Post written by Miki
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Today I’m delighted to indulge in one of my passions: prams, buggies and strollers. I’m just a tiny bit obsessed with wheeled baby transport: there are so many fantastic options out there these days that I just want to try all of them, and why not? Luckily my lovely husband is used to me approaching strangers in the street to ask them about their pram, and he usually turns a blind eye if he comes home and there’s a new pram box in the hallway….
Buying a pram, buggy or stroller is a big investment and it can be a little bit scary the first time around. Have a think about what you’ll be using your wheels for and what features are a must-have for you: will you be walking on pavement, short grass, long grass, sand? The terrain you cover frequently will determine what kind of wheels and/or suspension you need. Is it important to you that the baby be able to face you? Look for an option with a reversible seat and/or a bassinet. What accessories are important to you? Toddler board, cup holder, extra storage, the ability to change the pram’s look by switching fabrics? Have a look around and see what’s available. Make sure your choice will fit in your car boot when folded and that you find it easy to fold, unfold, recline and change which way the seat faces where applicable. By all means go to baby shops and experiment, but then come home and search online for the best price as it can save you hundreds of dollars. I have listed online stockists below that I have personally dealt with and find excellent.
But at the end of the day, make sure that as well as all the practical aspects you also get a pram that you love and that you’ll be proud to walk down the street with. After all, you’re going to be spending a lot of time with it!
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Usually when parents choose a buggy to take travelling with them they go for a lightweight umbrella-fold stroller because it’s good in an airport. I’ve done a *lot* of travelling with my kids, starting from when my eldest was four months old, and my advice for a travelling buggy is different. Most people do a lot of walking when they’re on holiday or travelling. They take more gear with them when they leave the hotel, they spend all day out and about, and they cover all sorts of terrain. To me, the ideal buggy for this is the Mountain Buggy Swift, which is compact in size but has pneumatic tyres and a generously sized parcel tray. It reclines right back for naps and newborns, has an optional bassinet attachment for babies and is an absolute dream to ‘drive’. The new limited edition ‘Night In The Menagerie’ series is stunning looking to boot.
Although the Swift is too big when folded to go into the overhead lockers on the plane, many airports will allow you to take it right to the gate before you board. If they won’t, however, just pop your little one in an ERGObaby or on a 
Trunki at check in and you’re all set to navigate the airport without batting an eyelash. You’ll probably find that you want to use it all the time at home too, it’s that kind of buggy.
The main downside of the Swift is that the fold isn’t tiny. Other than this it’s very hard to fault.
Get the Mountain Buggy Swift for $599.00.and the Limited Edition Swift for $778.95 including bassinet and FREE Mountain Buggy nappy bag (the nappy bag promotion expires tonight, 21 Oct 2010) from Minimee – www.minimee.com.au. If you are based in Sydney, you can go to the Minimee bricks and mortar stores for an exclusive shopping night where you’ll receive 15%-50% off everything in store *TONIGHT* 21 October 2010 only.
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Not due to be released until approximately March 2011 in the USA, the Bugaboo Donkey is the brand spanking new addition to the Bugaboo stable and, like everything Bugaboo does, it’s incredibly innovative. In this case they’ve taken the traditional stroller frame and turned it into a frame that can widen telescopically and have another seat clipped in, turning a single pram into a double pram. That said, in single or ‘mono’ mode it isn’t as narrow as some due to the shopping basket (seen above left) which sits next to the seat. Have a squiz at the videos in the link above to get a better idea of how the Donkey will operate. Best guesses on pricing are around the USD$1,600 range plus shipping to Australia – we’ll keep you updated.
The Donkey’s downside appears to be that even in ‘mono’ mode it is slightly wider than a standard single pram, however it isn’t expected to be too much of an issue.
In the meantime if you need a double, have a look at the 
Mountain Buggy double, available from Minimee for $799, which is an outstanding option.
Minimee also have some great gift with purchase offers on other Bugaboo products:
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If you need a stroller or pram to go in the cramped boot space of your car, you won’t find too many options that allow for the baby to face you. One of the very few is the new Quinny Zapp Xtra which has yet to be released in Australia but is available in the UK and can be shipped here. The Zapp Xtra can face forward or back and recline right back to be suitable for newborns. It has a basket underneath (the basic Zapp available in Australia doesn’t) and when folded is a very compact 81x59x102cm.
Zapp Xtra’s cons are that it’s a two-piece fold and that the chassis has been weighted at the front to counteract the recline of the seat, so it’s not as light as the standard Zapp. However at 8.7kgs it shouldn’t break anyone’s back.
At the moment the Zapp Xtra hasn’t yet made it to Australia, but you can order it from Oliver’s Baby Care in the UK for around £321 *including* shipping to Australia (currency converter here).
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The incredibly sleek and oh-so-shiny Urbo by Mamas & Papas is perfect for city living. It has many features that urban parents and their über trendy offspring will appreciate, including a large hood with visor, faux leather handle grip and bumper bar, the seat’s ability to face forward or face the parent with full recline, and carrycot and travel system compatible (both sold separately). With its aluminium frame it is actually very light for all its many features, weighing in at 9kgs. It has swivel wheels, full chassis suspension and a narrow width, all of which combine to make it a dream to push around busy city streets.
The Urbo is very difficult to find fault with. Perhaps the main thing is that the tyres are not pneumatic which can make bumps in the pavement more noticeable, but the all-wheel suspension does go a long way to counteract that.
The Urbo retails for $749.95, plus the Carrycot if desired for $349.95, at Minimee.
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Stokke started out by making a truly eye-catching pram, the Xplory. I think most of us have seen one of these being wheeled past at some point, and I bet we all turned around for a second look – the Xplory is a remarkable design and those who have splurged on one (Xplory retails for $1799 in Australia without the carrycot) tend to love it so much that they become almost evangelical about it. One of the many, many reasons why the Xplory has been such a success is the big range of optional accessories available, including different fabrics for changing the look of the pram around. This year the Summer kit features a parasol, sunsail, ‘breezy’ hood, terrycloth seat cover etc, while the Winter kit has toasty warm hood, storm cover, detachable sheepskin rim, sheepskin-lined handcover and so on. Stokke has an extensive list of other accessories for the Xplory too, ranging from parent cupholders (essential for my latte!) to toddler boards, change bags, footmuffs and much more.
The Xplory’s cons are the fact that it’s a fairly large two-piece fold, so it’s not a great option for those with a small car boot although parents with a medium to large boot should be fine. The other con is the price tag which is definitely at the ‘investment’ end of the pram market, however you won’t find many Xplory owners who don’t tell you it’s worth every penny.
The Xplory ($1799.00 for chassis + seat, or $2249.95 for the package incl. carrycot + free parasol, blanket & cup holder) plus a good range of accessories are available at Minimee.
Minimee also have a great gift with purchase offer with the Stokke Xplory right now:
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The Explorer is Phil & Teds’ replacement for their old Sport buggy, and a number of upgraded features make this a really excellent choice for a growing family. The Explorer can take a newborn, a toddler, a toddler and a newborn, or two toddlers, and with its large pneumatic tyres it can handle just about any terrain. Upgraded features in the new model include the ability to take the Cocoon bassinet (sold separately), and the ability for a carseat capsule to be clipped onto the front of the buggy facing the parent while a toddler rides in the doubles kit on the back. There is also a hard footplate (unlike the old soft canvas which determined toddlers could use as a brake) and the doubles kit has a sunhood to protect the little person riding in the back while the main seat has a larger sunhood with a flip out visor.
The Explorer’s downside is that the basket is difficult to access when the main seat is in the fully reclined position (this is a common problem with buggies of all brands), and when the doubles kit is on the back there is very little space for much in the basket as it’s where the toddler’s feet go. You can buy the ‘Blazing Saddles’ saddlebags accessory which do add lots of extra storage but also increase the width of the buggy somewhat.
The Phil & Ted’s Explorer retails for $699.95 for the single buggy at Minimee. The Doubles kit will soon be available for $109.95.
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As far as lightweight strollers go, the Baby Jogger City Mini is difficult to beat. It has pretty much everything a parent could need, including the most extraordinarily easy fold you’ll ever come across. Grab one handle, lift… and the stroller instantly flips into a nice flat little shape, ready to be stashed away in the car boot or under a bed. The hood offers truly excellent sun cover, the seat lies flat so is suitable for newborns and there is a very large basket underneath. Suspension in the front wheel allows for a comfortable ride and it’s incredibly manoeverable. At 7.5kgs it’s nice and light, and it can take older pre-schoolers in comfort due to the high seat back and 20+kg weight limit.
It’s not completely perfect, however close it might come. The basket is difficult to access even with the seat in the upright position and the handle isn’t height adjustable and is quite tall, although I’m 162cm and I don’t have a problem with it. Lastly, it’s become hugely popular in Australia and there is a waiting list for them at most retailers so you probably will have to wait a few weeks to get your hands on one. All in all though, you’d find it difficult to do better for features and functionality in such a lightweight stroller so I’d suggest that it’s worth the wait.
The Baby Jogger City Mini sells at Baby Warehouse Online for $489.00 $435.00.
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Please check individual websites for shipping details, and always remember to look at KidStyleFile’s All Current Deals page before ordering to make sure you’re getting the best deal.
