Before I had Hedd I was adamant I wasn't going to have a pram. I envisaged myself walking around with my little munchkin bundled up tightly next to my body. We've all heard how great baby wearing is, but being a new mama with a disability it would have been impossible for me to sustain, especially as Hedd got bigger. I'd seen plenty of mama's trying desperately to assemble their prams in car parks over the years and it just seemed such a faff. So I needed something easy, something light, something that wasn't going to take up much room and something that was easy to manoeuvre. Also I wanted it to look good.
When it arrived, I wasn't quite sure what to do with it! It'd been a long time since I'd been anywhere near a pram. It was so compact, so stylish, not at all like I remember from when I was younger. I got it out of the box and was surprised at how easy it was to put together - click and it was done, just like that. I wheeled it around the living room and instantly loved how it moved. I soon found myself rocking it back and forth, I was 38 weeks pregnant, standing in my living room in my pjs rocking a pram backwards and forwards with a little baby grow in place of the baby - I'd definitely lost it. It all started to feel so really.
The Xplory comes as a whole package travel system. You get the base, a carrycot, pram, rain covers, mosquito net and clip on shopping bag. Not only that but you can get the carseat and isofix base to match. We would never go very far in the pram so until recently that's what we've been using, it was so much easier to clip the carseat on. But now he's getting a bit bigger he wants to see the world and he was getting a bit naggy being all scrunched up, especially in this weather.
So at the weekend we took him for a test run down the lane. I didn't want to go too far just incase Hedd screamed and hated it. But as soon as we were on the move his little eyes were everywhere. For the first time he could see what was going on and we both enjoyed having him more at my eye level. We were laughing and joking and he enjoyed every minute. After a while I could tell he was getting a little tired so I reclined the seat back, and within no time he'd nodded off. A combination of the afternoon sun and the smooth motion I think. I live in the countryside and although I don't think this pram would last a hike it did manage over some rough patches and felt safe and secure. It glides effortlessly and the front wheels have a great 360 swivel so you can pretty much get round even the tightest spaces. Mama's don't you find shop displays really close together?
The best thing for me has to be the colour coding. If something is white then it has a function. So no need to carry the instruction manual around with you - who even reads them anyway. I especially like the extendable handle. I tend to have it as high as it'll go which is great for my back so I'm not stooping over and the oval shape makes it easy to push even on bad days when I can't grip very well.
Each day I keep finding new features, like the reflective logo on the back, comfortable five point harness and the stylish shopping bag. The seat has a number of settings so Hedd can be upright when he's wide awake and fully reclined when he's tired and in need of some well earned rest - it's hard being a baby you know. You can buy a tonne of extra's and on my wish list is the parasol and cup holder. One is essential but the other just makes life a little easier.
As you can see Hedd absolutely loves his new view of the world. No tears like when he's in the car seat and he enjoys the breeze through his toes.
The Xplory gets top marks from us and we love the Stokke brand. They have some great products with innovative design. I have my eye on the Tripp Trapp highchair/chair and I don't think it'll be long before Hedd is sitting up and ready to join us at the dinner table.
Did you find it hard to chose the perfect pram? Which one did you go for? Do you have an Xplory? Let me know in the comments below.
Laurie Rose
