I got a request from a very dear friend of mine to review one of the Maxi Cosi Pria 70 Car Seat based on a new line they have out…The Bohemian Collection. She sent me a photo of the collection and instantly I fell in absolute love with the design and pattern of the collection so of course I had to get my hands on it for a review. It’s a ridiculously cute pattern especially given the recent bohemian fashion trend, and with me dreaming of summer coming up.
Aside from the cuteness of this collection, Maxi Cosi car seats have been around for over 30 years and have a strong reputation in car seats and strollers, especially throughout Europe. I find that brands coming from Europe really take into account the size and portability of a car seat, since cars in Europe tend to be much smaller than here in the US.
This is great for those of us with smaller cars who may still need to fit two or even three car seats in the back of the car. Now that the basics on Maxi-Cosi have been covered and I’ve rambled on sufficiently about their cute new boho collection, let’s delve in to some actual facts and safety features.
Quick Specs
- Item Weight: 10 lbs
- Orientation: forward and rear facing
- Weight limits: 9-40lbs forward facing, 22-70lbs rear facing
- Height limit: 40in rear facing, 52in forward facing
- Harness: 5 point
What are the Pros of the Pria 70?
- Side Impact Protection – They have named theirs the Air Protect Side Impact Protection which is an air cushion system that protects the child’s head in the event of a crash. The head and neck are the most important parts that need to be protected in case of a crash so it’s great they have added an extra level of support there.
- FlexTech system – This system offers energy management in the event of a crash to help disperse crash energy away from the child.
- Recline positions – Many convertible car seats have difficulties with hitting the right recline positions needed for infants in the rear facing position, but not this baby. The Maxi Cosi Pria hits the recline positions easily, even in small cars with room to spare.
- Comfort and fabric – One of the first things I noticed on this seat was how plushy it is, especially given its size and weight. The seat feels really nice and comfortable and many parents say how comfortable their little ones feel in the seat. As for the fabric, I already mentioned above how much I love love love the bohemian color scheme in both the blue and the red, however this seat also comes in other great colors ranging from blue to pink and the more neutral greys and browns. The fabric is also self-wicking which helps distribute heat more evenly and draws moisture away keeping your baby cooler and more comfortable on those hot days. And last but not least, its super easy to remove the padding and covers just by snapping them off, no rethreading needed, and all of it, including the harness is machine washable and dryer safe. Score for parents everywhere!
- Size – This seat is light! Coming in at just 10 pounds this is definitely one of the lighter convertible car seats on the market. It also fits really nicely in smaller cars but still accommodates rear facing infants until 40in tall and forward facing until 52in because of the deepness of the seat. For those with smaller cars this is definitely a seat to keep in mind.
- LATCH – As always, they use the LATCH system for easier installation and with just one click!
And the Cons?
- Weight limit – While this seat has an upper weight limit of 70lbs, which is great, its lower limit is 9lb. With the average baby in the US being born at 7 ½ lbs this is not a seat you could use to take your little one home from the hospital. Maxi Cosi also does the Pria 70 with Tiny Fit which is basically an infant insert that drops the weight limit to 4lbs instead on 9lbs. At 18lb you can remove the Tiny Fit insert and you’re left essentially with the Pria 70 model. So my question here is, why why why do they not sell the Tiny Fit separately so we can use it in the regular model as well?
- Harness straps – Another downside to this seat for many seems to be that the straps are hard to tighten and get a really good snug fit. Others don’t have so much of an issue with this though, so it could just be the manufacturing of certain ones unfortunately.
How do consumers rate it?
Maxi Cosi comes in at about 4.4 out of 5 stars in the US market. While this is still very high I was a bit surprised by this since they are the number one car seat brand in all of Europe that literally every parent has or wants. Either way, parents love the easy click in LATCH installation, the plushness of the seat, and the recline positions.
What’s it going to cost?
This car seat is going to cost, as many of them do, a pretty penny. They don’t sell directly from their website nor list prices on there, but I found it at several different website that sell baby products. At the most the Pria 70 costs $249.99, the Pria 70 with Tiny Fit at $289.99, and the cute new boho Pria 70 at $274.99.
I found the regular Pria 70 for $199.99 in all colors except bohemian (which stayed at $274.99 unfortunately) on Amazon, which is a pretty good discount of 50 bucks. The Pria 70 with Tiny Fit also comes down to $231.99 on Amazon.
The Bottom Line
The bottom line on this seat is it’s a great car seat with really good reviews. Only a couple things that I’m not thrilled with, one, this seat starts at 9lbs rather than the usually 5lbs and two, why is the bohemian color 80 dollars more?
That being said, if what you are looking for is a safe convertible car seat to go from newborn upward and you have a small to medium (or larger) sized car, I would go with the Pria 70 with Tiny Fit, since I am absolutely not willing to gamble on having a 9lb baby right from the start. If you’re little one is already over 9lbs and especially if you have a smaller car, the Maxi Cosi Pria 70 without the Tiny Fit is a fantastic option. Go and check in for this Maxi Cosi Pria 70 Car Seat.
