FAQ

Maxi Cosi Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions, Answered by Maxi Cosi

General Car Seat Questions

Is it safe to use second-hand car seats?

No, this is not safe.
You often do not know the history of a second-hand car seat, therefore you never know what has happened to it; it may have been involved in a previous accident, damaged in some other way or no longer be complete. The lack of user instructions is sufficient reason not to use a car seat. How do you fit it in the car or use it? For this reason we seriously recommend that second-hand seats should not be used.

Can I put a baby car seat on the passenger seat if it has an airbag?

Baby car seats Group 0 or 0+ should always be positioned facing backwards and should not be used on a seat with a frontal airbag that is switched on. On some cars there is the option to switch the airbag off or to have it switched off. Please note, however, that this has been found to be not without risk. If the airbag is switched on, when positioned on the front seat the car seat is right next to the point where the airbag explodes with an explosive force that is life threatening. This does not apply to side or curtain airbags. Pay careful attention to the warnings and instructions in the car seat user manual and the manual of the car in question.

I have heard that a baby should lie for a maximum of 2 hours in a baby car seat. Is this true?

There are many misconceptions regarding this.
This is generally said and written out of concern for babies and, in short, it comes down to the fact that a baby car seat such as e.g. a Maxi Cosi Cabrio Fix should not be used excessively. Children should not lie in a fixed position for too long unnecessarily as they should have the opportunity to develop their motor skills and their arm, back and neck muscles. Maxi Cosi has been writing this for many years in their user instructions.
Do not put a baby in a car seat for the whole day for convenience, but give him/her the opportunity to develop. This also applies to baby carriers and all other products in which a baby sits, hangs or lies in a fixed position.
However, if you have to make a longer car journey or travel on holiday once in a while, this is no problem at all. We recommend that you stop every 2 hours, after all, a baby has to eat and be changed regularly anyway!

Can I also position a car seat on the front passenger seat?

Baby and child car seats can be positioned on the passenger seat in the car, however use on the back seat is preferred. A baby car seat Group 0 or 0+ can only be used on the front seat if no frontal airbag is present or if you know for certain that the airbag has been switched off. With car seats for slightly larger children, Group I or II/III, Maxi Cosi recommends that the front seat should be placed as far back as possible if an airbag is present.

Do Maxi Cosi car seats fit in all cars?

Maxi Cosi child car seats have been developed as universal car seats. This means that they should fit in almost any car. Car manufacturers sometimes build the belts into their cars so that the belt is just not long enough for correct installation. If the user manual of your car states that the seat belts are suitable for the use of universal car seats, this should not be a problem. However, we recommend that you fit the car seat first before purchasing it. LiliMay Baby can help you with this.

What should I do if my child opens the buckle of his harness belt?

In this case Maxi Cosi recommends, as do all international safety experts, that you stop immediately in a safe place, fasten the buckle once more and tell the child he should not open it and explain the reason for this. It is always a possibility that an inventive, handy or strong child will open the buckle. If the force required to open the buckle were to be considerably increased to make it impossible for the child to open it himself, this would be contrary to the statutory safety standard. The position of the buckle, the colour of the button and the operating or opening force are all laid down in the European standards. In the case of an accident, someone giving assistance without knowledge of car seats must be able to see immediately how to release the child from a car seat in an emergency.

When should my child move out of his first Maxi Cosi baby car seat into the next car seat?

Maxi Cosi recommends that your child remain in the first car seat, Group 0 or 0+ i.e. facing backwards, as long as possible because this is the safest and moreover generally the most comfortable. Only when the crown of the child’s head just comes up to the edge of the shell is it time to move on to the next car seat. The length of the child’s legs is not an important factor here.
It is extremely unwise to put a child into a larger, forward-facing car seat too early.

I have had an accident while the child was sitting in the car seat. Can I still use it?

Maxi Cosi recommends that the seat should no longer be used. At impact speeds from 10 km/h invisible damage may occur. In this case to be on the safe side you should replace the seat. Maxi Cosi also recommends that you destroy the old seat to ensure that it cannot be used for another child. If the car can be repaired, also have all the seat belts activated during the accident replaced.

I cannot fit the Maxi Cosi Priori car seat properly in my car. Am I doing something wrong?

It does happen that in spite of the instructions on the stickers and in the user instructions people still place the diagonal or shoulder belt in the two red belt clamps. This will not work. Loosen the Maxi Cosi Priori and install it again and this time exactly according to the user instructions, with the shoulder belt only attached in a red belt clamp on one side where the belt goes up to the roll-up mechanism. Close this clamp and then pull the shoulder belt tight. Check the attachment. Although there is still always a small amount of movement, the seat should now be fixed firmly in the car.

Can the Maxi Cosi car seats also be attached using Isofix?

Yes. The Maxi Cosi CabrioFix with an EasyFix base for babies (group 0+) and the Maxi Cosi Priori-Fix for children from about 9 months to 4 years (group I).