Car Seats- Britax Marathon Vs. Eddie Bauer Three in One

I used Baby Bargains by Denise and Alan Fields to help me pick a car seat. They take into account price, ease of use, and safety. They rated the Britax and A and rated the Eddie Bauer a D. They said the Eddie Bauer is hard to use and confusing. I have head great things about the Britax from EMT who have seen the car seat in action in a real car crash. I would just stick with the Britax. If you are looking for in inexpensive second seat for a car that isnt used as much or grandma's car Baby Bargains recomends the Evenflow Triumph and it runs 100-150 dollars.

Hi Heidi,
Much like some others who responded, Britax is great. I have had all of my carseats installed at the CHP and they have always said Britax is the way to go---best safety record out there and last for a long time (5 years should be the max though, according to CHP).

I think you made a great choice!

Anya

I have both because all my kids are under a year apart. Each car seat has its own perks. The BIG plus for the Britax is that if there is a spill or stain (which there ALWAYS are), the cover is easy to remove and throw in the wash. With the Eddie Bauer I no kidding had to have my engineer neighbor come over to disassemble and reassemble the ENTIRE seat to clean it. The Britax is more 'cushiony' and the straps never get tangled. Both HUGE pluses. However, the Eddie Bauer works better when the kids get bigger. Once mine got to be 2 1/2 they preferred that seat to the Britax.

I have the Marathon and a Decathalon. Love them both. Put the price into perspective-both car seats are rated to 65 pounds. You will be able to use these seats for the full 6 years your children are required to be in them. That would equate to $50.00 a year. It's a little easier to digest that way.

Hey Heidi,
I am trying to remember off the top of my head if I have the EB and I am pretty certain I do. No, the Britax is not necessarily better. There might be a few things on it that might be additional to what you get with an EB. I love mine though... works great and it is safe!

Also, I just wanted to say that I read your "little bit about me" section and I am so happy for you. I feel blessed that God has blessed my life with such a wonderful husband as well, and I can stay at home to raise my daughters! It is very fulfilling, even on very bad, challenging days :). How old are your children? I have a 2 year old and a 5 month old!

God Bless you!

Hi Heidi,
Awesome for you and your husband for taking such an interest in the safety of your children. My husband and I did the whole consumer guide check, read up on all the car seats, compared the cost and the differences.
We found that the Eddie Bauer is just as safe as the Britax. Also the 3 in 1 Eddie Bauer can be used from infant to booster up to the weight of 100lbs. So that means when the child grows you don't have to keep buying new car seats for them. You just adjust the ONE car seat you have. I love my Eddie Bauer I have for my son and we just bought another one for my son that will arrive sometime in November.
The only perk that I found with the Britax is the ease of use when taking it in and out of the car. But how often are you going to take it in and out of the car??
And for an extra bit of safety, be sure to put the car seat in the middle seat, a child has a 40% better chance of surviving a side impact collision if seated in the middle as opposed to one of the sides.
Hope this helps.

Hi Heidi,

We had an Eddie Bauer 3-in-1. It worked fine. Honestly I think any carseat from a reputable major brand is going to work fine as long as it's installed correctly.

:-) D.

Both of those car seats are MONSTROUS!!! If you are going to have ANY other car seats or passengers in the back seat....it may make it uncomfortable. ALso, these seats can interfer with recline of the front seats in smaller cars.

Just thought that I would mention that.

Hi Heidi,
Britax really are the best. When my son was born 6 years ago the Eddie Bauer didn't have very good safety ratings. You can check consumer reports.com to get the latest ratings but Britax is consistently in the top.

Good luck!

We have been a Britax family for 4 years now. Both my kids are in Marathons. I did lots of research before each child was born to see which carseats were rated the safest for each year my children were born in. For the 4 years that I have looked, Britax Marathons got the best ratings at www.consumerreports.org. And like someone else mentioned, ALL of our friends with kids have the Marathon and trust me, these Moms did their research too.

Plus the Marathons are FAA approved, so you can take them on planes and trains. Not all carseats are FAA approved, so check the labels before you buy one.

Our seats have been across the country and back a few times with very little wear and tear. I highly recommend them.

And if you have any problems with the seat, call the customer service line and they will immediately send out the replacement part. And if your seat is not under warranty, you can go to their website and order the parts and they arrive quickly.

In my opinion and that of some reliable safety reviews, what you get w/ Britax is the safest car seats on the market. I even went and got a Britax Husky to keep my 5 yr old in a 5 point restraint as long as possible. This happened as a result of researching car seats for my newborn before she was born.
A great website to read up on baby gear is: babygizmos.com.
Good luck!

Score another vote for Britax. I can't say enough good things about our Marathon.

Like everyone else, I did a lot of internet research and chose the Britax. It was more expensive, but I felt that it was worth it for safety and comfort.

It's easy to install, easy to get my daughter in and out of, and love love love the removable cover. She loves it, too, and can hardly stay awake when she's in it, because it's sooo comfy.

On the other issues, I genuinely feel that there is no other seat as safe or as well-designed as the Britax models. We are going overseas for Christmas to see my husband's family and I am currently looking to buy a Britax that meets European safety guidelines. I wouldn't trust my daughter in any other brand seat.

Heidi,
Britax has a bettere safety rating in a crash. We had an Officer from the Sherrif dept. come to our Mommy and Me class to explain child vehicle safety, and he gave Britax the best rating. You made the right choice.

Oh yes, the quality is sooooo much better. Britax will continue to look new and clean up better than anything else. The fabric is easy to clean and retains its shape after many washings. The Britax Diplomat has easy adjustable harness straps, just turn a knob on the side. My mom has it in her car for the grandchildren. No more pulling the seat out to change the seat height. :) I have bought other seats that look thrashed after a year from wear and tear. Install is easier too. There is also more padding in the seats which makes it more comfortable for the child. Most kids spend so much time in the car seat and so many years in the same one. Shouldn't they be comfortable too?

Plus the safety issue. Brtiax is one of the top rated seats for safety. DH has had other brands in his car for the occassional times he has the kids. But my car only carries the kids in Britax since this is the main vehicle to transport our precious children.

I can ramble on all day about the pluses of Britax. I tried the Safety First 5pt booster and had to return it after a week. My kids hated it and my DH hated installing it after having Britax and knowin how easy it could be. I now have 2 Regents and love how well my kids fit and how long they will use them. My DS is 6 and 40lbs. He will be in that seat for at least another 2 years, longer if we can. We bought them when DD turned 2 and outgrew her Roundabout. A little FYI though, the yellow with pink flowers show the dirt a little more. That is just the dirt from shoes not food. That is my only regret about the fabric choice I made.

The only reason I bought a Roundabout over the Marathon is that the Marathon did not fit RF in my car at the time.

My husband and I poured through Consumer Reports before purchasing a car seat. Britax got the highest ratings in each category. It was rated the highest for safety (especially the Marathon). We have had our seats for a couple of years now. They go to a higher weight/age and just seem much sturdier than other brands (we have in our other car). I wholeheartedly recommend Britax. Just my two cents!

most definitley! I did my own research, plus every single family I know bought the same one. I think you made a good choice, every penny worth it for the little one.

I didn't read your other responses, so sorry if I duplicate.
You can't get any better than Britax, and is another $100 or so over the course of the years you will be using it really worth the safety of your child? http://babyproducts.about.com/od/carseats/gr/britaxmarath...

My girlfriend was recently stopped on the side of the road and got rammed by a guy who wasn't looking. Her son didn't even notice even though her car was totaled. Both the CHP and insurance agents commented on how glad they were that she had the Britax, and they obviously see more than we do as individuals.
Not sure what you paid or where, but I got my first one at Babies R Us for $270 or so, when I wanted an extra for the second car I ordered it from BabyUniverse.com and it was $208 free shipping and no tax.