Confused about maxi cosi car seats

[FloriaTosca]

Sorry to ask, I know this subject has probably been done to death but I'm very confused about which new born car seat to buy...I was going to go for the Maxi Cosi Cabrio Fix with Isofix base...I was under the impression that Maxi Cosi did car seats for todlder and older children the fitted to the same base so we would only have to replace the seat itself as the child grows...but the more I read the web site the more I now believe I'm wrong...Please can someone enlighten me?

[FloriaTosca]

That should have read "for "toddlers" and older children "that" fitted to the same base".....I think I was cross eyed from trying to understand the maxi cosi web site!

[evenhope]

They told us in the shop that the first stage base only fits the first stage seat and we'd have to buy another one at 9 months, so we didn't bother.

[LIZS]

Think the later ones will have a more integrated isofix system built into the base of the back section. The infant one has a separate base so you can take the seat with baby still in it out of the car easily without detaching the isofix part.

[FloriaTosca]

Thanks Evenhope ..that is what I had begun to suspect..we would need two bases which seems a lot of money for just 9 months or so...
and Lizs thank you too...finacially it looks to be more efficient to wait until the next seat to get the base bit. Shame the web site doesnt make it clearer (or perhaps I'm just a bit thick)
Thank you both for responding..I think I'll just be buckling in the normal baby seat

[castille]

The 2nd stage Priorifix doesn't have a separate base as such, the seat itself clips to the Isofix fittings in the car, no base required. It's on the Cabrio that needs a separate base.

[Sidge]

Don't know about the Maxi Cosi seats in particular, but generally speaking if your car has Isofix points it is far safer to use an Isofix seat.

Isofix infant seats tend to have an isofix base that stays in the car, and the seat itself clicks in and out of the base.

Then the second stage seats have the isofix prongs in the main body of the seat so the whole seat attaches to the isofix points, as you rarely remove the seat when they are bigger anyway. I wasn't aware that any of the bigger seats were attached to bases as the height of the seat would make it unstable in a collision.

Hope that makes sense!

[MrsBadger]

it's only the Cabrio that needs a separate base as far as I know, the older age group seats just fit straight onto the Isofix points and don't need a base at all.

[margoandjerry]

Floria, just been through this exact issue with Maxi Cosi. I also thought a maxi cosi car seat for an older baby would fit on the existing base, but no, you have to buy a new base...And it's actually even more annoying than that.

I bought the next stage Maxi Cosi isofix (It's called the Priorifix or something) thinking that it would be like the infant one (a seat that clicks onto a permanent base) but it's all one unit.

So basically the seat ends up weighing more than two stone and you cannot take the seat out and put it in another car using seatbelts to fasten as you can with the infant car seat. I think this is a real disadvantage as I quite often use my infant car seat in other cars and was planning to take it with me on holiday to use with our holiday rental car (my sister has horror stories of car seats from rental car companies). There is no way you could do this with the Priorifix as it is huge and weighs more than your luggage allowance.

So I have sent it back and I am now just buying a normal maxi cosi car seat with no isofix. Unless Loopymumsy can advise me otherwise....it sounds like she has a Britax one where the isofix base IS separate to the car seat which would be the best of both worlds. John Lewis told me such a thing doesn't exist after infant stage. Loopymumsy???

[margoandjerry]

Oh, just read properly. Loopymumsy is talking about infant seats too.

Anyway, although it is beyond annoying and borderline rip off territory that the isofix can't be used with toddler seats, it is definitely worth having at infant stage. The click-in thing is great.

[fizzylemonade]

I believe the only removable seats are the 1st stage ie when your baby is light enough to lift both it and a car seat. Our car doesn't have an Isofix so we bought the Graco travel system with the in car base so you just click them in and out, then went onto Maxi Cosi Priori XP and now he is in the next one up.

Again no Isofix so you can swap them between cars (Grandparents etc) so it is worth considering the whole Isofix if you plan to use your car seat in other cars, or if you plan to change car as not all cars do Isofix.

[vesela]

We don't have a car but need to have a car seat so that we can travel in taxis, other people's cars on occasion etc. Which one should we get once DD grows out of the infant seat? We have a Maxi Cosi Cabrio and I'd just been planning to get the Priori, but now I don't know.

(We may be getting a car, which would be excellent, but I can't count on it).

[PutThatInYourPipeandSmokeIt]

oh help - i'm at the thinking about buying the 9+ month one and am THOROUGHLY confused! We had the maxi cosi cabrio isofix for the first one. What's the final verdict on recommendations for the next stage?? Our car has isofix points I think and we wouldn't be transferring it from car to car much if at all.

[castille]

PutThat - The Priorifix was top scorer for the 2nd stage seats.

Vesuela - If you want a Maxi Cosi one again, the Priori XP (not Isofix) is fab too, and should fit in most cars. Scores highly for safety too.

[summerunderakaftan]

I have to agree the base is a fantastic thing. We had one with dd before the days of Isofix but it was a godsend I fitted it once knew it was fitted right and the car seat could pop in and out the car no problem.

With the Maxi Cosi ones you buy the seperate base for the first stage seat if you want it but the Priorifix doesn't have a seperate base like that the thing with the leg etc comes with the seat when you buy it, that is not purchased seperately.

If you have Isofix points it is always safer to use them if you can one thing though is that I would take your car along when you buy the next stage car seat and get it fitted properly I do know other people that have had problems with some cars as to where the anchor points are dictated which seat they could get.

[moodlumthehoodlum]

I'm not sure if they do an Isofix one, but we recently replaced our Priori XPs with two Maxi Cosi Tobi seats, which are huge chunky things. IMO much better than the Priori XP, and the Tobi did the best in the Which Car seat review recently. I think Isofix ones are really good though, so the ideal mix would be an Isofix tobi.. The tobi is more expensive than the Priori though, but definately worth the extra I think.

HTH.

[nappyaddict]

the base is only for the infant car seat. the toddler seat has its own base with it but it comes included.

[summerunderakaftan]

Recaro do one base that both the baby and next stage clip onto so you only need to buy one.

[vesela]

Thanks, castille and MtH.