Good useful pushchair (Mamas & Papas Pliko P3 Advance)

Member Name: whatanoldbag

Product:	Mamas & Papas Pliko P3 Advance
Date:	24/01/08 (307 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good price, does birth to 3, folds up easily - ish, can attach car seat

Disadvantages: Bit heavy, hard to push one handed

I bought the Pliko P3 as I like the idea of the Viaggio car seat being able to clip straight onto it, but after that stage being left with a perfectly useful umbrella folding one-hand-one-foot see your toddler right through sort of push chair.

I checked I could hold a large baby in one hand and fold up the pushchair in the other; that it would fit easily into the boot of both our cars (Toyota Avensis and Celica) and that I thought it would see us through the whole pushchair stage without having to go out and buy a cheaper more lightweight one at sixth months as so many people do.

I have now got a second child who uses it, aged one year.

The Good Things

* For a new born baby you can lie it flat, so if you have a summer baby as we did you can use it in place of a pram. This saves buying a bulky pram attachment for an extra 100 quid that you will only use for maybe 4 months.
* It does fold up more easily than most travel systems although if the swivel wheels are unlocked it doesn't compact down properly.

* They are quite stylish looking and come in a range of colours. all a bit black and grey just now mind.
* It does have a mesh shopping basket underneath. It couldn't have a rigid plastic tray and still umbrella fold so this is best you can get and it does hold a lot. Three years on and mine is starting to sag in the middle a bit.

* It is quite sturdy (aka heavy) so you can swing a bag or two of shopping off the handles without it tipping up.
* it comes with a good rainhood that keeps baby dry and you can buy nice good quality accessories to match (I have a cosytoes).

* Despite being an umbrella fold, I can gt my 3G buggy board on the back for my toddler and the frame has not warped (after a year) nor does it tip up.
*I have managed buying it, and only it, for my last two babies. Just the car seat extra.

The annoying things

* If you are on foot a lot, and don't need to be constantly folding your pushchair down, either because you have space at home to leave it up, or because you are not in your car every day with it, then a one handled (i.e. pram handled) push chair is easier. With a toddler in tow I struggle to steer it in a straight line cos you need two hands - not surprisingly - one on each handle.
* the baby faces you in the Viaggio car seat on this but is otherwise away from you- the seat does not swivel. Fine now my son is one, but a compromise when they are very young.

* it is heavy compared to other more lightweight 6m+ umbrella strollers, both to push and lift into the car boot. There is an argument for buying a full pram to start you off, and a cheapy light stroller for later.
* If you have the handles extended to their highest it is quite long when getting it into the car boot.

* It doesn't fold up properly with a cosytoes on, anything in the shopping tray or the rainhood attached, so there can be a bit of a performance when you get back to your car if you are out shopping with it.
Overall I would buy it again if I was still leading my "back to work mum living in the city, constantly in and out of my car" lifestyle I had when we started. Now I am living in a village and staying at home, only using my car twice a week, I wish I had something like the Quinny Zapp or Phil and Teds (ooh I wish I'd bought that so I could have converted it into a double buggy) with three wheels and a pram handle cos ease of folding into car boot is no longer a priority. It was when we bought it though, so I can't complain. The frame and fabric have withstood three years of daily use very well - it does score on the durability front.

© Oldbag 2008

Summary: Useful for car drivers if you only buy one pushchair, stylish