Mamas & Papas Primo Viaggio Car Seat

We were given a mamas and papas travel system from a family friend for our first baby. The car seat looked like it had been well used and we wanted to buy a new one for safety reasons so we decided on the one to match the pram. What a mistake! We got a matching one mainly so we could use it as a travel system which in hindsight wasn't a good basis for our desicion as we hardly ever use it like this.

I can find very few positive points about this seat and would advise anyone against buying one. The car seat is SO heavy even without a baby in it and is very uncomfortable to carry. The buckle to fasten the baby in is needlessly complicated and especially difficult to do in dim light conditions or with a screaming baby. The button to extend the straps so they're not digging into the baby's shoulders is in a really arkward place underneath the cover which is really difficult to find and press especially when the seat is already in the car. The handle to carry the car seat and which has to be moved forward to secure the seat in the car is one of the biggest problems with the seat. There are buttons on either side which have to be pressed in simultanously to move the handle. These are really difficult to press and hold and you need more than one pair of hands to press both buttons in then push the bar forwards or backwards. Trying to do this alone especially when the seat is already in the car is close to impossible and simply infuritaing.

We also bought a sure fix base to make it easier to get the seat in and out of the car. This is generally good apart from the lever to release the seat being again in a difficult place and it's very hard to release the seat from the base without tugging and jerking the seat which is not what you need with a young sleeping baby inside. Also the car seat doesn't look comfortable for babies. It's not very padded and seems far too upright for a new born baby. Even now my baby is 4 months old when he falls asleep in the car is head flops forward onto his chest which looks really uncomfortable for him, (and the seat is definately suitable for my car and is installed properly)

Positives about the seat are hard to find. It feels secure and safe but then all car seats have to meet set safety standards so this isn't a particularly special selling point. The cover is easily removable and machine washable which i suppose is good. Overall I would be suprised if the designers of the Mamas and Papas Primo Viaggio car seat have actually ever had children and had to use the car seat in real life! It's awful! There are much much better car seats on the market and many are cheaper than this one.