Mamas & Papas 03 Sport Surefix Anthracite > Reviews (3)

The pushchair

This push chair is a three wheeler sports push chair that is designed to be practical in everyday use but can also handle being used on more difficult ground. The pushchair does need assembled when you first purchase it but this takes all of five minutes and there is no need for instructions it all clicks together very easily. The wheels can be taken off and clicked on easily which solves storage space apparently but I wouldn’t want to be putting them on and off every time I want to go out.

The push chair is very well made each part is very sturdy and once put together it is a really durable. It has large rubber tyres that are pumped up when you receive the pushchair but you are also provided with a pump that stores at the very bottom of the push chair in a special compartment should the wheels deflate you can simply pump them back up again.

There are a number of pockets situated around this push chair which does come in very handy for on the go mums you will still need a changing bag when going out and about but they are very convenient to hold a number of things. There is a small transparent hatch in the hood so you can check on little one without needing to go to the front of the pushchair and there is a cover that you can put over this if it is a hot day so the sun does not shine through on little ones head. What I like about this is it has a small magnet at the bottom of the piece of the material so when you put it into place in stays put without flapping around and looking untidy.

Both the handle bars and foot rest are adjustable meaning that both my husband and I can push this without him having to stoop down low or me being uncomfortable and it is very easy to do with a few clicks. The leg rest is also adjustable so as your child gets older you can lower it to make it more comfortable and I must say that the footrest is huge my son try’s to sit in this rather than the buggy board as he thinks it is a seat.

The handle bar is one large rounded bar rather than separate handles and I find this a lot easier to hold and control the pushchair. It is made of foam and is very comfy even when I am walking long distances and the grip provided on the foam makes it easy to hold on to even when running or travelling over uneven surfaces.
There is a large shopping basket underneath the pushchair and it is a good size I often do a top up shop during the week and the bags fit easily under the pushchair. It is not awkward to get the shopping in and out like my previous pushchairs have been there is a large gap under the seat to gain access even when the seat is lying fully down. You also recieve a rain cover that fits on this push chair very easily and only takes two seconds.

In use

When the pushchair was first built I was shocked at the size of it as it is very long and wide. However when you start to use this push chair you find it is actually surprisingly light compared to the build of the item itself and the quality I was expecting it to feel like a tank as well as look like one.

The size of this pushchair is a big downside for me, yes it is very well made but the size really is a little over the top and sometimes I do feel like I am pushing a tank around with me. I went to the doctors last week and I actually had to leave the pushchair in the waiting area as it would not fit in the room without leaving any space to walk around. Yes the room was small but I have had a few problems using this pushchair in my day to day routine.

The handles of this pushchair can be folded down so the pushchair fits easily into the boot of the car but unfortunately again the size is still an issue we used to own a Mitsubishi charisma and it would only just fit into the boot it really was a tight squeeze and now we have a Vauxhall zafira and when the back seats are up and my children are sitting in them again it is very hard to get this pushchair in the boot.
Another downside is the position of the hood it is very low down and although this is fine when a younger baby is lying in the pushchair when my two year old son sits in the pushchair his head is touching the top of the hood and he gets very annoyed with it. There is no space to move it further up the pushchair and so it is a little annoying.

Yet another downside is it claims to have a one hand fold down mechanism which just is not true it can be rather awkward trying to fold down the push chair while you have little one in your arms and the first few times I found it impossible and even now I have learnt how to fold down the pushchair quickly there is still no way that I can find to fold it down with one hand.

The harness is also not very efficient as this pushchair is said to be suitable from birth as it lays flat and this is the reason we purchased it however there is no head rest supplied for younger children. The harness is not fixed meaning that there is absolutely no support for little one and while it works to hold them in the push chair their head can just flop around as it pleases and this is really not great for younger children. We did put in a head rest from the car seat but to be honest for the price we paid I would have liked to see one provided with the push chair itself.

Also the seat has multi positions meaning you can position it at different levels depending on age range and if little one wants to take a nap. The problem with this is yes it lays flat which is great for newborns but the highest position available is still a lying down position and as anyone with children knows as soon as they can sit up they like to watch the world around them so I find my son try’s to lean forward in the seat just to be able to see but this makes him very uncomfortable and the design of the pushchair is flawed.

I know so far it has been a lot of negatives but now I will begin with the positives. What I do like about this pushchair is as we live in the countryside and like to take advantage of the space we have around us this pushchair is great for uneven roads and pathways. The large wheels and suspension system mean that little one remains comfy while the pushchair moves easily over many different ground surfaces with ease.

The pushchair is very well made, the seat has a lot of padding meaning for older children that can hold themselves steady it is very comfy for them and they can relax while they are pushed around even over the roughest ground the suspension works well and there is only slight bumps for little one. The front wheel can be locked which makes it a lot easier for moving around although it can be very annoying having to lock it when you are trying to use public transport as it is very difficult to try and get this pushchair on the bus or train with the wheel unlocked it just spins round making it a huge hassle to lift the pushchair over the slightest step.

When the snow fell and everyone was finding it hard to drive anywhere or get out and about at all I was able to walk my son to nursery everyday with no problems at all. The large thick wheels of this pushchair made it move through the snow effortlessly and this has been a major problem with my last pushchairs so I was really pleased.. Even though it can only be wiped down with a sponge I find it comes up surprisingly clean which is always a plus with young children.

Summary

As you can probably tell I was highly disappointed with this pushchair I purchased it for £200 and this was apparently a sale price however looking on the mamas and papas website today I see they have lowered it to an everyday price of £159 which is a little more reasonable. It is brilliant as an off-road pushchair which does come in handy but I would have preferred it to be better in everyday use rather than our long walks in the countryside. It is large in size and although light to push this unfortunately is a real struggle to use on public transport and trying to walk around a shop with this is really a huge hassle.

I’m not sure who this pushchair is aimed at it claims to be suitable from newborns to three years old however I found there was no support for younger children due to the harness and for older children it is impossible to sit up straight and even on the highest setting their head hits to the roof of the hood. You can purchase this pushchair from mamas and papas website for £159 but it is also available from online stores such as Amazon so do shop around to find a good deal. Unfortunately I would not recommend this pushchair I found it to be a huge disappointment.