathon. It is a little bit bigger and more comfortable. I know that these seats are expensive, however, they will probably be the last seat you will have to buy. Car seats expire, I believe they have a shelf life of 6 years. Any who, after doing going to Toys R Us and looking at the two side by side, I decided to go with the Marathon!
I would suggest going to TRU and looking at the two seats and testing them out in your car!
Good Luck to you!
I doubt you can go wrong with either one. Britax is considered the best anyway. They both fit babies from 5lbs to 65lbs, and the only real difference I can see is that the Decathlon looks like the padding may be more comfortable. If I were doing a lot of long car trips, I might consider the Decathlon. Otherwise I’d probably save the $$ and go with the Marathon.
price don’t matter, it’s safety and you should check out the rating from consumer reports
As someone else mentioned before - the Marathon, Decathalon, and Boulevard are all the same seat - just different features. They will each fit the same way in your car.
Marathon is the no frills basic model - and even at that, its mounds better than anything else you can buy.
All for from 5-33lbs rear facing, then are forward facing up to 65lbs.
Here’s the big differences:
1)Marathon has only 1 crotch buckle position. Decathalon has 3, Boulevard has 2.
2)Marathon and Decathalon you have to actually take the seat out to rethread the harness to change harness height. Boulevard you turn a dial to change it.
3)Boulevard has true side impact protection - Marathon and Decathalon do not. However, some kids hate those big side cushions in the Boulevard. Marathon and Decathalon still offer some side protection just by sheer value of high sides.
4)Boulevard has infant body positioning pillow and infant, Decathalon has that and infant/toddler head pillows. Marathon has none.
5)Marathon and Boulevard have levers you lift to loosen the harness - Decathalon has a button you push to loosen.
Here’s a Britax page to compare:
http://www.britaxusa.com/products/compare.aspx?&11=false&8=false&6=false&7=false&9=false&1=true&3=true&5=true&4=false&10=false&2=false
You can’t go wrong with any of them - my advice? Take your child to a store and let her try all 3 to see if you’d use the pillows or not, see where the crotch buckle fits her, and which method of loosening the harness you prefer.
What’s MORE important? MAking sure you keep her rear facing all the way up to that 33lbs maximum of the Britax seat. The American Academy of Pediatrics says to keep kids rear facing AS LONG AS POSSIBLE! Turning kids forward facing at 20lbs/1year is an outdated practice that could cost you your child. A forward-facing child under 2 years old is 4 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a crash than a rear-facing child of the same age. A child’s vertabrae do not fully fuse until 3-6 years old, before then, she is at great risk for internal decapitation. The spinal column can stretch up to 2 inches in a crash BUT the spinal cord can only stretch up to 1/4 inch before it snaps and baby is gone.