Customer Reviews

Maxi-Cosi Mico Infant Car Seat, Phantom

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

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

I am a BIG fan of this seat. I did a lot of research on which seat to buy; for my first kid I got an inherited Graco seat. It worked well, but it reached the six-year max so we had to get rid of it. With this next one, I went to consumer reports and asked everyone I knew why they liked their seat. I will admit, I didn't talk to anyone I knew that picked the Maxi Cosi brand, but I think that is just because they are hard to come by in stores. But this one is WAY lighter and I really like the handle shape. I have read reviews of the "terrible sun shade" but it is honestly just like the one on my last Graco seat. So no complaints here. Most moms I talked to picked their seat because of the seat pattern, and I'll admit, i had a hard time and went with the neutral black. I was worried that it would get really hot, but my husband pointed out that we hardly ever leave it in the car. Anyway, very happy. And this is currently rated #2 in Consumer Reports over the combi seat, but it is because of the "ease of using a shoulder seat belt" over the Combi. I'll take the higher rating in safety anyday.

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.

My baby loves this car seat! It was a lifesaver! The colors are perfect and it is so comfy... Other reviews say that it has a low max weight and height, but as the mother of a larger baby (she was 9 pounds and 22" when she was born) i find this seat perfect! when a baby is 20 pounds, carrying them in a car seat is HEAVY! who wants to carry around a 28 pound baby in a 10 pound car seat??? NOT ME! we are switching to a convertible soon... sad to leave the mico. IT'S AWESOME! (Tip- buy the Quinny Buzz, it is an AWESOME complement to the mico!)

My husband and I love this seat as does our daughter. She is over 10 months old now and she is just now getting to heavy for it. The fabric has worn extremely well even after multiple, multiple washings and the straps are still great. I'm not sure why other reviewers have had problems with the harness system, I find it easy to buckle and unbuckle her. In the winter, the straps must be loosened to fit the extra bulk of cold weather gear, but there is a handy extension on the front just for this purpose. We have flown three times across the Atlantic in this seat, used it with latch and the base, with just a seatbelt and the base, the seatbelt with shoulder belt around the back and with the lap & shoulder belt across the body of the seat. It is a wonderful seat and very safe. It isn't bulky and is aesthetically pleasing to boot!

I ordered the Maxi Cosi infant seat in Lily Pink because I was going to be getting a Quinny stroller hand-me-down and my understanding is that this is the only infant seat that is compatible with the Quinny. I was excited to receive the infant seat but have been very disappointed and finally have decided to purchase a Graco Snugride to replace the Maxi Cosi (my daughter is 3 months old now). We borrowed a Graco from a relative to try out and the difference is unbelievable - I am just disappointed in myself for not realizing this sooner! Shame on me.

Here are my specific complaints:
1. The carseat is difficult to click in to the base. You really have to rock it and move it around, and sometimes you hear one click but it's still not locked in. A few times I have started driving and I hear a click which was the carseat finally engaging all the way. Very dangerous! The seat is also hard to remove from the base and bangs around a lot. None of this is very amenable to a sleeping baby (although mine didn't sleep in it very often as she always seemed very uncomfortable - see below).
2. The handle is huge, round (not contoured) and only has two positions - all the way forward or all the way back. It's really awkward to carry and bangs against your legs and hips.
3. The carseat is heavy! Maybe this is a safety benefit but even with my 7 pound newborn it was difficult to lug around.
4. The infant headrest insert seems very narrow. My baby always seemed stuffed in between the u- shaped pillow and appeared very uncomfortable. She cried as soon as I put her in the seat. Also, the bucket is very very deep. Again, this may be a safety benefit but my baby looked bent over and slumped. She is not a large baby by any means, and I thought all infants seats were like this until I tried the Graco.
5. The sun shade does not cover much of the seat and seems cheaply made. There are also clear windows on the sides which kind of defeats the purpose of a sunshade. I always had to put a blanket over the top and would have to reposition it all the time.
6. The carseat fabric seems to retain heat. This may be nice in a cold climate but we live in Arizona. Even in the winter when it is chilly out, I remove my baby and she is all sweaty. Definitely not good in the summer heat.
7. The carseat was difficult to remove from the Quinny. There are two buttons on the side and one always stuck and you had to really jostle and tilt the carseat to get it off the stroller. Again, sleeping baby? Not good.

A few pros, to be fair:
1. The carseat is very pretty. I get compliments on it all the time.
2. From my research, it has outstanding safety ratings. It just seems that the manufacturers compromised comfort and convenience for safety. I found myself not leaving the house much because i didn't want to put my baby in her carseat and listen to her scream!

We used the borrowed Graco Snugride yesterday and what a world of difference. So much lighter, easier to get in to the base, large sun shade, a contoured handle, 4 handle positions, and my daughter was happy - she even fell asleep!

The Graco won't fit in to the Quinny, but we plan to get a Snap N Go or the car seat attachment for the BOB. The Quinny will just have to wait until my daughter is older and can sit in the seat attachment.

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.

My daughter has been in the Mico for seven months now, and I have been very pleased with our choice. Before deciding on the Mico, we spent weeks researching different seats. We chose this one because it was the highest rated for safety in our price range, that was also compatible with the stroller we chose (Maxi-Cosi Foray). I hadn't had any experience with carseats before this one, and wasn't sure how to do the strap adjusting, base install, etc.
The base is correctly installed and passed inspection. However, I'm still able to move the base back and forth more than the approved one inch. It makes me feel like the seat is not as secure as it should be. I don't know if this is because of the LATCH system in my car (Nissan Versa) or what, but according the the inspector, the seat is in the car the way it's supposed to be. That is the reason I didn't give five stars - it just feels loose in my car.
My mom was able to figure out the strap adjustments on her own in about five minutes and showed me how everything worked.
My daughter loves her seat! She's 17.5 pounds and 26 inches and she fits perfectly. My husband and I joke that her carseat has narcotic properties because she generally falls asleep as soon as she's in there. The materials are very soft. We went with the black and I don't know whether that is why it holds heat or if that is just something that carseats do, but she is always very warm when she comes out of her seat.

Some infant carseats are so complex to figure out. This one is very intuitive and easy to use. I like the the directions are printed in the base as to how to install it into the car, very helpful if you forget to bring the manual out. The seat is easy to pop in and out of the base, and is secure when in the base. I use it with the Maxi-Cosi Foray Stroller - Choco Mint, and t is easy to put onto the base of the stroller and take off. The seat is lightweight, well constructed and looks really nice in person.

The car seat base does come with the product, I wasn't sure when I ordered.

I ordered this seat online and read all the reviews, it was perfect for our 2nd child, or so I thought. The seat itself is very nice, very secure and just feels all around safe. However, the base is very long, and has a hard time fitting right in the back seat of my SUV where the Graco one we had previously fit perfectly. The biggest issue is that this seat has a hard time latching to the base. It's impossible to hook it in a hurry. You have to make sure it goes in JUST RIGHT to get it to lock. My husband hates it and insists that I didn't read any reviews before I purchased it and we get into an argument about it nearly everytime we he uses it. I suggest buying a different seat!!