My husband and I need to purchase a convertible carseat for our son as he was outgrowing his infant carseat. I did TONS of research into what seats were people's favorites, what different seats' weight/height capacities were, and what seats could fit into our small-ish fourdoor car (Chevy Malibu). I knew the Britax brand was known to be excellent, so narrowed my search to their different seat models. I came across a website that listed all the seats that would fit nicely in our car, and the Decathlon was one of them. So, I ordered one. Man! What a seat! It's like our son has his own little baby-lazy boy in the backseat:) It is SO comfortable for him. He finally has a nice view out of the window (compared to his infant seat). We first got the seat when we had to take a 6 hour car ride to my folks, and our son just loved it. He slept for probably 3 hours straight in the thing, it was so cozy. It fits great in my car, no need to have the front passenger seat too squished. Overall, I'm happy. I must say that I have no other experience with convertible carseats to compare it to, but I would definitely buy another Decathlon for our next kid. Ease of Installation My husband is deployed so I'm visiting our families and doing lots of in and out of people's cars. So, I've had to do a lot of installing and taking the car seat out of many different types of cars. The installation is easy once you get the hang of it. I use both the LATCH system and the lap belt for my rear facing installation. I do need to put a lot of my weight on the car seat while pulling the seat belt tight in order to get a good installation. Child's Comfort My son still loves this seat! Ease of Use The shoulder straps tend to get twisted, but not a huge deal. Durability Still holding strong a year later!

jakapalooza

Apo, AE

We purchased this seat once our child outgrew his infant car seat and it has been wonderful. He started using it at 9 months and he is almost two years old now and still rear-facing. The rear weight limit of up to 35 pounds means that many children can stay rear-facing up to the new AAP recommended two years of age. The forward-facing limit is 65 pounds, making for an even longer life of the car seat. We love this seat because it is so comfortable for our child, even on long trips. The padding is thick and the easily adjustable straps come with protective fabric guards to keep from chaffing on sensitive necks. The only thing we did not like about the straps is that they twist easily. They are supposed to be tangle free, but they seem to twist every time we get our son in the car. The extra padding is removable for when the child outgrows it or during warmer weather. The latch system made it easy to install in our vehicle. This seat is tops in both comfort and safety. Ease of Use Because of the built in shoulder pads, the straps on this seat are always getting twisted. Way more so than our other Britax seats that don't have the shoulder pads. It's a bit of a trial every time, since I'm already dealing with a squirming toddler and the last thing I need is to waste time trying to figure out how many times the strap has twisted.

Irishmarmalade

Sherwood, OR

I LOVE this car seat! It was well worth the investment for me to have the peace of mind where safety is concerned.  My son became to heavy for me to carry in the infant car seat so I moved him into the Britax Decathlon rear facing.  The padded strap covers and side support cradled his little body perfectly and I was able to adjust the straps as he grew.  It is fairly easy to remove the cover and straps for washing and even after several washings, they hold up very well. (delicate wash & hang dry)  My son is now 4 years old and can buckle and unbuckle himself into his Decathlon car seat.  We'll keep the seat till he outgrows it (hopefully before it expires!).

jenlenny

Melbourne, FL

We are a Britax family- love all of the seats we have owned! The Decathlon has been our best investment for our daughter we have made thus far. She had severe acid reflux which started at 12 weeks. Her doctor suggested we move her from the infant seat into a convertible seat to help with her discomfort, putting her in a more upright seat. We went with the Decathlon due to the extra padding and inserts. It was simply the best decision we made! When she entered the seat she was under 8 pounds. It seemed huge at the time! It has lasted us 4+ years and looks brand new! Britax has mastered seats that are easy to instal with latch and ease of use. We opted to purchase additional Britax seats to have enough for both of our cars, before knowing how easy they are to move and instal. One last thing- Britax has the absolute best customer service. At one point the cover to the seat had a small tear in it. We had only used it for a very short time. I called and they sent out a replacement cover free of charge!

paytonsmom2006

Nashua, NH

My son hated his rear facing car seat but the minute we purchased our Britax Decathalon our lives changed! We purchased it when he was 11 months old and he's now almost 4 and still sits in it happily! The carseat has a lot of really great features that give it the benefits of the Marathon without the size. I love that it has the velcro on the straps to keep the straps accessible. The fact that it's a reversible carseat will make it great for our new little bundle and I know we'll get many more miles out of this carseat! The quality is impecible and the fact that I can throw the cover in the washing machine is the best part of all! We've washed it many times and it still looks brand new! I love that it's not just a latch system carseat but is easy to install in a car without the latch system. I also love that it sits high, so does my son, he can see everything around him, that's what made all the difference for us.  Overall, great value for the money you spend!

Trilalao

Spanish Fork, UT

We purchased the Britax Decathalon for our son on his first birthday. Our daughter had been in a Britax Marathon and we were very inpressed with the quality of their products so we decided to give it another whirl with the Decathalon. We couldn't be happier. I love the bulk to this seat. I know that can pose a problem for some people, particularly those who drive smaller cars, but for us it has been fine as we have a large SUV. The seat is heavy, and even in the box you can tell it has great protection. The LATCH system is extremely easy to use, and even easier to take out if you need to move the seat for any reason. I also love that this seat has removable padding that allowed us to give our son extra protection when he was a smaller baby, but as he has grown we have been able to remove that padding so that he has more room for his growing body. Overall, we have loved the Decathalon and we DO recommend Britax to everyone and anyone we know who is having a baby.

yellowbunny23

Indian Head, MD

We own the Britax Decathalon carseat. Our baby is 4 months and we've used it a couple times in the car rear facing. I think this will be an excellent car seat once he is forward facing, but for now it seems akward. It's hard to recline or push back the front seat when this is rear facing behind it and we drive a van. Very comfortable seat and straps.

jldeardorff

Joplin, MO

When my daughter was about 10 months old and becoming too heavy to lug around in her Graco Snugride infant car seat I began the search for a convertible car seat that would accommodate her for a long time.  I wanted a seat that could keep her rear facing until she was at least 18 months old (since experts now recommend keeping babies rear-facing as long as possible), and offer a five-point harness forward facing until she was ready for a booster seat (around age 4 or 5)  The Britax Decathlon fit those criteria, had very high safety ratings, high customer reviews and came in really cute colors and patterns to boot!  My daughter is now 4 1/2 years old and is still riding comfortably in her Britax Decathlon (in Tiffany)  and I know she will continue to be safe in this seat until she is ready to move into her booster in 6 months or so.  The seat is also very easy to install, especially with the LATCH system, and has two harness positions so that the seat can be tethered whether it is rear facing or forward facing.  I have liked this seat so much that I bought the same seat (in a different pattern) for my son a year ago when he outgrew the infant seat, and have nothing but good things to say about it as well. I do have one word of caution: when you unpack this car seat there is some EPS foam under the seat cover in the bottom of the car seat which are intended to offer extra padding and protection. Don't be like me and mistake them for packaging (which they really do look like) and throw them away!  But if you do, call up Britax and let them know and hopefully, like me, you will receive free replacements ASAP. :-)

nannergal

Columbus, OH

I was in a bad car accident with my son, who was nine months at the time, in December 2006, my car was totaled.  He was born two months early and always little small for his age, he was in a Graco Pooh Honey Pot car seat at the time.  It kept him safe, but it was damaged and I was so scared of what have happened to him.  After that, I did a ton of reserach into carseats, talked to experts, doctors, other parents, etc.  After about two weeks of reading everything on every brand of carseat I could find, I went with the Britax Decathlon.  It'll hold him until he's 80 pounds!  Because he is almost 5 and only 34lbs, it's safe to say he'll be in an adult seatbelt before he outgrows this carseat.  I love it.  It straps in so tight into my car.  It's nice to look at, very easy to clean, and I've never felt more safe with him in it.  I am thrilled with my purchase and would recommend anyone buy a Britax.  Also, look at their recalls.  They have had one in the last few years that I know of, and it was not even a safety one.  Do your research, feel good about what you buy, buy a Britax.

amorgan0315

Essex Junction, VT

The decathlon is an excellent car seat. we purchased it for our 9 month old son who was outgrowing his small car seat. We love that the decathlon can be rear facing and forward facing. The consumer reports completely sold us this car seat, it is number 1 in the consumer reports and top safety features. Our son loves his car seat, and it is very comfortable and easy to clean. It is very reassuring to know that your child is safe while driving on the road. The 3 different latch features make the car seat incredibly sturdy in the car. we also liked the 5 point harness system to keep him safe, and it is not easy enough for him to unlatch the harness. we had read other reviews from other brand car seats and that was an issue for several parents. The fabric is very soft and comfortable for our son to fall asleep in. The decathlon is also easy to transfer from one car to another, with the easy latch attachments. We will definitely use this car seat for our other children to come.

bec83820

Tuscaloosa, AL