How safe is the Maxi-Cosi Rock?
Maxi-Cosi are a well-known and trusted brand – this is really important when you’re buying a car seat for your newborn.
This seat provides a huge amount of flexibility. Install the ISOFIX base into your car and simply click the seat into place or use the seatbelt fittings in a car without ISOFIX fittings. You can also use it If you are travelling in someone else’s car or in a taxi (only if it fits, of course), and it’s even approved for use in an aeroplane!
If that wasn't enough, it's compatible with a range of Maxi-Cosi pushchairs, making it simple to transfer your baby from car to pram.
The seat is really well padded and comfortable, creating a cosy and safe space for your baby when travelling.
The Rock provides maximum protection with side impact protection and improved impact-absorbing materials added to the top side wings.
There’s nothing that could come loose and cause a hazard and nowhere for tiny fingers to get trapped. The material doesn’t cause any irritation and our tester, Sam, felt confident that her baby was safe and secure.
Overall, the Maxi-Cosi Rock is a solid, reliable and safe infant car seat.
How does it look?
This is a classic-looking seat, but why change something that works so well? It’s simplicity means the Rock is easy to use, which could be reassuring for first-time parents.
The padding around the head is lovely and generous without squeezing your baby’s head and the fabric is no-frills, but durable – it's on the functional side, which is not a bad thing for a baby car seat.
The carrying handle is ergonomically designed for thinness so it doesn't stick out too much, and the hood folds neatly away.
The seat has the standard Maxi-Cosi clips that hold the hood into place on the handle – you can put one side of the sunshade up but also see your baby in the rear-view mirror – which you don’t get on lots of similar seats like the Mothercare Ziba or the Hauck Comfort Fix.
The seat comes in six colours but all but two of these are variations of grey or black. Our tester’s seat was in the nomad black.
Getting going
The instructions come complete with little diagrams and speech bubbles. In fact, there are next to no words in the instruction manual, only pictures. And, in this case, a picture does speak a thousand words.
All parts are already attached to the seat when you open the box, including the sun canopy and the baby-hugg inlay.
Sam found the seatbelt routing method really simple and quick, and felt that it would be difficult to get it wrong. The seat felt very secure once fitted and it was one of the easiest seats to install out of all those we tested.
While we didn't test the ISOFIX installation method, it is important to note that ISOFIX does reduce margin for error. Once the ISOFIX base is fitted into the car, the Rock simply clicks into place. The base also has light and sound indicators to confirm correct installation.
The website offers a comprehensive rundown of pretty much everything there is to know about this car seat and there is an online video that focuses on the ISOFIX base – so plenty of help and information to make fitting this seat easy and simple.
If you need to get in touch with Maxi-Cosi, there’s a contact form on the website as well as a telephone number and a link to their Facebook page. There’s also a page with information about repairs, deliveries and payments.