Maclaren

Test-drive 2: Return of the Mac

February 19, 2011 by TheBoyAndMe Leave a Comment

I've had the Techno XLR about a month now and it's fair to say that I love it! I have not used my iCandy Cherry once, which to be honest I am rather heart-broken about as I do adore it. However, the Maclaren is so much easier to use when getting in and out of the car, and because it is an umbrella-folding pushchair, it also provides so much more space for other essentials, like the shopping. Just look at how much room I now have in the boot of my Scenic for other items:

This is excellent news for us. We're going away for the weekend soon and will have to take the travel-cot with us for The Boy. I would normally be panicking by this point in the run-up, but not now. Usually, there hasn't been space in the boot as the frame of my old pushchair took up three-quarters of the floor space and once the seat part was laid on top, half the height of the boot had disappeared as well. The travel-cot usually had to go on the floor in the back, which meant that I had no space to put my legs (I sit next to him on long car journeys, while hubby drives). Now we can get the travel-cot in the boot too, meaning I'm more comfortable and it's a safer car journey with less loose objects to do damage in the event of an accident.

I've used the Techno XLR a fair amount around town, but also in off-tarmac locations. We went to a local country park in the squelchy mud and it more than handled the ruts and pot-holes. It was also a freezing afternoon and The Boy was able to tuck his arms under the apron of the foot-muff and was toastie-warm. The top of the apron is designed to fold back, and he's quite happy to rest his arms out, but the minute he thinks it's a bit chilly: "armies in!"

We popped to the beach last weekend and took the pushchair onto the sand with us. Down the slope, walk onto the sand and we had the usual anticipation of the pushchair getting stuck in. Not this time. It must be the way the wheels have been designed; they're far smaller than the iCandy and are what I'll call 'double-wheels' for want of a better phrase. They move better on 'unstable' surfaces and so we were able to push the Maclaren across the sand rather than have to drag it. And it did look rather attractive on the beach waiting for us to finish paddling.

The Boy love his new pushchair and finds it incredibly comfortable. Following a Monkey Music session a fortnight ago, I had to pop to a couple of the shops in the town centre. I knew I was pushing it for his nap-time, but I really had to get a few things and he ws quite happy chomping on his snack and observing the world. I nipped into the library and having picked up the information I wanted, I asked The Boy if he was ready to go home for his sleep. No reply. I glanced down and he'd fallen asleep! He was so snug and warm that the silence of the library had pushed him over the edge. The Techno XLR is so easy to adjust as it has four positions for the back, so I reached down and pulled the lever on the back which lowered him down to almost flat. He could have gone lower, but the change bag was hanging off the back so I didn't want to knock his head.

Finally this brings me to the last point that I wanted to make about the Maclaren Techno XLR. I had had a minor gripe about the size of the shopping basket underneath, in comparison to what I was used to. However, I also couldn't stand my change-bag anymore because it was an inconvenient shape; big but the wrong dimensions. So I bought a new one in the style of a messenger bag which fits in the shopping basket with room to spare for smaller items of shopping, but is far more convenient slung over the handlebars. I can get to my purse and his drink more easily, and it frees up a lot of space in the shopping basket for its intended purpose. Loads of space for grocery shopping in the town centre!

The Maclaren Techno XLR is suitable from birth to toddler as a 3-in-1 travel solution. It has :

a 4-position seat with single-hand recline,
extendable hood with sun visor and viewing window,
height-adjustable handles (I'm 5'9 and have them on the lowest setting, hubby is 6' and uses the heighest),
all-round suspension and linked brakes,
extendable calf-rest,
footmuff, and
raincover (which is really easy to put on & can store in one of the pockets at the back of the pushchair).

A soft carry-cot is available as an additional extra for use from birth, and it also take the Recaro Young Profi Plus car-seat, with adaptors. Excellent news for us as we already own that.

This pushchair was provided for the purpose of this review.

Maclaren Techno XLR

January 24, 2011 by TheBoyAndMe 5 Comments

I recently contacted Maclaren via twitter to see if they were able to recommend a pushchair to replace my beautiful iCandy Cherry that The Boy is rapidly outgrowing. They suggested two, and that I pop to Mothercare to compare them and try them out. I did, and lo and behold, they sent me one out to review. I am incredibly grateful to them for this. My review shall be honest and thorough, but hopefully not boring!

Maclaren Techno XLR Stroller

Maclaren Techno XLR Stroller: in Coffee Brown and Soft Blue.

From the first moment that it's unpacked, it is obvious how much thought has been put into the ergonomics of this pushchair. With my last pushchair/pram combo, we spent an hour assembling everything. With this, you open the end of the box, pull it out and away you go. There is a comfortable and warm reversible seat-liner for use with foot-muff in Winter. It took me five minutes to undo the straps and attach it. [plus point for ease of assembly]

The Boy was champing at the bit to get at it. He liked it as much as I did. Straps were investigated straightaway and I was pleased with the results. He couldn't do them up. This is good because it means he can't undo them. The button on the five-point harness has to be pressed front and back to release the straps. [plus point for safety]

Test Drive 1

Test-ground: Urban
Weather: Dry, sunny but cold (2°c)

Without wishing to seem melodramatic, I was apprehensive. The current pushchair can be either forward or rear-facing, and I have The Boy facing me so we can talk. I don't know of any umbrella-folding pushchairs that are parent-facing; is it even possible? The clear plastic 'sunroof' in the hood does go a long way to assure parents that their child is happy. And actually he really liked not having to put up with me jabbering away at him, he was giving me a one-word running commentary on his surroundings: "tree, leaf, bird, Bobby (blackbird), gone, home, boy, boy, BOY! gone, home". You get the picture. [I'd prefer it facing me, but knowing that's not possible I'm more than placated with the 'sunroof']

We live in a predominantly Victorian town: tree-lined avenues, semi-detached houses with drives and proper 'paved' pavements. Pretty, but in reality a pain. The roots push the paving slabs up, and the pavements are full of rises and dips. There are dropped kerbs everywhere and those annoying gutter ridges down the pavements for surface water. The Maclaren copes well with all of these without getting stuck or having to manoeuvre it massively. Even the street that I normally do anything to avoid! [plus point for suspension]

The front wheels are lockable, I've yet to work out when that would be useful, but the steer-ability is brilliant. I have been known to have to excuse myself for crashing into items in the past with a "Oh sorry, I've not passed my test yet!" I'm normally very good at judging distance, but used to get caught out by the wheels on the iCandy; consequently some areas were a no-no. I used to have to open both doors at the entrance to the school where I work, and I once attempted the local corner shop, never again! The Techno fits through the doors with breathing space, and I managed to avoid playing dominoes with the bottles of cola in the shop! Excellent! [plus point for steer-ability]

I was able to put the few items (chocolate, shh!) that I bought into the handy pockets on the back. One of them is perfect for the rain-cover, the other (with a Velcro flap) is ideal to hold a purse, keys, phone, etc. The pockets are perfect for smaller purchases, especially as with our large (Boots/Pampers) change-bag in the shopping basket underneath, I couldn't fit them in as the front was a little difficult to access. I do walk up to the town centre frequently to do shopping, and I use the basket a lot, therefore for me it is an important feature. I wanted to buy a smaller change-bag anyway, which will free up more of the basket space. [plus point for the pockets]

Snuggly warm.

Overall, I'm really impressed with the pushchair: it's smart, compact, warm, easy to use and the manoeuvrability is amazing. I felt incredibly comfortable pushing it (I think I was actually walking faster, maybe I'll burn up extra calories?) and the height of the handles was perfect. The Boy was extremely comfortable tucked up inside it; he was warm and enjoyed seeing all the sights.

Thanks so much Maclaren, from The Boy and Me.

I intend to do a further review of this fabulous pushchair in a fortnight or so, having tried different 'terrains' and weather types.

For more information on Maclaren, visit their Facebook page here.

Swings, Cornflakes & Birthday Cakes

January 24, 2011 by TheBoyAndMe 1 Comment

I'm trying to make more of a concerted effort to do things on the weekend. Yes it's a time for relaxation, but it's also such a precious time together as a family that I don't want to feel the weekend has passed and we haven't left the house or got any recollection of the time passed. It's tricky, especially as we take it in turns to have a lie-in on each morning; it means we only have the afternoon to do things in. However, I like a challenge!

Saturday:

Saturday saw us testing out the new Maclaren Techno XLR that they very kindly sent me to review (more on that later). We went to a local Country Park and Lakes which is stunning. I took my 365 photo, The Boy tried to chase the swans and ducks, and discovered the magic of splashing in puddles with his new wellies. He needs more practise though! There was loads of mud everywhere; my boots, hubby's boots, The Boy's boots, the wheels of the pushchair, the slide, the boot of the car, the upholstery! How much is a valet? Anyway he had fun, look at his little face:

Then we came home and made cornflake cakes. This was prompted by a twitter discussion between @Mammywoo, myself and a few others, who suggested using Mars bars in it. Yum is the result. Although are you supposed to mix something else into the melted chocolate aside from the cornflakes because they're really hard to eat! Golden syrup I think I missed out, suggestions please? The Boy did really well spooning out the cornflakes, although there were a few times that he only had one flake on the spoon by the time it got to the bowl, bless him. He loved spooning it into the cases, but he now thinks that the cases are called cakes. Don't ask, it's probably best not to!

Tricky work this cake-making business!

And yes, he does appear to be left-handed.

We then popped over to Ikea for tea. He sat beautifully and ate it all up, I was so proud of him. Then on his last mouthful of pear, it tickled his tonsils and he vomitted all over the table. Joy!

Sunday:

Party-time for The Boy's 5yr old girl cousin. My brother always does good parties, he's a chef and does enough 'proper' party food to feed the 5,000! Egg sandwiches, cheese sandwiches, scotch eggs (or party eggs as my brother-in-law calls them), crisps, chocolate fingers, tea-cakes, iced ring biscuits, cocktail sausages. Yum! My brother had hired an entertainer aswell; some of them can be way over the children's heads, but this one pitched at exactly the right level for 2-5yr olds; magic tricks, party games, balloon animals and circus tricks. Even The Boy managed to sit down for a few minutes and enjoy it.

But at the end of the day, nothing can distract from the pleasure of a Cadbury's Chocolate Finger!