Britax Houndstooth Marathon CV Car Seat
- Plush, convertible car seat
- Removable, hand-washable cover features subtly sophisticated houndstooth print
- Rear-facing for infants 5 to 33 lb.; forward facing for toddlers up to 65 lb..
- Features Latch safe guard system, adjustable 5-point harness system and “Floating” HUGS system
- Made in USA; 19-1/2Lx24Wx28H”
Product Description
Keep little ones safe and comfortable during trips with this quality car seat that can be adjusted to two positions (rear- and forward-facing) depending on your child’s development.
Features:
- Rear-facing position holds up to 33 pounds; forward-facing holds up to 65 pounds
- Patented Versa-Tether
- Comfortably fits larger, older children
- Removable, washable fabric cover
- Patented HUGS system
- Belly pad for comfort and protection
- Built-in lock-offs
- Sculpted base for a perfect fit
- Flexible buckle LATCH system
- Comfort foam and EPS protective foam
- Tangle-free polyester 5-point harness
- Belt holders keep belts aside for boarding
One hand recline adjustment
Britax Houndstooth Marathon CV Car Seat
I’ve read the other reviews here, so I decided to buy this seat for my 6 month old daughter, after being a veteran of Roundabout seats for my much older two boys. I used their Roundabouts until they were both almost 4 (then switched to the Graco high back booster) so I was more than happy to buy a new Britax for my surprise daughter
.
As soon as I got it home and quickly installed it in my car (I’m used to doing this though), I put my daughter in it and saw that the buckle is WAY TOO CLOSE TO THE BACK OF THE SEAT! She’s 6 months old, 16lbs, and can’t fit! She was practically sitting on the buckle, which I didn’t expect, since the Roundabouts aren’t built so poorly with this huge design flaw. The Roundabout’s buckle is closer to the outside edge of the seat, so that baby can grow with the seat.
She hated this Marathon – it wasn’t even plush or comfy like the Roundabout.
NO WAY could any baby be in this until they are 65 lbs (or even 25 lbs)….my 7 year old is only 60 lbs, and at 75% of his height/weight ratio. Unless you have a bigger, younger child, but even then s/he wouldn’t fit the seat because the buckle is too far back into the crotch. And no 4 year old wants to be in a baby seat, at 40lbs.
Not only that, but I have a Toyota minivan and it was so huge that it barely fit in it in the rear-facing position. Too big for the captain’s seats. My other two kids couldn’t get around it. So I thought, maybe it’s just my weirdo Japanese Toyota (which is one of the most popular and safest minivans around). So I asked my daughter’s babysitter (next door neighbor) to try it, who promptly hated it – she couldn’t fit it in her Dodge Dakota SUV!
I’m just writing this as a car seat veteran to help you all save your money and a big headache in a few months when your babies turn 1 (or earlier) and can’t fit the seat any longer. Or when you go to buy your minivan, it wont fit.
I promptly returned this to BRU and got the Britax Roundabout, which not only has more padding than the Marathon, but I got it in a much cuter and more sturdy fabric (Aloha). And my daughter didn’t scream bloody murder by me digging in her little private area just to get her buckled…I can’t imagine how traumatic this seat will be to babies whose parents have to dig in their crotches just to get them buckled!
If you’re going to drop more than $200 on a good carseat that will last you for years, be safe, and has good resale value when you’re done with it (I got over $100 each on the other two Roundabouts when they were 4 years old), buy a Roundabout. These Marathons will start to show up on eBay with the captions of “Like new, just bought 4 months ago and can’t return, too small for my baby and too big for my car!” Most likely, in about a year or two, they will no longer be making them (or do a huge redesign) due to the high return/complaint rate.
Just a note, when I took this back to my BRU, I asked if they’d seen a high return rate for these. They said YES, that people were really disappointed in them because their babies wouldn’t fit or it wouldn’t fit in their cars! The male clerk said he tells everyone not to even bother with this seat and to get the Roundabout. So I asked where he was when I bought this joke!
Rated 1 / 5
You cannot go wrong with a Britax Marathon unless it doesn’t fit in your car for some reason. My daughter still happily sits in her Marathon at 5 and a half, and still fits in it beautifully. The people who complain about the buckles being close to the baby, well, if the buckles aren’t fitting close to their body, you need to have a certified child passenger safety technician look at how you’re buckling your child to figure out what you’re doing wrong. Parenting experience or experience selling car seats at BRU does not a car seat expert make. Please, parents, talk only to CPSTs about your car seat concerns. They are the only ones who are trained to give you the proper advice. As for older kids being mad about sitting in a “baby” car seat, who is the parent? My daughter sits in hers, and doesn’t know any other option, because I tell her it’s the safest place for her. End of story.
- CPST and happy Marathon owner
Rated 5 / 5
I have three of these car seats and LOVE them. I believe they are the safest on the market. Easy to install with latch and they don’t move once they are installed! I would HIGHLY recommed Britax to anyone in the market – my kids love them and I know they are safe. Best money I have spent on car seats!
Rated 5 / 5
We bought this carseat for our son when he was [...] , he is now [...]. We love this carseat. It was easy to install and I love how the straps NEVER twist. EXCELLENT QUALITY!!!
Rated 5 / 5
What a great seat!!! Excellent growth for the long term. I especially like the sides of the seat that offer great side impact protection. Also a five point harness that accomodates a child up to 65lbs and 49″ in length. The 5-point harness was super easy to use and adjust. Seat installation was a breeze with the latch system included.
I bought my seat online at travelingtikes.com who’s prices were far lower than any other advertised price by more than fifty dollars shipping included…..right on! I purchsed the tan seat “portland” that best matched our car interior.
Im so happy that Britax is rated so well and that their seat is such a household name which made my purchase that much easier to research.
My little guy is styling!!!
Rated 5 / 5