Maxi Cosi Opal baby car seat could stay rear facing for longer period of time and this is what everybody now recommends. It is designed in such a way that it gives full support to the new born and provides optimum space to stay rear facing till the baby become strong enough to go forward facing. This baby car seat is a combination of Group 0+ and 1 that works both rear facing and forward facing mode. It can support new born from birth till 18 kg approx 3.5 years old.
The normal procedure of this car seat is to keep the new born rear facing till she reaches 13 kg (29 lbs), from birth to 12-15 months. You can turn your little one around to have comfortable forward facing from 9kg to 18 kg (20lbs-40 lbs), from 15 months to 4 years.
Safest Rear Facing Position for Newborn
Although the normal procedure is to keep the baby rear facing till 13 kg, this Maxi cosi car seat is big enough to give spacious leg room and adjustable head support to keep the growing baby rear facing for longer time beyond the prescribed weight of 13 kg. It stay rear facing past 13kg mark so you can avoid turning your little one much early for forward facing. This baby car seat is compact in size and slimmer then Britax First Class Plus. It can be turned from rear facing to forward facing by just twisting the unique two position swivel base support that comes under the seat.
Switching between these positions is easy using two position base on the same belt routing and there is no need for additional installation procedure. This feature makes the job easy to convert the car seat into a forward facing mode when the baby becomes a toddler. Comfort plays a very major role in rear facing position and Maxi Cosi has prepared the car seat with well padded side protection system and additionally provided a support pillow for younger babies. This facility would protect the newborn neck and back bone with maximum safety.
Car Seat Adjust as Baby Grows
The extra padded side walls and width adjustment of the car seat would really widen the seating area. Initially the car seat looks small and slim with narrowest setting when the baby is small and by adjusting the width of the seat and headrest the car seat gets wider and taller as the baby grows. Additionally the headrest and harness belt can be adjusted with total of six positions which is more than enough to give complete comfort for fast growing babies. The swivel base gives optimum inclined angle when the car seat fixed in rear facing mode that allows the baby to have more leg room and travel in complete comfort for longer
Encouraging Factors
The versatile car seat base encourages the parents to use the car seat past the 13 kg point and makes the car seat more versatile rather than having one size fit for both rear facing and forward facing mode. It is really sturdy with swivel base support when fitted and looks mega comfortable car seat but not as big as Britax Multi-tech rear facing car seat.
This Maxi Cosi car seat comes with machine washable seat cover and it can be removed with out taking out the five point harness belt. The hooks on the side wings help to keep the harness out of the way when placing your child. There are five reclining position in forward facing mode from upright to sleeping position and the rear facing mode has only one reclining position.
Secure Installation
Installation is done using three point seat belt and all the instructions are clearly given with colour coded belt guides for correct fitting. This rest assure that the car seat is fitted in correct position. Same belt routing installation for both the positions with the help of swivel base is an additional benefit. Due to it compact size the car seat takes little space in the back of the car and gives room for other two passengers to comfortably sit.
There is a common belt tensioner at the top which could be used for both the positions for secure installation. It is little awkward when routing the belt under the seat, need little practise and it is difficult to do inside small car. Maxi Cosi Opal is neither a portable car seat nor it is travel system compatible. It is only make to cater the intended purpose of supporting newborn in rear facing for longer period of time.
Our Analysis
The strong swivel base makes an instant appeal to the buyers who are looking for group 0+/1 car seat in order to save money in a long run. This baby car seat could end up being an essential newborn buy for those who want to avoid baby carrier even though it supports rear facing up to 13 kg. This may be because baby carrier takes up huge space and few newborns have more weight that does not suits baby carrier. A group0+/1 car seat should have a right mix of comfort, safety and ease of use. The great advantage of Maxi Cosi Opal is that using one car seat for two purposes and last for few years and avoids changing immediately after 9 months. With no doubt this Maxi Cosi car seat has all the attributes to support such requirements.
Maxi Cosi Opal Baby Car Seat – Technical Specification Details
| Brand name: Opal |
| Manufacturer: Maxi Cosi |
| Group 0+ and Group 1 car seat |
| Combination rear and forward facing Car seat |
| Rear facing mode: Weight 0 – 13 kg (from birth to 15 months) |
| Forward facing mode: Weight 13 – 18 kg (from 15 months to 3.5 years) |
Design
| Swivel car seat base |
| Removable and Washable cover seat |
| 4 different colours |
| Soft Padded seating area |
Comfort
| 6 position Height adjustable headrest |
| 6 position Length adjustable harness |
| Support pillow for newborn |
| Roomy seating position for growing babies |
| 5 reclining position |
| Adjustable width of the seat |
Ease of Installation
| Colour coded belt guides |
| Common Belt tensioner for secure installation |
| Same belt routing installation for two positions |
| Installation using 3 point seat belt |
Safety System
| Padded Side Impact Protection |
| 5 point harness belt |
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