Posted By Laura in Baby, Childrens, Out and About, Review, Shopping, Toddler | 1 comment

The Maclaren Butcher’s Stripe buggy has been reviewed by Debbie and her youngest (of four), Bethan…..

The day arrived and I eagerly unwrapped the relaunched Maclaren Butcher’s Stripe buggy and I was soon to find myself feeling very impressed with its quality and simplicity. I was also delighted to find a heavy duty travel tag which proved to be a much welcomed extra.

Initially I found myself stressing about the beautiful and equally eye-catching BRIGHT WHITE and blue butcher stripes and wondered if my my 18 month old daughter was a bit too much of a dirt-monster for this design. Yes, I admit, I let my children play with mud, and yes, I am that Mother that more often than not has to evict the escaped rapidly-going-furry raisins that were squashed in the corner the last time the buggy was used.

This has surprisingly not been a problem. The fabric is a durable, splash-proof, wipe clean affair and is wonderful and practical although the brightness has dulled somewhat over our use.

Our first test drive, a routine trip to our local shops and my little girl was very comfortable with the strong, secure, easily adjustable five point harness. I passed a neighbour who instantly commented on the eye-catching design. Over the coming weeks I’ve come to feel that I could not live without this pushchair. It’s perfect for trips to the park, longer journeys and ultimately the hectic school run. I am able to fold and unfold this buggy one handed, in seconds, leaving the other hand to tame my busy little person. The buggy provides a smooth and easy to handle drive. It is lightweight and is a great space saver in my MPV’s small boot. The included rain cover is durable and easy to put on when the skies decided to open with no warning (as we’ve experienced often during this so-called ‘Summer’!)

As with most good things there are some less desirable aspects; the under buggy storage net cannot be accessed when the buggy is in the recline position and this buggy can become a little unstable when anything more than a baby bag is hanging from the handles (ok, we know, technically the manufacturers recommend that you don’t put bags on the handles but show me a busy Mum that doesn’t!). Also, the brakes on this model are not as good as those on a friend’s Maclaren Techno XT buggy. These brakes sometimes don’t ‘snap’ into place as well as they should.

This buggy is great for a parent that wants to buy a well-designed quality brand and something a little different and eye-catching. It is a wonderful buggy that is made to outlast your child’s needs and can, no doubt, be passed on to be used by the next, younger sibling.

The Butchers Stripe was part of the Maclarens ‘Objects of Desire’ Range, which is sadly no longer avaialble. However, they do have a rarher delicious selction of designer options see their website here!