Britax Marathon Vs. Britax Roundabout: Which Seat is Right for Your Family?

Choosing a car seat is one of the most important decisions you'll make as a new parent. With the sheer number of options available, it may also be the most time consuming! If you've decided on a Britax seat but are unsure which model you'd like, let me share my experiences with two popular Britax models: the Marathon and the Roundabout.

The Marathon and Roundabout are both convertible seats, which means you can use them rear facing for an infant and young toddler and forward facing as your child grows. The Marathon can be used rear facing until your child reaches 33 pounds, which should help your toddler stay safely rear facing for awhile. Once forward facing, the Marathon can be used until the child reaches 65 pounds, or his or her shoulders are above the highest shoulder strap slot. The smaller Roundabout can keep your little one rear facing up to 35 pounds. Forward facing, the Roundabout can be used until your child reaches 40 pounds, which is the lowest recommended weight to transition your child to a booster seat. Both the Marathon and Roundabout have important safety components such as five point harnesses and the hardware to easily tether the seat while it is being used either rear and forward facing. A fun feature of both seats is the wide variety of prints available on the machine washable seat covers.

We own a Marathon for my older son and recently purchased a Roundabout for my younger son. After testing both seats both rear and forward facing, I prefer the Roundabout. The Marathon is bulkier than the more streamlined Roundabout. The Roundabout's smaller size makes it easier to install in our Subaru station wagon and also left more room for passengers sharing the back seat. One feature that I find much more convenient with the Roundabout is the set up of the retractor, which is the strap used to tighten the shoulder straps once your child is buckled in. The Marathon's retractor has to be awkwardly ratcheted to tighten, while the Roundabout's can be done much more quickly with just the push of a button and a pull of the strap. I'm not so sure my opinion won't change as my boys grow older and reach the 40 pound weight limit for the Roundabout. I want them in five point harnesses as long as possible and the Marathon's higher weight limit definitely accommodates that. If you are choosing a seat for your older child, you may get more use out of the Marathon.

The bottom line: you can't go wrong choosing a Britax seat. Your hardest decision may be choosing between the cow print or denim seat covers!