Child Seat!

FINALLY! I have found a car seat that I like. We currently use an Eddie Bauer seat in my wife's Jeep, and the thing is a giant pain in the ass. It's next to impossible to install and adjust. It won't fit in my Tacoma. After 1 hour of trying to get it to install in said Jeep without it sliding around from side to side like it wasn't even buckled in, all I came away with were bruises on my hands and an increased stress level.

So I started to do some research on a seat that we could use for my own 2008 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab. I need a seat that I can be used as rear-facing for now, and front-facing after the little one is over 1 year old (and weighs at least 20 lbs). After doing a pile of research on Google, I finally found a child seat that not only had all 5 out of 5 customer reviews, but was also recommended by one consumer as they had used it in the back of their 2008 Tacoma.

This seat is the Britax Marathon convertible car seat. Pictured below is the exact seat that we ordered from bo bebe in Calgary. The sweet seat covering is called 'Cowmooflage'.



There was only one thing that kept me a bit skeptical about the seat - the price. It is expensive! By the time we got the seat shipped here with taxes in, it was over $300 CDN (what's that, about $7 USD these days?).

Well, we just received the seat yesterday. Preparing for a long battle, I took it out to the garage this morning and attempted to install it in my Tacoma. Remember, the Eddie Bauer seat took me over an hour of struggling to install before I GAVE UP - eventually we had a lady at SGI (a professional I suppose) install it. And it took her 45 minutes even. So I was preparing for the worst.

I installed the seat using the LUAS method (Lower Universal Anchorage System) - which is those little hooks tucked in between the seat back and the seat cushion. So how long did it take me to get this child seat properly installed? About 4 or 5 minutes. I kid you not. The seat was extremely easy to install. I didn't have to fight with it at all. And if you try to move it from side to side, it doesn't move an inch.

And the best part? I could actually move my passenger side front seat BACK, because this seat takes up so little room. It is absolutely perfect for any vehicle where back seat space is limited - such as my 2008 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab.

I also had a chance to use the seat today with baby intact, and it was great. It's extremely easy to adjust and to get baby secured. It is the only seat, as far as I know, that actually offers side impact protection as well - built right into the seat. The seat is extremely comfortable too. The covering is soft and plush. I have to say, I am very impressed.

The child seat is good right from 5 lbs to 65 lbs - so basically, it's the only seat you will ever need. It reclines for when baby is small and it spins around and quickly installs as forward facing as baby grows. My hats off to Britax for finally making a child seat that is both safe AND extremely easy to install and use. If you are shopping for your first child seat and are considering different brands, just remember that you get what you pay for. Although the Britax Marathon is more expensive than comparable seats, there really is no comparison once you start to use it.