Customer Reviews

Decathlon Convertible Car Seat - Odyssey

5 star:		(61)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I am a firefighter and run the car seat check program for my fire department. I purchased the Marathon for our son two years ago (I have a separate review for that seat, which covers the Consumer Reports article), and the Decathlon for our daughter this week. In addition to the comments that others have made about Britax exceeding US crash standards, as well as the extreme ease of installation and use of the Britax seats, I'd like to add the following. We tell parents that the safest position for any occupant is rear facing, in a 5-point harness. Next safest is forward facing in a 5-point harness. Lowest on the list is forward-facing with a 3-point harness or seat belt.
The Marathon and Decathlon cater to this very strongly. First, they both go rear-facing to 33 pounds, and are the only seats available that can be tethered rear-facing. Second, they both go forward facing, in the 5-point harness, to 65 pounds. Most convertible seats only go to 40 pounds, including the Roundabout. Do note that once your child weighs 48 pounds, you must stop using the LATCH system with either seat, and start using the vehicle seat belt, because 48 pounds is the limit of the engineering for LATCH in any vehicle.
Britax seats are expensive, and in my opinion, worth every penny, both in safety and convenience. Regarding the comments that people can't see out their rear-view mirrors, please be certain that when rear facing, the seat is reclined, and is at a recline angle of 30-45 degrees. Less than 30 degrees is too steep.

If you are at all unsure about how to use the seat properly, please contact your local fire department or SAFE Kids to find a technician. Appointments are free and you will learn a lot!

I absolutely love, love this seat! My daughter is nearly 6 months old and I thought it was time to upgrade from her infant seat to a convertible seat. I took her to BRU and had her try out almost all of the convertible seats. This one was by far the best. She looked very comfortable in it and I like the plushness of the seat. My only concern was Would it fit in my car? I have a 2003 Ford Focus 4 door, this is a compact car and I am only 5'2. I installed the seat in the middle, rear facing and it fits perfectly. Not only does it fit, but It doesn't obstruct my view AT ALL!!!! I know it's expensive, but my daughter is priceless and this seat got great safety ratings! My father in law is a Chicago fireman and he said this is one of the safest seats he has seen. I would give this seat 10 stars if I could.

Thanks Britax for making outstanding products!!!!

I am a firefighter/paramedic as well as a car seat technician for our dept. The previous review written by the firefighter/car seat tech. is an excellent and informative review. I am writing this review to help people who are choosing between the Marathon and the Decathlon. I have a one year old (who is still rear facing) for whom we bought the Decathlon. From the beginning the "push button harness adjuster" was very stiff and difficult to loosen the harness to get her out. I figured it would loosen up as time went by. It never did and I sent the seat back to Britax. They said they didnt see a problem with it and sent it back unchanged. We had bought a Marathon for the other car, which has a different harness adjuster that is very easy and convenient. The two seats are night and day. Its great to have a plush cushy seat for your baby, but if you have great difficulty getting them out every time than it is not worth the money. Britax is a great company. I think if more people find that the decathlon "push button harness adjuster" is unacceptable and they make a complaint about it, Britax just might fix it. In the mean time, save a little bit of money and buy the marathon, its really a great seat all around. We own two.

I have a seven month old son who was just about to outgrow his Britax Companion infant seat when I learned from an employee at Babies R Us that the Decathlon was coming on the market. I had planned to buy the Marathon since the Wizard side 'wings' just seemed to hard and uncomfortable, but decided to hold out to check out the Decathlon - it was worth the wait. The seat's infant padding is great for my son, who is about 19 pounds, and the seat installs very easily. It's got all the great features Britax is known for and the HUGS system really helps eliminate tangled straps. My husband is a test pilot and even he couldn't find any design flaws with this seat! It's very user friendly, as you would expect from Britax. Note - at first you think the strap used to snug up the straps is very difficult to use, but there's a piece of packing material you need to remove first. I would caution that you should definitely try this seat out in your vehicle first to make sure it fits rear-facing. I had planned to buy one for my daycare provider, but it didn't fit in her van. It fits great in our Explorer, with lots of extra room. An all around gem worth the money! Be sure to have your seat inspected for proper installation just to be safe. Call Safe Kids.

My husband and I decided to skip on the infant car seat and just purchase a convertible car seat from the beginning. As first time parents, we listened intently to what all our friends and family had to say and eventually did our own research and purchased the Britax Decathalon. We absolutely love this car seat and most importantly so does our son.
Since our son has been born we have taken multiple trips to DC from NC and we haven't had any complaints from our son. He fits into his seat very well and as he has grown, the straps have been very easy to adjust. His head is held secure and the infant recline position is just enough to allow him to sit comfortable. He sleeps well on the long trips in the seat and even enjoys being awake adn playing while riding in it.
We are getting ready to purchase another car seat for my husbands truck and the decision has already been made that we will be getting another Britax Decathalon. It is well worth the money to know that our child is secure and happy!
Also, one other thing...my husband is about 6'2" and this is one of the only car seats that we tried that fits in the back of both of our 4 Runners and we can still have both of the front seats both all the way back. With every infant seat we tried at Babies R Us my husbands seat had to be all the way forward to accomodate the handle. And if any of you are tall you know how uncomfortable it is to sit with your legs crammed into the dash or the steering wheel. So this seat allows all of us to ride in comfort!

We have a 29 month old (39" and 34 lbs) and a 5 month old (16 lbs, 27 1/4") and we have 2 decathalons (tiffany pattern - awesome) and 2 boulevards (park avenue pattern). The boulevards are in my 2005 Honda Odyssey and the Decathalons are in my mother in law's 2006 Buick Terraza. Of course the toddler is forward facing and the infant is rear facing. We found good locations on both vehicles to tether the rear facing under the front seat. The seats installed great - they don't budge!

We choose the boulevard because of it's many features - top most being side impact. We chose the decathalon because my mil loved the tiffany pattern - and it is even better in person. The best thing about the decathalon is the adjustable crotch strap - 3 locations! The boulevard crotch strap is ok for my toddler but the decathalon moved all the way out is much better. If you have a skinny toddler and can't justify the money for the boulevard then just get the marathon. The only additional feature (or big one that stands out) on the decathalon is the infant insert. If you have an infant the insert is wonderful. It really gets them nice and snug.

Straps - I too have found them difficult to tighten, but I have found a trick. Buckle baby in, snap chest clip, pull on leg straps right above the buckle, get them tight then pull on the adjuster strap. This makes it easier.

They were both easy to install. They sit up high. This actually gave the front passenger about an 1" extra leg room over the infant car seat. The top of the decathalon cleared the furthest point of the passenger seat. None of the seats block the drivers view.

I wish I had gotten the marathon in 2003 for my toddler (no decathalon or boulevard available at the time). Then I wouldn't have to replace her seat now. I am a firm believer that children should be in a 5 point harness as long as possible. What is $250-$290 for your child's safety. You paid how much for the car with airbags? and the dvd player? ;) I hope you never need the safest car seat but just in case you do ...

I thought I was crazy for spending more than I did for an infant carrier and stroller combined, but now I know I made the right decision.

My little one is growing fast height-wise, and already hit the limit of the infant carrier. My biggest criteria were:
1) maximum height
2) cushiness/comfort
3) reliability

I looked at the Evenflo's, but I was afraid she'd outgrow them in height too fast. I looked at the Roundabout and Marathon, but I had to get the padded insert as she's still an infant. From my research, these things are reliable as all heck.

Installing it using the latch system in our 2002 VW Passat was a snap, and I loved how easy it was to change its recline position. She used to get really fussy in the infant carrier and screamed all the time. She seems to really like the Decathlon and appears comfortable. Her head does tend to lean forward when she's asleep, but she did that in the carrier too. She hasn't screamed in the car since we switched. That alone was worth the cost.

Another reason I avoided the Marathon was the issue with the strap release and how it could be easily accessed by the occupant, even by accident. Now, they install velcro to block access, but it still seems too easy to tamper with. I prefer the button release in this and the Roundabout.

Finally, the base is not open like other bases that could hurt leather seats. It has a rounded piece that covers the bottom. I used to use a towel for the carrier's base, but plopped this in directly.

Still, it is a large unit and I doubt I would EVER bring onto a plane. Since it's so easy to install and remove (I really like how the latches work on these), I'll probably just move this from car to car rather than plop down another $300.

i am so glad that we spent the money on this carseat. our son is 6 weeks old and very long. he has almost outgrown his infant carrier and he was very uncomfortable in it. car trips were a NIGHTMARE! everytime we would strap him in he would cry and cry and there was nothing we could do to get him to stop. Now with the decathalon he is able to calm himself down and he is up high enough to look out the windows and see himself in the mirror. i feel like it is so much safer as well. when my husband put it in it is so tight that when you try to move it you can shake the van! i'm also thrilled that we won't have to buy another carseat until he is old enough for a booster seat. i would recommend this product to anyone who is in the market for a carseat. with our next child i think we'll skip the infant seat and just get another decathalon. it is worth every penny!

I already own a Marathon that my toddler uses. I went to Babies R Us to buy a convertible car seat for my infant (5 months old) that is outgrowing his car seat. I saw the Decathlon and loved the look of the extra padding. The BRU employee let me put my baby in it. I loved the way the padding craddled him when he was sitting it in. He just looked so secure. I was afraid he would be lost in such a large seat. But I got it home and was instantly disappointed. I wish I had stuck with the Marathon. The Decathlon has a different lower anchor system (part of the latch system) than the Marathon. I tried installing the Decathlon forward facing in a Chevy Venture and was unable to get it tight because the strap isn't long enough. However we were able to get it very tight forward facing in a Honda Odyssey. (We have never had any problems getting our Marathon tight in any vehicle.) We were not able to get it tight at all in the rear facing mode. We ended up giving my toddler the Decathlon (since he can forward face) and handing down the Marathon to my infant (since we were able to get that seat very tight in the rear facing position). We did however take the extra padding (the infant positioning system) out of the Decathlon and install it in the Marathon that my infant is sitting in. And now with all of that extra padding my infant always falls asleep in his car seat. I believe that Britax makes the best car seats. However I find the LATCH on the Decathlon a lot harder to use than on the Marathon, and the seat belt lock offs aren't as nice. But the seatbelt harness is easier to tighten and losen (on the child) than on the Marathon. Overall if I had it to do all over again I would have just bought another Marathon. This seat is not worth the extra money. If my Babies R Us was closer I would have just gone back and exchanged the Decathlon for the Marathon.

Our little one outgrew her graco snugride way too fast, and so we were looking for the safest possible seat that would last the longest. After quite a bit of research (pretty much narrowing it down to the Decathlon and the Marathon), we selected the Decathlon, and we're so happy with our choice. Britax far exceeds American testing standards, so we know we have a super safe seat. Absolutely easy to install (especially as compared to the carrier bases, which were a nightmare), and so secure in the car (we really like the "versa tether" option). The fabric is super soft, and the seat is well padded and apparently very comfy (passed the happy baby test). From what I've read, the seat will no longer be a B-R-Us exclusive later this year, and there will be additional seat cover colors and patterns available. So, while I wish we could have waited another six months for more color options and maybe a better deal pricewise, I would absolutely buy this seat again.