Joie mint latch Rear Facing Only Car Seat Review

Joie mint latch installed with lower anchors

There’s a small trend towards rear facing only car seats that don’t include the base.  The families who use them seem to enjoy the convenience of not having a base.  We do want to remind everyone that most rear facing only car seats can already be used without the base (see the “Installation: Without the Base section of every rear facing only car seat review that we’ve written for more info).  Adding rigid lower anchors does make this type of installation about as simple as it gets, the mint latch includes those lower anchors, some plush fabrics, and has a tiny footprint.

This will be kind of a short review because the mint latch is pretty darn simple (and easy to use!).

Joie mint latch infant inserts

The infant inserts can be used as needed to provide a snug fit for small babies, the weight limit is 11 pounds.  That limit is listed on a warning label on the back of the insert and in the manual.

We found that the insert helped with the fit on our preemie doll, which is great.  We did discover that putting the headrest portion of that insert back on was way too difficult for what it is — it connects under the fabric, that taking about half of the cover off (then putting it back on when the insert is attached) was the easiest way to reattach it.

Joie mint latch infant insert weight limit

The manual mentions removing the insert from behind the cover but doesn’t explicitly state that it would reattach this way.  We’d love to see some explicit “attach it under the cover” instructions.  This is a VERY small complaint but frustrating that a seat we have no other issues with made this (usually simple) task difficult.

Joie mint latch lower anchor guides

The seat includes some optional lower anchor guides that can make finding the vehicle’s lower anchors fairly easy. All of our cars have fairly easy-to-access lower anchors so I didn’t end up using these but I can definitely see where they’d come in handy, especially since you have to install this seat over and over again!

Joie mint latch canopy

Yet another thoughtful feature of the seat is the rather large canopy.  It even unzips to cover most of the kiddo!  Here it is, fully unfurled.

Joie mint latch route harness under the bar

The mint latch has a manual rethread harness.  It is routed under the bar on the back, NOT over that bar!  The manual has clear instructions around this and there are labels on the seat itself to reaffirm this requirement.

Joie mint latch release handle

Once installed, the lower anchors release by squeezing the handle on the back of the carrier.  This handle is exactly where we’d expect the handle releasing the carrier from the base to be so it makes sense that it releases the lower anchors instead.

Joie mint latch release cable slipped into harness slots

On our seat, the wires that connect the release handle to the release mechanism slipped out of their channels — I think they were supposed to be taped in there somehow.   We were still able to release the lower anchors.  Our friends at Joie are working on this issue as we speak, we’ll share an update as soon as its available.

We were able to release the seat from the vehicle without issue, even with these wires in the wrong place.

Joie mint latch installed with lower anchors

The mint latch includes rigid lower anchors that should just click into the lower anchors on the vehicle.  I do want to reiterate that because this seat doesn’t have a base, caregivers who want to carry the seat around will need to install and uninstall the seat every time it’s used.  That said, the installation with lower anchors is super simple — just attach the lower anchor connectors to the lowers anchors in the vehicle and you’re good to go.

Joie mint latch square end

See this kind of squared-off end?  That means our mint latch snuggles right up against the vehicle seat and hardly moves once it’s installed.  Similar seats with more rounded ends cause a bit of frustration in some vehicles but we had no issues with the mint latch.

Joie mint latch installed with vehicle seat belt

The mint latch can also be installed with the vehicle seat belt.  It does not have Euro routing but it does have clearly marked belt guide that made the seat belt install pretty simple.

Joie mint latch preemie doll

Our preemie Huggable Images doll weighs 4 pounds and is 17 inches long.  With the insert, our doll fit very well in the seat.

Joie mint latch newborn doll with inserts

Our preemie Huggable Images doll weighs 4 pounds and is 17 inches long.  The doll fit reasonably well with the inserts in place but also seemed a bit squished so…

Joie mint latch newborn doll without inserts

We removed the insert and the doll seems to fit a bit better.  This change in fit can vary from child to child so it’s a good idea to check the fit for your kiddo.

Joie mint latch FAA approval

FAA approval the mint latch is approved for use on aircraft, the approval label is under the seat.

Joie mint latch date of manufacture label

Date of manufacture label is found on the underside of the carrier. The mint latch expires 7 years from the date of purchase

Joie mint latch manual storage

Manual storage the manual stores in a little compartment on the seat’s shell.