Fantastic travel system by Silver Cross (Silver Cross Linear Freeway)

Member Name: mummy2harry

Product:	Silver Cross Linear Freeway
Date:	04/07/07 (3493 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good design, comfortable, reliable, 3 in 1 travel system

Disadvantages: Can be heavy, need a big boot to store chassis, expensive

When I was about 6 1/2 months pregnant, I knew it was time to search out a buggy. However, for me this was not going to be an easy task. I am only 4' 6'' tall so I knew I would have to find a pram which would be able to cater for someone of my height, and also my partners average height. So my partner, my parents and I decided to set aside a whole day just to go pram shopping, but little did we know the perfect pram was just around the corner...

My dad, being an engineer had been researching different prams for me, working out if he would be able to adjust the height for me. But he also found that in Mothercare, they did a basic chassis with a height adjustable handle. Only problem was, the pram was ugly! So we carried on our search and went into John Lewis.

The first pram that we saw was a gorgeous red pushchair by Silver Cross. But I looked away because of the price tag, which was £300 pounds for the pram. I knew my partner and I couldn't afford it. But my wonderful parents said they wanted to buy their grandchilds' first pram so we went back and looked even more! After a second look, I knew it was going to be the one I wanted so my parents agreed that they were more than happy to buy it for us if it was what we wante

The pram has a wonderful height adjustable handle, which is perfect for me. You adjust it using the 2 buttons on each side of the handle, simply press in both buttons at the same time and move the handle around to a position that suits you. The handle height is adjustable from 60cm right up to over 100cm, so perfect for all heights!

The pram comes in 3 parts. The chassis or wheels, which is a lightweight metal frame, a large shopping basket and 4 sets of 2 wheels, which aren't too big. This retails at £150. The second part is the pram body, which is where your baby would lay or later on, sit. You can also buy a car seat which attaches to the frame, which is great if you don't have room in your car for the pram body. This retails at roughly £180. The car seat retails at £70. You do also have to purchase a raincover and sun canopy seperately, which costs £40. So altogether, the pram will set you back over £400 (February 2006).

The pram body can be used 2 ways on the chassis. You can use it as pictures with the flat body facing you which is ideal for a newborn baby. You can look at them all day long! You can also sit the pram up facing you, which I did for my son when he was 6 - 12 months old. Then when he was getting angry staring at mummy all the time, you can turn it around so that it is an outward facing pushchair. In this mode, you can use the pram up until your child is around 4 years old. With the pram body, you do get a gorgeous fleecy footmuff, a matching changing bag which is wonderfully large fo storing e hundred and one things you need to take with you when venturing out with your baby!.

The chassis folds flat, but is quite long so you need to make sure you have a large boot so you can store the chassis easily. It weighs 6.6kg, which isn't too heavy for its size. It also features lockable swivel wheels which again are easy to use. The chassis fits fine in the boot of our new style Mondeo but it was a tight squeeze in my parents Audi A4, so that is worth bearing in mind, especially considering you need room for the pram body itself too.

The car seat does come in colours which can match your pram body, or you can just buy it in jet black if you prefer the plain look. There is a 5 point harness, with shoulder pads to ensure the straps do not rub against your baby's face. You do also get a head hugger, which is a must for a newborn baby to support their head and neck. There is an attached hood which can easily be removed (it is great in the summer to protect little eyes) and an apron to go over the front of the seat to keep tiny babies snuggly and warm. This is a group 0+ car seat, for babies up to 13kg, my son had outgrown it by 9 months old though, and he was only 9kg!

The whole thing is so easy to use. The car seat fits into the car using the seatbelts around the back of the car seat, which is very easy to do. It attaches to the chassis via 2 clips on the bottom of the seat, and release using a release bar on the back of the seat. The pram body again clips on the chassis, and releases using 2 clips on either side, easy once you get the hang of it! When using the chassis and body, the whole thing does weigh around 13.3kg, so could be too heavy for some.

I would definitely recommend this pushchair to anyone wanting an all in one travel system that will see them hrough from birth until they outgrow the use of a pushchair, roughly around 3 years old. Yes, it is expensive but it is most definitely worth it. It is sturdy, well made, comes in lovely colours (mine is in red which is called SALSA) and is so comfortable for your little one. You couldn't ask for more from a pushchair!

Oh and you can join the celebs Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jennie Garth and Penny Lancaster-Stewart as they all own this pushchair! You can buy the pushchair from many online outlets, but the best price I have found is £349.99 in Pistachio Green from www.kiddicare.com.

Thank you for reading.

Summary: A wonderful pushchair