Maxi-Cosi Mico Infant Car Seat, Phantom
- 5 - 22 lbs, 19 - 29"
- Cozi-Dozi infant insert for added comfort for a smaller baby
- 5-point harness with up-front harness adjustment
- Stay-in-car adjustable base
- Attaches to the Quinny Buzz and Quinny Zapp for a travel system
We’ve been using this seat for a bit over five months now and I love it. Our little dude was born quite premature, and we were finally allowed to bring him home when he hit 5 lb. At that size he would have been almost lost in most of the other car seat we looked at, but the Mico came through like a champ with the infant insert, though we actually ended up supplementing with the Kiddopotamus Snuzzler (link below). I don’t consider that a defect, since one size cannot fit everyone and an additional $15 is a small price for baby comfort and parental peace of mind.
PROS:
- The seat is very light, which becomes increasingly important as baby becomes heavier;
- The base is really heavy, which seems right to me;
- The LATCH clips go in easily – using a seatbelt requires a little more elbow-grease, but nothing extraordinary;
- Materials are high quality – we have not noticed any wear or tear;
- The seat works great with our Bugaboo Cameleon – at present he is too big for the Buagoo’s bassinet, but not really big enough for the seat, so he just stays in the Mico car seat, which has now become associated with nap time anyway;
- The seat clips easily into the base, with a very apparent “clunk”; and
- The deep seat and high, well-padded sides at least appear to give more protection than many other models on the market.
CONS:
- There is some tendency for straps to tangle between uses – not really more than other car seats, but it does happen; and
- If your family has a history of big kids, be aware that you will be out of this seat by 22 lb and 29″ – there are some other models like the Graco Infant SafeSeat Step 1 which can go bigger if necessary.
Kiddopotamus Snuzzler Link:
http://www.amazon.com/Kiddopotamus-Snuzzler-Complete-Support-Ivory/dp/B000DZS720/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1262633725&sr=8-1
Maxi-Cosi is the only brand I have found visually pleasing. I did research this car seat before I bought it for my now three month old. I did not come across the problems I’ve encountered with it until after I had the issues… 1. The car seat can be very hard to get to click in and sometimes it does take several tries before the seat is firmly in the base. 2. If your baby has a blow out and it gets onto the car seat you should not machine wash it if you have an agitator. You should spot clean any issues or you could have an issue with the fabric (mine looks like it was cut open on the side). 3. Fitting it into the Quinny can be difficult, then once in it looks as though your baby is standing… 4. It is a pretty heavy seat to lug around.
Other than those issues I really do find it to be a safe and fresh car seat. When I buy the front facing car seat it will also be a Maxi-Cosi.
We received this as a baby shower gift. We have had no major issues with this car seat. It states that the car seat will carry your baby up to 22 lbs. My son is now 6 months old and about 17 lbs, and it is starting to get too small for him when he is bundled up in his winter gear, so we will upgrade to the Maxi-Cosi Priori Convertible soon. We seem happy with the brand.
What we liked best about the Maxi-Cosi Mico was that it was light weight and attached to the bugaboo stroller with attachments, so we were able to easily move our son from car to stroller without disturbing him. We also received lots of compliments on the look and color.
I checked out the Mico’s cousins – the Citi and the Pebble here in Germany and wish I had bought one of those. The Mico was cheaper with the base, but it seems heavy and bulky compared to the others. Those are the reasons I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. Otherwise it seems to be a nice infant carrier otherwise.
The carseat is very pretty but very incomfortable for a child. It is also heavier than Graco model. The straps are really short for the bottom part of the harness and dig painfully into infants thighs. Our daughter cannot have her warm winter gear on and have the bottom clasps close. Not very helpful in winter. The bottom clasps need to be held with both hands in order to be fitted into the buckle. Not very handy for the perpetually hand-short parents. Additionally, the release button on the base sometimes gets stuck in the close position and then the top cannot click into place. They’ve sent everyone a sticker to let know that the release button has to be pulled again a few times when placing the top on the base. I guess enough people complained. Will be returning this one.