Britax Affinity review – first impressions of the pram

Gillian — Tue, 27 May 2014 12:53:50 +0000

Here’s our Britax Affinity review…We’ve been sent a new pram to review, the Britax Affinity buggy, as part of my role as a Britax Ambassador. As the Britax Affinity is suitable for use from birth, our Britax Affinity review is going to consist of us testing it in two modes – with a toddler (now) and then a newborn (in the not too distant future). A bit of pram background? We used the Bugaboo Bee – aka the ubiquitous London pram – from when Eliza was born as it was small and light, perfect for public transport and being in a top floor flat. We also have a basic Maclaren, bought to go on holiday, that we now use most of the time as it’s so light and compact. While we put it the Britax Affinity through its paces for a proper review, here are our initial impressions. Britax Affinity: assembling the pram… The Affinity came in two boxes. The main body of the pram, then the fabric set (seat cover, basket lining and so on). Our noble pram assembler, Mr C and his little assistant Miss C put it all together. Verdict? “It was easy to put up with no major problems.” I was pregnantly ‘project managing’ proceedings, and this did indeed appear to be the case. No frustrated swearing was heard during the making of this pram. Britax Affinity: first looks… We were sent the black model with Black Thunder fabric set. The seat itself is grey, but the frame and everything else is black or silver. I think it looks really good – sleek, modern and pretty sophisticated as prams go. We generally go for more neutral colours (our Bugaboo is the sand one) and this is definitely a colourway I would have chosen. Size-wise, it is bigger than our Bugaboo, especially in terms of the large back wheels and wider wheel span (but then it’s not marketed as a small, lightweight urban pram, so seems slightly mean to compare). And while it’s on the heavier side, I can still lift it – unlike the Quinny Moodd we tested – although I’m not sure I could lift it with a toddler in. Britax Affinity: first outings Again, over to Mr C, who took Eliza out in it last weekend so I could have a rest (e.g. paint my toenails in blissful silence). Here are his thoughts: It handles well, it’s a smooth push and really solid pram The brake is certainly better than on our Maclaren (not hard!) As it was sunny, the long hood and integrated sun visor were very useful A small minus point; there’s no safety strap on the handle. However. Eliza was comfortable, and liked holding on to the bar over the front. And some thoughts from me, after taking Eliza to ‘the big shops’ this weekend: The plastic window in the hood is pretty useful – you don’t have to keep peering round the front when the hood is down – and we both found it fun We struggled slightly getting round some shops as it is just that little bit bigger at the back (in particular the crowded aisles of H&M were a challenge at points) However, no problems getting on, off, or parking on the bus Lots of storage space – so great for shopping – and no chance it will topple over when you take your toddler out We’ll be posting a full Britax Affinity review in toddler mode soon. The Britax Affinity retails at around £400. We were sent the Black Thunder model for the purposes of this review. If you liked our Britax Affinity review then read our Greentom Upp review and iCandy Raspberry review

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Our Quinny Moodd review

Gillian — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 10:20:36 +0000

Are you looking to buy a pram or travel system, considering the Quinny Moodd buggy and want to read a Quinny Moodd review? Our Quinny Moodd review: We were recently invited along to meet with Quinny at The Baby Show, for a special top secret buggy review mission. We were given the new model of the Moodd to try out while we were there, and have been reviewing it for the past few weeks. So here’s what we thought (you can also read my iCandy Raspberry review, Britax Affinity review and Armadillo Flip XT review) But first, some background on us and prams: We don’t have a car at the moment, so any pram we use has to be suitable for public transport (the bus, tube, taxis, south London’s Dickensian train station network with lots of stairs and no lifts and so on) and getting in, out and around central London Our flat is up two flights of stairs, and as we don’t like to leave things downstairs overnight we need something that’s fairly portable We went for a Bugaboo (the Bee+) before Eliza was born – as it’s very small and light – and it’s been brilliant. We recently bought a Maclaren Volo to take on holiday, and have used it a lot as it’s even lighter and more portable than the Bee. Moving on to the Quinny Moodd, some first thoughts: It’s a three wheel pram with an automatic, hydraulic unfold motion Suitable from birth to 15kg, it comes with a padded ‘baby nest’ cocoon that fits on top of the seat when reclined and is secured with the straps. We haven’t used this but it looks pretty cosy From six months+ you can use the normal seat, which can be in both forward and parent facing modes and has three levels of recline Maxi Coxi carseat adaptors are included, so you don’t have to fork out extra for these – and it fits the Stage 1 Maxi Cosi carseats It comes in seven different colours (ours has a black frame and red accessories) It costs around £600 and you can buy it at most major baby-focused retailers. The price includes the baby nest, shopping basket, parasol clip, sun canopy with UV50+ protection, raincover, t-bar and car seat adapters. The good points… The Quinny Moodd is strong, stable and robust. It’s light to push and easy to steer, even one handed. The air tyres means it’s a very smooth ride Eliza loved being higher up, and the padded t-bar at the front. I suspect she likes to think she’s driving it It looks great – the frame and design is very modern, the colours are vibrant The seat is padded and slightly curved round the sides which makes for a good head rest. Eliza finds it really comfortable (and the acid test; she fell asleep in it within about 10 minutes at The Baby Show) It also reclines really smoothly and easily even when your child is asleep in it (see above) Although it doesn’t fare so well as an city / urban pram for reasons I’ll come on to shortly, it was great on longer walks, through parks and on uneven pavements and roads. I imagine it will be very useful in colder weather too …and the not so good points It’s very heavy and I really struggle to pick it up, let alone carry it up and down stairs This means it’s tough to use when you live on the top floor, as well as making public transport tricky I don’t know if I’m just used to the tiny Bugaboo, but the back wheel span on the Moodd is huge, which means it’s hard to get through narrow doors and around shops. And while it can fit on the bus, it does take up most of the space It’s still fairly large even when it’s folded down (you’d need a big car boot). And some other thoughts: It fitted in a taxi with no problems, although the driver did have to help me to lift it in and out. There’s no danger of it falling over when you go round corners (this is as issue with the lightweight Maclaren) The tyres are inflatable, making it really smooth to sit and and great to push. It comes with a pump which is stored in the basket. And speaking of, the shopping basket is wide but very shallow, and as the bar of the pram cuts across the top so it’s difficult to put any big bags in it (and loose items aren’t particularly stable). Obviously this isn’t a deal breaker, but it does make your life a lot more difficult when you’re shopping A minor safety point, but there’s no wrist strap on the handle. What’s our overall verdict? The Quinny Moodd is a really strong, robust pram. You get a lot of pram for the money and features like the automatic unfold are really unusual and clever. It’s very easy to get up, down, change the seat round and put in recline. We were really impressed with the design, look and feel and how easy to use it was. The Maxi Cosi integration is really useful, as are the free adaptors. It’s not the most practical pram for city use or our current circumstances, due to the weight and size. It would be great if you go on a lot of long walks in the countryside, and I do think we’ll use it more when we move house and don’t have to cope with stairs. But if none of these issues are a factor – e.g. if you live in a house, on the ground floor, drive a car with a big boot, don’t have to use public transport – it’s definitely one to consider, especially as it’s so comfortable for babies and mine loved it. We were given a Quinny Moodd pram for the purposes of this review. Read my disclosure policy here. Make […]

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Britax Affinity review – first impressions of the pram

Our Quinny Moodd review