Maxi-Cosi Mico Max 30 Review - Car Seats For The Littles

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:

Maxi-Cosi Mico Max 30

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

Maxi-Cosi Mico Max 30 lower anchor 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

Recline guide on carrier

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.

Maxi-Cosi Mico Max 30 lower anchor storage

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

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.

Unique Features

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

Maxi-Cosi Mico Max 30 has an 8 year expiration

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.

Maxi-Cosi Mico Max 30 FAA approval sticker

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.

Maxi-Cosi Mico Max 30 manual storage

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.