Maxi-Cosi - Pria Max

The Maxi Cosi Vita Pro is notorious for chin to chest positioning (not good for positional asphyxiation) so I would not recommend that at all. I got a Maxi Cosi Pria and husband got a Maxi Cosi Nova, which is very similar to the Vita Pro, and we returned the Nova after three weeks because the chin to chest was SO bad every single car trip. Even contacted Maxi Cosi and had it checked by a professional installer, both verified through pictures and in person it was perfectly installed and angled. Maxi Cosi offered us a swap because of safety, so we got another Pria and have had no issues with them since. Sure, they might all be crash tested but that won’t help if my kid suffocates first, no idea how they’re on the market. Pria also has a smart tether, is very compact and has adjustable head rest and straps without need for rethreading. Both grandparents have cheaper car seats (Ranger II) and my god are they huge and so much worse to load the kids in and out of. I use a lot of car seats for work purposes and really value the extra features for ease of use, but they do come with extra costs.

My only regret with the Maxi Cosi Pria is that I didn’t have one with my eldest.

Yep we have the maxi cosi pria and love it, super easy and I think it was worth the price.

Just FYI - I’ve read that taxis and ride share companies have policies where you’re not allowed to bring and install your own car seat. Apparently it’s a liability issue if there’s an accident and it’s not installed correctly. I know some taxis you can pre book a car seat. [Shebah](https://www.shebah.com.au/ride) is also a ride share company specifically for women and children (men are fine too if travelling with a child) where they provide car seats. In terms of which one to purchase for travel - be aware some car seats are approved for airline travel - ie you can purchase a seat, strap the car seat in, and child sits in car seat for flight. I’m not across what brands but have seen seats advertise this. Otherwise just buy whatever and check it in. All car seats in Australia are safe. What you’re paying for is essentially ease of adjustments/convenience. The cheap ones you have to completely rethread to adjust the headrest etc. I would definitely purchase an IsoFix one… and then depends on your budget. We have a maxi cosi Pria which is a dream to put baby in and out of but is expensive for occasional use. It’s also thin enough to fit 3 across our car.

My Maxi Cosi Pria has been worth every cent because of the ease of the side tether. Expensive but you use this thing multiple times per day for YEARS. Seconding get something you don’t need to rethread. Adding isofix is even better.

Don’t get the vita pro. We had that initially and upgraded to the pria, the difference is night and day. Baby is much more comfortable.

Another vote for the Pria- the side tether is a game changer!

There are compact isofix seats - Britax Graphene, Infasecure Attain More, Maxi Cosi Pria are all as compact as you get (and the non-iso versions of the Attain and Pria are no bigger).

From memory, the lightest extended rear facing seat is the BabyLove EzySwitch/Safe n Sound Premier/Safe n Sound Safekeeper II. It’s a manual rethread seat not easy adjust, but it’s also not compact and when I say lightest, it’s still not particularly light. The SafeFix is the same seat but with isofix. We don’t really have any lightweight travel seats like they do in the US unfortunately. The easiest and quickest seat to install is the Maxi Cosi Pria with its SmartLock - very very easy, you hook the seatbelt in and buckle it in, secure the SmartLock, then attach the tether (which is the most time consuming part). However it’s not light and it’s pricey. Also worth noting is that a lot of taxis are Camrys, which are notoriously difficult to get the tether undone in - something about the shape of their anchor points makes it very difficult to get the hook off. Something to be aware of if you’re installing in a taxi.

I hated used a capsule seat. It was too difficult to get out of the car anyway. I much preferred using a bassinet/stroller and a dedicated car seat. I bought the Maxi Cosi Pria and its been great.

Consider the maxi cosi Pria for sure - it’s so much easier without the tether!!!

GET THE PRIA. My toddlers had the Graphene and baby #2 is due to grow into it so toddler will go into a 1 - 8 seat because that makes the most sense but i wish I could justify the pria.

Also love my pria, would highly recommend!

Yes, I love our Maxi Cosi Pria carseat. She's been holding up well, is a comfy toddler car seat and literally grew with him. My son is also autistic and he never seems uncomfortable in it. Even when he's stimming. It was worth the money.

Agree I love my pria

💯 it is… maxi cosi pria is my love

We had wanted the Pria initially but had baulked at the price. We bought a new car that bub was going to go in so needed a second seat). We got the Pria gifted to us from the grandmother because after a week of tightening and loosening the tether with our octopus of a child she was sick of it. Is it necessary? No. Is it worth it? Yes

If your budget allows absolutely get the Pria! I did for our second (due soon) even though I could have just bought 2 cheaper forward facing seats for our 3.5yo as I want the no tether (also a little more leg room than the graphene as they grow if extended rear facing). Some people don’t seem bothered about the tether but it drove me nuts (my partner would just lift 1st over/under the tether so it would be done up if I came after him and I had to awkwardly juggle child & bags to get it undone before putting him in the car). In saying that the graphene is also a good seat (we have one for first child), though I will note as he got bigger the anti rebound bar started getting in the way a bit of his legs while rear facing (not a safety issue just an annoyance). So for primary car I would highly recommend a pria, if you have a second car and want another seat the graphene is good (or the brava/quickfix for the more basic model of the graphene without some of the bells & whistles)

Book a seat and bring her car seat. See [here](https://maxicosi.com/blogs/maxi-cosi-blog/how-to-travel-tips-flying-with-a-car-seatHowtoTravelTips:FlyingwithaCarSeat%E2%80%93Maxi-Cosi) from Maxi Cosi website where it should be flight approved. There was a story from the last day or so about sudden turbulence on a Delta flight that left 25 injured and had to make an emergency stop. Imagine if you were just holding her vs her being strapped in on a flight where that happened, and it’s much more common these days.