Snap up a stroller (or anything else you need!)

Yesterday, I wrote about how Ethan is getting too big for many of the things we first bought for him, such as his bouncer chair, and it got us to thinking about what he will soon need for his next stage. I've always assumed that items such as car seats, pushchairs, cot beds and so on are expensive so I like to do my research in advance so I know what costs we might be facing in the near future.

His car seat probably has a couple of months of life left in it but in terms of travel, we were keen to find a pushchair sooner rather than later. We bought a 9-in-1 travel system before Ethan was born and whilst I'm pleased with our purchase, the one thing I have never been keen on is the pram seat attachment. With the frame of the system being quite large as well, we decided that we would need something more compact and easy to transport as we have a few mini breaks planned in the next couple of months and baby's just don't seem to travel lightly.

That's when Kiddicare got in touch with me. I have used Kiddicare for various things in the past and have always found myself spoilt for choice (choosing a highchair took me forever!) and their service is great too. They currently have a big sale on - which does end soon, so you best be quick if you want a bargain - and they wanted to see if there was a stroller that suited our needs within the sale that they could send to us to try.

I was thrilled to have this opportunity and after much comparison and consideration (including reading reviews on Mumsnet - I can't help it, I HAVE to research things thoroughly before buying), hubs and I decided that the Chicco Echo stroller was the one for us.

Source

Normally retailing at £99.99, this stroller currently has 40% off in the Kiddicare sale, making it just £59.99 - a complete bargain, I can tell you, as it looked the best on paper and it has lived up to our expectations in the flesh.

One of the reasons we chose it is because of the design. It's smart, modern and has a sleek look and we liked the contrast of the black frame, hood and detailing against the turquoise blue fabric seat and rear cover. It really looks the part and it's great quality too. 

Our travel system always confuses other people who have no idea where to start when it comes to taking it apart, and there is a knack to it. However, the Echo stroller is really easy to put up and to take down. To open, you release a catch on the right hand side, pull the handles of the chair towards you and then push down on a bar at the back of the chair, at the bottom, to secure the frame. Done! To pack the stroller away, you push the bar at the back of the chair back up with your foot then there's another lever to press with your foot, just to the left, and you just fold the chair back up until the clasp catches. Simple!

Here's a quick video to show you how easy it is (it's a little easier than I make it look here, as I thought the catch was on the left but it's actually on the right!):

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Overall, the stroller is pretty lightweight, which is one of the most important things when you're choosing something like this, and has a handle on one side so it's easy to carry.

We took the stroller out for a proper test drive - the three of us and Watson, our dog - and we were very impressed with how easy it was to manoeuvre. It feels lightweight to push but at the same time, the frame feels solid and not flimsy in anyway. The handles are positioned quite high up but feel comfortable and there's plenty of room in the basket underneath. 

Ethan looked comfortable in the harness, which features pads for comfort, and there's five positions you can move the chair back to, so if little one has a snooze, you can lie them down. 

No snoozing for Ethan though, he was far too interested in swinging his feet (we had put the footrest down) and enjoying to ride. 

The stroller also comes with a raincover which is a big plus point. Our travel system cost a lot of money and we then realised a little later down the line that we had to spend more to get the corresponding raincover - something we should have thought of before.

We couldn't be more pleased with our new stroller and it's definitely a good idea to make the most of sales such as this whilst they're on as if you wait until you absolutely have to have something, you could end up paying a lot more. We've always planned ahead when it comes to Ethan, so we get the best price and have what we need for when we need it. There's lots to find in the Kiddicare sale and they deliver in super-fast time (we had our stroller next day),  so if you can, I'd recommend you take a look as most of the savings available are quite impressive.

We probably would have been willing to pay £99.99 for our stroller as it really has ticked all the boxes for being easy to carry and transport, simple to put up and pack away, comfortable for Ethan to sit in and for us to push and all wrapped up in an attractive design. But to get something this great in the sale is even better.

We may have only used the stroller a couple of times but I can tell it's just the trick for running Ethan about town and for when we go away as a family. Ah, to have some boot space again!

The Chicco Echo stroller is suitable up to three years of age and you can find out all about it's specifications here on the Kiddicare website. But be quick, the sale ends soon!

* Note: we were sent the Chicco Echo stroller by Kiddicare for this review. However, we selected this model ourselves and all opinions are my own.