Big Boy Carseat

We have the Britax Marathon. My daughter is 4.5 and we've used this since she was 7 months old (she outgrew her infant seat quickly). I've never regretted getting the Britax. She still fits in the Marathon so I will keep her in that until she outgrows it and then I'll get a booster.

TrueFit convertible carseat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's why:
FABRIC = microfiber soft! Washable in washing machine and EASY on/off (*I just did it last week when my daughter had a potty training accident in it--I didn't even undo the top tether and I had the fabric out, washed, and back in SO FAST!). Also, comfy for a child on the road a lot.

HARNESS = rated to 65 lbs and NO rethreading! *Makes it easy when switching which child is sitting in it, or for parents and grandparents to adjust the height for growing child w/o removing seat from vehicle.

LONGEVITY = convertible, so can use RFing or FFing. My kids were RFing until 2 and 3 years of age and were very comfortable in it.

INSTALLATION = a seat is only as safe as the quality of installation. This seat has 5-star ease of use rating and by far is the safest and easiest I've experienced! The latch can store in the seat bottom when not using (or when traveling--so the airlines don't bust 'em up). The seat belt lock-offs actually work -which is HUGE when you don't have latch available! (in fact, when I had it installed w/seat belt, it was accidentally unbuckled, and it actually remained so tight that we didn't even notice it was unbucked right away!)

PROTECTION = good sides--big for side impact, yet not too big to be a burden when putting child in it. The EPS foam is the cushiest I've seen (I compared to other seats by lifting the fabric and looking at the foam and Styrofoam in it)

SIZE = not too big--it takes up the same amount of your backseat as comparable seats on the market. The inside seat is wide for growing kids and has a comfy insert for babies and skinny kiddos.

PRICE = I think this is equally safe to a Britax Boulevard w/o the price tag. Bonus, I just saw them on sale this week!

CONS??? If you let your kid eat in it, it can catch a lot of crumbs, but they actually fall down in the cracks so your kid isn't itching in cracker crumbs all day, and it's really EASY to vacuum or wash.

BOTTOM LINE: I have used eight different kinds of carseats and the TRUE FIT is the only seat I recommend and I rave about it to anyone who will listen. I own two of these seats and I LOVE LOVE LOVE them!

I love our Sunshine Kids Radians for car seats and Monterey for boosters! http://www.skjp.com/ I can fit 3 of them across the row. The booster attaches with the LATCH system so your child is attached to the carseat. The weight limit is extremely high on the car seat as well as the booster. It's adjustable in numerous ways. They are airline approved. Wonderful side impact protection. Worth every penny!

I have the Britax Marathon & Frontier LOVE them both!

I would like to just throw this into the discussion. It is commonly believed that it is advisable to turn a child forward facing at one year and 20 lbs. This is no longer advisable or recommended by any safety advisory board or commission, including the American Academy of Pediatrics or the NHTSA. I have included their recommendations below. I tend to get a little passionate when discussing this topic, so please excuse me if I am telling you what you already know. In case this is new information though, I would like to make a plug for "extended rear facing" which is keeping your child rear facing in the car as long as the car seat will allow. I have included within my post, as well as at the end, several links to consider when deciding when to turn your child forward facing in the car. When making your decision about car seats, it is important to keep in mind that the American Academy of Pediatric's recommendation according to their website is as follows:

Infants and toddlers—rear-facing
"The AAP recommends that all infants should ride rear-facing starting with their first ride home from the hospital. All infants and toddlers should ride in a Rear-Facing Car Safety Seat until they are 2 years of age OR until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by their car safety seat’s manufacturer."

Click on the American Academy of Pediatrics link: http://www.aap.org/healthtopics/carseatsafety.cfm
When you are on the page, click Car Safety Seats: A Guide for Families 2011 to find a complete list of car seats and their weight and height limits.

The NHTSA's recommendation is this:

1 – 3 years
Keep your child rear-facing as long as possible. It’s the best way to keep him or her safe. Your child should remain in a rear-facing car
seat until he or she reaches the top height or weight limit allowed by your car seat’s manufacturer. Once your child outgrows the
rear-facing car seat, your child is ready to travel in a forward-facing car seat with a harness.

"Did you know that it's five times safer for a child to be rear facing? Scandinavian children are rear facing until they are 4–5 years old (25kg or 55lbs), which has resulted in a much lower number of children injured or dead in car accidents compared with other countries...)

"The neck is completely unprotected when the head is catapulted forward. Whether the child can withstand the force of impact has nothing to do with muscle power. It is the spine that has to keep the head in place...... This means that the neck is vulnerable to the great force it's being subjected to in a car crash and in a worst case scenario the neck will stretch so much that the spine snaps. This is called INTERNAL DECAPITATION AND BASICALLY MEANS THAT THE CHILD HAS BEEN INTERNALLY BEHEADED. In tests, the dummy's neck has been stretched as much as 2 inches, but the spine can not be stretch more than a quarter of an inch before snapping." (http://www.rearfacing.co.uk/facts.php)

If you can, I would strongly recommend you watch the videos which do a really good job of demonstrating the difference between what a child's body experiences front facing in a collision vs. rear facing. It is quite dramatic!

CPSafety - Your online child passenger safety resource
www.cpsafety.com

http://www.childrestraintsafety.com/rear-facing.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sssIsceKd6U&feature=share

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKIeExpDLDA&feature=re...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2DVfqFhseo&feature=re...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8gU9zzCGA8&feature=re...

I used the Britax Marathon (my youngest are now 6 so there are probably newer models at this point). But you CAN (and should) leave him rear facing. I kept mine rear facing until they were 2 1/2. It looks like their feet are mushing against the seat, but it's actually very safe and much safer than being forward facing.

i've had my kids (2, 4, 6) in the Sunshine Kids 65, Graco, and Britex Roundabout. They all preferred the Britex - it's the most comfortable, they can nap in it, and it's higher up so they can see out the windows better.

We had a Britax with each of our children. They were wonderful and lasted until the child was ready to go into a low back booster (which gives you quite a bit of time.) And I've heard that there are models that allow for the rear facing for at least 2 years (my youngest is 6 so I don't know about the newest models.)

We love the britax marathon! Trusted because of safety ratings and research, but also from personal experience..we were in a fatality accident with our daughter in one and she was uninjured. Mine rearfaced until the were 30 and 26 months old.

There are usually good deals at www.albeebaby.com or new in box on eBay, free shipping!

We use the Britax Marathon Convertible car seat-my daughter outgrew her infant seat but still needed to be rear-facing so this one did the trick. Now she is turned around and can use this car seat for a long time! Hope you find one you like :)

Both my kids love their Radian 65 by Sunshine Kids. It is also very highly rated. FAA approved for use in airplanes, very comfortable, very easy to clean, and after 3 years of use, it still looks (almost) new! Bought a Graco Nautilus as a spare since my daughter will be converting to a booster seat soon, and I hate it. The buckle sometimes gets stuck, and after only periodic use for about a year, the fabric is already looking worn.

Don't have any experience with Britax, but I have absolutely no complaint about my Radian : )

All big name carseats are safe. If Britax makes you feel safest, go for it. I would suggest buying one he can be in for a long time. Some even convert to booster seats.

You should check Consumer Reports for the latest safety ratings. We recently bought a Graco Nautilus - highly rated and will function as a forward facing seat up to 65 lbs, then a high or low backed booster up to 100 lbs. Previous to this we had an Eddie Bauer seat and a Cosco seat (whichever were ratest best in 2006). The Nautilus is HEAVY - if you fly frequently it is a poor choice IMO. Also the current recommendations are for your son to remain rear facing until age 2. Many seats now accommodate kids up to 40 lbs in the rear facing position.