Britax Marathon 70 *Review & Giveaway*

In the United States during 2005, 1,335 children ages 14 years and younger died as occupants in motor vehicle crashes, and approximately 184,000 were injured. That’s an average of 4 deaths and 504 injuries each day. ~ CDC Child Passenger Safety: Fact Sheet

Like most parents, car seat safety is one of our top priorities and is something we do not take lightly. We read product reviews, check the fact sheets and even turn to other mom bloggers to get their advice on top car seat picks.
After a bit of recent researching, do you know which brand of child car seats ranked among the highest? Britax.

Britax has been a leader in mobile safety for more than 70 years. They have an ongoing commitment to developing innovations that enhance the safety of child car seats and improve their ease of installation and use. Britax products undergo the most rigorous testing in the industry at five Britax testing facilities worldwide. They also work closely with vehicle manufacturers to encourage design improvements that enhance the performance of child car seats.
Recently, we were sent the new Britax Marathon 70 to review and if I have to sum the car seat up in one word, it would be "Wow"! This child car seat is unparalleled to any other that we have tried before. From the design and safety features to the look and ascetics, this car seat is wonderful!

Let's talk safety features, shall we? ~

SafeCell Technology - The Britax Marathon 70 features SafeCell technology that is designed to compress in a crash. This significantly lowers the center of gravity and counteracts the forward rotation of the child seat which normally propels the child toward the front seat. The SafeCells that comprise SafeCell Technology are located in the base of the seat.
Integrated Steel Bars - Integrated Steel Bars strengthen the connection to the vehicle and reduce forward flexing of the child seat during a crash. You can find the Integrated Steel Bars on the outside of the car seat and they continue up through the shell of the child restraint.
Energy-Absorbing Versa-Tether - This strap (a.k.a webbing), is attached to two points of the upper part of the child seat. On the strap you will find a hook that attaches to an anchor in your vehicle. The Britax tether system allows you to tether your child seat in either the rear-facing or forward-facing modes.

The use of a tether can reduce the distance that your child’s head moves forward by four to six inches, thereby minimizing the risk of injury during a crash. ~ Britax website

Side Impact Protection - One of the things parents most fear, is a side-impact collision. With the Britax Marathon 70, you will find Side Impact Protection that provides protection to your child during a side impact crash. The Side Impact Protection system utilizes the rigid seat shell, lined with energy-absorbing foam, to keep your child’s head and chest protected from the side impact crash forces.

Marathon 70 features that I have come to love. ~

When we first received the Britax Marathon 70, I felt a bit overwhelmed with all of the settings, adjustments, etc. But as I started to read over the owners manual, I became comfortable using all of the features and quickly came to love each of them!
Built-in Lock-offs - These devices are designed into the shell of a convertible car seat and the base of an infant car seat to ensure a snug lap and shoulder belt installation with minimal effort. Located in the vehicle belt path areas on the child seat, lock-offs hold the vehicle seat belt in place until the vehicle seat belt has to do its job.

I find the Lock-offs to be a terrific and very helpful feature. When installing Princess P's car seat, we did encounter a problem on one side because the belt contained a "button-like" object that prevent the Lock-off from clamping down all the way. But after a bit of tightening, we were able to close both Lock-offs.
Convenient Harness Holders - At first, I had no clue why there was velcro on inner-sides of the the Marathon 70. I happened to find out their intended purpose on accident!

When I was adjusting the harnesses to fit Princess P, I looked down and noticed that the harness stuck to the velcro and kept it out of the way when I was placing P into the seat. Genius!
Rear and Forward Facing Position Fit - In the forward-facing position, the Britax Marathon 70 can safely fit a child up to 70 pounds! The forward-facing requirements are 1 year and 20 pounds and less than 49". The seated shoulder height is 12-16.75 inches for the forward-facing position.
The rear-facing position can fit an infant or child 5-40 pounds and 49 inches in height or less. The seated shoulder height for the rear-facing position is 9-16.75 inches. The Britax Marathon 70 also has two buckle positions to fit your growing child.

I found both the forward and rear-facing positions to be very easy to install in the car(we have a Chrysler Pacifica) and adjust (thanks to the Quick-Adjust Harness) to fit Princess P snugly. I also love the anti-slip, contoured base that grips and protects the vehicle seat while offering optimum vehicle fit.

Honestly, there are so many features on the Britax Marathon 70 that I would love to list, but I am sure you are tired of reading by now. However, I did want to mention the cute color combination's that the Marathon 70 comes in. We received the Allison fabric and I could not be more pleased with it! The seat also contains a lush, Easy-Remove Cover with matching comfort pads and infant body pillow to provide extra comfort and easy cleaning without disassembling or uninstalling the child seat!

Buy It: The Marathon 70 can be purchased in store and online for $279.99 (Price may vary by retailer).

Giveaway Giveaway

One lucky reader will win a Britax Marathon 70 in their choice of print!

*This giveaway is now closed.*

To Enter: Visit Britax and tell me another product that you would like to have OR comment about a safety feature on the Marathon 70 that you love. Please leave your email address in the comment or make sure it is visible in your profile.

Extra Entries:
1. Grab my button. Leave an address where it can be found.
2. Subscribe to my feed. Must be verified to count.
3. Follow me on Google Friend Connect.
4. Enter any of my other current giveaways. Leave a separate comment on which one(s).
5. Follow me on Twitter and Tweet about this giveaway using the text below. You can tweet once daily for an extra entry each day.
Enter to win a @Britax Marathon 70 Car Seat @PieceOfMeBlog! Giveaway ends 10/22 http://bit.ly/9N6eXo
6. Follow Britax on Twitter.
7. 2 Extra Entries if you "like" Britax on Facebook.
8. 5 Extra Entries if you blog about this giveaway. Please leave an address where it can be found.

Giveaway will end on October 22nd at 11:59pm ET. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here as well as emailed. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen. Giveaway open to US and Canada

A big thank you to Britax for this review and giveaway opportunity!

This review is based strictly my opinion. Others may have a different opinion or experience with the product listed above. Britax provided the Marathon 70 free of charge and I provided my honest opinion. No other type compensation was received for this review.