*Advertorial Review*
If you have been following me for a while you will know that last summer I fell in love..
With the UPPAbaby MINU pushchair.
OK, I know it’s slightly odd. However being an avid pushchair lover and reviewer over many many years I was excited at the launch of the new lightweight offering from UPPAbaby.
As summer commitments passed by just before Christmas I was sent a gift of great epicness.
The UPPAbaby MINU to review. ( Just to keep you updated there is now a UPPAbaby Minu v2 pushchair available.
First Thoughts
When it arrived I was even more impressed. It came well packaged and it was immensely easy to put together. I obviously have put together a vast array of pushchairs in the past so managed to do it without the instructions. However, if you think your will need them, I can confirm that the instructions are great too!
Features Of The MINU
LIGHTWEIGHT:
This pushchair is designed to be super lightweight and I can confirm it is exceptional. It weighs in a mere 6.7kgs. And is designed to be used with babies from 6 months to 15kgs in weight. It is so lightweight that its super easy to use the shoulder strap it comes with to carry it on your shoulder without issue.
THE FOLD:
The MINU is designed to keep you moving and doesn’t let the fold hold you back on the move. From school run to summer holidays, the fold is exceptional without question. I can confirm that in the torrential rain of the morning school run (why does it always rain more on the school run?) I can have the pushchair folded in mere seconds. Which is utterly priceless in my book. Especially your pants are drenched and every second counts trying to get out the deluge of school run rain.
HOOD:
The UPPAbaby MINU comes with some amazing features. It has a lovely oversized hood is ideal for sunshine and with its pop out extendable sun visor that has a UPF of 50+
STORAGE:
Within the hood there is a pocket at the back making for easy access for keys, purse and phone. It has a couple of tabs of velcro. Which I personally thought magnetic popper would have been more secure. But this is obviously personal opinion.
Size wise If you have a large purse and phone you might struggle to keep everything in there. But for me I managed to keep my essentials on the school run in there perfectly comfortably.
BRAKES:
Brakes can be a notoriously fiddly affair on some pushchairs. But I am pleased to say that on the MINU they are spot on. They have a two step system. A green for go brake pedal on the back chassis. And a red for the brake pedal.
To work them you don’t need to do anything other than step down on it, meaning this braking system is the most super flip flop friendly I have found! and no more bruised feet or caught toes!
SHOPPING BASKET:
For such a lightweight pushchair you presume that somethings on your pushchair wish list are just not going to make it on the pushchair. And on lighter weight pushchairs the shopping basket tends to be minimal. I am thrilled to say the shopping basket exceeded my expectations.
It is easily accessible from the front and the back. And because of its flat bottom it means that no matter if it’s loaves of bread, shoe boxes or bottles of pop this shopping basket coped easily. Even on the Christmas shopping run!
TRAVEL SYSTEM COMPATIBLE:
Although the pushchair is aimed at babies 6 months plus. You can buy the ‘From Birth Kit’ which converts the pushchair into a carrycot style lie flat pushchair that can be used from birth. It is also worth noting that pushchair can be folded with the from birth kit still in situ too.
The UPPAbaby MINU can be fitted with convenient adapters, that can be used with selected Maxi-Cosi®, BeSafe®, and Cybex infant car seats. Obviously the UPPAbaby MESA i-size infant carrier also fits onto the MINU frame to keep it in the UPPAbaby family if you wish.
Using the adapters offers a total all round flexibility for remaining on the move.
Personal Niggles
It wouldn’t be right to only give you my personal thoughts on the positives without mentioning anything that I think could be made better would it?
Pushchair rain covers generally are not my favourite things. They seem to be the last accessory that anyone thinks about till it rains. For me however they are my pet hate. Done well they save your bacon. Done badly and they can be just painful. I hate to say it but the UPPAbaby MINU rain cover for me is not the greatest.
If you have a small tot up to about 12 -18 months then it will be super fine. Its easy to slip on the pushchair and easy to store being small. However if you have a longer pod with a temper then this rain cover is not going to stay on easily! Jacob (who just turned 3) kicked it off more often than it stayed on. It also doesn’t actually cover the back of the hood and cuts of short meaning anything in the pocket will get wet.
I have been told that the UPPAbaby VISTA rain cover may fit better but I can neither confirm or deny that. However a universal rain cover would probably work better giving more overall surface coverage. Meaning no temper tantruming threenager will be able to kick it off.
Conclusion
In the past having a lightweight pushchair has meant accepting that extra features are going to minimal if any but I am thrilled to say that UPPAbaby have blown it out the water on luxury and features. It is a dream to push, dream to fold and super comfortable even for a 3+ year old with its high back and easy to adjust harness.
The hood is everything I would expect from an UPPAbaby pushchair, oversized and well thought out.
I am so thrilled to have finally got the chance to try this pushchair out before Jacob became too big to use one. My only one regret was not getting it from birth. Out of all the many many pushchairs I have had the privilege to review this has been my favourite lightweight offering. It is not the cheapest at around £400 for the pushchair and the ‘From Birth Kit’ and car seat adaptors are sold separately.
Thank you UPPAbaby for letting me road test the MINU it is fab!
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