Do you remember taking your first baby home from the hospital?
First there was the shock of leaving the hospital COMPLETELY UNSUPERVISED. Like, these people just totally let us leave with this newborn baby and no one was watching to make sure we didn’t kill him. We just rolled his little plastic box to the exit, stood there awkwardly for an eternity before simply picking him up and walking out the door, glancing back to see if anyone responsible was going to stop us. But no, they didn’t care. They just let us go. Just like that.
It took us about 15 minutes to strap baby Thud into the car. He was so tiny and we didn’t want to hurt him. We were both squashed into the back seat, fiddling with straps and tiny limbs, making sure he was extra snug and safely strapped in.
Then we drove about 15km under the speed limit all the way home. I sat in the back seat with my hand on the baby because, you know, I just needed to touch him. Because new mum. I kept staring down all the other cars that came too close or dared speed past us. Didn’t they know I had a BABY in the car? A tiny, fragile, five day old BABY? What’s the rush people? Calm down! And GET AWAY FROM MY CAR AND MY BABY!
Don’t worry, that level of lunatic did die down. Eventually. And I eventually moved to the front seat of the car and let baby Thud dominate the back seat all on his own. That was a big day….
We’d spent FOREVER researching car seats with the fervour that all brand new parents-to-be dedicate to all the new baby purchases. Lists of pros and cons, print outs of the safety features, trawling the net for reviews and recall alerts.
We eventually settled on the Maxi Cosi Hera. I can’t even remember why now, but I’m fairly sure it was the absolute best we could find in our hours and hours of research.
Well now Maxi Cosi has a brand new seat that you can win!
The Euro NXT is the new, top of the range seat from Maxi Cosi and has all the bells and whistles you could possibly want in a car seat.
Most of all, it’s bloody safe. It has Air Protect Superior Side Impact Protection to protect the child’s head in a crash and GCELL protection which is next generation, crash absorbing technology that provides a honeycomb-like crumple zone for side full body protection
It also has the brand new ISOFIX latch system, which makes it even easier and safer to install. Along with the top of the range 6-point harness, machine washable covers and infant insert. You can use the seat from birth to 4 years.
I was also given one for baby number two (score! Thank you Maxi Cosi) but I let Thud have a go in it for a few days to see what it was like. Which was actually pretty stupid because now he doesn’t want to go back to his old seat because it’s old and boring and this seat is all new and fancy and it’s “for the baby” which naturally means he should have it.
The Maxi- Cosi Euro NXT is available at all good retailers nationally, $649 rrp. Visit maxi-cosi.com.au or contact Dorel Australia on 1300 809 526 for more information.
WIN ONE FOR YOURSELF!
So, would you like to win one of these awesome seats? All you have to do is comment below and tell me why you need the seat. Yes I mean it. That’s it! The best/ most creative answer wins. Tell me your story and why this seat needs to come to you.
Good luck! Can’t wait to read your responses.
Lauren xxx
Terms and Conditions
- This is a game of skill. Each valid entry will be judged by Lauren, based on creativity and originality.
- There is one prize: 1 x Maxi Cosi Euro NXT car seat worth $649.
- Competition begins at 12pm Sydney time on Tuesday 20th October 2015 and finishes at midnight on Sunday 1st November 2015.
- This competition is hosted by The Thud and is open to all Australian readers of The Thud. (sorry to my lovely international readers!)
- Prize is not transferable or changeable.
- Entry is via leaving a comment on this blog post in answer to the question – WHY do you need a new car seat?
- The winner will be announced on Monday the 2nd of November on The Thud’s Facebook page. This giveaway is not endorsed by Facebook.
- The decision on the winner is final.
- If the winner is not able to be contacted or does not respond to The Thud within 48 hours, a runner-up will be chosen.
- These terms and conditions are subject to change at any time without notice.
* Please note that by entering this competition the lucky winner agrees to answer four short questions about his/her experience with the Euro NXT
29 comments
This is a good article and I applaud you for writing it, BUT ALL the babies in that photo are INCORRECTLY fitted into their car seat, and are actually at risk.
NEVER use heavy jackets, snow-suits and so forth on a child in a car seat. This is extremely dangerous!
Only use a light jacket/fleece suit and invest in a car seat poncho or just put a blanket over them to keep them warm on the way to the car or in a cold car.
Think I’m fibbing? Test it out. Put your child in the carseat with the snowsuit on, or heavy jacket, tighten the straps as tight as you can feel they should be (the correct tightening is when you can not pinch any harness on the shoulders), then take the baby/child out of the car seat, take off the jacket or snowsuit, and put the harness back on without tightening it.You will see what I mean.
I have no idea what you’re talking about since neither photo depicts a child in a heavy jacket or snow suit. Both photos show children in very light clothing.
Oh teeny tiny Thud! So darn cute!! Seriously Mr OT is already huge and no longer a newborn little thing! Wah! Oh wait, that’s right, I like them when they’re bigger. So funny, poor subsequent kids just get thrown around, while the firstborn is treated like it’s Waterford Crystal! Can’t wait for the arrival of your little miss! x
New smell, ten fingers and ten toes.
You had a cute piggy nose.
We took you out to the car, and the drive home seemed so very far.
You were all strapped in your car seat boat.
It really looked like it could float.
It was so old and you were quite new.
We nicknamed it the SS Blue.
But it was barely legal, and thinking of it now makes me do a kegel.
Somehow you survived our frugality
And more significantly – a fatality.
But don’t worry, baby boy, we soon realised you weren’t a toy.
We needed to take your safety more seriously because we loved you so deliriously.
We saved some money quick as we could
And did the thing every parent always should.
We bought you a safe car seat, it looked fancy and quite sleek.
A new baby shouldn’t captain a boat, that’s why we bought the antidote.
We don’t want to make the same mistake again, and feel enormous amounts of shame.
Your next sibling will be safer still, we’ll win this car seat for him or her.
A Maxi Cosi sounds peachy and rosy, hope your mum doesn’t get her Aunty flo-sy.
A new baby for all and safety to the nines!
Boy, won’t your little brother (or sister look fine).
We’ll get heaps of street cred with the Euro NXT when we cruise to our hood with our new baby.
Dear precious little Amelia,
It’s your Guardian Angle here.
I have been watching over you since the day you first came into this wonderful world.
My job is to keep you safe. I watch over you all the time, but pay special attention to you when you are in the car. So many accidents happen on the road and I don’t want anything to happen to YOU!
Very soon you will outgrow the baby capsule that your Mummy and Daddy carefully strap you into…but don’t worry…I have found the PERFECT car seat for YOU – the Euro NXT from Maxi Cosi!
This ISOFIX compatible car seat has soooo many safety features I can guarantee you will be travelling in the safest seat. What impressed me the most is that it has Air Protect Superior Side Impact Protection as well as GCELL protection, the next generation crash absorbing technology.
This is the seat for YOU, my precious Amelia. I will do whatever it takes to make sure you are travelling in one of these seats. No longer will you be travelling in a second-hand, hand-me-down baby capsule, you’ll be cruising in style. And most of all, I’ll have peace of mind knowing I’m doing the best I can to keep you safe.
Lots of love,
Your Guardian Angle ?
New Dad to be (early Jan).. Mom to be stressing out big time.. I am trying to organise everything (Strollers, Cots, Bassinets, Car seats etc.) on my own trying not to stress the mom to be out any more than what she is already. The only instructions that I had was to make sure that it is “super safe” for the bub.
So I asked Dr Google to tell me which one to go with.. Maxi Cosi was the answer..
I read on forums for the safest and the most loved Car seat, Maxi Cosi was the answer..
I spoke to the girls at Baby Bunting, they too said Maxi Cosi…
Even at work, Maxi Cosi was what people said…
So after doing my research, I would love for Saint Maxi Cosi to keep my bub safe through its 5 adjustable headrest position, keep it cool through its wicking fabric, keep my baby comfortable with its superior padding and the plush look and feel.
I hope I get the opportunity to welcome Saint Maxi Cosi into our little world.
I am due to have my first baby boy on the 5th February 2016, i have basically everything except a car seat. I would really really love this maxi cosi car seat to keep my little boy safe and cosi on our car ride home from the hospitial
We are expecting our first baby, a precious little girl, in Feb 2016! I love the Maxi Cosi car seats – they stand out in quality far above the other brands. I have just purchased the Maxi Cosi capsule to fit with my new pram, and THIS exact Euro NXT is the car seat I have been hoping to get! I love it, especially the air pockets on the side which look like they will give the baby so much support and safety. I would love to win this, and will put the money saved towards my beautiful sister-in-laws wedding, who has just been given 6-12 months to live due to cancer. Her #1 bucket list item is to marry her partner of 13 years, and father of her adorable 3yo and 6yo boys. It’s a hard time for our family and we want to help in every way we can!
You have a very sweet and lovely little angel there. Your baby is so cute! As for that Euro Nxt Maxi seat, I don’t know how to convince you that I should be the winner. But, I just want to let you know, if ever I’ll be, I’ll give it to someone in need.
Well this could get a little long winded!! Here goes in the most condensed version I can manage…
Baby number 2 due sometime in May (11 days over for #1 has made me particularly vague around due dates!). 2 under 2 eeekkk
I’m a car seat nazi! So the safety features are right up my alley 🙂 I had the car seat in at 36 weeks with #1- it was literally in there for nearly 6 weeks before he arrived! I was so terrified I had it in wrong that I kept checking it every few days!
We moved to the next town south about 6 months ago – away from my family- so we have returned about 7 times… It’s a 600km drive each way so there is a large amount of Vegemite sandwich, banana, milk, assorted other child friendly foods forever smooshed into our car seat!! I’m not convinced it’s ok to put a newborn in it- do you think it might contain salmonella???
And last of all I really can’t be bothered!! Haha terrible reason! Doing all that research, comparing prices, and shipping rates (did I mention we are in the middle of whoop whoop and have to get EVERYTHING sent for scarily ridiculous prices?!?).
So that pretty much sums it up!!
Thanks for the amazing blog! They contribute to my continuing (questionable) sanity 🙂 xx
When thinking about why I need it,
Somewhere in the car for bubs to sit.
Maxi cosi Euro NXT car seat,
For baby due in Jan would be neat.
In the car, I feel I oughta,
Have only the best for my baby daughter.
Side impact protection is a must,
In any seat I’ll choose to trust.
My sister in law bought the Euro NXT for baby two,
His little cousin will want to join the crew.
With two cars in which to install seats,
So that we can take baby for coffee and eats,
Any help that we can find,
Would be considered mighty kind.
On adventures we wish to take
Baby, for visits and wedding cake.
We’ve 11 weeks left and lots to get,
A car seat we do not have yet.
If we were to win, the most popular car seat,
That would just be really neat!
The Euro NXT, in every way,
Would really, really, make my day!
Consider this: Current family of 3. Dad, mum and son aged 1. So what’s to pay for nxt?
Nxt ultrasound –> Nov ’15
Nxt house building bill –> Nov ’15
Nxt (mum) grandparent international visit –> Dec ’15
Nxt 4 tyres replacement –> Jan ’16
Nxt (dad) grandparent international visit –> Feb ’16
Nxt cord blood banking payment –> Mar ’16
Nxt house completion –> Apr ’16
Nxt Bub arrival –> May ’16
So what’s the obvious choice for our next bubs seat?
Euro Nxt of course!!!
with baby no 3 on the way! We need a fab new Car seat to get her safely home in one piece before the busyness of life kicks back in with her two older brothers. I fear her car seat may be the safest place for her in those early days!
Reposting in the correct time period 🙂
I’m 15 weeks in to my pregnancy and we’ve already done the hours and hours of research. If I could somehow strap the baby to me and act as the car seat, I would (if that were legal?! Surely a mother’s arms are much safer than any car seat, right?)… Deciding on a device to protect our tiny breakable (I agree) baby is one of the most difficult decisions I’ve made but what sounds more safe than Air Protect Superior Side Impact Protection?! Sounds like a seat built for a mini super hero. <3
We’ve come a long way from me spending hours and doing up Excel spreadsheets comparing car seats. We did end up with a Maxi-Cosi, but in all my hours of research pre-baby, no one recommended extended rear facing… so now Miss 16 months is rapidly approaching the forward facing line and I’m starting to panic about taking her in the car again… similar to those newborn days where everyone on the road is a lunatic and you pull over mid-journey to triple check she’s strapped in right! The Euro NXT has extended rear facing and combined with all those safety features, would give me great peace of mind keeping our little one safer.
The whole car seat thing totally overwhelms me so I bought myself a little extra time to sort it out and hired a capsule that fits into our pram. Although that’s only good til she’s about 6 months old so I suppose I’ll need to start thinking about this whole car seat malarkey soon! (Unless you’re feeling super generous and want to send that fancy new car seat my way?!)
The good thing about the capsule was that I made my husband bring it up to the hospital room so we could be rookies at strapping her in from the privacy of my room! He thought I was so stupid for suggesting it until he tried strapping her in.
I wanted to sit in the backseat on the way home from the hospital but couldn’t due to the amount of stuff in the car. I may or may not have made my husband pull over halfway through the 20 minute drive home so I could check on her. She was being way too quiet and I almost gave myself a crick in the neck leaning back to hear her breathing. Stupid rear facing car seats!! We have a mirror that is attached to the headrest now so we can see her while driving. #firsttimemum
Hi there I am currently 17weeks pregnant with baby number 3 my oldest is 4 my youngest is 2 and number 3 is due in march..
I would really love to win this car seat as we only have 2 seats at the moment but the one our newborn will be going in is at the 10year mark so I will now need to buy 2 new carseats and cant really afford forking out over 1200 dollars for carseats at the moment thats pretty much all the reasons I have also ive never won anything so that would be super exciting ?
We have a little munchkin
Who is nearing the terrible twos
With another one on the way
Chaos is certain to ensue
So in response to your question
Why we need a new car seat
To start with to actually win something
Would be a significant feat
But if I’m being honest
The seat would likely be
The only thing not handed down
To our bub to be
A maxi cosi with all its features
Would give us peace of mind
For our munchkin’s safety is paramount
Something no family could deny
So please consider us
In your deliberations
We would be forever grateful to win
And sure to include you in celebrations!
Where do I start….
I DESPERATELY need this seat.. Who doesn’t?! Especially if you have another one on the way as I do and possibly many, many other mums out there who are expecting for the first time or even a second, third, fourth or dare I say it fifth/sixth time! (Those on their fifth/sixth I commend you, How have you stayed sane after the first one I DO NOT KNOW but please pass on the secret I would love to know should I not be blessed with a boy anytime soon{side note I have a girl now having another girl})
So onto the reasoning behind my need of this seat, make sure you’re comfy cause I don’t think this will be short and sweet and honestly you didn’t put a word limit on me so here we go;
1. I’m currently 24 weeks pregnant (YAY ME!) and have JUST remembered the horrors of labour…. 13 hours with an emergency C-section at 1am was not fun… Plus everyone got to see her before I did which sucked balls…. (Excuse the language) So ultimately I need some form of peace of mind to assuage me from not re-experiencing these horrors again (Hopefully the paid OB helps partially here) and with these labour horrors comes the reminder of that first dreaded car ride home. I was fairly certain I knew what I was doing with this baby, being the eldest child of my family, however the car seat of horrors was not great, I was terrified that everything to do with the seat we had bought (on a budget mind you) was going to kill my tiny little precious child. every bump and car got a death stare from me so this seat will probably ease that scenario and find me in the front seat on the way home (maybe not).
2. My daughter (currently five years old) being the wonderful/gorgeous child she is refuses to give up said horrifying seat…. Which is designed for newborn to four years old, even if she still fits in it I really need some other way to “bribe” yes I said “bribe” her to part with it. The thought process I had was that it would be for the new baby (dreaded feeling of it even going into my car as the baby’s new seat is setting in) however this ended in my then four year old in tears and telling us how it was a special seat and it needs to stay in daddy’s car so that she can go in daddy’s car too…. *sob* cue pregnancy hormones and me feeling horrible for even suggesting this atrocity.
3. Said old car seat is going into it’s fifth year of being with us so you can probably imagine the horrors that I will find in the confines of the material let alone what is below the seat…. I would not be surprised to find food and moldy toys under there…
4. It’s the worst seat EVER to take the material section off and it goes all dis-configured when you wash it! Making it near impossible to get back on… This is where the husband comes in and has a few choice words to say along the way of putting the cover back on…
5. I’ve lost all the parts to the newborn section of the seat, which means that I will end up having to get another seat anyway so winning one would help me (the struggling art student with only one parent in a paid job {the husband}) to have a half decent car seat for our second bundle of joy. Otherwise I think I shall find myself in the back seat of the car for many months to come here’s hoping the car sickness issues I have doesn’t set in early…
6. I’ve just realised that the first baby is highly celebrated, given brand spanking new things and absolutely gorgeous new toys and clothes where as the second child is normally stuck with dreaded hand me downs, including old yucky ‘very used’ car seats etc… It’d be awesome if I could give her something that is newer than the dreaded cheap car seat we were forced to buy due to a lack of funds in the first place….
7. A selfish reason, winning stuff is awesome….
So after sitting here for a few minutes…. (probably more) and giving you a short narrative of my reasoning to win this seat and after copying and pasting it into word (to ensure I don’t lose anything) and then realising it’s over two pages long I wish you all the best in choosing a winner, good luck to everyone else commenting and as the rest of you are hoping I will be hoping also to win said “new, fancy, comfy car seat” for my new princess on the way soonish…
*whispers* How awesome would it be to win this seat!**
GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!
I would love to win the car seat so that I can be the best Aunty ever and give my nephew (due in Jan) the best baby shower pressie ever!
Our little girl Amelia is four months and is rapidly growing out of the baby capsule a kind friend lent us. If however, this kind friend knew Amelia’s two greatest skills; poo and vomit explosions, I don’t think she would have been so kind. We have had many, many close calls and so far I’ve managed to keep the capsule stain free…but I’m nervous that at any moment Amelia could go a little bit too far with showing of these well practised skills, resulting in a very embarrassed mummy having to return a very different looking capsule! ? The sooner we get Amelia into her own seat the better!
To be honest, I need it so my mum can drive the toddler (far far away) in her car so that the new baby can have some time
-not getting industrial deafness from having boxes of Duplo dumped onto wooden floorboards right next to his head
-safely ensconced in the bouncer without risking being catapulted across the room by an over enthusiastic toddler
-have some much needed tummy time, (at this rate he is likely to start school with flexed hips and a floppy untoned neck)
-with his mum which doesn’t involve being shoved in the sling or capsule while she desperately hopes he falls asleep so she can chase his brother.
So sort of a mercy plea from an overstimulated under appreciated 2 month old!
And this is how we felt taking the first born home….
IKEA – Start The Car – YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlWCLw75XnE
Don’t get me wrong, we love the first one to pieces, but a day of respite a week would keep us as sane as possible in the “2 under 2, whilst renovating” situation
Please please please save my back and my 8 month old daughter’s head and let us win the Maxi Cosi Euro NXT! I hate our current car seat, I have to contort myself and my poor little poppet into the most ridiculous positions to get her in and out around the straps and weird shaped edges, I’m sure I’m one car trip away from a slipped disk and she is going to get seat belt material burn on her head if I continue to scrape her along the strap, she is to young to understand ‘head down’ yet.
I promise I will love it, and take it for drives and treat it to my special OCD of cleanliness requirements if you let me win ☺
Xo
Hahahahhahahha I sat in the back seat too. WTF. I somehow thought I was protecting him from who the heck knows. New mums, hey. Crazy.
They just seem too little to be deserted back there all by themselves. I was a bit insane. “Was” haha!
I’m 15 weeks in to my pregnancy and we’ve already done the hours and hours of research. If I could somehow strap the baby to me and act as the car seat, I would (if that were legal?! Surely a mother’s arms are much safer than any car seat, right?)… Deciding on a device to protect our tiny breakable (I agree) baby is one of the most difficult decisions I’ve made but what sounds more safe than Air Protect Superior Side Impact Protection?! Sounds like a seat built for a mini super hero. <3
I need the seat(!) because my kid hates her seat. She hates the car, she hates me for putting her through the whole saga. She’s been this way her whole life, we’re going on 13months of us being car seat torturers.
I can vaguely hope that a new seat might be a fresh start! 🙂