Roundabout vs. Marathon

[jloukiss]

We are ready to buy the next carseat (gulp!) and I'm trying to decide between the Britax Roundabout or Marathon. Of course I would love to save myself the $90 and get the roundabout if it's really going to work just fine for us. Can you help me decide?

Here's some important info:
- our boy is long and lean, 95% for height and 50% for weight.
- at six months he's 28 1/4 inches long (was 19 at birth)
- we drive a Honda Accord; second car is an older Toyota Corolla. Likely we'll just get one convertible carseat since usually Dad does drop off and pick up at day care (though if we got the roundabout conceivably we could buy a second if needed)
- we plan to have a second child, probably by the time our son is 2 or 3 and we would like to use the larger car seat for the 2nd child too

It sounds like the Roundabout is easier to travel with and we do fly to Michigan at least 1/year to see grandparents.

Any other considerations?

Thanks!!

[Anonymous]

OP, I faced the exact same issues as you... We bought the Roundabout b/c we liked that it was a bit smaller and of course, less expensive. We LOVE this seat, it is super easy to use and has traveled well on airplanes. (We also got a Graco Comfortsport for the lesser used second car, and HATED this seat. We recently gave it to my parents to have "just-in-case.")

Anyway now that our son is just over 2 yo, he is starting to reach the limits of the Roundabout. It is not just their total height, but the seated height from butt to shoulders that matters (go to the Britax website for info). Our son is also 95% for height but esp. long in the torso, so he will likely outgrow the Roundabout before he turns 3.

So recently we decided to purchase the Marathon too. The Marathon is in our SUV, the Roundabout in our Camry. And baby #2 is on the way. I figure, once my son finally outgrows the Roundabout (hopefully near 3), we'll get a seat like the Graco Nautilus for one car, which has a harness but converts to a booster and can be used for many years. And continue to use the Marathon in the other car as long as possible. Then baby #2 can use the Roundabout.

It's very confusing and unfortunately gets very expensive, my advice is to get on the Babies R Us mailing list and use those 20% off coupons. I used one to buy the Marathon which saves about $50.

[Anonymous]

Get the marathon or decathlon.

[jloukiss]

OP here, thanks PP. I have the 20% off coupon which will definitely help. I also have a gift card for about $125 so I feel pretty comfortably buying the Marathon if I have to. I just don't want to get the huge seat if I don't need it now. But, maybe that's the best thing to do? You're right, this is so confusing...

My son is longer in the legs than the torso. In the SnugRide his feet are nearly over the edge but his head isn't at the top of the seat yet. Of course, straps are harder to get on him now that he's bigger... thus the need for the new seat. I guess we can't really predict how our children will grow. Sounds like the Marathon is a sure thing for longer?

[Anonymous]

We bought the Roundabout for DS #1. When DD was born , she HATED the infant bucket seat so we moved her to the Roundabout and and bought a Marathon for DS. We have a Civic and it fits just fine. I think b/c your child is on the taller side, better to go with the Marathon. It is just as easy to use as the Roundabout but yes, a b it heavier. What we did was also buy the Cosco Scenara ($40) and use this for travel since it is so light.

[Anonymous]

We have the Boulevard CS and love it. http://www.britaxusa.com/products/product_detail.aspx?ID=16

[Anonymous]

We have the Britax Diplomat (Similar to a Roundabout) as well as a Marathon.

If you have sedans, you may want to try the Roundabout. We have a sedan an when the carseat is backwards facing, the front passenger seat needs to be very far forward. The higher limits of the marathon make the seat bigger. I know the window is short for all of these things but just something additional to think about.

You may also want to consider the Sunshine Kids Radian car seats. There get very good reviews and have a smaller base so you can fit 2 in the back of a sedan and also have a passenger ride there. We can not have a passenger ride in the back with our 2 Britax car seats. The downside of these is they sit lower so your child may not be able to see out the window. The reason we did not purchase the Radian carseats is b/c my DS gets carsick and I thought that if he sat lower it might be more of a problem.

[Anonymous]

I believe I recall reading a few years ago in that "Best Baby Bargains" book that the Roundabout and Marathon have the same max height (because of strap placement), even though the Marathon has a higher weight limit. The book recommended that if your child is tall, then child may outgrow the height limitation before reaching the weight limitation of either seat. If I am remembering all this correctly, then it seems like you're better off saving money by going with the Roundabout. Maybe someone here has a copy of the book handy and will check what it says for you.

[Anonymous]

I would definitely go for the marathon.
Not sure what the pp is refering to, but you can find common measurements here:
http://www.carseatdata.org/cnt/resources/Car-Seat-Measurements
In my understanding the marathon has higher harness straps, and it should last you until you child is ready for a booster unless they are extremely tall. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

PP here. The book I recall is "Baby Bargains" by Alan Fields. Again, it was a few years ago, and I recall the author thought it crazy that the Marathon had same height limits as Roundabout. Maybe height limit for Marathon has increased since then. Maybe I am just misremembering. Either way, it's a book worth checking. If the Marathon has a better height limit, then you've clearly got to go for that.

[Anonymous]

10:28 PP here. Yes, the Baby Bargains book is great, but the PP is incorrect about the Roundabout and Marathon having the same height limits. Go to britaxusa.com. Here is the info on the limits:

Roundabout: Standing height 40 in. or less, seated shoulder height 10.5-15 in. (rear-facing), 12-15 in. (forward facing)
Marathon: Standing height 49 in. or less, seated shoulder height 9.5-16 in. (rear facing), 12-16 in (forward facing)

My son is 36.5 inches tall, but we measured his "seated shoulder height" and he came in around 14 in. (like i said, very long torso) Which is why we're hoping to squeak by in the Roundabout just for a little longer... but won't last too much longer.

[Anonymous]

PP, thanks for the double-check on Britax site. Looks like the Marathon gives an extra 1 inch of seated height, so that seems the best choice here. Sorry if I created any confusion by noting the Baby Bargains book. I was just passing along the info I recall (or perhaps mis-recall).

[Anonymous]

jloukiss: Buy the Roundabout now, but plan for a Marathon in 2-3 years. I've used both and agree that the Roundabout is much lighter, smaller, and easier to use on planes. It also has a much shorter height limit. I can't even remember when my son outgrew his - probably around age 3. But he is 5 now and still fits well in the same Marathon his sister used until she was 6. So if you buy the Roundabout now, you'll have easier travelling, and #2 baby can inherit it when #1 needs to move up to the Marathon.

[Anonymous]

00:36 pp here - I forgot to say that we, too, have an Accord. Check and see how much room each takes when rear-facing, and consider whether there's anyone in the seat in front of him and how tall that passenger might be. Our Roundabout fit fine with us; we never used the Marathon rear-facing.

[Anonymous]

My son is 3.5 yrs and just outgrew his Roundabout (he is a bit short) but doesn't weigh nearly enough for a booster seat. So, I went out and bought the Marathon. From an economic standpoint, just buy one seat (the Marathon). My son loved his Roundabout but I didn't love having to shell out so much money!