Axkid Minikid (2018)
Weight range: 0-25 kg (approx. from 6 months old to 6 years old)
Installation: Seatbelt install
Lowest harness height: 33cm
Highest harness height: 43cm
Cabin space required: 77cm
Wash: 30° hand wash cycle and hang to dry
PLUS TESTED
RRP: £350
It’s not that long ago we had the honor of reviewing another car seat from Axkid, the Axkid Wolmax (now re-dubbed ‘Move’ with its re-launch). Now we have again had the honor of reviewing Axkid’s latest addition! The NEW Axkid Minikid (2.0)!!
As you can probably gather after so many years – it was an opportunity I could not say no to.
Child stats:
Henry is the main tester of the seat and these are his stats:
- 5,5 years old
- 119 cm tall
- 42 cm long torso
- 23kg
Let’s Unbox it!
If you want to read our official unboxing post just click here.
Main Points for Axkid Minikid:
- Automatic tightening of tether straps
- Automatic headrest – it moves up and down depending on harness tightness.
- Tightening the harness correctly will correctly position the headrest.
- Swedish PLUS Tested, the strictest crash test in the world.
- Fits children up to approximately 125cm tall, some even taller all depending on torso height!
- Is considered a compact car seat that fits a plethora of cars.
- A reclining wedge is available as a separate purchase.
Old Minikid vs. New Minikid?
You are probably wondering what the difference is between the two, and with some help from Instagram and some good colleagues of mine in the car seat world – I shall endeavour to make it clear to you. Since I don’t own the old version, I had to rob some info and demonstrations from others – but don’t worry! I have kept all things not my own in its original form, and all credit goes to those who took the time to show us all the differences. x
PS: I really really suggest you follow these people – they are amazing!
Locking Clip
The top clip in the photo is the 2018 version. I’m glad they changed it to be completely blue as it does make it easier to see it when it’s darker outside when installing, at least that is my experience.
Side Profile and Load Leg:
The design change of the load leg is very positive in my opinion. It’s a known fact that having to reach into the front of a leg when installing a seat in cars with snug space or when you try to install more than one seat on a row – can be fiddly and awkward. So when Axkid changed the leg to have one button instead of two – and also put this button on the side?
I was HAPPY! It truly does make it easier.
There is one thing I experienced though on my Minikid, and that is that the leg doesn’t seem to drop down on its own when I’m pushing the button. So getting it down requires me to grab it and grab hold of the plastic and fiddle slightly to get it out. It’s a little bit as if the leg is a couple of millimetres too wide for the pipe? So instead of easily dropping down – it’s just not. I sort of feel like I want to “oil it up” a bit, haha. It’s not a big problem, but it is a fiddly thing that is worth mentioning to the design department. Especially since the leg is being replaced by a longer version for the new batch, so that is something I think is worth looking at.
The new Minikid also has a new side impact protection feature!
The ASIP is used on the ‘door side’ of the car seat. When installed in the middle – it’s not used at all.
The old Minikid was approved from 9-25kg, but this new version is approved from 0kg – it’s not from birth though! It’s from 6 months old.
The seat now also comes with the small child insert already in the seat, whilst on the previous version, you had to buy that separate.
Here is a 6,5-month-old baby in the Minikid. :)
Also underneath the cover, you will find a removable small insert.
This will need to be taken out for the older kids. Henry didn’t fit the seat before I removed it!!
But once it was removed he was quite happy and comfy in it.
Caitiebelle, on the other hand, did not fit this seat at all, which surprised me! Now the headrest has changed from the old version to the new one (I point several of these things out in the unboxing video!), but I really didn’t think it would make such a difference. She also doesn’t fit the Duofix I have – which has the exact same shell as the old Minikid, so for us, the new headrest isn’t making a difference. She can get into both of the seats – but she was unable to sit completely comfortable and the headrest was jammed into her shoulders more in the new version. She was also sat on the entire buckle strap, which worried me, but I have since been told that this is not a safety issue!
Edited 30th of March:
After some feedback on my review from readers – I have realized that I should have stated how old Caitiebelle is and how tall she is, to give you a proper view of why she’s not fitting.
This was a question I was asked by several so I will definitely share that with you all.
Caitiebelle is 7 years old, 128,5cm tall with a torso length of 46,5cm, and she’s currently 27kg – so she’s outgrown the seat in weight. But she’s also quite tall. The fact that she was able to get into the seat – even if it was digging into her, shows us that it’s a very long lasting seat compared to many others I have owned. I just wanted to make that clear. :)
AXKID advertises the seat to fit a child up to approx. 125 cm tall, and I can honestly say that I do agree with that statement. Because for the majority of children this seat would fit very well up until then, even longer for some, depending on torso height. :)
In the car:
Fast Tip!
Did you know that the Minikid headrest lets you hold the harness out of the way? :O
And did you also know that there is a very special way to tightening the harness correctly? :O
Because the harness moves the headrest up and down automatically when you tighten it – it’s important to get it done correctly. That way you can always make sure that the harness and headrest is correctly fitted on your child.
Removing The Cover in 53 Seconds!
Impressive isn’t it?
Well – you should see Madde installing the Minikid (old version) in just 43 seconds below!
Installing ERF seats is hard they said… can’t do it they said… They – Were – Wrong! x
Official Install Video:
Vehicle Fitting List:
I would always advise you to try the seat in the car before buying. The Axkid Minikid does have a fitting list – but it does not adhere to it. You can fit the seat into a car that’s not on the list as long as you can get a correct install.
Our Pros & Cons
As with every seat, there are some ‘pros’ as well as some ‘cons’ with a car seat.
Pros:
- It rear faces to 25kg/55lbs.
- It is Swedish Plus tested! This is the strictest crash test in the world.
- It is a compact seat that fits most cars.
- It is amongst the longest lasting ERF seats on the market. Fits most children to approximately 125cm.
- The seat offers good leg room for the child.
- The new baby insert and the improved hidden insert makes it a better fit for the smaller children.
- The new fabrics are great!
- It’s extremely simple to take off the covers – which is a very big improvement from the old version.
- It’s improved side impact protection.
Cons:
- The load leg is too short to reach the bottom of the storage compartment. (This has been fixed on the new stock out in April! A leg extender can be ordered from Axkid right now.)
- I feel the leg needs to slide easier in and out when adjusting. When clicking the button it does not easily come out of it’s “shell”.
- The ASIP box is slightly too thick. It tends to hit the door on too many cars. It’s OK for it to slightly be touching the car door – but in many cars, it does seem to dig in too much.
*I was asked by Axkid to write a review of this car seat. However, as always, all thoughts and opinions are my own!
Therese has completed the ‘Advanced Child Car Seat Training Course’ at TRL (Transport Research Lab) and is a CPD accredited car seat expert. She blogs about in-car safety, car seats, tips, reviews, giveaways and advice. She’s a mum on a mission to change the law and raise awareness. She is also a breastfeeding advocate and gentle parenting promoter who loves cloth nappies, baby-wearing, BLW and co-sleeping/bed-sharing.