Maxi Cosi Mico Max 30 User Manual

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Maxi-Cosi Mico APMaxi-Cosi Mico Max 30

  1. Maxi Cosi Mico Ap Review
  2. Maxi Cosi Mico Car Seat

With Maxi-Cosi you have selected a comfortable product for your child. Modern, practical and tailored especially to the active life that you and your child are living. As the expert for safe transport of children, Maxi-Cosi guards the safety and quality of your product for the duration of its use. Maxi-Cosi offers premium high-quality car seats, strollers and travel systems designed to enable families to explore the world together. Over 50 Million Babies Carried Home Safely. Australia's most popular baby capsule is now even better. Introducing the NEW Maxi-Cosi Mico Plus featuring the Superior Head Protection Air Protect, the new Mico Plus now includes an Extendable Sun Canopy with UPF 50+ and a water resistant hood with rear and side mesh inserts for continuous air flow.

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The Maxi-Cosi Mico AP (2015 Version) and Mico Max 30 Seats have Arrived!

For many years, the Maxi-Cosi Mico AP has been marketed as the lightest premium infant car seat on the US market. It weighed about 8 lbs and was an excellent option for those that felt unable to manage the extra weight of some of its competitors.

Despite being a light and popular seat, however, there were some complaints from parents about the quality of its canopy and its very low maximum child weight/height limits of 22 lbs and 29 inches respectively.

Although the maximum weight/height limits on the 2015 version of the Mico AP infant car seat remain the same, Maxi-Cosi have made some significant improvements over the previous Mico AP model. These improvements include the introduction of a new “self-wicking” fabric cover that can also be easily removed, machine-washed and is dryer-safe.

For those parents that want an infant seat that is light to carry, but which also comes with higher maximum weight/height limits (together with some additional convenience and safety features), Maxi-Cosi have now introduced the new Mico Maxi 30 car seat as an alternative option.

As you can see from the images above, the general shape and style of these 2 infant seats are very similar. There are, however, some very significant differences between the seats when you examine them more closely.

The purpose of this Maxi-Cosi Mico AP vs Mico Max 30 comparison review is to explain the important similarities and differences between these 2 seats so that you can make a much better informed decision about which seat is likely to suit your needs (and budget) best.

Maxi-Cosi Mico AP vs Mico Max 30 – The Main Similarities

#1Side Impact Protection

Both seats come fitted with Maxi-Cosi’s patented “Air Protect” technology for enhanced side impact protection.

In fact, the “AP” in Mico AP actually stands for Air Protect. Whilst Maxi-Cosi have dropped the “AP” from the Mico Max 30 seat name, it does still come fitted with the Air Protect side wings.

#2Seat Fabric / Cover

Both seats come supplied with Maxi-Cosi’s new self-wicking fabrics, which use natural fibers to deodorize and draw liquids away from your baby’s skin and helps to keep them dry and comfortable. Although this isn’t going to be much of an issue if (like me) you live in a fairly cold climate, this can be a really big issue for those living in warmer places.

In addition, these new seat covers are well-padded and, on a more practical note, can be removed and re-installed without needing to re-thread the 5-point harness.

They also are machine-washable and, believe it or not, dryer-safe! As far as I am aware, these are the very first dryer-safe infant car seat covers. Obviously, read the user manual beforehand to make sure that you use the correct settings on your washer and dryer.

#3Lockoffs / Harness

These seats do NOT comes with built-in lockoffs to make seat belt installation easier. This will not affect LATCH installation and it just means that belt-installation is a bit more difficult, rather than impossible.

The need to re-thread the 5-point harness when increasing the strap height settings is a bit of a pain, but the process is actually pretty simple and straightforward when you read the user manual.

Maxi-Cosi Mico AP vs Mico Max 30 – The Main Differences

#1Child Weight / Height Limits

One of the biggest differences between the Mico AP and the Mico Max 30 is that the Mico Max 30 has much greater maximum child weight and height limits. This means that you will be able to keep your child in the Mico Max 30 for significantly longer than the Mico AP before transitioning them into a rear-facing convertible car seat.

The weight / height limits are as follows:

  • Mico AP can be used between 5 and 22 lbs, and between 19 and 29 inches
  • Mico Max 30 can be used between 4 and 30 lbs, and between 19 and 32 inches

Note: The Mico Max 30 comes supplied with a “wedge cushion insert” that must be used for babies weighing between 4-5 lbs. This insert boosts the height of the baby’s body so that its shoulders can be raised to the correct level in relation to the height of the bottom harness level slots – consult the instruction manual for more guidance on the safe use of this insert.

#2Anti-Rebound Bar

Owner

As you can see from the images above, the Mico Max 30 seat comes fitted with an anti-rebound bar (it’s the black curved bar that forms part of the seat base and is situated at the foot end of the seat).

In case you are wondering, the purpose of the anti-rebound bar is to reduced the chances that your child’s rear-facing car seat will “rebound” upwards and backwards in the event of a collision. The rebound bar is designed to rest against the seat and provide extra resistance to prevent your child being thrown towards the seat in certain types of crash situations.

Anything that reduces seat movement and, thereby, reduces the likelihood of your child being thrown against the seat is obviously a good thing.

Note: Since the rebound bar is part of the seat base, this protective feature only works when the seat is installed using the seat base rather than when installed without the base.

Here is a Britax video which explains how Anti-Rebound Bars work …

Although the video is designed to promote the Britax Chaperone car seat, the principles are equally applicable to the Mico Max 30 anti-rebound bar.

#3Seat Weight

Both seats are pretty lightweight and easy to carry around.

The Mico AP weighs just 8 lbs.

The Mico Max 30 weighs 8.8 lbs (with preemie insert) and 9.2 lbs (without preemie insert)

#4Seat Canopy

The seat canopy on the Mico Max 30 is larger than that supplied with the Mico AP.

Video reviews of the Maxi-Cosi Mico AP & Mico Max 30 Seats


Where to Buy Maxi-Cosi Mico AP & Mico Max 30 Seats

Check Latest Price of the Mico Max 30.

If you remain undecided, you can read more user reviews of these seats here:

Maxi-Cosi Mico Car Seats in Canada

Safety Information

After purchasing any child car seat, you should always read the User Manual thoroughly before using it. It is also advisable to visit your local Fire Department or NHTSA Child Car Seat Inspection Centre to ensure that the seat is definitely suitable for your child’s specific requirements and that you have installed it correctly. These services are usually provided free of charge.

You can find your nearest NHTSA Centre here.

Get in Touch

If you have any comments to share or questions to ask about my Maxi-Cosi Mico AP vs Mico Max 30 comparison review, please leave a comment in the box below or send me an email.

(Last Updated On: April 17, 2019)

Maxi-Cosi is a worldwide brand of car seats. There have been several renditions of the Mico seat here in the United States. The Mico Max 30 is the latest version, which features an increased height and weight limit and an anti-rebound bar on the base.

CSFTL Quick Stats:

  • Weight range: 4-30 pounds
  • Height range: 19-32 inches tall
  • Shell height: 21 inches
  • Lowest harness position: 6.5 inches without insert
  • Weight (carrier only): 8.9 pounds
  • Expiration: 8 years
  • Handle position: any locked position

Features:

  • Anti-rebound bar
  • Low birth weight insert for 4-6 pounds
  • Customizable colors
  • Adjustable recline foot

Installation

Installation of the Mico Max 30 is comparable to other seats on the market. It can be installed with seat belt or lower anchors and with base or without. It was very straight forward in the Town and Country with its very generous recline foot.

Installation With the Base

The Mico Max 30 can be installed with either seat belt or lower anchors, never both. There is a line on the carrier that has to be parallel with the ground when the seat is installed. The base has three recline positions. Most rear facing car seats in the Town and Country need to be fully reclined and often need additional help to get the proper recline, the van has very sloped seats, but this only had to use recline two. The recline positions are very generous. Using a noodle or towel to achieve the proper recline angle, when using the base, would not be something to worry about.

When installing the Mico Max 30 using the seat belt, the lower anchor connectors clip into the storage anchors on the base.

Installation Without the Base

Maxi-Cosi Mico Max 30 installation without the base

The Mico Max 30 can be installed without the base using the vehicle seat belt. Use the line on the carrier as your recline guide. This is a great feature for parents who travel frequently or use taxis often. It installed very quickly using the inside of a knee to help push the seat, from behind, into the vehicle seat while tightening the belt. There is no European routing (with European routing, the shoulder belt is threaded through a belt guide on the back of the car seat) option with this seat, so the shoulder belt will be against the vehicle seat back when installation is complete. You can see the seat installed baseless in the picture to the left.

Fit to Child

Preemie

This is the CSFTL Huggable Images preemie. She weighs 4 pounds and is 17 inches long. According to the minimum height restriction of the seat, she is 2 inches too short for this seat, but normal size for an infant this weight. It’s not a perfect fit, the harness falls just slightly above her shoulders, but depending on the torso length of baby, it could be a good fit assuming baby is 19 inches long.
She’s using the low birth weight insert to help bring her up to those bottom slots better. The insert is required for babies under 6 pounds. The harness was able to get nice and tight and we removed the harness covers for a better fit. There wasn’t enough room to have them on with them being so long. The harness has two loops at the bottom to attach the splitter plate to shorten the harness for a better fit on smaller babies.

Newborn

Maxi-Cosi Mico Max 30 newborn doll, 7 pounds, 17 inches

Our newborn Huggable Images doll weighs 7 pounds and is 17 inches long. She’s 2 inches too short for this seat as well, but average newborns will meet the seat’s minimum height of 19 inches and you can see she fits well. She’s weighs more than 6 pounds so she does not need the low birth weight insert. She is using the lowest harness position, no harness pads, and the smaller loop on the harness.

Infant

Maxi-Cosi Mico Max 30 newborn, 8.5 pounds, 23 inches long

This model is 6 weeks old, weighs 8.5 pounds, and is 23 inches long. She does not need the low birth weight insert. The harness fit her well in the second harness position and was below her shoulders and again used the smaller harness loops. The harness covers were removed for better access to the harness for doing the pinch test.

Older Infant

Max

Maxi-Cosi Mico Max 30: 11 months, 16 pounds, 27.5 inches

This model is 11 months old, weighs 16 pounds, and is 27.5 inches tall. She’s petite for her age, but fits well using the top harness slots and outer most crotch buckle position. The seat is a bit narrow towards the top, which may start getting tight on bigger infants as they get towards the upper limits of the seat, but for her it was great.

Maxi Cosi Mico Ap Review

Unique Features

Maxi Cosi Mico Car Seat

Most of the features of the Maxi-Cosi Mico Max 30 have been mentioned above: anti-rebound bar, low harness slots, and baseless installation. My favorite feature of this seat is one that cannot be found on any other seat! You can now fully customize the colors of your Mico Max 30. A pre-made Mico Max 30 has a MSRP of $249.99 and there are eleven color choices. A customized seat will be $269.99 for a black shelled seat or $279.99 for a white shell. There are four colors for the main seat pad, four for the canopy, and eight for the Cozi set. You can see my white (shell), black (canopy), pink (seat pad), and purple (Cozi set) creation here to the left. You can custom order just about anything; houses, cars, why not car seats?

Important Features: Where to Find

Expiration: The Mico Max 30 has an eight year expiration, so this seat was manufactured 2/11/2015 and will expire at the end of 2023. The expiration date is found on a white sticker under the seat and the expiration date is stamped on to the back of the seat.
FAA Approval: The Mico Max 30 is also FAA approved. The sticker is on the side of the seat and wording is in red so it’s easy to see and show flight attendants if needed. Find the largest sticker on the side of the seat and the wording in red about half way down is what you’re looking for.
Manual Storage: Installation directions for the Mico Max 30 for airplane use are in the manual. The manual is hidden under the cover on the right side of the baby, but is clearly marked with a small tag that says Instructions Under Pad.

Overall Thoughts

The Mico Max 30 was easy to install, both with and without the base. It is a bit long front to back with the base, but should fit in most mid-sized vehicles. The added rebound protection of the anti-rebound bar is a great bonus not found on most rear facing only seats. The harness is low enough it’ll fit small babies well and will last the first year for most kids. I do wish the seat didn’t have a 19 inch minimum as that isn’t realistic for a lot of 4 pound babies, but otherwise I think it’s a good choice fit wise for average babies. It’s a bit on the high side price wise for a seat you’ll only use for around a year, but if you are able to use it for a few children before it expires, it would even out.

The Mico Max 30 now on Amazon.com. Maxi-Cosi provided this seat for review but provided no compensation for it. The thoughts above are entirely that of the author. Originally written by Jennifer Penick. Edits maintained by CSFTL.