Britax Martathon-- Barnum print-- Year?

I somehow came across the Britax Marathon Couture in the Barnum print and really want to buy it. Wow it's cute. The problem is that my little girl is only three months old and twelve pounds-- and thus is likely to fit in her SafeSeat for quite some time. I think I remember that there is a six year expire date on car seats so I want to make sure that this print is from 2006 before I purchase it. Does anybody have any idea? Does anybody have a 2005 in Barnum? Also if there are any other reasons why I shouldn't buy our convertible seat now, please talk me out of it before my husband kills me. ;)

TIA

[AddiesMom]

I bought the Neopolitan (another Couture pattern) in March and it was manufactured 11/15/05.

[babystuffbuff]

Can't help you with the print, but as far as reasons not to buy a convertible now, if your babe is only three months old and you have a Safeseat which will most likely get her to a year, then that's kind of a long time to have the seat sitting around in a box using up its "shelf life". You are correct that the seat will expire six years after it was manufacured (not in a "this message will self-destruct in ten seconds" way, but the plastic will degrade over time, making it unsafe).

So let's say the seat you want to get was made in January '06, just for argument's sake. If your kiddo was born in May, that means that the Safeseat will probably get used until May of '07, by which time the MA will be 16 months old and over a fifth of it's "usable time" will have passed. If the MA was manufactured in '05, that's even more time used up.

You don't say if you have other kids, or are planning to have more. If you will be having others in the future, it might be a good idea to wait and get a convertible later, when your DD is ready to use it right away, so that you will be able to use it for a longer period of time and possibly for more than one kid. MAs are great seats - easy to use, very safe, very comfy for kids to ride in. But they are also expensive. I would say to wait to get one until later, so you can use it for the most time possible, and get the most bang for your buck. :-)


Sarah

Auntie to my seven munchkins, and thinking about TTC a munchkin of our own :)

[kellyotn]

I'd hold off too. Maybe keep an eye out on eBay for someone selling just the cover? :) You could buy it and hang on to it for the Marathon you do end up buying. (Take note of the strap colors, FYI.)

Wait!!! I bought my DD a convertible when I was still pg. Similar deal - found a print I loved on clearance. My seat was manufactured in 2/02. I bought it in 1/03 and DD didn't use it til 11/03. So we burned almost 1/3rd of it's life sitting on a shelf and in my attic. I can't save it for another child or pass it on to a friend - it's too old. I love my seat, but I regret wasting so much of it's life. And I'd regret it even more if it was a Marathon - a seat that a child really could use for 6 years.