Maxi Cosi Mura - The Sun Canopy Saga!

Regular readers will know how much I love my Maxi Cosi Mura. I have a 2010 Tango Red model which has done many miles off road travelling down muddy pathways, through dense forests, as well as trekking round the shops and negotiating small spaces with ease that is at odds with the sheer size of it. I used it with the Mura carrycot when The Boy was first born, then when he was six months old I packed up the carrycot and he started using the seat unit. The footmuff was brilliant from the time he was six months old right up until he was seventeen months old (and he’s tall) so it is a worthwhile investment if you’re going to be using the pushchair a lot in colder weather – we do a lot of walking regardless of the weather, so it was important to me that the pushchair I chose was going to be good in all weather, which brings me onto the issue I have right now with my beloved Mura.

It has a lovely big sun canopy, and a third panel which counts as the additional sun visor brings the canopy on the Mura right over the top of the child to the point where they can’t see directly ahead if they’re sitting upright. I find the additional sun visor helpful when The Boy is asleep, as it means I can completely shade him over and he sleeps well, but the problem with the sun visor is that because it blocks his view, if he’s awake, The Boy fiddles with it, and pushes it back out of the way. The sun canopy itself is clipped into place on either side of the Mura seat unit with two plastic brackets, and just above each bracket is a curve of plastic coming out of the Mura sun canopy fabric. On the 2010 model Mura, you have to ‘open’ both these locking mechanisms by pushing them out, away from the seat unit, and at the same time bring the sun canopy forward, because as soon as you let go of either latch it reverts into the ‘locked’ position. It’s a tricky process and there’s definitely a knack to doing it! But when the seat unit was in the parent facing position, it was just a little niggle and not something major.

One day The Hubby took The Boy out while I was at work, and when I returned that evening he said to me he’d had some trouble with the hood of the pushchair. The lock on one side of the sun canopy had got stuck, the canopy open, when they were out and he was trying to fold the canopy back to the closed position so that he could get The Boy out of the pushchair. He’d fiddled for ages with it trying to get it to work, until finally it popped off the side of the seat unit. He tried to get it back on, and couldn’t – upon closer inspection we found the bracket had bent out of shape, so it no longer would clamp into position where it should. It was also still in the locked out position on one side, and wouldn’t unlock.

Fortunately for us, we were still under warranty (12 month fabric warranty) at this point so a replacement was ordered. In the meantime, I did manage to bend the bracket back into a make-do that worked while we waited. When the replacement arrived, I checked it over and it was all OK, but as I’d managed to get the original back to something that did the job I decided not to put the replacement on immediately. After all, if it had happened once it could happen again!

Three months later, it happened again, and the original sun canopy popped off the seat unit again, the bracket once more bent out of shape. This time both sides got stuck, and both brackets were damaged, so we threw that sun canopy and put the replacement one on.

I had The Boy in the Mura parent facing up until very recently, because when we go walking I can get caught up in my surroundings and forget that someone else is there with me if I’m not looking at him, and I was conscious that if he was world facing it would be harder for him to hear me, he couldn’t see my facial expressions and be able to communicate back, and I wouldn’t be able to see if he fell asleep (or was ready to). Eventually I had to bite the bullet, as the footrest on the Mura is fixed to the chassis at the front, rather than being attached to the seat unit like it is for many other models. As The Boy got older, he had nowhere to rest his feet, so he’d hook them up and over the chassis handlebar sides or else he’d put them on the back wheels, causing us to come to a very abrupt standstill! I put the seat world facing a while ago and he seems happy with it – he hasn’t fallen asleep world facing yet, though he was becoming less likely to fall asleep while in the pushchair anyway – he’s just too nosy right now!

The immediate problem I found was that as soon as the seat was world facing, the locking mechanism to open and close the sun canopy was in line with the chassis handlebar sides. It was physically impossible for me to fit my hands in the gap, unlock the sun canopy mechanism and open or close it. Instead, I have to recline the seat back, to ‘reveal’ the locking mechanism, sort out the sun canopy and then put the seat back into the position The Boy wants to be in – normally as upright as possible! But because of how low the sun canopy comes, and the fact that it locks in position, you can’t do that and then get The Boy into the seat – you have to get him in the seat first – so then you recline it back and he’s fussing and flapping and worrying that you’re going to try and walk around with him lying back, which he really isn’t keen on doing anymore. Then once you’ve fussed with the hood and you put the seat unit back up again, you realise that the top of the hood is actually resting on The Boy’s head.

He is a tall child for his age – he’s around 88cm I think, but he won’t stand still long enough at the moment for anyone to check, I’m going by clothes sizes! However, he is still only nineteen months old, and the Mura is advertised as suitable for up to around three and a half years old (15kg) 

We went out yesterday on a fantastic walk – we left the house by noon and we walked for four hours in gorgeous sunshine (both of us coated in sun cream, him with hat, both of us with sunglasses and the sun canopy was up/out on the pushchair. We had a marvellous time and when we got home, I went to close the sun canopy and found the left side locking mechanism was sticking. I reclined the seat to access it, causing The Boy to become quite annoyed and start to flap around, but despite my efforts I couldn’t unlock it properly on the left side and it eventually popped the bracket off the seat unit fixing. Both brackets were bent out of shape, and there was no way of getting it back onto the seat unit as damaged as it was.

Fortunately for me, loads of other people have encountered this problem with the 2010 model as well, so a new design was brought out in 2011, then a further new design for 2012. I now have a 2012 style sun canopy which fits onto the rounded part of the seat unit (near the top) with plastic clamps, the fabric is ‘pinned down’ the side using elastic loops. It has a much better mechanism where you don’t have to mess about unlocking things to move the sun canopy, it’s just a standard push and pull to open and shut style sun canopy! As this design sits higher on the seat unit, it provides The Boy with much more head room so once again the Mura looks like it will be able to contain The Boy for much longer yet (it was starting to look silly because his head touched the inside of the old sun canopy). The section at the back now has a plastic catch to hook it in place and hold it there so you can’t over-pull the sun canopy and have it pop off the back of the seat unit, like it used to with the old one. It’s made such a difference to me, as silly as it sounds, because I no longer have to fuss about opening and closing the sun canopy every time we go in and out of shops, its much easier to live with than the old one and I’m happy that The Boy is more comfortable too because he has that extra bit of head room! It hasn’t compromised coverage at all, though I do find that if you recline the seat the hood stops protecting much, so I would definitely recommend a parasol for naps on sunny days, or a carrycot attachment for younger babies to keep them cool and shaded.

If you have a 2010 Maxi Cosi Mura and your sun canopy is broken due to the lock/unlock gets stuck and the brackets bend, I recommend you return to your retailer with proof of purchase and the damaged sun canopy so they can contact Maxi Cosi for a replacement sun canopy. I couldn’t get the 2012 style in Tango Red (the colour of my Mura) but I got it in Total Black instead and it looks fine (the Intense Red colour is too bright against the Tango Red seat fabric) My situation was resolved promptly and without fuss, and The Boy and I are thrilled to be able to report that we went for a lovely long walk this morning and thoroughly tested the sun canopy and found it performed very well!

Ice & Easy with the Maxi Cosi Mura 3

Some of you will know from reading my previous blog entry about the Maxi Cosi Mura that I have taken it out and about in snow before and have been enthusiastic at the way it copes with the weather that brings the rest of the UK to a standstill. With this recent snowfall, I decided to write again about how it handled, not because I want to tell you all the same things again, but because I believe a pushchair can handle very differently depending on the age and weight of the child using it, and as The Boy was very young and in the carrycot addition for our previous snowy adventure, this time it would be different.

Obviously The Boy is heavier now than he was previously – the maximum weight for the carrycot addition is 9kg, but you must also stop using it when the child is able to sit up unassisted, or when they become too big for the carrycot, whichever comes first. While I was disappointed that our Moses basket wasn’t big enough to accommodate him by the time he reached four months old, the Mura carrycot remained a useful addition to the travel system and I was able to continue using that until he was almost six months old. Now at eighteen months old, The Boy weighs in at 12.5kg (26.6 lbs) Due to his height (now approx 88cm) he grew too long to comfortably use the Mura footmuff last month (he was 17 months old) which was disappointing as it is such a useful, cosy footmuff, however we have cobbled together some pram blankets to use on the Mura seat unit instead to keep him cosy while we’re out.

I still have The Boy parent facing on the whole. It does mean that the seat unit doesn’t sit in the absolute upright position it would if I transferred him to world facing, but I’m in no hurry to do that and he is still quite content to ride along as he is. I like parent facing as I can see if he’s falling asleep and recline the seat to make him more comfortable: I can see if the sun is in his eyes and adjust the sun canopy accordingly, and most importantly (to me) we can make eye contact and have a chat while we’re walking along. I hate it when I see people out with babies – often younger than The Boy – in forward facing buggies, they’ve got the sun in their eyes or they’ve fallen asleep sitting upright and don’t look comfortable, and the parent is marching along behind them oblivious to their comfort, ignoring them completely (usually chatting on a mobile phone but that’s another story!) As we walk, I identify things to The Boy that he can see, in an effort to help him with his vocabulary.

Yesterday afternoon we needed to make a trip to the local shop for a few bits – nothing major, though a proper shop is needed as we weren’t taking the car we decided to get only the necessities as we would be carrying them home. It isn’t a long walk from the shop back home, but not one I wanted to make loaded down with a weeks worth of shopping, with the pushchair to control and the snow to consider. We wrapped ourselves up warmly, The Boy included, and set off with the Mura.

The front path from our garden gate to the front step was virgin snow as we hadn’t ventured out since the snowfall, and it was a good four to five inches deep. As such, the Mura did struggle slightly to get going – the wheels are large size (12”) and air filled, so once it got going it was fine, though heavy to push due to the resistance. We made it down the path, and once we reached the road it was easier going as people had driven on it, so while it was still snowy it was more compacted and not as deep. The Boy gazed around in wonder as we bounced down the road over the mounds of snow and he kept pointing at everything and saying “Ooo”. For a child of his age, the fact that everything was covered in this sparkly white substance must be weird, and the bouncing motion of the pushchair gave the impression it was him bouncing in the seat rather than the pushchair itself bouncing, so we started singing as we walked and this made him laugh and enjoy it all the more.

Once we reached the main pathways heading into the town centre we found some issues with the grimy snow that had been pushed to the curbside by drivers on their way through, as it had become that hard, compact, icy substance which provided an additional step to negotiate with the pushchair, which wasn’t easy. Though I usually adore the three chunky wheels of the Mura 3, this was one occasion where I did think that the Mura 4 would have coped better, for the laws of physics are more on your side. I had to be very careful maneuvering the Mura around the roadsides as it would have toppled very easily due to the way you had to keep pushing against resistance. Usually with the Mura I don’t need to rock it onto the back wheels to get it up curbs unless they are particularly high – the front wheel bounces up without hassle and the back wheels follow merrily – but as I was needing to try and rock it onto the back wheels to lift the front over the compacted snow roadside it did make it slower going than normal and I did feel quite vulnerable as I tried to get it up the curb after crossing the road, so you’re standing in the road battling with it. Luckily though there weren’t many drivers out so we weren’t holding up any traffic, and those that were out seemed to be the nice sort of people who didn’t mind waiting a moment for a lady with a pushchair to get out of the road!

In town, as expected, the roads and pathways were fairly clear, and we headed straight to the shop. We had some trouble negotiating the curbsides again immediately outside the shop, but we managed it after a couple of attempts and learned that there was a way of handling the snow drifts with the Mura and if you remembered to do it carefully and take your time it would be fine. We went round the shop and gathered what we needed, and were complimented by the lady at the checkout that we’d made it out with the pushchair in the snow! On the route home we took a detour over the bridge so we could feed the ducks on the river as we passed through. The bridge hadn’t been cleared but had obviously been used as the snow wasn’t particularly deep and had again compacted to that brown icy substance. It was fine getting the Mura up and over the bridge, and once at the centre section I applied the brake so we could stop and feed the ducks, and was pleasantly surprised that even in these conditions the brake held the Mura solidly. Coming down the bridge on the other side was a bit slippery but the combined weight of the chunky Mura with The Boy in it was enough to stop it running away from me, and we were soon on the return journey home.

Coming back up the garden path was awkward, as the only places the snow was disturbed was where we’d walked out, and I did end up pulling the Mura up the path backwards. I know that’s not recommended (it’s a pushchair, not a pull-chair!) but as the Mura back wheels are joined by an axle the wheels didn’t splay out and as I don’t make a habit of dragging it along backwards I didn’t feel that it would have any long term impact on the chassis. (You know those times in shops when you find yourself squeezed into a small space and you have to pull the buggy backwards to get out of it? I’m one of those smug people that doesn’t have that problem, because despite the size of the Mura it has an excellent turning circle and it isn’t a problem to spin it round and push it out of the smallest of spaces).

We got back into the warm house, locked the door and let The Boy out of the Mura and he was quite happy. He thoroughly enjoyed his adventure and I must say that the Mura impressed me with how well it coped, as I’d been thinking due to the additional weight in it in comparison to last time I went out in snow, we’d get bogged down and stuck, but we didn’t. I believe it would have been even easier with a Mura 4 as one downfall of the double front wheel unit on the Mura 3 was that snow filled in between the wheels and every now and then we had to stop and get rid of that snow. In addition to that, as I said previously, the Mura 4 may not have had the same tipping issues when getting it off the pavement onto the road, but that isn’t something I normally find an issue with on an everyday basis, I’m thinking it is do to with the way it was sliding on the snow as we were attempting to get off pavements.

The bringing home of the shopping would have been made easier if the Mura basket was larger and capable of holding a half decent load, but we had the raincover folded up in it as well as the leftover stale bread for the ducks and The Boy’s beaker, and this took up most of the space. In addition to that I didn’t feel comfortable putting shopping in the basket as it was likely to get covered in snow and ice from the journey home again. I did buy a set of bag clips recently which hook onto the chassis and allow you to put shopping on them but they’re not recommended by Maxi Cosi due to the additional stress they put on the chassis, and the fact that you can easily overload the pushchair and the additional weight on the handlebar can make it easier to tip. As The Hubby was with us for our snowy adventure he carried the shopping home!

I wish the Mura footmuff was that bit bigger and I could still use it for The Boy, as he isn’t walking very often yet when we’re out and I’m conscious of him becoming too cold, especially in weather like this, when we’re out for any length of time and he’s sitting in the pushchair. The Quinny footmuff, which I use on my Zapp and Zapp Xtra, is much bigger and still comfortable for him (it’s also less hassle to get him in and out due to a much simpler, more straightforward design) however I can’t use that footmuff on the Mura without removing the T-bar as there is no way the Quinny footmuff can accommodate the T-bar, and The Boy loves to hold the T-bar (he pretends its motorbike handles and makes ‘vroom’ noises as we go) and he has one of those toys that wraps around the T-bar to keep him entertained. After viewing the new Quinny Moodd recently with the footmuff on there which is designed to be used with the T-bar I am sorely tempted to get one! Though the T-bar doesn’t come all the way through the Moodd footmuff, it stays inside the footmuff, so I’m not sure if that would irritate The Boy or not. Maybe it would encourage him to keep his hands inside the footmuff – and therefore warmer! – because maybe he’d want to hold the T-bar while we travel, as he does at the moment with the Mura T-bar.

I do love the Maxi Cosi Mura and I’m very pleased that we chose it as our main travel system for The Boy, but as time goes on I do find things that could do with improvement! I don’t find them major issues, but it depends on what you want from your pushchair, so here’s my list of what could be changed to make the Mura even better!

1 – The seat unit should be able to sit completely upright when in parent facing position. The same ‘parent’ company (Dorel) have just achieved this in the new Quinny Moodd, so I think the existing products from their brands should be re-examined and the same seating position offered whether parent facing or world facing. I know a few mums and dads who say that they want to talk to their child but the child doesn’t like having to be slightly reclined when parent facing.

2 – The shopping basket should be made into a more basic cube design. At the moment it has a sloping bottom and a low section at the back which does make it easier to slide things in the basket, but also makes it easier for things to slide out! A deeper basket (like the one on the Maxi Cosi Mila) would offer a much more practical solution.

3 – The Maxi Cosi Elea comes with a baby nest for newborns and you can get a footmuff for children from about 6 months old. I think the Mura package should be the same – a snugly baby nest for newborns as an additional item to the footmuff would allow them to make the footmuff larger to accommodate an older child and yet you’d still be able to use the Mura from birth because you’d use the baby nest and your newborn wouldn’t be getting lost in a great big footmuff.

4 – The sun canopy is too low – at 18 months old I appreciate The Boy is above average height, however the sun canopy is literally about a centimetre above the top of his head which makes it awkward to adjust, as if you pull it forward when he’s in the seat you’re pushing his hair or hat over his eyes, and if you push it backwards you’re pulling his hair or hat off the back of his head. I understand that as mine is a 2010 model Mura it has a different sun canopy style to the 2011 and the 2012, however since I’ve not seen either of those in real life I’m unable to comment on whether the sun canopy is any further away from the seat unit. If there was a way of being able to attach the sun canopy further up the chassis it would eliminate the problem by providing the additional space required. It’s a disappointing let down, as the seat unit itself is large enough to accommodate a child way beyond the recommended 3.5yrs old (15kg max weight) and the chassis is sturdy enough to cope with a lot of abuse, but due to that sun canopy positioning I think The Boy will be too tall to use the Mura with the sun canopy beyond his second birthday. Obviously I can remove the sun canopy if I choose to, however without it in place there is no protection from the sun and also there is nothing there for the raincover to go on so that seems quite pointless to me!

5 – I understand that the Mura 4 was discontinued in the UK as it wasn’t a popular enough model and simply didn’t sell well. I think the company should alter the style of the chassis so it is more similar to the Quinny Buzz and Quinny Moodd in the way that you can remove the front wheel unit and replace it, giving Mura owners the option of 3 or 4 wheels. I would definitely have a four wheel front wheel unit for the sake of making life easier in snow, even though it isn’t required particularly often, I think the difference it would make for the times you do need it would make it worthwhile. In addition to this I don’t feel that the Maxi Cosi Mura is promoted enough and not enough people are aware of this amazing pushchair/travel system option. It isn’t sold in most shops, it seems to be an online purchase only, and my argument would be that you wouldn’t spend that much money on a travel system without ever being able to see it or play with it prior to making your purchase. Even if there is only a display model available in some stores and if you decide you want one you have to buy online I think that would improve the sales of the Mura as it really is a brilliant pushchair and once you’ve seen it and played with it many people are surprised at how much it offers and how well it handles, despite the chunky size and heavy weight.

After our excursion yesterday I flopped into the sofa exhausted – it’s a good workout pushing a Mura (containing an 18 month old) through the snow let me tell you! It handled it well, and while there were aspects that were difficult I know for a fact my Zapp/Zapp Xtra wouldn’t have even made it down the garden path and while we were out we saw many people with many other makes and models of pushchair who were really struggling, which says to me that my problems were minor compared to some.

My rating for the Maxi Cosi Mura remains a solid four and a half out of five, because the issues with it even in snow are so minor, they don’t really taint the Mura love that much for me.

Product Review: The Maxi Cosi Mila

What? The Maxi Cosi Mila

Where? All authorised Maxi Cosi retailers

How Much? RRP £200

I’ve said a couple of times in previous entries how much my mother in law hated the Quinny Zapp. She couldn’t get on with it at all, and every time we went to visit she would go on for a good half hour about why she hated it so much. I took the hint, and sought out a pushchair that ticked her boxes.

One thing she was fond of saying was that the fold/unfold was very complicated (for those of you who’ve never played with a Zapp before, it’s a very straightforward pressing of buttons 1, 2 and 3 whether folding or unfolding). I think her main problem was that it didn’t fold/unfold the way she expected it to – i.e. umbrella stroller style. She wanted something that reclined (she didn’t get on with the Xtra seat unit, either) and she wanted a four wheeler instead of the three.

The Maxi Cosi Mila seemed to tick the boxes, so like a dutiful daughter in law trying to appease the other woman in The Hubby’s life, I went off and brought one. Prior to purchasing, I was dreaming of a gorgeous colour – the Bleached Denim looked promising, but I was disappointed when I saw it in the flesh to find the chassis was quite a purple colour and the fabrics themselves more lilac than blue as well, and the overall look was very feminine. I then admired the Intense Red, til I remembered a conversation previously with the mother in law when she’d mentioned that another factor of the Rebel Red Zapp that she didn’t like was how ‘garishly bright’ the colour was, and after all this purchase was to please her. I eyed the Steel Grey, but decided against it as I knew she would only complain that the fabric was too pale and a nightmare to keep clean (she’s the sort of person who will bleach the sink on a daily basis to keep it bright white and who cleans and organises her kitchen cupboards every month to make sure they look nice and presentable when you look in them) The Dahlia Pink was out of the question for The Boy, so that left me with the Total Black. I picked up the box, paid my money, and off I went.

The Maxi Cosi Mila is designed for use from birth, with a fully lie-flat seat position for younger babies. It has a very nice compact fold (with the standard umbrella fold technique which makes it a one-handed fold, which is handy) It also has a storage lock which clicks on when it’s folded and ensures it won’t come unfolded while you’re carrying it. The Mila has rear suspension for a ‘smooth’ ride (more on that later!) and comes complete with a matching footmuff for chilly weather, adaptors for the Maxi Cosi Group 0+ carseats, raincover, shopping basket and sun canopy.

I wasn’t about to hand over this purchase without having a play with it myself, so I popped open the box upon my arrival home and unpacked it. The Mila comes pretty much assembled and ready to go – all you have to do is click the wheels into the chassis and it is very straightforward to do, and takes about 30 seconds. Once it’s unfolded and locked into position I found it didn’t feel particularly sturdy – but then I’m used to the Mura, the mother of all buggies as far as sturdiness goes – so I put the flimsy feel of the Mila down to the fact that it was simply a lighter weight pushchair and so was bound to feel a little less solid. The basket is a lovely large size, with space for plenty of shopping, and it is a decent shape too, with high sides so your shopping won’t fall out, and the base of it feels fairly solid so there’s no risk of it sagging down and dragging on the floor. The front wheels swivel, or if you prefer you can lock them with a little grey button located on the front of each wheel – not as convenient as some designs, as you have to bend down to the wheels to lock them, but once locked they are firmly in place and I decided this would please my mother in law no end.

To take the Mila for a test run, I loaded The Boy into it and stuffed the nappy bag into the basket. The weather was cool and drizzly, so I added the footmuff before putting The Boy into it and found that despite his age (he was 10 months old at the time) he almost reached the end of the footmuff. I know he is tall for his age, but surely the footmuff should be able to accommodate a child of up to at least 18 months old? There is a clever little design addition on the footmuff on the inside – a layer of plastic around the bottom end of the footmuff, so that if your LO has been walking around and has dirty shoes on, the plastic will protect the inside of the footmuff from becoming filthy, enabling you to wipe clean when you get home – but due to the small size of the footmuff I can’t see many children capable of walking around still being able to fit into it. Snug and cosy in the footmuff and with the raincover in the basket along with the nappy bag ready for the next drizzle that was sure to happen while we were out, we set off. I straight away didn’t like the fact that The Boy wasn’t facing me, but it’s the same with the Quinny Zapp and he seems to quite enjoy having a good nose about, so I tried not to dwell on that point. (After all, at no point did Maxi Cosi advertise a parent-facing option for this model).

Our town is what I’d describe as pretty average as far as bumps in the pavements, cracks in the roads, there’s some crossings with those knobbly style paving slabs up to the dropped curb edge and a section of cobbles at the front of a particularly old pub, it’s mostly fairly flat but there are some gentle slopes here and there, and usually in the Mura, The Boy is perfectly contented and comfortable as the Mura glides effortlessly over all the imperfections. The Mila, however, despite the claim of ‘rear suspension for a smooth ride’ really wasn’t offering a smooth ride. The Boy was wobbled and jolted, jiggled and bounced along as I struggled with the smallest of bumps (those paving slabs at the crossing were a nightmare) and at every tiny crack or uneven patch or curb I had to do the old stop-and-tip-backwards technique, which is something I’m not too familiar with, being used to the Mura which you can plough toward anything and it will bump up or down with minimum effort. I found it quite scary crossing the main roads, as I was still in the road putting the pushchair onto the back wheels and trying to get up the curb when a vehicle whizzed by behind me so closely at times I thought they were trying to pick my pocket! Mid-way through our maiden voyage, the rain started spitting so I pulled into the shelter of a shop front with a large porch and put on the raincover. Being brand new it was stiff and awkward, but no more than usual, and it fitted the seat well. However I was disappointed to find that the moment we stepped out of the shelter of the shop front, it flapped about a fair bit in the wind and to be honest I was quite concerned I was going to loose it – and it wasn’t a particularly windy day, certainly not compared to what I’ve witnessed in our time living around here! (For instance, a few weeks back the wind was so strong that it knocked over an ancient wall surrounding a local churchyard) We continued on our journey and reached our destination – I had letters to post, and the only post box in town I trust to be collected on time is the one on the front wall of the post office itself. As this is on a slight slope I took care to angle the Mila so that it couldn’t simply roll away down the slope, and I applied the brake before putting the letters in the post box. (Keeping one hand on the pushchair at all times, obviously, as per the user manual of not leaving the pushchair ‘unattended’)

A friend came out of the post office and we had a quick chat until The Boy became verbal so I bid her goodbye and we set off. I’d got a good few paces down the road when I realised I hadn’t released the brakes – yet the Mila was moving easily. I pressed the pedal to dis-engage the brakes and pushed forward, and while it was easier it certainly hadn’t been difficult to do with the brakes in the ‘engaged’ position. I stood there for a while, engaging the brakes and seeing whether there was something I’d missed, whether perhaps I hadn’t done it properly or if there was something I’d done wrong, but as far as I could tell the brakes really were that lazy.

The rain stopped and the sun broke through the clouds, so I removed the raincover and put it back in the basket but left the sun canopy down to shield The Boy from the brightest of the sunshine. It’s a good size sun canopy and provided good protection – until The Boy realised he could get his hand out between the seat fabric and the sun canopy and was pulling at the fabric, waving at passers by and undoing the Velcro fastenings that join the sun canopy to the seat fabric!

On the way home, The Boy went very quiet and when I checked he’d fallen asleep, so I decided to try and recline the Mila to see how well that worked. The Mila has a very simple recline, a bungee cord on the back with a plastic toggle, so in the upright position the toggle is pulled as tightly as it can be on the bungee cord and to recline you gradually move the toggle down the bungee cord. I loosened it off and lowered it back, and it was easy to do but I’m not convinced that the toggle is strong enough for a much heavier child – for instance, up to the 15kg that the pushchair is meant to be able to cope with. We bumped and jiggled and bounced and wiggled our way home again and I must say I was so pleased to get home and be finished with my test run of the Mila. I was thoroughly unimpressed that this pushchair is RRP £200 yet I could have got the same quality with a cheap, £20 stroller. While I may not have got the footmuff and the raincover I don’t think they’ve been particularly well designed or made anyway so I wouldn’t like to guess how long they might last. I also noticed that despite the fact our journey had only been a short one – a couple of miles worth of walking around town – the wheels were already looking quite battered and worn.

To get the Mila back into the house, I either needed someone else to help me lift it up the two steps and over the lip of the front door, or I needed to pull in backwards. With my Mura, this is no problem – while the movement bounces The Boy a fair bit he does generally stay asleep if he’s already asleep, and the Mura can take a fair bit of rough handling and pulling backwards without complaint. The Mila is a different story – When we went out, my mum had picked up the front and I’d lifted the back to get it out of the door, and as we’d done so the footrest (where she grabbed hold of it) started to fold onto her finger, despite the fact the pushchair was fully locked out into position, and gave her a black ‘pinch’ mark where it had caught her skin. On the way back in, she decided she’d rather not risk that again and was trying to figure out how else she could grab it, so I said to her that I’d do it alone as I wouldn’t always have someone to help me anyway, and I wanted to see how well it would cope with the fairly simple task of getting into the front door. Upon pulling it backward just a short distance the rear wheels splayed out noticeably and when bumping up the steps and over the lip of the door it jolted quite a lot. While Maxi Cosi may say this pushchair is suitable from birth I would certainly not use it for a newborn or young baby for the jolt factor alone – after all, we’ve all been told how dangerous ‘shaken baby’ syndrome can be! And even if you used a carseat on the chassis, surely this kind of jolting could damage the carseat with the same type of hairline fractures they warn against if you drop or bang the carseat?

Once we had got The Boy out I removed the wheels and gave them a clean and hung out the raincover to make sure it was dry before packing the Mila back up into the box ready to go to the mother in laws house. I can’t say I was particularly sorry to see it go, either – I really didn’t rate this pushchair at all. Why would you pay so much money for something that performs the same as a much cheaper product? I was bitterly disappointed, but still I took it round to the mother in law the next time we visited.

She was thrilled. She got it out of the box, attached the wheels without worry and unfolded it with a single, simple movement. She loved the fact that it is a four wheeler, and she particularly likes it with the front wheels in the locked position (even though I really can’t get on with it like that!) She loves that she can load the shopping basket with daily essentials if she has to go to the village shop when she’s looking after The Boy, and she loves how easy the footmuff is to operate (she didn’t like the Quinny footmuff and for the life of me I can’t work out why she thinks the Maxi Cosi Mila footmuff is any different!) She also prefers the Total Black as it’s a nice, understated, non-attention-seeking colour and as my sister in law was pregnant at the time of the purchase she decided it was just as well to have black as it was neutral (as it turned out, my sister in law had a son too, so it wouldn’t have mattered if we got a particularly ‘boyish’ colour, not that there was one available in my opinion) For the 2012 collection I have seen the Checker Blue option which is a much nicer blue than the Bleached Denim and has a silver chassis instead of them trying to match it to the fabrics and not quite making it, and it looks much better. The mother in law also praised the nice large sun canopy (even though The Boy sticks his hands out the gap!) and the comfortable hand grips (more angled than the Zapp, but still hard plastic and, as far as I’m concerned, no more comfortable than the Zapp handles).  She hasn’t stopped complimenting it since we brought it, and she’s more than happy to take The Boy out by herself, with her dog in rain or shine now she has a buggy she’s happy with. (And yes, she does remove the wheels after each use to clean them!)

I don’t like the Mila: But she adores it – I guess it just goes to show that everyone’s different. The only trouble is now when we go round there if we all go out together I don’t like using her Mila so I end up taking my Zapp anyway which kind of negates half the point of her having a buggy at her house!

The Quinny Zapp Xtra

It probably sounds a bit mad to some people, but I didn’t like using my Quinny Zapp Limited Edition Black chassis with the Zapp Xtra seat unit on, as the Zapp Xtra seat unit framework is silver (to match the standard Zapp chassis) and I thought it looked odd to have the seat frame silver on an all black chassis. For this reason, my Zapp Xtra seat unit was relegated to the cupboard under the stairs for a while.

Meanwhile, my mother in law, who looks after The Boy sometimes, wasn’t getting on with the Quinny Zapp that I’d got to keep at her house. She didn’t get on with the way it folded and unfolded: She said the seat was ‘too upright’ and made The Boy look like he was going to slip out of it (even though he was always harnessed in when he was in it) and that between the harness and the style of the seat fabric The Boy looked like he was ‘dangling’ and uncomfortable. She didn’t get along with the fact that it’s a three wheeler (because she felt like it was going to tip to one side when she went up and down curbs) and she didn’t feel that it was particularly ‘solid’ if she left The Boy in it when he fell asleep while they were out and she wanted to ‘park’ him indoors and leave him to sleep (even though I kept telling her she shouldn’t do that anyway). She didn’t like it on ‘swivel’ front wheel option because she said it was “like an out of control supermarket trolley” but she didn’t like it locked because it is a three wheeler and it was then difficult to steer. Anyway she went on and on relentlessly about all the reasons she found to hate the £155 pushchair that I’d got to keep at her house, so I took it back again. (I ended up purchasing her a Maxi Cosi Mila, which she loves, more on that at a later point). So now I had a Zapp that was surplus to requirements as well as the Zapp Xtra seat unit.

The Zapp I’d got for my mother in law was a standard silver chassis with Rebel Red fabrics, so the silver chassis matched the seat frame of the Zapp Xtra seat unit and gave me an idea. I took the standard Zapp fabrics off the chassis and put the recline adaptors in place and then took the whole thing to my parents holiday home at the coast the next time we went to visit them there for the day. Folded down, the Zapp chassis fits nicely under one of the sofas and the seat unit stands in the wardrobe in the spare bedroom. Now I’ve got a pushchair there that can be used when we’re there or when my parents take The Boy there for a day or overnight which saves space in the car when you’re making the journey as you don’t need to worry about taking a pushchair, and I’ve freed up the space under my stairs again. My mum likes the Zapp (now she’s figured out the fold and unfold method!) she loves that with the Zapp Xtra seat unit she can have The Boy in ‘grandparent facing’ mode and she loves that she can recline it so easily. I got a Rebel Red Zapp footmuff (to go with the standard fabrics that were on it in the first place) which contrast with the Rocking Black Zapp Xtra seat unit and now even on the chilliest of days The Boy is snug and cosy in the pushchair when his nanny takes him for a cliff top walk after lunch! I also have a Rebel Red parasol and parasol clip for my own Zapp, which I keep in the boot of my car, so if we’re over there and it’s sunny I can use that on the Zapp Xtra as well.

In addition to this, when The Boy and I went to stay with my parents a few weeks ago, they took the Zapp Xtra back to their house from the holiday home for us to use – again it saved space in my car and meant I didn’t have to take a pushchair, but there was one there for us to use and it was compact enough that I stuck it in the boot of my car and it didn’t take up all the room available. I only used it once – when we went to visit a friend and couldn’t park anywhere near their house, so I had to park in a back street quite a distance away and walk to their house – but The Boy was snug and cosy in the footmuff and comfortable in the Zapp Xtra as we trotted about five or ten minutes to their house. I could have managed with him in my arms – just about, he’s quite a weight and a real wriggler – but it was more convenient to have him in the pushchair. Plus when we got to their house after playing for a while and wanting to settle down for a nap, I put The Boy into the Zapp Xtra and he dozed off and had a ten minute cat nap before we went back to the car to go back to my parents house.

For use like this, the Zapp Xtra comes into its own; lightweight, small sized and easy to manoeuvre, it is the ideal urban buggy for getting around. It’s rubbish on rough terrain (at the holiday home, mum goes for walks on the grass and its very bumpy, though that’s generally the point at which The Boy falls asleep I wouldn’t be happy with a young baby being in the Zapp Xtra on that kind of terrain) but it’s smart, nippy and practical for stowing in the car boot and popping into the shops or out to a friends house. I wouldn’t use it for long distance walking just for the fact that it doesn’t seem very comfortable for that – the handlebars are hard plastic which makes my hands hurt after a while, and for LO there isn’t any suspension and the wheels are solid so it’s a fairly rough ride. The addition of the footmuff on the seat unit makes it look a lot more comfy – whether this is imaginary or not – because you can take the front off the Quinny footmuff and leave a cosy, fleece liner on the seat it gives it a softer, more comfortable look. The only downfall of this product is the fact that by adding the Xtra seat unit and providing recline and parent facing options, Quinny have negated the point of the chassis being so small, compact and lightweight – the Xtra seat unit flattens down but doesn’t fold, so as well as the chassis you’ve now got a seat unit to carry around with you. The seat unit doesn’t fit in the travel bag, only the chassis will, so while the chassis can go into the travel bag and is suitable to put in an overhead storage compartment on an aircraft, in a coach or on the train, with the Xtra seat unit as well that isn’t going to be possible. Having said that I’m unsure whether they could develop any way of folding down the seat unit so that it does collapse into something more manageable for travel purposes.

I do like the Quinny Zapp Xtra, but let me put it this way, if it was my only pushchair I wouldn’t be impressed; as my ‘holiday’ pushchair (or at least, the pushchair at the holiday home) it is ideal. My faithful car boot companion will remain to be the standard Quinny Zapp as it does fold up so well and I don’t have a separate seat unit to worry about, and for my long walks, shopping in town, meanders through the countryside and day trips to the beach, you can’t beat the Maxi Cosi Mura 3. Lucky for me that I didn’t have to pick just one!

Product Review - Pushchair Footmuffs

When The Boy was born it was the middle of summer, but I still chose to get the footmuffs available for the Maxi Cosi Mura and the Quinny Zapp as I realised that the colours I had (Tango Red for the Mura and Rebel Red for the Zapp) may be discontinued in the next collection and obtaining a footmuff to match might not be very easy. I got them and squirreled them away for future use.

Last winter, if we went out in the car and used the Zapp chassis it was with the Maxi Cosi CabrioFix carseat, for which I also had the matching Tango Red footmuff. The Boy was always lovely and warm in the footmuff, though I must say sometimes a little too warm – you have to be very careful not to roast them in the footmuff in the car as it is very generously padded and even in snow and freezing conditions, The Boy was plenty warm enough wearing just ‘indoor’ clothes inside the footmuff, he certainly didn’t need a hat or jumper or jacket or anything additional.  (On another note, I recently found out that you shouldn’t leave kids in too much winter padded clothing in the carseat anyway, not just because of overheating but because it means the carseat harness can’t be pulled as tightly as it should and in the event of an accident it leaves them too much movement before the harness stops them) Once I even drove in particularly chilly conditions with him in the carseat footmuff wearing only a vest and sleepsuit and when we got home he was as toasty as anything! If we went out with the Mura last winter he was in the carrycot so we didn’t need to worry about a footmuff then, either, as he was bundled up with blankets or a snowsuit to keep him cosy.

This year though, he’s travelling by car in the Opal which means we have to take him out at each destination and put him into the Zapp, or else if we’re out with the Mura he’s in the regular seat unit for it, and since he doesn’t keep blankets on very well I was glad I’d invested in both style footmuffs for when the weather turned. While it’s sunshine and blue skies again today, a couple of weeks ago was particularly chilly in this neck of the woods, so I got out the footmuffs to fit them.

First of all was the Mura footmuff. It’s not one specific for the Mura, it can be used with any of the Maxi Cosi pushchairs, and it’s very cute, featuring two legs that can be poppered together or left for the child to wave about as desired; The top part is a wrap-around style with Velcro fastening and if, like my son, your child wants their arms free there is a little zip either side you can undo and poke their arms through. In addition the footmuff has a hood, and while the outside is water resistant nylon the inside is beautiful soft fleece lined. It’s fiddly to fit and it took me about ten minutes to get it right and get the harness adjusted properly once it was in place (it took a bit of length out of the existing harness length so I had to adjust it to secure The Boy in properly) but since the harness had been on minimum and he’s now 13 months old there’s still loads more harness left so this wasn’t an issue at all. The RRP for the Maxi Cosi footmuff is £50 so it isn’t exactly cheap but it’s a generous size with different holes to match up with the holes on the Mura seat as you put the harness up to the next level so I think it will last a while and it provides a very cosy and warm environment for LO to snuggle down in. You can undo both leg sections with independent zips that start at the bottom and come up and out over the leg to the hip, so you can even use it when they’re a bit long for it and just have the zip undone and their feet coming out the bottom! The waistband of the leg section is elasticated and undoes/does up quickly and easily with a little plastic toggle on both sides and as the legs are separate it isn’t any trouble to use the footmuff on the Mura with the T bar still in place (The Boy loves the T bar because he holds it like motorbike handlebars and makes motorbike noises as we’re walking!) The only issue I have with it is the fact that once it’s on, you won’t want to keep fussing about taking it off/putting it back on again etc, so now the nicer weather seems to have returned as much as I don’t want to mess about with it again it really is too warm to put The Boy in for going out which is a bit of a pain.  It isn’t the type of thing you’d be able to do in a hurry, one handed while you grapple with the child with the other hand, so it’s not like you could leave it in the basket or in your nappy bag and pop it on while you’re out should the need arise, and it doesn’t come apart to leave a liner that you could just put the front onto at short notice, so this is a bit of a drawback. However once the winter really sets in and it’s left on there all the time The Boy is going to be lovely and cosy while we’re out (even if I’m not!)



Maxi Cosi footmuff Tango Red (Fits all Maxi Cosi pushchairs)



The Quinny footmuff is another story. A very long sleeping bag style footmuff, again water resistant outer shell with soft fleece lining, it’s absolutely huge and will easily accommodate a much older child than The Boy so you’ll definitely get your moneys worth out of it – RRP is £55 so again not a cheap purchase, but definitely worthwhile. It’s much more straight forward to get on and off the standard Zapp fabric, and with the Zapp Xtra seat it’s just as straight forward. While the style of the Quinny footmuff is more basic and it does mean that The Boy can’t get his hands out if it’s done all the way up, it does mean that his hands and arms are less likely to get chilly and I’ve found I can put his favourite cuddly toy in the footmuff with him anyway and he’s quite happy playing with that and nosing about. Similarly to the Maxi Cosi footmuff, the Quinny one has the harness for the pushchair coming into it to secure it in place and then secure in LO before you do it up and you’re off. The additional feature I love about the Quinny footmuff is the fact that you can remove the front section, leaving the rest of it as a fleecy liner for the pushchair if the additional warmth is not needed, and the front of the footmuff is small enough to be rolled up and put in the Zapp shopping basket in case you need to add it on while you’re out, which is a bonus. This means that I can leave the Quinny footmuff in place on the Zapp regardless of what the weather is like, as I can just add or remove the front of the footmuff as required. The only issue I have noticed with this one is if you use it on a Zapp Xtra. The Xtra seat unit has three different height settings for the shoulder harness straps, and the Quinny footmuff only has two – therefore if you’re using the Zapp Xtra with a young baby who needs the harness height at the lowest, you’re not matching up the holes with the lowest holes on the footmuff. This will then make the footmuff wrinkle right where baby will be sitting/lying and doesn’t seem very comfortable for them. I’m not sure whether this is something Quinny are intending on changing for the 2012 collection but it is something that other customers have also flagged to them on their Facebook page, so I know they’re aware and looking into it.

Quinny footmuff on Quinny Zapp Xtra Rebel Red

Quinny footmuff (for Zapp/Zapp Xtra/Buzz and Speedi)

All in all I am very impressed with the quality of the footmuffs and the size of them – I can see The Boy using them comfortably for some time and he is very tall for his age already – the additions of drawstring around the hood section on both footmuffs to keep chilly wind out of delicate ears is brilliant, and it’s a much better idea to use a footmuff rather than a blanket for The Boy as we’d be forever stopping to pick up the blankets, so I am a very happy mummy with my purchases!

Product Review: Maxi Cosi CabrioFix & Maxi Cosi EasyBase 2. Car Travel With Baby Made Easy!

What? Maxi Cosi CabrioFix (Group 0+) and Maxi Cosi EasyBase 2 (seatbelt fitted)

How much? Maxi Cosi CabrioFix RRP £125: Maxi Cosi EasyBase 2 RRP £90

Where? Available from all authorised Maxi Cosi retailers

As I mentioned before, my carseat of choice was the Maxi Cosi CabrioFix (Tango Red) to be used with the Maxi Cosi EasyBase 2 since my little car doesn't have IsoFix points.

Maxi Cosi CabrioFix Tango Red (2010)



Along with the carseat I was lucky enough to be able to get the matching footmuff (RRP £40) the raincover (RRP £12) and Ecru summer cover (RRP £20).

As my due date approached, Hubby went out to my little car with the EasyBase 2 and within ten minutes he was back again having successfully fitted it into the car using the three point seatbelt and positioned it, at my direction, behind the passenger seat. It did mean moving the front passenger seat forward slightly, but then Hubby always used to have it pushed as far back as possible, so he was still comfortable enough with the change. He again marvelled at how easy it had been to install, though he insisted I went to the car and confirmed he had fitted it correctly! Indeed he had; again without instructions and with no previous experience of the EasyBase 2. (Always check though - did you know a staggering 80% of carseats fitted with a seatbelt are fitted incorrectly, and in the event of an impact it’s as useful as a chocolate teapot if it isn't fitted properly!)

Wow. How easy it made things - after watching parents struggling with babies and carseats and seatbelts before I had The Boy, it was one of the aspects of having a baby I really wasn't looking forward to (aside from the actual labour, obviously!), but the base made all the difference. Once the base is fitted in the car, it’s just a case of 'clicking' the carseat in and out - and the Maxi Cosi Pebble can also be fitted with an EasyBase 2 as well, in case your car doesn't have IsoFix or if the IsoFix connections are not approved. (Always check your vehicle before you buy a base or carseat that uses IsoFix, go to the carseat fitting list to check it's suitable before you part with your cash) Being able to remove the CabrioFix so easily meant I could get The Boy all set before we left the house, in his carseat & harnessed safely, then walk to the car carrying him in it and clicking the seat into the base in one simple movement before we set off. There are no additional belts to do up once the base is fitted; You just click the carseat onto the base and an indicator window either side of the base will change from red to green when the seat is correctly in place - lovely and simple, as well as reassuring that it’s done properly. As the Mura comes with the adaptors you need to use it with the CabrioFix or Pebble carseat, I could also have taken the Mura chassis in the boot when I went out and popped the carseat onto it when we reached our destination, but I didn't (I have a Quinny Zapp for my car boot, which I'll write more about later!)

As the cold winter came, I started using the CabrioFix with the matching footmuff - the footmuff sits in the carseat and the harness comes through it, so you don't have to mess about trying to get baby into the footmuff and then into the carseat, you set it all up, pop the baby in and do up the harness, then zip up the footmuff and you're ready to go. Again, its simplicity and it’s so handy - but one word of warning, the footmuff is so good that you need to be careful baby doesn't get too toasty! Remember when you're in the car on a cold day nine times out of ten you'll have the heating on - in the back of the car, baby in a footmuff is like you driving along wrapped in a thick duvet, so keep that in mind and don't let baby get too hot. Whenever I went out with The Boy using his footmuff, I kept what he wore simply to what he'd been wearing indoors - a vest and a sleepsuit most of the time - as additional clothing would have just been too much.

The Boy was four months old when I removed the lumbar support from the CabrioFix - this little wedge shaped piece of foam comes out of an envelope of fabric at the tail end of the headhugger in the carseat, so it can be removed before the headhugger, which was necessary in our case as The Boy is so long. The lumbar support provides a newborn baby with a more lie-flat position for travelling, as well as valuable cushioning around the vulnerable lumbar region when they are very little. When he was five months old, I moved the harness up from the lower down hole to the higher up hole to provide him with more space, but still left the headhugger in the carseat to provide him with optimum protection. The handy thing with this carseat is that you have both sets of holes in the headhugger too, so moving the harness up doesn't mean you have to stop using the headhugger, and if necessary you can put the harness through the top holes of the carseat and the bottom holes of the headhugger to get even more use out of it. Remember the spine and neck of a young baby is even more vulnerable than an adult, and it’s imperative that they're properly protected in case of an impact. It’s for this very reason that rear facing carseats are safest for such young children.

The Boy was seven months old before I removed the headhugger altogether; By that age he was sitting up well, had good neck and spinal strength, and I was satisfied that as he was still rear facing, in the event of an accident he'd be strong enough not to be killed or seriously injured by the impact. Considering that the guidelines estimate a child will be about 6 months old when the headhugger is removed, and most parents remove it up to three months before that, I can only think that some parents simply don't think of the consequences if there were to be an accident with the child so unprotected. The most common reason for removing the headhugger is that the baby looks squashed; Baby came out of a much smaller space, and if you hadn't noticed they tend to curl up anyway in a position that seems uncomfortable to you and me, but they're absolutely fine and comfortable. (They'd soon holler if they weren't comfy, let’s face it!)

I stopped using the footmuff when the weather was warm enough for me to drive without the heating on; If The Boy was wearing a jacket he was fine. With the early heatwave of this year though I did find that he started getting too hot, even just dressed in a sleepsuit, as the fabric of the carseat is a manmade fibre mix and the fire resistant coating unfortunately gives it a bit of a plastic feel, so it does get pretty sweaty in there, especially as The Boy was getting bigger. I started using the summer cover, and found it helped greatly, so its well worth getting one if you find your baby or child gets too hot in the carseat. The summer cover is 100% brushed cotton (like a towelling nappy) so its breathable and it pops on over the carseat easily; Even though I had the Ecru colour (which is cream to you and me!) I thought I'd have issues with it getting grubby, which it didn't, too badly (but then The Boy doesn't eat in his carseat) but a couple of times I did remove it and stick it through the washing machine (maximum 3o degrees, delicate cycle) and pegged it out to dry on the line. It was dry really quickly, so it was never an issue.

Maxi Cosi CabrioFix with Ecru summer cover

The CabrioFix carseat is suitable for use up until baby reaches 13kg, and as I said previously its safest for baby to continue to travel rear facing for as long as possible. However, The Boy is a tall and broad little man, and even before he reached 13kg he was too big for the seat. A guideline is that the harness should be no more than an inch above or below the level of the shoulders, and at 9 months old the harness was more than an inch below his shoulders, so I had to find an alternative. Realising that keeping him rear facing for as long as possible is the safest option, I decided to go for a Maxi Cosi Opal, which is a cross-over Group 0+ and Group 1 carseat - until he reaches 13kg he remains rear facing, once he reaches that weight the seat goes forward facing.

So now the Maxi Cosi CabrioFix and the EasyBase 2 are all packed away safely for use again for The Boy's siblings, if and when they arrive. Another thing worth mentioning is that its not recommended you store items like that in the loft or garage; Due to the nature of the plastics and polystyrenes that make these items perform as you would expect in the event of an impact, storing them in an area where they are subjected to serious temperature change such as a loft or garage can accelerate the ageing process of them, and even if they're re-used within the five year lifetime there is a risk that in the event of an accident they won't protect the occupant as they should. And that’s another interesting point: Did you realise that carseats and carseat bases should be replaced once they reach five years old? This is due to the natural degradation of the materials used to make them - as with any plastic based item it can become brittle and could get hairline fractures which could then cause it to shatter in the event of an accident. Even if you only used the product for 12 months and packed it away for use, if it isn't used by the time it reaches five years old it should be safely broken down and discarded so it can't be used. It’s recommended that the harness is cut out, that the fabrics are stripped, the polystyrenes broken down and this will leave you with the basic plastic shell. You should then contact your local recycling centre to see which components they can recycle and what should be thrown in the normal rubbish.

I give the CabrioFix and EasyBase 2 a four out of five - to only be improved upon by the development of fabrics which make little one less sweaty!

Product Review - Maxi Cosi Mura 3

When I first discovered I was pregnant, I started thinking about which travel system best suited my needs. Hubby & I do a fair bit of walking - mostly around town, but also through the local forests & I realised that with a baby we'd also be including parks and zoos and other places we'd not ventured to before. Therefore, I was in a dilemma; I needed something that was as practical in town as it was over rough terrain: I wanted something that felt sturdy and secure for my newborn & I needed something that was suitable for myself (5ft 6ins) and Hubby (6ft 1ins) to use.

My decision was a fairly straightforward one, for me. It was a decision between getting a Quinny Speedi SX or a Maxi Cosi Mura 3. In the end, I went for the Mura 3 due to personal preference on the appearance of it overall. I opted for a Maxi Cosi CabrioFix carseat, though the Maxi Cosi Pebble is also compatible, again a personal preference. Since my little car doesn't have IsoFix points, but I knew having a base would make life so much easier, I included a Maxi Cosi EasyBase 2 into the equation, and to complete my travel system I decided upon the Mura carrycot to match. I chose everything in Tango Red, as it's more interesting than plain black and gender neutral (We didn't find out whether we were having a boy or a girl).

Maxi Cosi Mura 3 with Mura carrycot in Tango Red (2010)

As soon as I received the travel system, I took it home where Hubby set it all up. I literally sat on the sofa and him being a man didn't look at the instructions once, but successfully set it up and had a play with it before declaring that it was "Quite nice, really" (He'd trusted my judgement entirely) I love the Mura 3 chassis with the carrycot for a newborn baby and I wanted chance for our dogs to get used to it being around (they've always both been a bit dubious of bicycles, skateboards and prams/pushchairs).

I can see an obvious downside to this travel system package already - the cost. At RRP £335 for the Mura 3, £145 for the Mura carrycot, £125 for the CabrioFix and £90 for the EasyBase 2 it isn't something that everyone would be able to afford, and for that reason I do understand why the Mura isn't as popular in the UK as I believe it deserves to be. In addition to this, there's hardly any retailers you can go and view a Mura before you part with your cash; And at that price, quite frankly, you'd have to be mad to buy it without seeing it and testing it first. But I'm fortunate enough to have been able to have a proper look at it and to be able to ask questions of expert demonstrators about it, as well as having the opportunity to 'play' with it and see how I felt about it before I committed to getting one.

After The Boy was born, it was a matter of days before we gave the Mura a test drive; Only in the back garden, as I was in no fit state to go any further, but it provided a lovely secure environment for our precious bundle as the rest of us enjoyed the sunshine, he slept peacefully in the carrycot with the hood up. When he got grizzly in the early days despite being clean, dry & fed, Hubby would pop him in the carrycot and take him for a spin around the garden which soon chilled him out. Hubby was impressed with the fact that, thanks to the extendable handlebar, he could easily move the Mura about without bending over it, and given that he was moving it around a garden with two excitable dogs running around as well, he was also impressed that it was such an easy unit to move, contradicting the sheer size and sturdy look of it.

Once I was back on my feet again, we took to taking walks into town with The Boy in the Mura carrycot, snuggled up and protected from the elements when it was chilly yet cool and shaded from the sunshine when it appeared. Thanks to the air filled tyres and brilliant suspension on the Mura, potholes, cobblestones and curbs provided no problem as we glided about with ease: The only troubles we had was negotiating some shops, as they seem to try and cram so much in a tiny space and we'd get in the door (no problem) to find there was no clear pathway around the shop that we could negotiate. I have commented to several shop staff that surely if my Mura can't manage the layout of the store then certainly no double/tandem buggy would be able to, nor would a wheelchair - and I was under the impression that this was something retailers had to ensure was possible. Likewise, there are a couple of stores in town with steps to the front step - one with a step as you actually go through the door - which makes getting in and out of them awkward, but I think you'd find that with any buggy, not just the Mura, and again it would be impossible with a wheelchair which is surely discrimination of a sort?

When The Boy was four months old, I travelled back Down South to stay with my parents for a few days, and here the Mura was really put through its paces. Our visit was only going to be for a long weekend, and then it snowed heavily, and we were stuck. My little car certainly wasn't going to make it to the end of the road, never mind doing the 100 mile trip back home, nor did I want to attempt that with The Boy - what if we broke down, or crashed? - So we stayed there, and needless to say I had to find a way of entertaining my four month old. We went for walks - yes, walks - in the snow. It took a while, it certainly got my blood pumping (what a brilliant workout!) but the Mura soldiered on and found no problem with negotiating snow drifts that at times covered the wheels. Yes, every now and then I had to stop and kick the snow out of the double front wheel where it compacted in and made steering difficult, but on the whole the Mura, which I loved anyway, was even more adored by me. Meanwhile, as I was trogging along in the snow, I saw numerous other people struggling with their pushchairs, some had even opted to walk with baby in their arms (I couldn't bring myself to do that - what if I slipped over?) The Boy remained cosy (you get a gorgeous fleece blanket with the carrycot) and dry thanks to the lovely big PVC which covers the entire Mura carrycot and has a little flap on the front, so every now and then I could undo the flap and say hello and make sure he was quite happy - and every time, he was. Even though in the snow what should have been a 15 minute walk was almost an hour, we got there safely and he was warm, dry and content, and our friends were very impressed we'd made it to them at all!!

At home, we left the Mura set up with the carrycot in our front room and wheeled it back and forth into the dining room and kitchen as we needed to. It provided somewhere for The Boy to sleep downstairs, high enough that he was out of the way of the dogs. Now before you all shout at me, I am well aware that according to the instructions you should never leave baby unattended in the Mura, and the definition of unattended means removal of your hands from the pushbar. However, while I did break the rules there, I would like to point out that at no time did we leave The Boy alone in a room in the Mura, nor did we allow him to sleep in it overnight (this isn't suitable as theres no ventilation in the mattress & base of the carrycot). And despite our dogs rushing about there was no time when the Mura even showed the slightest hint it was going to topple. A bonus to it being such a bulky beast is that it is very stable despite being a 3 wheel model, and to be honest I've not found a situation yet where I was even concerned it was going to topple.

The Mura carrycot is suitable for a child up to 9kg or until they can sit upright, which is around about six months for the average child. However The Boy is tall and broad and by five months old while he was still below 9kg and wasn't sitting up, he was literally filling the carrycot, top to bottom, side to side (he grew out of his Moses basket at three months old so I knew the Mura carrycot wouldn't last much longer once that happened). It was a sad day when I removed the Mura carrycot and packed it away in anticipation of any siblings The Boy may get in the future, but I was excited as I unpacked the Mura standard seat unit and set that up on the chassis.

The Mura seat unit isn't to everyones tastes, I'm well aware of that, but I love it. It's broad and padded, with an adjustable footrest and three recline positions, and instead of the standard bumper bar at the front of the child it has a funky looking T-bar. When The Boy first went into the seat unit there was no point in using the T-bar: He was still to little to be doing anything other than being reclined back and sleeping as we travelled. As he's got older though, he's developed a passion for gripping the T-bar and twisting on the foamy bits as if he's on some sort of moped!

Mura 3 Tango Red (2010) Parent Facing mode

This is where a bit of a minus point comes into it for me :( Which is a shame, because I do love praising my Mura, I think it's a wonderful product but with the seat unit on in parent facing mode its very difficult to access the lovely large shopping basket. When using the chassis with the Mura carrycot I could put loads of stuff in the basket without worrying; with the seat unit on in parent facing mode it becomes more difficult as you have to try and wedge things in at funny angles so that you can a) get them in and out and b) so you don't knock the big red button underneath the seat unit which is the seat removal button. If you knock that and unlock it the next bump you go over or tip the chassis to go up a curb your seat unit is going to slide out of place, which isn't good for anyone involved! Also while the sides of the triangle shaped basket are quite high, the back is quite low; I expect this is due to ease of being able to get things into the basket, but it does mean that it makes it more easy for things to slide out again, especially again when you're negotiating going up curbs.

The sun canopy on the Mura 3 has been changed from the 2009 style to the 2010 style that I have, and has been changed again in the 2011 style, I believe due to the fact that like me a lot of people found the 2010 style a bit awkward: You've got two black clips either side of the sun canopy and you have to splay them out to unlock them and at the same time bring the sun canopy forward. Well, I don't know about many other mums out there but despite rumours to the contrary I only have one pair of hands and so keeping two clips unlocked at the same time as pulling the sun canopy forward requires some additional help, which isn't always practical. I've developed a knack of standing to the side of the Mura, unlocking the clips and holding them in each hand while I use my forearm to knock the sun canopy forward far enough to that I can let go of one clip and lock out the sun canopy without forcing the mechanism, which once broken will require a full sun canopy replacement as they're not an item which can be repaired. Once the sun canopy is out though, its a lovely large size providing plenty of shade and has an additional flap on the front for those days when the sun is bright and low down or baby is in recline position - Now The Boy is 10 months old he has a habit of playing with that bit though so it does become a bit useless!

A lot of people look at the Mura and think it isn't suitable for them because its so heavy and bulky - it is heavier than many similar items available, but to me that equals sturdiness, a good solid unit that I'm not afraid will topple over or break or become easily damaged; Its a beast and it provides my baby with a comfortable and safe place to be while we're out and about. Also, despite the size of it, I can fit it in my little car (A 10 year old VW Polo) I have to remove the seat unit and the wheels, put the chassis and the wheels in first and the seat unit last but it still all fits in my boot with The Boy's changing bag. Also despite its size it is very manageable and easy to push - my best friend, who isn't a mum and hasn't any experience with pushchairs etc - always says to me that she expects the Mura to be heavier and more cumbersome than it is.

On a lovely warm day in April, the Hubby and I drove to the local forest with The Boy in his carseat and the Mura in the boot, and we took a lovely long walk (five miles) around one of the trails. For the first time ever we used the Mura seat unit in the world facing mode so that The Boy could see the lovely area we were walking around in, and the Mura did brilliantly well yet again; It bounced merrily over the largest of bumps and found no problem at all crossing a small stream of water, passing over layers of mud, moss, grass, twigs and other forest-type bracken. I passed control of the Mura onto the Hubby so that I could concentrate on taking photos, and when we got back to the car he was full of praise for it yet again, complimenting it on how well it had coped with the off road experience that a lesser pushchair would have struggled with, or not coped at all.

Last week, Hubby went to the local dental surgery to pick up registration cards for us both: He was looking after The Boy on his own. He arrived at the address to find a doorway leading to a square area with a steep staircase rising up ahead of him. For patients who had difficulty with steps there is a stair lift for use, but there is no help for parents with pushchairs :( This left Hubby to bump the Mura up the stairs backwards (NOT recommended!!) in order to get to the small reception area at the top. Coming down again he faced another problem, as the angle of the stairs would have meant The Boy was virtually dangling, but luckily another patient arrived as he was contemplating what to do, and this other person was nice enough to grab the front of the Mura chassis and help the Hubby carry it all downstairs. While I blame the dentists surgery for being thoughtless in not planning for this, it does go to show that sometimes less is more when it comes to a buggy, and while I adore my Mura it would have been easier to cope with this situation had Hubby been with The Boy in a smaller, lighter unit. It just remains to be seen how on earth I cope with going to the dentist with The Boy, as there is no way I'll be able to get him & a pushchair up such a long, steep staircase, so I may be left in the doorway phoning the surgery on my mobile and asking them to send someone down to give me a hand!!

As if on cue The Boy is now singing at me through the baby monitor, and I can think of no more to say about the Mura other than I adore it, and if ever anyone were to ask me if I'd recommend it I would have no doubt or hesitation in telling them a massive YES!! Its a fabulous, tough, sturdy unit and if you can stretch to the cost, it is well worth the extra pennies.

Maxi Cosi Mura 3 Tango Red (2010) World Facing Mode