And in lighter, more materialistic news ...
We bought a pushchair! This feels like a HUGE step.
After much time spent in the “Baby and Kid Crap” thread of a web forum I belong to, and way too many YouTube instructional videos, and a confusing shortlist, and a trip with the MIL to John Lewis to play with the floor samples, we went for the City Mini. In alluring teal!
1. Insanely simple to assemble and adjust. I put it together in five minutes, and the seat goes up and down with a drawstring, rather than a series of annoying plastic clips.
2. Very good value for money. It’s £270, compared to many others of similar quality that are easily twice that.
3. The three-wheeled system is easily manoeuvrable, which is great for urban dwellers like us - we’ll be in shops, on public transport, etc. It also only needs one foot to brake, and one hand to steer - so you can get out your Oyster, or your keys, or your phone, and still be able to push.
4. Very lightweight. Only 7kg, compared to many others that are 11kg or 12kg.
5. The hood goes very far down, so the kid is protected from glare even in twilight, and there are two clear plastic flaps in the hood so you can look down and check on the kid.
6. It folds up one-handed, with one movement. This is great for if we’re on buses and need to make room for a wheelchair, and also for airport travel. This last one is especially true for us - my family lives in the States, so we’ll be travelling to see them as often as we can, and my husband has epilepsy, which means sometimes he needs a wheelchair in an airport if he’s having balance issues or tremors. Anything that makes this easier for us is a godsend.
7. The seat reclines all the way, so the baby can lie flat and it can be used from birth.
1. It comes with NO accessories - the assistant at Mothercare told us it came with the raincover included, but that turned out not to be the case. Anything else, like the newborn pod, an attachment for a carseat, etc. - you have to buy separately. This still works out cheaper than many other similar pushchairs, but makes a bit of extra hassle.
2. The seat doesn’t turn around to face you. There’s a mesh panel in the back, so you can see the baby if the seat’s reclined flat, and there are the plastic flaps in the hood, but that’s not the same. You can buy a carseat attachment and have the baby facing you in a bucket seat, but again, that’s extra purchases and extra work.
