Before I fell pregnant I picked out almost everything I wanted to buy when we did fiiinally have a baby. Once I was pregnant, I happened to see the pram I wanted in real life. I changed my mind and decided we needed to go pram shopping so I could see the real deal, have a push, trial run folding it, and most importantly, make sure if fit in the boot of our car!
We had a day trip with my parents to a shopping centre where a Babies'R'Us, Mothercare and Mamas and Papas are within the same retail park. After browsing for a couple of hours and a coffee stop at Costa, we found a few contenders for the travel system.
We had a few points that the pram needed to match in order to make the shortlist. Our main criteria were:
●Easy to fold
●Light to lift into the boot
●Adjustable handle height
●One solid bar handle, not two
●Attractive
●Not going to break the bank
●Going to last - I didn't want to spend a considerable amount on a pram only to swap to a much cheaper stroller after a year.
Our shortlist consisted of four prams in the end. The Silvercross Wayfarer, Mamas and Papas Sola2, Mothercare Orb and the Mamas and Papas Zoom Trio.
We decided on the Sola2 in fairground red - a nice neutral choice as we had decided to have a suprise and not find out what we were having. Originally I preferred the lime green, however it's too much of a yellow tone for summer and it will get covered in those little black bugs that are attached to all things yellow! The red is a lovely vibrant red, with the inside mostly being a lovely grey with a print on it. The footmuff for the pushchair configuration (sold separately) is also decorated inside with the lovely bold pattern. We decided to go for the carrycot rather than the newborn insert for the seat as it seemed cosier and would provide better protection from the elements. We were told that to put the hood up on the carrycot you just pull it. There are two buttons to compress to lower it again. Pulling it up is a flaw in my opinion. It clicks repeatedly and loudly as the mechanism works, which has woken my daughter on more than one occasion. I now press the buttons in to lift the hood which is silent and doesn't wake a sleeping child!
The handle height adjusts by the main section changing position rather than height. My husband is averagely tall at about 6 feet, and I'm 5 feet 8 inches. My parents will be my childcare and so it needs to be suitable for them as while my Dad is the same height as my husband, my Mum is just 5 feet 2 inches. The handle is quick and easy to adjust and has a good range of heights to make this suitable for the majority.
It's quick and easy to fold by simply holding a button in while you slide the two catches on the frame and pushing. Fold the handle under for a more compact result and you're done! To unfold, simply unlatch the catch on one side, and pull the handle up. It's so easy. It can be folded without having to remove the seat unit if it's in world facing position. It's relatively light (it weighs in at 10kg) so isn't too much of a strain to lift it in and out of the boot of my car. I have a Kia Cee'd (2009 plate) and it fits nicely in the boot, with the carrycot on top, and there is still room at the side for some shopping, or a holdall. My old car was a Nissan Micra, a 2007 plate. The chassis and carrycot will just fit in the boot. Nothing else will fit with them and it's a huge squeeze to get them both in together. The chassis and seat unit will fit, but again, nothing else fits with them. The chassis will stand upright on its own, however I've not tried this with the seat unit on so I don't know if it still does once that is attached!
The pram is lovely to push, very smooth and turns on the spot. However, this is where my only real issue comes in. When walking and pushing this pram, my feet constantly hit the brake pedal. Obviously when I was trying it in the shop I wasn't walking normally and striding out as I never noticed it before. The big red pedal is slap bang in the middle of the bar. Both me and my husband hit it with almost every stride. It would be much better if the brake were at one side instead.
It's incredibly easy to swap between carrycot, seat unit and car seat adapters (if you purchase them and have a compatible car seat). You simply squeeze the arched release triggers and lift. Then whatever you want to put on just slots in.
The basic package generally comprises the chassis and seat unit, and the raincover. To make it usable from birth you either need to buy the newborn insert for the seat, which makes the seat unit a flat surface for them to lay on and all cosy, or the carrycot. The rain cover fits both the carrycot and seat to keep baby dry during our lovely English weather. You can purchase a footmuff to make the seat nice and cosy when baby gets to being able to use it. The Mamas and Papas matching footmuff also zips down to become a liner, so it's kind of a 2 in 1 dealio. The liner helps keep the seat clean but doesn't have the cosy toes bit attached, meaning you don't have to sacrifice a clean seat in summer. If you get a car seat that can be put onto the chassis, making the whole thing into a travel system, you will need the matching adapters to enable you to do so. We also bought the matching parasol to keep baby shaded from the sun.
Overall we are so pleased with our choice, and lots of people have commented on how lovely the pram is. It's a dream to push, it stores well under our stairs and is so easy to fold and unfold that anyone could do it.
Now, just in case you are trying to make the same decision, the reasons we DIDN'T go for the other three are outlined below.
Silvercross Wayfarer: This is a good looking pram. However I found it a little difficult and 'clunky' to fold and unfold. The button to adjust the handle height is a wide press in bar on the middle of the handle. Every single time I pushed this one, and I mean EVERY single time, I would absent mindedly push the bar and slide the handle up and down. I was a little worried that I would wear the whole thing out by the time the baby was 1!
The Mothercare Orb: This is a lovely pram. It is so so easy to change from parent facing to world facing. No lifting the seat unit, you just swivel the carrycot or seat and put the handlebar the other way. Trust me, if you've not seen it in action, go and check out a video on YouTube, it's awesome! In the end the reviews and the weight were what ruled this out for us. With my twingey bad back if was just a bit too heavy to lift in and out of the boot.
The M&P Zoom very almost became the pram we chose. Unfortunately the lack of colour options was the reason we didn't, and I felt I was happy to spend a little more money to get the Sola2. The zoom felt sturdy, not like a budget pram, and if really is a great bargain! However the only colours available were black, yellow or pink. I'm really not a pink girl, I said I didn't want a boring black pram, and the yellow would attract those annoying little bugs again!
This review of the Sola 2 from Mamas and Papas is not sponsored or endorsed by M&P and all views and opinions are my own.
