The Kiddicare Maxi SP car seat is a solid, no-nonsense car seat. It offers great value for money thanks to its very reasonable price tag and an impressive life span, stretching from birth to when your child is 6 years old.
The Kiddicare Maxi SP is a Group 0+/1/2 car seat, and can be used from birth until 25kg, or around 6 years of age. It can be easily installed in your car using a 3-point seatbelt. It can be used in the rear facing position from birth until your child reaches 10kg. After this, it becomes a forward facing option until your child’s 25kg.
Safety-wise, the Kiddicare Maxi SP’s extra deep side wings offer reassuring side impact protection. Style-wise, there’s the option of two attractive colour schemes –granite or pink. The soft removable covers can be washed and it has a padded cushion and shoulder pads to keep your baby comfy.
What we love
The £39.99 retail price is a definitely a huge bonus, though I’m sure most parents would agree that a car seat is the one product where quality and safety come well above price.
The Kiddicare Maxi SP car seat has deep sides and an easily adjustable 5-point safety harness that kept my 6-month-old Joseph snugly in place. I like that the Maxi SP is easy to wipe clean and Joseph seemed really comfortable thanks to the cushion surround and padded shoulders.
The installation manual was refreshingly clear to follow and was accompanied by clear pictures – sadly this isn’t always the case!
What to watch out for
Before trying the Kiddicare Maxi SP car seat I used the Maxi-Cosi CabrioFix as part of a travel system and I did miss the convenience of being able to take Joseph out of the car still in his car seat, attach to the buggy frame and go. With the Kiddicare Maxi SP car seat you have to be prepared to take the extra time to unstrap your baby and put him in the pram or buggy, and vice versa, which can mean waking him up if he’s asleep.
The Maxi SP doesn’t seem as cocooning as the Maxi-Cosi CabrioFix and I’m not sure I would have been happy to use it when Joseph was a newborn.
The car seat is designed to be fitted in the car before you sit baby in it but I found that with the belt already in place it was awkward to get Joseph inside it from the near side and so had to lean across from the other side. This could be a problem if you had more than one child and car seats on both sides.
Also a sun canopy of some sort wouldn’t go amiss.
Who is the Kiddicare Maxi SP car seat base best for?
Parents-of-one on a budget.
The Kiddicare Maxi SP is a no-frills car seat that will last the distance. Some parents could be put off by the fact that it’s not travel system compatible, and it may not suit families with more than one car seat in the back of their vehicle. It’s also worth bearing in mind you’ll still need to purchase a Group 3 car seat once your child’s outgrown the Maxi SP.
