I have been a huge lover of Maxi-Cosi since I purchased my first convertible car seat when my son was big enough to size out of his infant seat. Since then, I have never looked back.
This week, The Baby Cubby is giving 15% off all Maxi-Cosi car seats, which means that you can get your babes into one of the safest, most comfortable, and (in this mama's humble opinion) BEST convertible seats on the market.
We originally purchased the Pria 70 for my son, which I LOVE. We then purchased the Pria 85 for my daughter, which I LOVE. And since we recently had to switch up our car seats due to a car accident, and we purchased the Maxi-Cosi Magellan Max for both my kids, which I LOVE.
We knew as soon as we needed to get replacement car seats that we were going to go with Maxi-Cosi seats. Today my husband even said to me, "I am Maxi-Cosi all the way now. She didn't have a scratch on her, and that seat kept her so safe." If that's not an endorsement right there, I don't know what is, mama.
And since Maxi-Cosi car seats are on sale this week, I figured I would give you a little overview of why I LOVE their convertible car seats, and the differences between the Pria 85 and the Magellan Max to help you choose the car seat that works best for your fam!
Installation
There is nothing that annoys me more than struggling to get a car seat in the car. I think every parent has experienced this hellish experience to one degree or another, but it is absolute torture. Scraping up your hands, rubbing them raw on a tether that will not tighten, trying to straighten it out, etc. is painful. And also, why on earth won't those stupid latches click onto that stupid metal ring?! You feel me, mama?
Yeah, get yourself and your little a Maxi-Cosi car seat and that will not be a problem anymore. I have never once struggled to get one of their convertible seats installed in a car. Any car. The install is so foolproof and normally, I can get both seats installed in the car ready to go in around 5 minutes.
The biggest difference between the Pria and the Magellan install is that the Magellan has a level indicator for the rear-facing position and the forward-facing position so you have a clear visual of a correct install. The Pria takes less time (in my opinion) because it is a bit of a thinner and lighter seat so it takes less maneuvering to get it positioned correctly. I can't personally speak to the rear-facing install, but I know that the Magellan requires a few more steps than the Pria, so that's something to keep in mind.
Cleaning
My kids are very dirty. They are like constantly covered in cracker crumbs and grass. I don't know what to say about it other than..."kids", am I right? But since they are in their car seats on a daily basis and I have (because I value my sanity) allowed them to eat and drink while we're in the car, their car seats are also very dirty.
The fact that I can simply strip all the fabric off the Maxi-Cosi car seats and throw them in the wash without having to spot treat (lol) is pretty much my version of a guardian angel. Imagine having to spot treat a car seat cover if your babe has a massive blow out. No thank you, mama. Maxi-Cosi and that thing can go out of sight (into the washer) and out of mind (add some detergent and go watch The Office).
The biggest difference I've found in cleaning the seats is the Magellan Max has removable cup holders that are dishwasher safe... excuse me? Did you hear my prayers? The Pria has a single cup holder which is a bit bigger than the ones on the Magellan, but the fact that I can unscrew them and put them in the dishwasher without having to get in there and scoop out crushed up gold fish, old skittles, and unknown sticky substance with a wet nap is pretty much is the best thing ever. EVER.
Longevity
This is something that speaks to my thrifty mama soul-- If I can spend money on something once and get life out of it without losing quality, I am one happy mama. Who needs to be purchasing things over and over again when they no longer perform the way they were meant to? Me. Obviously when it comes to leggings. But aside from that... Maxi-Cosi has made it easy for parents to make a good financial investment in their child's safety by purchasing a seat for (more or less) the entire time your child will be in a car seat.
If you're looking to purchase one seat from start to finish, then I recommend going with the Magellan Max. Maxi-Cosi has made this seat safe for children from 5-120 pounds. That means you'll be able to use the Magellan as a rear-facing infant seat, a forward-facing car seat, and a booster seat so you can transition your child out of it safely without having to purchase additional seats or adapters or anything. It truly is the all-in-one!
Since the Pria 85 has a bit of a higher minimum for rear-facing (14 pounds), that means you may need to invest in an infant seat before you're able to use it. For a lot of parents, this isn't a problem because a lot of strollers and travel systems for babes are compatible with their infant seats and that's super convenient when they're not able to be in a standard stroller seat yet. It also has a lower max weight limit (85 pounds) and doesn't have a booster function, so you would need to invest in a separate seat for your child to be buckled with just the seat belt.
Comfort
My kids love these seats, and I have a lot of car naps to prove that they will sleep in them all. the. time. Life isn't fair sometimes, and my kids falling asleep on the way home when it's 20 minutes to nap time is one of those times. But thankfully, Maxi-Cosi makes seats that don't make them uncomfortable.
As soon as my kids could talk, one of the main things they liked to do was complain. My son is particularly fond of the 'OUCHIE!' and my daughter is more of a 'HURTS!' type of girl. Either way if they get bumped, scraped, pinched, or tugged in the wrong way, I am going to hear about it. Thankfully, both the Pria 85 and the Magellan Max make it so easy for me to get them buckled in that I'm not hurting them in the process.
With both seats, you're able to adjust the height of the shoulder straps with just one hand and no re-threading of the straps. You can change the position of the buckle without having to remove the fabric cover, and loosening/tightening the harness straps is so smooth and easy that I'm able to get it done quickly and without digging around and positioning them just so to get it to clip in. The only difference I've noticed between the Pria and the Magellan is that the Pria is a bit tougher to tug tight than the Magellan straps, but nothing too major.
At the end of the day, I can't say enough nice things about Maxi-Cosi, and I love all of the convertible seats they make. I have trusted my babies in them and since I've got them in car seats that last up to 10 years, I'll continue to LOVE the seat they're buckled in for a long time.