Question Time: Forward Facing or Parent Facing?
Stokke Xplory
As many of you know (and perhaps hate me for!), we now own a gorgeous and sublime Stokke Xplory (thanks to a competition on Stokke Lovers). One of the brilliant features of the Xplory is that you can put it either in Forward Facing or Parent Facing mode. Since Little Miss has been only in Forward Facing pushchairs since she graduated from her Graco Travel System to our Baby Jogger City Mini, I assumed that she would HATE Parent Facing mode. She’d want to see the world and see what’s coming right? Well, not so much!
On Monday, Hubby and I took Little Miss out for the afternoon in the Xplory. Little Miss had fallen asleep in the car on the way to our starting point so when I set up the Xplory, I put it in Parent Facing mode as I thought I could install her and keep her asleep. In Parent Facing mode you can recline the Xplory to a lovely, horizontal sleeping position. Little Miss had other plans though and woke up immediately. I kept her in Parent Facing mode, however and found that we had a really lovely walk. She wasn’t bothered by not seeing what was in front of her and in fact, seemed far happier facing us as we travelled. Little Miss and I went out and about yesterday and again I put her in Parent Facing mode. As it was just the two of us I found that MY walk was that much more enjoyable because I could interact with Little Miss constantly. She was talking to me a lot more and I could HEAR her because she was facing me. I could hand her snacks and her drink easily and clean her up when she needed it. I could also see when she was getting weary and could instantly recline her to make sleep a bit easier.
Now, obviously most pushchairs are Forward Facing and don’t have the luxury of switching to Parent Facing BUT what is your preference? If you have a pushchair which is both Parent and Forward Facing, which way do you use it? I was surprised that Parent Facing could be so useful for a 22 month old…it’s usually the newborns that you see in Parent Facing mode isn’t it? Would you choose a pushchair that has both options OVER a forward facing only pushchair (if budget was not a factor)? There have been articles out there in the past promoting the benefits of Parent Facing pushchairs and almost guilting parents into parent facing mode. Your child will never get their GCSE’s if they’re forward facing you know?? Stuff like that! Share your thoughts…I would love to hear your experiences!
Wee Little Miss in her Graco- Forward Facing
Little Miss Loves her Xplory
Little Miss says "YAY" about her Stokke Xplory
The Cafe Bebe household is a happy place right now…we are the proud recipients of a glorious new Stokke Xplory pushchair. Little Miss loves her Xplory pushchair. Those of you who know me, know that I have quite the collection of pushchairs at the moment. Currently, we are in possession of 7 (I think) pushchairs! It’s not that I’m going out and BUYING these pushchairs mind you. I review pushchairs for MadeForMums website and that generally means that we end up keeping the pushchair in the end. It’s been amazing being able to test all sorts of pushchairs and see what works and what doesn’t.
I’ve often thought that pushchair designers need to employ groups of mums to participate in the research and development phase of pushchair design. There are so many things about various pushchairs that are brilliant but they rarely come together to make one outstanding pushchair. I am continually amazed at the “shopping baskets” that are installed under the seats of pushchairs that you could maybe fit a folded newspaper in and not much more. Why do they bother I say? And as far as canopies go, what’s the point of having a canopy that only blocks out the sun and weather if it’s directly overhead or behind you? Part of why we chose our Baby Jogger was because of the brilliant canopy. It comes down far enough to block the sun from your child’s eyes while still allowing them to see out.
I believe that I have found the pushchair that ticks all of the boxes. The Stokke Xplory is AMAZING! I’ve admired it from afar, looked at it in stores, ooh-ed and ahh-ed over it at The Baby Show and marvelled at its versatility. There’s a funny little video of it as well…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rIHh-qykak[/youtube]
The video was created by As Clear As PR who represent Stokke. Sian To is the genius behind As Clear As and is a massive promoter of all things Stokke. Stokke Lovers ran a competition a few weeks ago where we could submit any review we had done of a Stokke product and be in the running to win a Stokke Xplory. I sent in the link for my review of Little Miss’ Stokke Tripp Trapp which is a firm favourite in our house. Then, on Thursday Stokke Lovers announced the 5 winners of the Stokke Xplorys. Guess who was one? Squee!!! As we live quite near to the lovely Sian, we took a little Saturday jaunt to her neck of the woods to collect what is now our new favourite pushchair. Sian was a lovely host and her gorgeous daughters (and fluffy doggy & TALL kitten) entertained Little Miss thoroughly. I think maybe Little Miss wants to be either Model Girl or Funny Girl when she grows up! We came home with a gorgeous new pushchair so I was quite thrilled as well!
The Stokke Xplory is a brilliant pushchair. There’s not much I can say that would be negative about it other than the price tag which is pretty high. However, the Stokke Xplory should be considered an investment piece. You will never need another pushchair again. Period. It’s lightweight, stylish, unique, colourful, versatile, easily adjustable, comfortable, highly functional, smooth and FUN! Little Miss sits up nice and tall and is sitting well supported as well. The canopy on the Stokke Xplory is perfect! It comes down just right so Little Miss can still see out yet be protected. We can put her in either forward facing or parent facing mode (she might really get cross with Parent facing at this stage of her life though) and could even push her right up to a table of any height and use the Xplory as a highchair if need be. There’s no “shopping basket” so to speak but there is a brilliant and massive bag attached to the front plate of the chassis. It can be expanded enough to store up to 4 shoe boxes (so I’m told!) so a trip to the shops should be a doddle. All of the fabric wipes clean and can be removed and thrown in the wash which is always handy with a toddler.
After arriving back home yesterday I popped Little Miss in the Xplory and went for a tool around our village. It was one of the most pleasant test drives I have ever been on. Little Miss was thoroughly happy and I was really enjoying our walk while the birds were tweeting and the sun was shining. It was our own Disney movie! Am I ridiculous to be so excited about a pushchair?? Maybe to some! I can’t wait to take the Xplory out on a big walk around Stamford and put it through its paces there. I know it will perform admirably. Check out Little Miss in front of our village church…doesn’t she look lovely?
Little Miss in front of St Andrew's church
Thank you so much to Sian, Stokke, Stokke Lovers and whatever good vibes allowed us to win the Stokke Xplory! We’re extremely grateful and Little Miss absolutely loves her Xplory.
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You Spin Me Right Round- Cosatto i-Spin
Cosatto i-Spin
How many times have you been out and about with your monstrous precious child and they choose the most inopportune moment to kick off? Have you ever wanted to encourage your child to stay IN the pushchair so you can get a bit more shopping/chatting/eating done? I’ve got the PERFECT pushchair for you then! The Cosatto i-Spin is the pushchair of your dreams. You see, it’s got built-in speakers in the hood/canopy! You can plug your mp3 player straight into the lead that’s provided and stash it in the handy pouch on the back of the pushchair. Now you can play any music you like which will make any journey that much more enjoyable! Why not load up your mp3 player with “Milkshake Rocks” or some downloaded Cbeebies tunes? Better yet, how about “Rockabye Baby” to lull your child into a peaceful sleep? There are some other brilliant features to the Cosatto i-Spin as well.
- Strengths: The Cosatto i-Spin is a very stylish, lightweight pushchair which collapses easily and fairly compactly but it still sturdy and strong so you won’t feel like you’re pushing some rickety, plastic stroller. The dual handles are very adequately padded which comes in handy for long walks. The storage basket under the pushchair is surprisingly spacious and has the added security of being enclosed by the puschair fabric. There are zips which give you access on the sides. We particularly enjoyed the adjustable leg rest and the multi-recline feature which allows you to smoothly and quietly recline your child into a virtually horizontal position. The included raincover is easy to put on as well. It’s always helpful to NOT have to wrestle with a raincover! Now, most pushchairs come with front swivel wheels which the Cosatto i-Spin has as well but do you know what? The Cosatto i-Spin has REAR swivel wheels as well! This allows you to turn on a 5 pence coin and give 4 pence change! A simple squeeze of the levers on the handles will allow you to make the rear wheels swivel and with a release, once the rear wheels are aligned front to back, they lock into their normal place. This is extremely handy when you’re in the shops or wanting to turn a tight corner.
- Weaknesses: The speakers are not Bose quality. Gee darn! But they are still a good quality for your child to be entertained and not irritated! You will have to stick your head into the canopy to check volume to ensure that it’s not too loud for your child, however. The accessory pack (including changing bag and footmuff) is a separate purchase. The Cosatto footmuffs are lovely though and well worth the separate purchase.
- Opinion: Little Miss loved sitting in the Cosatto i-Spin. We took it on a trip to London in January and while we didn’t brave the Tube on that occasion, we did a LOT of walking on the streets of London and it was a dream to drive. Little Miss fell asleep on our dash back to Kings Cross and I simply reclined her without disturbing her and put her, lock-stock-and-i-Spin onto the train home. She slept the ENTIRE way which I think was a great endorsement for the comfort factor of the Cosatto i-Spin. We would have loved to have had the Accessory Pack as the Cosatto footmuffs are brilliant but we used a universal footmuff which worked fine as well.
- Technical Stuff: The Cosatto i-Spin retails for £200 and the accessory pack is £60 but do check the internet for better deals.
If you’re looking for a chic, funky, modern pushchair with all of the conveniences you need, the Cosatto i-Spin is a great investment for you. Cosatto produces “baby stuff with personality” which is most welcome in the Baby and Toddler product world! Check out their website for more information…they make a lot of brilliant products which will brighten up any home. www.cosatto.com
Read MorePetite Star Zia
The Petite Star Zia is promoted as a best-selling, lighter-than-light, from birth stroller. I am somewhat wary of lightweight strollers and had a rather negative experience with one that I tested a while ago but I was more than pleasantly surprised with the Petite Star Zia. I received the Petite Star Zia for test and review, specifically, and decided to give it the best test possible- an airplane trip and journey around Wisconsin, USA. What better testing ground?
- STRENGTHS: The Petite Star Zia lives up to its lightweight billing (6.3kg) and is ridiculously easy to fold and unfold. When folded, the Petite Star is not much bulkier that the standard “umbrella stroller” and is very easy to carry thanks to a latch which keeps the pushchair shut in transport. The 5-point harness is very sturdy and feels quite secure and is nicely padded for the comfort of your child. Unlike the Quinny Zapp, its near twin, the Petite Star Zia’s seat does recline virtually flat which allows it to be suitable from birth to approximately 3 years. The recline feature is smooth and seamless allowing you to choose any number of recline positions. We were fortunate to have the matching footmuff to test in addition to the pushchair, raincover and shopping basket. The footmuff (£35.22) is one of the plushest available with a glorious fleece liner and matching fabric outer which allows it to be weather proof. The Petite Star Zia, although lightweight, does not feel flimsy or rickety and the ride is quite smooth and seems very comfortable for Little Miss. The Petite Star Zia has new autumnal colours (Pink Fizz, Cardinal Red and Purple Berry) which makes the pushchair look slightly classier and different from the rest of the Petite Star Zia’s out there. This pushchair is a popular one, for sure. If you’re looking for unique and to make a statement, the Autumnal Colours will help with that.
- WEAKNESSES: The shopping basket is small but it really could not be much bigger considering the size of the stroller itself. The brake feels a bit plasticky and whilst I had no problems with it holding properly, it doesn’t seem as sturdy as other pushchair brakes. The canopy is somewhat ineffective unless the sun is directly above and behind you. It doesn’t come down very far to protect your child from the elements.
- OPINION: I was very impressed with the Petite Star Zia and pleasantly surprised. It travelled to America and back surprisingly well and was a big hit with American observers. The footmuff is one of the nicest ones I have seen and makes the Petite Star Zia quite a plush and comfortable choice. Little Miss seemed very comfortable and happy in the Petite Star Zia which was the final seal of approval on this model.
- TECHNICAL STUFF: Weight- 6.3kg; Dimensions- 72 x 60 x 107cm unfolded, 72 x 36 x 34cm folded; Handle height- 101cm; Colours- Pink Fizz, Cardinal Red, Purple Berry (Autumnal range); Accessories included- shopping basket, raincover; Optional Accessories- Cosy Toes (£35.22), Transit Bag (£14.99); RRP = £125
- RATING: 4.5 out of 5
Petite Star website- www.petitestar.com
Babies R Us website
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About Me
Welcome to Cafe Bebe...a tale of the adventures of two parents who found each other across an ocean, learned how to parent thanks to a toddler called Ella and a bebe called Sam while maintaining their sanity...just. Subscribe Here!
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Kiddicare
Kiddicare is now the leading privately owned baby shop in the UK. Established in 1974 in Peterborough Kiddicare have been able to uphold a high level of customer service and deliver discounted nursery supplies with confidence.
Kiddicare have over 100 different prams to choose from, which are suitable for newborn through to toddlers. For more information read our pram reviews.
Kiddicare stock a range of highchairs which are suitable to use at home or when travelling. For more information read our highchair reviews.
Child car seats is a very important purchase for any parent. Kiddicare stocks a vast range of car seats for all age groups to ensure your child is secure in your vehicle. For more information read our child car seat reviews.
Kiddicare have over 250 different pushchairs to choose from, which are comfortable and easy to set up. For more information read our pushchair reviews.
Kiddicare has an extensive product range of Maclaren pushchairs, car seats and accessories which are suitable for all age ranges. For more information read our Maclaren reviews.
Kiddicare has an extensive product range of Maxi Cosi car seats, pushchairs and accessories which are suitable for all age ranges. For more information read our Maxi Cosi reviews.
