Askamum love my blog, ooo-errr how exciting!

You might think taking a buggy on holiday is nothing to think about, that you could choose any old thing and it’d do. You might even think that taking your regular big buggy is a good idea but unless your regular buggy is an umbrella fold (which of course it could be – especially if it is the one I’m about to talk about) then I would say that’s not the best idea; baggage handlers are heavy-handed and unless you want your big buggy coming back in two or three bits an umbrella fold is absolutely the way to go! But there’s more to the thought process than that I have to say! This is a buggy that’s going to be with you pretty much all the time every time you go away, one which will come out to dinner with you, go on the beach, need to be carried up and down unfamiliar steps and one which you will probably be pushing more throughout the day than you would with your  buggy at home! It has to be suitable for all different ages including from birth otherwise next time you go it might not be right for you and your baby is going to be spending a lot of time in the buggy on holiday so it absolutely has to be comfortable! I’ve made mistakes with my choices in the past but I won’t do so again, not now that I know what I know! I’ve never gone on holiday with a baby as young as Jimmy and I knew that the buggy I took this time would have to be suitable from birth meaning the umbrella fold I already owned was not going to work for us. Why when I bought that didn’t I think I might need it for a newborn at some point? If you don’t want to spend an arm and a leg you have to shop around for sure, most umbrella folds are from 6 months and if they’re not then they’re often rather pricey but to have bought one only suitable from 6 months + was definitely a false economy for us in the past! I guess when its tiny babies that are the precious cargo the buggy just has to be of that much better standard so therefore the cost is usually reflected! I was very surprised then to find the Chicco LiteWay Stroller  at just £139.99. I was even more surprised when I unpacked it and saw how good it looked for the price and surprised further still with just how well this buggy really works when in use! It’s not often that my husband says he loves a baby product but he couldn’t stop praising this one!

So, to begin with, I chose it in black as it immediately jumped out at me how sleek and attractive it looked in the pictures, something which does it justice in the flesh too! Then I folded it and couldn’t believe that it was actually even smaller than my old umbrella fold! It’s certainly sturdier too, this is apparent from the moment you look at it! I put it together all on my own (I act as if this is a feat when in actual fact it took minutes), no tools were used and I was pleased to find it took no looking at the manual to find out how to use it; just up my street, I hate reading instructions! I also couldn’t believe that it came with a rather substantial foot muff. With my old holiday buggy I had to buy that as an extra, it wasn’t of a very high standard and we have to pad it out with blankets. This one is thick, fits perfectly on the buggy as it is designed especially for it and folds up very small too! I knew I wouldn’t need something so substantial for my summer holiday so I put it away for winter but I am very impressed that it came with the buggy and no extra cost will come when the cold weather arrives! Aesthetics, tick! Building the product, tick! Handy extras, tick! Three ticks at that point and I hadn’t even used it yet! First time I did was at the airport which was risky as had it been tripe I’d have been stuck with it! Actually, the reason I knew I wasn’t taking a risk was because I’ve tried Chicco umbrella fold buggies before so I kind of knew it would be ok. It’s great when you can just trust a brand like that.

 At Luton airport, 6 am and so far so good! Well, one sleeping Jimmy in one comfy buggy anyway!

And after that good start I literally have nothing but praise for the ‘LiteWay’which has special straps to adjust for a new baby, reclines fully and has a little bit at the front which can be turned upwards to make the baby more enclosed. If it hadn’t been for Jimmy’s age I probably would have struggled on using my other buggy (which is a Mamas and Papas Kato if you’re wondering) and when I say struggle it was literally that! Terrible to push, fiddly to recline and fold and just plain uncomfortable seat wise. You could actually see it was hard and lumpy and I had to buy a seat liner before I was able to put Florence in it. Full price the other buggy is £120 although it has been half price since before I bought mine and it’s easy to see why! You just wouldn’t pay £120 for a buggy like that when you could get the ‘LiteWay’ for a small amount more, the differences between the two are outstanding! So outstanding in fact that I would see no problems with this buggy being used as your only buggy all the time if that suited you. I am a massive buggy snob and I have no reservations about using it, I personally like and need a bigger buggy most of the time but this is perfect for my holidays and weekends away. I don’t like Maclaren buggies, I don’t like lots of umbrella folds but I am super impressed with this brand which on the continent is the brand to be seen with as it happens! You literally can’t walk past a baby shop in Portugal’s chic spots without the brand’s logo jumping out at you; they make everything from sun cream to food mixers for baby food which I had no idea about! Everyone basically uses Chicco abroad! (Did you know it’s actually pronounced kiko)?!

All in all we loved it, Jimmy loved it when Florence wasn’t fighting him to get in it (simply flip the front bit down and it makes a comfortable seat for an older child too) and it served us very well. We were staying in the historic town of Lagos which is cobbled and has steep hills with awkward narrow pavements. We have visited this resort many times and it’s always been a bit of a hassle with our old umbrella fold which seems wider and more ungainly, this time we all noted how much easier the pushing was. My Mum especially found it a much more pleasant push and said that she found the soft curved handles much easier to grip. I particularly like the fact the wheels are reflective and the way it reclines with the squeeze of a lever on the back; it’s super easy to just place the back rest where you want it to be and it just stays there, something which was not easy with my previous one. It’s the perfect thing for Jimmy, who is wanting to sit up and see out but isn’t quite able to sit up without a bit of a recline. He thoroughly enjoyed being in this buggy as it meant he could really be a part of things! I think the reason Jonny liked it so much is because of all the little extras like the bag underneath which can be un-clipped and turned into a back pack, he’s such a gadget guy! He also noted how easy it is to manoeuvre and the folding up is very quick and easy with a clip lock. As the name suggests it’s terrifically light and carrying it down all the steps to the beach was relatively easy and one of the best bits was that it wasn’t unsteady at all! We had it piled high with all our bags for the beach etc and hanging them over the handles didn’t make it too top-heavy. It’s a buggy I wouldn’t want to be without that’s for sure! Thank you Chicco, you’ve revolutionised holidays for me, I love the ‘LiteWay’!

Out and about in Lagos, we couldn’t have taken a better, more compact or easy to use umbrella fold buggy!

(All opinions and words, apart from those in green, are my own. I have not been paid for this article although I did receive some products to keep after I had reviewed them.)

Follow