Any Maxi-Cosi experts on here please?!

[inexperienceddriver]

I don’t know why I’m finding Googling so hard on this. Maybe I’m asking for something impossible.

We bought the Pebble Pro for DC2 with the 360 spinning isofix base.

DC2 is now outgrowing this so it’s time to upgrade but my requirements are probably stupid.

• I want to keep the isofix as it was expensive
• with DC1 we eventually upgraded to the Joie spin but it was massive so don’t want a similar seat for DC2 (makes the Pearl a no thank you)
• want it to last a while. With DC1 we ended up ditching the Joie at 3.5y because of how bulky it was

The slimmer Maxi-Cosi seats seem to not be compatible with the base…

So do I cut my losses with the base and sell it? Or does anyone have experience with those car seats and can tell me they’re compatible / not as bulky?

thanks!

Cut your lose with the base. We have a joie bold which could be a good option however it’s only FF and no spin

Thanks. What’s ridiculously annoying is that there are many seats by them that have a 360 spin ability and it shows on the product videos too, but when I look at the info on the base it suggests it’s only compatible with the pebble and coral which are both up to 15m… but the base is allegedly for up to 4y 😂

Which base is it you have? There is a compatability chart. If it says it's compatible with the Coral though I wonder if it's an older base you have.

https://www.maxi-cosi.co.uk/c/base-compatibility

This is an older version:

https://www.scribd.com/document/701827604/Maxi-Cosi-Compatibility-Overview-Bases-2023-V2

However in 99% of cases the seats that go onto the bases are a false economy IMO. For example the Pearl 360 has a crazily low weight limit at 17.4kg and costs £260 whereas you could get a Cybex Gi i-size for less than £200 on amazon which goes up to 20kg and doesn't take your baby seat base out of use.

If you are not planning to have another baby then you might get more value from selling the base and the seat together.

Which Maxi Cosi seats are you looking at that are slimmer? TBH you might find it better to go into a store and see what models are actually available and what they are like.

What seat did you go for with DC1? It might give a better idea of what you're hoping for long term. I am a bit confused that you say you don't want the Pearl but you do like the idea of a spin seat but don't want something similar to the Joie Spin. Joie spin is one of the more compact spin seats.

Personally I would not put a baby into the Joie Bold when they are just outgrowing the infant carrier. I'd look at either a spin seat or one of the Swedish ERF types (some of which can be more compact).

@BertieBotts ah thanks for this! The chart is exactly what I needed. We have the FamilyFix 360 Pro (the slide tech one). I think the Pearl is our only option if we want to keep the base. To be honest I’ve seen the Onyx and the Titan and they look smaller, but then I looked at all the images and the back is still bulky! I think you’re right, I need to go see them in person.

also edited to add - I really found the Joie spin humongous! I’m surprised to hear that’s considered to be compact!

How old is your LO? The Onyx and Titan are only forward facing seats. That wouldn't usually be recommended straight out of the infant carrier, and if LO is under 15 months then it's actually illegal - you'd need a rear facing seat at least short term (but better for longer).

It is possibly the rear facing aspect which you're finding bulky? Joie Spin is compact compared with other 360 spin type seats especially in terms of back to front distance. Width wise they are all about the same really because isofix is a standard width. The seat is more bulky than the old style ones which were forward facing only, like Maxi Cosi Priori, but there aren't many of those left on the market because they are less popular now the advice is rear facing until minimum 15 months/preferably as long as possible.

If you are wanting one which works with your base, it's the Pearl 360 Pro. The base called "slide" on the chart seems to only be available overseas, so the base you have is probably FamilyFix 360 Pro. John Lewis do have a decent sales price on this at £209, you'll get to keep the slide-out feature and rotation, and Maxi Cosi seats tend to do well in safety testing. Just bear in mind the low weight limit.

The other thing is if you were hoping to make any money back selling your old baby seat on, it will probably go for more with the base now due to being a popular, current model than it would in 2-3 years' time especially since Maxi Cosi are notorious for releasing a whole new set of non-backwards-compatible seats every couple of years (all with maddeningly similar names) and then you can't get the toddler seat for the base you have any more, which is a massive pain. OTOH I suppose you could sell the whole baby + toddler seats + base as a combo set.

@BertieBotts that made me chuckle.

He’s bang on 15m so definitely both rear and forward. I’ve seen another seat on their instagram (I want to say Emerald.. but can’t remember off the top of my head) that seems to be slide tech but doesn’t say it’s compatible on the chart you sent… just a mine field! That one is pricey too. I think I’ll go with the Pearl for now and then switch again in a couple of years to a slim FF one

Emerald 360 Pro has the slidetech base built in, so it doesn't go onto your base, it has its own which it doesn't detach from. That one is a bulky seat though as it's one of the ones which goes up to incorporate the high back booster stage as well. TBH I think it looks like a real false economy. Trying to do too many things and doesn't do any of them that well. Low weight limit on the RF/FF harness age, complicated instructions and the belt fit in booster mode doesn't look that great.

Stick with a seat for this stage IMO then switch to a high back booster or a seat like the Titan later on. They tend to be smaller seats when they aren't trying to do loads of things at once. The Axkid seats are supposed to be fairly slimline if you're open to extended rear facing. If you prefer RF for a bit but intend to switch to FF in a year or two, then I'd look at Britax or Cybex personally. Skip anything which has a booster mode. It's unnecessary bulk and the booster seat stage is the smallest/slimmest one, so you're just cheating yourself out of that switch later. You can get a decent HBB for about £100 or less.

The only one that might be worth a look possibly is Avionaut Stardust, people are very keen on this, it does RF, FF with harness and then HBB and I think it's not quite as bulky as some of the chunkier ones by Britax/Maxi Cosi etc. But due to being a spin and all in one, there probably is some bulk there. It's also expensive but not hugely so compared with a spin seat + HBB and it has longer RF capacity if wanted.