Source: Maxi-Cosi / Maxi-Cosi
Every parent is about that car seat life — after all, it’s the law. But finding one that suits your lifestyle and your budget is easier said than done. With kids growing as fast as they do, no parent can afford a new car seat every time their child gains another 10 lbs. That’s why the Maxi-Cosi Magellan 5-in-1 caught my eye. It’s a convertible car seat ideal for children from 5lbs-120lbs and I got ahold of one from the company to take for a test run.
The major selling point of the Magellan 5-in-1 is that it grows with your child from birth to about age 10 and like the name suggests, you can position it multiple ways: baby rear-facing, toddler rear-facing, toddler forward-facing, child forward-facing, and as a booster seat. It’s a pretty standard size for a car seat in this genre, meaning it’s big and can take up a sizeable amount of room in your car. That’s something to consider if you have a small car because there are more compact convertible car seats on the market.
My test run found me and my family on a three-hour road trip to a wedding in Delaware. We rented an SUV for extra room, yet I still felt the car seat’s presence. I sat in the backseat with my daughter whose car seat was positioned in the center with my brother-in-law’s fiancée on the other side. There were times when I’d want to talk to her and I had to lean forward so that I could see her face. There were also times when I wanted to check on my daughter in her car seat and I’d have to lean forward to see her face as well. That’s because the headrest, designed for side impact, is there to protect your offspring. That’s a standard feature for all car seats, convertible or not, but still worthy of note because of the size. I’m used to using smaller car seats because I live in New York City and don’t have my own car. I usually utilize rentals by way of Hertz and Zipcar.
With the car seat being very large, it’s also quite sturdy. Not all car seats feel secure so this one absolutely gives you peace of mind. The straps were a bit of a struggle to adjust but once we got them into proper position we were able to relax knowing that our 2.5-year-old was strapped in properly.
Source: Anslem Rocque / Starr Rocque
Installing the car seat works best when you have two people to help position it. You can do it alone, but for the sake of proper angling, and because it’s a big car seat, you should get someone to assist. Plus, the instructions could be clearer. My husband had to read and reread them just to make sure he was installing it right. Then my brother-in-law, an MIT grad, came along and attempted to read and, uh yeah, the instructions could be a lot more explicit.
On a positive note, the Maxi-Cosi Magellan is designed well. The fabric is plush and easy to clean, as you can remove it and put it in the washing machine. My daughter also seemed very comfortable. I’ve tried other car seats for her once she grew out of her first one and each has had its own story. There were some that she simply didn’t like, most likely because they weren’t comfortable. We have dealt with tantrums from her not wanting to be strapped in after a while. We also dealt with car seats that seemed too small even though she fit the size guidelines provided by the brand. With the Magellan 5-in-1 I appreciate that she fit, she was secure, she wanted to be in the seat, and she had no problem dozing off. That’s another thing about car seats, the head positioning isn’t always very secure so when children doze off, their heads might uncomfortably dangle forward. With this one, my daughter dozed off and had a place to properly rest her head back due to the seat’s positioning.
We placed our daughter in the toddler facing-forward position because frankly, while it has been proven that keeping children rear-facing as long as possible is the safest, most toddlers older than two aren’t going to want to face backward. So, to avoid that meltdown, we went this route.
Overall, I had a good experience with the Magellan 5-in-1. It’s not my personal car seat style because I prefer smaller models, but we’re going to hold on to it since it can be used multiple ways over a long period of time. Most important, we felt that our child was safe so this car seat is going to be put to good use during all of our family road trips to come.
