My Trendy Baby Carriage (Mamas & Papas Pliko P3 Advance)

Member Name: suzyo

Product:	Mamas & Papas Pliko P3 Advance
Date:	08/05/06 (1460 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Attractive, compact when folded, easy to steer, comfy, practical .

Disadvantages: Expensive, basket too flimsy .

This is one of several buggies I have had, so there will probably be more reviews to follow.

About Mamas & Papas:
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The company was founded by David & Luisa Scacchetti, just over 25 years ago. According to their website, they are one of the UK's leading retailers in the nursery industry with products ranging from nursery interiors, travel systems, kitchen and bathroom equipment to toys, baby and maternity wear.

In my opinion, they are overall a high quality nursery product provider, with excellent customer service, but unfortunately highly overpriced.

The P3, in summary:
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The P3, classified as a "pushchair" by Mamas & Papas (M&P), is suitable from birth to toddler, having a four position backrest, and single handed recline and 3 position legrest. For safety, it has a 5 point safety harness, and "gate" style opening bumper bar. The frame is aluminium, making it lightweight and corrosion resistant, and it has independant suspension and a secondary locking device.

Looks:
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This buggy is very modern looking, and comes in a variety of fabrics, which are frequently updated by M&P, and either a charcoal (grey) or black frame. It has nice chunky wheels, which, as well as looking good, are better for slightly rough ground.

Comfort:
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I can only go by how my daughter looks in this, as I am WAY too big to test this buggy for myself.

It has a seat which is padded, both where her bum goes and at the back, and also has padded wings (at the side of the head area). My daughter has fallen asleep in this many times, and with a little smile on her face, I have to say she does look incredibly content and comfy. This also helps, due to the fact it has 4 seat positions, ranging from sitting upright, to completely flat (hence being suitable for newborns).

Opening and closing:
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To open this buggy, you simply hold the handles, hook your fingers under the "triggers", and squeeze upwards, whilst giving the buggy a gentle shake. (You may need to push down on the seat to make sure the locks have engaged). You then press down with your foot on the lever plate (or foot plate) at the back of the buggy, and it is ready for use. Very simple, once you've done it once or twice.

To close, you first have to engage the brakes. Then pull up one trigger on the handle until it locks, and the same with the other. Next pull up on the handle in the centre of the back rest, and continue to pull until it is fully closed - you will just need to check that the locking catches on the sides of the handle are engaged. This is called telescopic folding, and is even easier than opening the buggy.

Reclining the seat:
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This is very simple - you just locate the recline catch, and lift it upwards. You then pull back until the seat is in the position you require. Let go, and it will click into place. To sit upright again, just pull on the catch whilst pushing the seat back upwards again. The good thing about this, is you can do it with one hand, and whilst baby is asleep in the buggy!

Hood, bumper bar and wheels:
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This buggy has a huge hood, which can be very easily opened and closed, and what I like about it is rather than buying an expensive sun canopy, you can pull it down to shade baby from the sun. It is also water resistant for those moments when you get caught out, and don't always need to get the raincover out.

The bumper bar can be opened by pressing upwards on the button which is under the hinge. There is one at both sides which means you can take it off completely if required.

The wheels are made of a hard rubber with a good tread, and can be fixed or swivel. Swivel wheels are good for shopping, and lots of turning, fixed wheels are good on rougher terrain, so the buggy doesn't shoot off in all directions.

Accesories:
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The buggy comes with a raincover, which is very easy to fit.

You can also get a cosy footmuff in matching fabric, these are £30 to £50 from Mamas & Papas. Matching changing bags are around £45, sheepskin liners are £60 (!!!), suncanopies £30 and parasols £15. You can even get a toy steering wheel to clip on for £20.

If you look on Ebay, you will find loads of other bits for sale, such as cup holders, and playtrays. You can end up spending an absolute fortune on these things.

You can also make the buggy into a travel system by adding the Primo Viaggio car seat, which is very handy, or you can buy them together as a travel system in one package. The car seat alone is £130, so it would probably be a slightly cheaper option to buy together as a travel system.

Cost:
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From £200 to £250, depending on colour/spec from M&P.

My verdict:
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I have to say of all the buggies I have had, this has been one of my favourites. It is very easy to operate, and quite compact when folded, if a little tall. It fits snugly in the boot of my old Polo, with room for some shopping.

It is very stylish, and does get lots of admiring glances, and is very comfortable looking. I find it excellent for shopping, as it turns very easily and is quite narrow, so fits through doorways well. It is also good for general out and about walking, due to having decent enough suspension, and the wheels can be fixed if desired. Also, the handles are height adjustable (having 2 positions), so good for the tall and small alike, and very comfortable, being at a slight angle.

The only thing I don't really like about this is the price. I really do thing you pay for the name as an added extra with M&P, although they are high quality products.

The above said, I did not buy mine new, (nor would I for any buggy for that matter), and you can get many a good bargain on Ebay for around £100.

Overall, I really do recommend this buggy, for comfort, style and practicality.

Summary: An excellent all rounder, suitable from birth to toddler, worth it if you can afford.