Marathon or Decathlon?

[tlap04]

DD is quickly growing out of her infant seat (Graco Snugride). The last time I weighed her at 4 months she was 19 lbs & 26 inches. She had a huge growth spurt from 3-4 months. DH agreed to a Britax only after I found some on sale. Albee Baby has both Decathlon and Marathons on sale for 219.99 w/free shipping. While none of the colors are my favs, I'm just happy I got him to agree. :-)
Anyway, the seat will go in his vehicle for now. He has a GMC Envoy (if that matters) I drive a Pontiac Vibe and have a smaller convertible for that car.
Can anyone give me the pros and cons of both? Anyone have both and prefer one over the other?


TIA!

Tia :)

[o_mom]

Here are the main differences:

1. DC has a push button adjuster, MA has a lever. Some (very small number) kids learn to loosen the harness on the MA by pulling the lever. OTOH, the DC adjuster can be very sticky, hard to pull. I am currently stalking the UPS man because Britax is replacing my DC for this issue.

2. The DC has extra infant padding. It has a head support and a body pillow. We put DS2 in the DC at 5-6 months and never used the pillow. We used the head support for about 3-4 months, but really could have gone without it.

3. LATCH strap is one piece on the DC, two separate straps on the MA. I have both and see good and bad with each. The DC setup is nice because when you install with a seatbelt there is no worries about when to put the belt over the bars (lap/shoulder) and when to put it under (lap only). It is also a small pain to run a seatbelt under the bars. The MA set up is nice, though because the LATCH connectors store in little pockets under the cover. They are easily accessible and easy to store if you are switching between LATCH and seatbelt. The DC ones are stored under the cover, so it is harder to store them and get them out. Since most LATCH anchors can only be used up to 40-48 lbs, it is worth worrying about how the seatbelt install goes.

4. DC has three crotch strap positions. Some bigger kids (again, small number) complain about the MA being too tight. The DC gives you about another 1-1.5 inches of crotch room.

5. The forward facing lock-offs are different on the DC. They do seem to be more prone to damageing the seatbelt, but if you have locking seatbelts and top tether anchors, I don't think you have to use them.

I think that sums it up!