It was when I bought my son’s Britax Marathon Car Seat that I first noticed Britax replacement seat covers. I remember thinking, “why on Earth would I ever buy one of those replacements?”

Well, it's pretty darn apparent to me now. Obviously, Britax must have had the toddler boy in mind when it created the line of replacement seat covers and accessories. Numerous exploded sippy cups, leaky juice boxes, and crumbled goldfish later, the car seat looks a little grungy, to say the least.

I’ve thought about washing the cover. The car seat manual advises hand washing, but I’m not so sure my hands could work enough magic to restore that cover to anywhere near its original appearance. While I know some parents disregard the hand wash recommendation and throw the cover directly into the washing machine, I’m not even sure my machine would have the muscle to rid that cover of the messy, sticky, gooey, caked on ick. This is exactly WHY replacement covers exist. Well, one of the reasons.

Britax replacement covers also allow you to change the appearance of your child’s car seat, whether it’s to better match your vehicle or simply to infuse a little excitement into your child’s ride. Cowmooflauge ranks at the top of my list for cool car seat looks. The variety in Britax covers is also a nice perk for parents who have multiples and want to give each child his or her “own” space, identified by a unique cover.

Optional replacement covers are just one more reason to outfit your vehicle with a Britax car seat–as if you really need another reason, given that Britax leads the pack when it comes to safety.

Oh, in case you had any doubts about my decision, I’m going with Cowmooflauge.

Do you have any tips for keeping the new seat cover clean?