Strollers and Prams Blog

A couple of weeks ago I attended the very first Baby and Kids Trade show event in Melbourne. There were some amazing new items coming onto the market but one of the items that particularly caught my attention was the new Sleepy Wings swaddling jacket.

My baby was desperate for a sleep at the time and I was fortunate enough to be in front of the Sleepy Wings stand.

I got a pair of wings and wrapped them over my baby’s arms. Within minutes she was sound asleep!! The best bit is that I was then able to transfer her to the pram AND then to her car seat, as the swaddling jacket does not interfere with the harness or buckling system.

Genius!

Needless to say, its now my new best friend when we are out and about and I can’t swaddle her the traditional way.

Sleepy Wings also have 2 handy dummy pouches on each ‘wing’ which are great for allowing baby to have control of their dummy.

My 3yo was in awe at her little sisters ‘butterfly wings’ and asked where she can get a set!

Keep an eye out at your nearest baby store for this awesome product.

I’ve had this baby hanging out with me and the kids for a couple of weeks now and I have got to say how impressed I am with it.

The Luxi Crown is the very first child restraint on the Australian market that will cater for a child from birth right through til 8yrs old. Just amazing – now why hasn’t anyone done this before!!!

Here is a small sneak peak of our review pics – stay tuned for the full in depth review this week.

There is something extra special about walking in the sunshine in the Autumn. I’m not sure if it’s the crackle of leaves underfoot, or how much more I appreciate the warmth of the sun on my face. But there is something amazing about being outside during this time of year.

I made the most of the opportunity to take Mr-almost-5 to the park for a play and to try to get the baby to have a nap in our latest review stroller, an absolutely divine denim 107 Bugaboo Cameleon.

What can I say about this stroller…? Love it. Just awesome!!!! So intuitive, so responsive, so comfortable and simple. Just awesome. Stay tuned for more blog-love and an in depth review of the Bugaboo Cameleon.

I have been fortunate enough to receive a sample of the newly released Maxi Cosi Elea. At present I believe it’s only been released to a handful of stores, but gosh I hope it is released everywhere. I think I might even want one for my own pram rotation!

This stroller seems to do absolutely everything I want it to, plus more! Now I must admit, at first I thought it looked a bit plastic-y – it kind of looked like it would fall apart and I was dreading using it. In fact, I almost ‘forgot it’ when I was about to take it on its maiden voyage for a day-trip into the city to the Opera House. I am super glad that I didn’t though – the Elea has really impressed me.

For a quick run-down of the stroller features – the seat can face both ways, it’s lightweight, suspension on rear wheels, puncture resistant foam tyres, adjustable handle, well sized basket that is easily accessible, comfortable lay-flat recline for sleeping, well sized hood with zip-out section, peekaboo window and lockable front wheels. Pretty standard features that generally make up a well-rounded stroller – right? The Elea just seems to really capture each of those features – clearly the designer has asked themselves ‘how can we make this feature easier to use’ and has listened to its audience.

For example – I had to pull the stroller up some of the stairs inside the Opera House. I was able to pop my baby into our sling and easily lock the wheels by pressing 2 buttons on the side of the chassis, then fold the stroller by pressing two more buttons on the side of the handle bar. I wish we had got a photo of me pulling it up the stairs – it was so easy and lightweight it really wasn’t any work at all.

Baby and I ended up having a lovely afternoon at the Opera House, she was comfortable, I was relieved, and my husband was pretty cranky because I came home and told him that I need to buy a new pram!

Keep an eye out at your local baby store for this beauty, the Maxi Cosi Elea may not be the prettiest stroller out there but its mighty fine to use.

I was fortunate enough to be given house release to attend a womens retreat in Brisbane recently (thank you dear husband!) Of course with such a young baby she was coming with me – she is far too gorgeous to leave behind anyway. Baby and I spent 4 beautiful days catching up with friends and family – never staying in the same place each night! This was pretty tough going for my little 4 month old, but fortunately Baby Kingdom came to the rescue and supplied us with the amazingly designed Phil and Teds Baby Nest.

This Nest was just perfect for our travels. It was lightweight enough (weighing at 2.5kg on my own scales) to not add too much weight to our luggage, it easily slung over my shoulder so I could push my baby in the pram, pull my suitcase and carry the nest (plus quite a bit of skill on my behalf might I add). Plus its so easy to pop up and down, I could do it with one hand whilst holding my baby. And best of all – I didn’t have to re-make her bed every.single.day. I could leave the sheets on the mattress and it would be ready to go every time I popped it up. I grabbed a couple of happy snaps of my baby catching some zzz’s in the holiday apartment I stayed in for the retreat. The walk-in-robe made a perfect dark quiet place for her to nap whilst I spent time with other women on the retreat. The Phil and Teds Baby Nest gets 5 Z’s from me!

Not only do I have the privilege and good fortune of being able to try out various strollers and prams, but we are also beginning to review car seats and baby carriers! Gosh I love my job!

So without further ado, I would like to present the latest Safe-n-Sound car seat to hit the market. Again. The newly released SNS Compaq is just gorgeous – AND it now comes in some very cool colours. I was thrilled to see the seat sent to me was purple – I think it suits my daughter well

The Compaq is super easy to install and the harness adjuster is super easy to use. Just pull the blue clip at the back of the seat to raise the harness to the right level and you’re set – never worry about twisted harnesses again!!

This seat is only 44cm wide, so you can easily and comfortably fit 3 across the back of a standard car. The shoulder markers are at amazing heights – my 116cm 5yo easily fits in the 5-point harness. Whats more, the rear facing marker is also a little higher than other seats so my 7mo has at least another year or more of rear facing safety.

Stay tuned for an indepth review on the Compaq.