Britax Roundabout Vs. Britax Marathon

I would buy neither since the Evenflo Triumph 5 gets the exact same rating as the Roundabout, better ratings than the Marathon, is $100 cheaper than the Roundabout and $130 cheaper than the Marathon.

Even better than the Evenflo is the Cosco Alpha Omega Elite because it will last you all the way to 100 pounds! It gets an 80 compared to the Triumph 5 and Roundabout's 81 (still better than the Marathon's 58 - yikes!)

The Cosco Alpha Omega Elite is still much cheaper than either Britax option and will last you longer than either the Britax or the Evenflo...

In response to what someone else recommended, STAY AWAY FROM THE COSCO ALPHA OMEGA ELITE.
It is a pain in the butt of a seat, doesn't always install well, they are HUGE, and only harnesses your child to 40lbs.

If you are seriously looking at Britax (and they are GREAT seats, my favorites to install!) then I would definitely choose a Marathon over a Roundabout. You want your child harnessed in a seat for as long as possible. Marathon goes to 65lbs, and that is what you want!
Here is a link to the Marathons on sale for $220, rather than $270, and they have some of the girly covers on sale too!
http://www.bestbuybaby.com/britmar20.html

Also, remember that you want to keep your baby rear facing for as long as possible, until she hits the rear facing weight limit of the seat (33lbs in a Britax Roundabout or Marathon) she is much safer rear facing than forward facing.
Link to why rear facing is safest - http://www.car-safety.org/rearface.html

I have a Britax Marathon and absolutely love it. It is super easy to install (I'm sure this is the case with all Britax models), my daughter fits in it nicely and has plenty of room to grown. She is 14 months old. It fits great in the car rear facing or forward facing. I also recommend finding the one you want and then buying it online at www. albeebaby.com. We bought our Marathon for about $50 less than offered at other retailers and didn't pay tax or shipping. Good luck!

i would buy a Britax Regent (same as Husky) they will never have to sit in a booster. my kids will be in a 5 point harness as long as possible!
blessings~liz

I'm not familiar with the Roundabout, but we love our Marathon! The only regret we have about it is that we did not purchase two of them (one for each car) when our child was younger. Not only do I swear by it because of its safety ratings, but I love the Marathon for its comfort level. It's the only seat I've seen that the child can actually nap in comfortably in long car rides, without their neck being bent over like a rag doll!

I know a few people mentioned the regent, but the regent is forward facing only, and your son is too young for forward facing. Plus the set is huge and would more than likely be too big for your child even if he could sit forward facing. I would go with the Marathon as you would get much longer use out of it vs the Roundabout, and it is not much larger or more expensive. We have a Marathon and love it. My son will be 4 yo next week and has been in it since he was about 6 months old, and we still have room for growth at 42" tall. Some do transition to a booster early but if you do not give your child the option they will not know any different. A 5 point harness is the safest option as most children 3-4 y.o are not disiplined enough to sit still and in the correct position for a seatbelt and booster to be most effective if you were in an accident.

I made the mistake of buying both. I wish I would of known then what I know now. The Marathon is a better choice. Your children are safest in a 5 point harness and you should try and keep them in one as long as possible. With the Marathon you have alot longer. My son will be 5 in Jan and he still uses his Marathon. He doesn't know anything different. Make sure your car is big enough to have it rear faceing because it is a large seat. I hope this helps
H.

i looked at the two as well. we went with a roundabout b/c my son is tall and thin so i thought he would outgrow the height before the weight limit. as well as i asked some mom friends with older kids and said after about 3 -4 yrs it can be achallenge to keep them in a harness 5 point versus a booster.

hope this helps

I have the roundabout and really like it. For the money I spent on it I wish I would have gotten the Britax Regent as well. My daughter is close to the height limit in her's already and she will be in a 5 point harness as long as possible too.

My husband has the Evenflo Triumph in his car and I hate it!! The straps are a total pain.

We have two children a 2 year old and an 8 month old and they both have the Marathon. We love this car seat it is awesome. One reason we bought the Marathon over the Roundabout is the height. I think the Roundabout only goes to 40 inches and my dauther who just turned two is already 37 1/2 inches tall, but only 26 pounds. I think that most boosters seats they have to either 30 or 35 pounds. It really just depends on if you want to have to buy another car seat later on.

We chose the Marathon for 2 key reasons (and we've been VERY pleased...my son is 2 1/2 and he still does great in it). Besides the extra time you'll get with the Marathon, it has an extra head protection piece that sticks out on both sides of the baby's head. When we were at the store deliberating, I heard a couple mention a car accident where there was much shattered glass. They felt that head piece really did its job in keeping the child's head safe from glass injury. That did it for us! We picked up the Marathon, and made the purchase...and have been happy ever since!

nhtsa.dot.gov has a safety rating system that depends on ease of installation. Their philosophy is that those seats that are easy to install are safer because people will more likely get them installed correctly. I think this makes a lot of sense...being a busy mom who doesn't have time to mess around with difficult situations!