Archive for the ‘Prams and Pushchairs’ Category

Having used and owned ten different prams, Amanda Armitage is a bit of  a ‘Pram Pro’. Amanda tells Mums Baby Magazine about her favourite Pram on the market.

Whilst choosing her fifth pram, Amanda had to select between two very similar models, The Silvercross 3D and the Mamas and Papas Pramette in Vertical. Upon viewing the Mamas and Papas Pramette in the shop, Amanda fell in ‘pram love’.

As this particular pram was in the sale at the time and was a neutral colour, it seemed to be the perfect choice. Amanda explained to MBM that the assistance provided at the Mama’s and Papa’s shop was ‘excellent’, the assistants demonstrated  exactly how the pram worked and once shown. Mamas and Papas even offered a guarantee which would not begin until her baby was born! Amanda decided that out of the two prams which she had in mind for purchase (the SX3D and the Mamas and Papas Pramette) that the Mamas and Papas Pramette certainly seemed to be the more beneficial.

Amanda outlined the pro’s of the Mamas and Papas Pramette

• It is easy to assemble
• The instructions are easy to follow
• Whilst in pramette mode, the baby is parent facing
• The pram is easy to push
• The Mamas and Papas Pramette has a large shopping basket which is easy to access
• The M&P Pramette has an inbuilt toddler step which comes in handy
• The handles are adjustable in height which is ideal for taller ‘pram pushers’
• The Pram seems quite robust 
         

As with every product on the market, there are some drawbacks to this item. Amanda explains that the cons of the M&P Pramette are:

• Once her baby was four months, they had to be forward facing as the pramette mode was no longer feasible due to the child’s size.
• The Toddler step can only be used when in forward facing mode (not the pramette mode)
• The Apron on the pramette was good, although it didn’t seem to work as well when forward facing.
• One of the hood springs popped out, luckily Amanda’s husband corrected this.

Although the ‘Vertical’ pattern is no longer available, Mamas and Papas still stock the Pilko Pramette in a wide range of other fabrics and designs. The images (left) shows the new ‘Mamas and Papas Pilko Pramette’ in City Scape. This currently retails at £295 from www.mamasandpapas.co.uk

It is however, almost identical in style, shape and design to the Silvercross 3D (images shown below).

The Silvercross 3D is currently retailing at £300 on the Silvercross Website. However, it is often available in other stores such as Babies R Us and Mothercare for much more reasonable prices.

 

Amanda has had two children and ten prams so far and the Mamas and Papas Pramette is so far Amanda’s favourite pushchair/ pram. Amanda’s daughter is currently seventeen months old and is still very comfortable in this pram.

Lucy Eversfield, 24 from Kent is Mum to George (1 year old). Whilst expecting her son, Lucy and her partner searched high and low to find a lightweight, easy to use pushchair.

They finally decided upon purchasing the Bugaboo Bee in red (with a matching footmuff, nest and umbrella) which cost approximately £500 at the time from ‘Bambino Direct’. Although, Lucy does not recommend using this company as their customer service was lacking.

Initially, Lucy thought the Bugaboo Bee had a funky appearance… sadly a year on from her purchase this pushchair is now taking up valuable loft space  Lucy told MBM that if she were to have the choice of buying a pram again she wouldn’t have bought this model, instead she would have opted for something cheaper.

Lucy’s little boy George is now one year old and is using a basic Maclaren pushchair which is more suitable for his size and weight. Sadly, this means that the ‘Bugaboo Bee’ is no longer in use.

Lucy explained that she would have preferred a pushchair which did not use as many straps and that could sit more upright as her son consistently tried to lurch forwards whenever using the pram. Another concern was the brake system which was not strong enough to hold the weight of a pram when on a hill.

When asked, Lucy told MBM that the positive aspects of this pushchair are that its lightweight, easy to push and great looking. The Bugaboo Bee fit well into Lucy’s car boot and was easy to fold up and down

Overall Lucy was not very impressed with the Bugaboo Bee System and said “It may look good but it only gets ruined with baby sick, mashed up food and British weather!”

 

Suitable from birth, The Bugaboo Bee is available in a range of colours and retails at £419 from www.mothercare.co.uk  . An updated version of this pram is now available, The Bugaboo Bee ‘Plus’ is also available from March onwards from www.mothercare.co.uk

The Bugaboo Bee uses a one piece minimal frame that can be easily folded using one hand, it also has a one piece height adjustable handle bar. The system is fully reversible and has an extendable seat unit with a four positive tilting seat.

The chassis uses a four wheel independent suspension system, the tyres are foam filled and have a unique swivel function enabling to turn 360 degrees for easy steering.

Dimensions:

• maximum unfolded width of only 52cm
• Handle height: Adjustable from 91 – 107cm
• Folded size: 88 x 13 x 71cm
• Assembled size: 92 x 52 x 98cm

The Silvercross 3D Pram/ Pushchair is a versatile rear facing pram system which later converts to a forward facing pushchair. 

The Silvercross 3D Pram/ Pushchair has been awarded the ‘Mother and Baby’ Bronze Award 2008/09 for Best Pushchair. We decided to ask some of our readers their views upon this popular pushchair.

 

Why did you buy the Silvercross 3D?

Claire: I bought the pram because it was cheap (I bought it reconditioned from Ebay)

Zoe: I bought this pram because I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it.

Rachel: This was the only pram that fit into my Fiesta and therefore seemed to be the only option. We originally wanted the Silvercross Linear Freeway before we measured the boot.

How easily does it fit into your car?

Claire: I struggle to fit it in the boot due to the length of the chassis.

Zoe: It fits ok in our small boot with a little room for shopping but not much.

Rachel: It fit very snugly into the Fiesta but was difficult to fit the pram cushioning into.

 

What do you like about the Silvercross 3D?

Claire: I like the pram bit but wish it fitted my baby a bit longer (I using the pram in the pushchair mode once my little one was almost four months old). I also like how sturdy it feels and when the baby is sat upright the hood will pull right over to knee area to stop the sun from getting in so I don’t have to have a parasol.

Zoe: It is easy to put up and down, handles quite easily and has a decent size basket underneath.

Rachel: I like how easily it folds down and how it is provided with matching accessories.

What do you dislike about the Silvercross 3D?

Claire: It’s rather heavy to carry on the bus if I ever need to fold it up.

Zoe: The wheels sometimes stick sideways and end up just sliding on tiled floors in shops.

Rachel: I dislike the fact that is forward facing once the baby is only very young due to its small size when in pram mode. I also dislike how it lays flat when in pram mode. All the extra bits and pieces which came with the pram felt like you became ‘Bob the Builder’ every time you needed to put it up or down when out and about.

What colour/ style is your SX3D?

Claire: I have the pram in black as I bought it before I knew that I was having a girl.

Zoe: It is in pistachio green and has small circles on it.

Rachel: Black Denim, it seemed to be the easiest colour option for cleaning!

 
If you could would you swap your SX3D for an alternative system?

Claire: I wouldn’t mind having a rear facing pushchair as I like to talk to my baby when on walks out and when she isn’t facing me it looks like I am talking to myself!

Zoe: Although we are looking for a smaller buggy I love this one and would not swap it if we had a bigger car.

Rachel: Sadly we already have, we now have our original ‘dream pram’, the Silvercross Linear Freeway whilst the SX3D is now in our car boot as a spare.

 

Thanks to our readers for their valued opinions! The Silvercross 3D is available in a wide range of fabrics and designs, retailing at £350.00 from the Silvercross website.

The Dingly Dangly Clip Clop Donkey is the perfect partner for your pram. This soft, squishy donkey toy features hard plastic feet, one of which squeaks and the other rattles. The rattling foot features a range of coloured beads which rattle to entertain and visually stimulate your infant.

Each leg is stretchy for baby to pull and tug. The donkeys legs are covered in black and white fabric which your baby will find eye capturing. According to research, babies find black and white colours more visually stimulating due to the stark contrast of shades.

Featuring a large plastic clip, this toy is perfect for hanging from your pram or other handles to keep little ones happy whilst out and about. The security of being able to clip this item to your pram reduces he worry of lost items when out and about.

Available for only £6.99 from www.storkgifts.co.uk the Dangly Clip Clop Donkey is a funky, fab, friend for infants and toddlers on the move.

Mums Baby Magazine would like to hear from YOU. We want to collect as many reviews as possible upon prams, strollers and buggies so that we help others parents and those expecting help decide upon the perfect purchase to push!

We’d like you to answer the following five questions upon your pushchairs:

1) Why did you buy the pram/ pushchair/ stroller/ buggy?

2) Does it rear and forward face?

3) If you drive, how easily does it fit into your car?

4) What do you like about the product?

5) What do you dislike about the product?

 

If you are interested in telling us all about your pram/ pushchair/ stroller/ buggy then please email us at writeforus@mumsbabymagazine.com

 

We look forward to hearing from you!