Britax B-Lite

We've made some real false economies on our pushchair buying, and are paying for it second time round by having to shell out for a new single for DD until DC2 is born, and a double.

The B-Lite folds down small and (generally) travels in a forward directions, hence any rating at all, but it's difficult to steer - almost impossible one-handed - and for this reason I know I won't be able to manage with it when DC2 is a toddler and DD is on her feet.

The raincover is also a let-down. It must have been used fewer than five times, but has torn away from the edging in two places. It's such a tight fit that I basically just have to drape it over DD as far as it will reach without tearing further.

The straps are OK without a cosytoes, but with, they are a very tight fit on my small DD, adjusted to their longest. The strap system which is supposed to allow for recline gets tangled within the mechanism all the time, meaning that I have to strain to pull her back up to sitting.

I would say steer clear - spend a bit more money on something just as portable but better quality.

We used a Maclaren Quest for our older son, but it was a hand-me-down and had finally given up on us, so decided to try something a bit different for our daughter. We have an old proper pushchair for her, but needed something lightweight for getting up and down the stairs at our local train station. The B-Lite appealed as it is a lie flat buggy (can be used from birth) and is slightly lighter and less bulky than Maclaren's lie flat version. The wheels look slightly flimsy but they have taken a fair bashing and seem to be coping perfectly well so far. The shopping basket is pretty decent for a light buggy, which is a bonus. It's easy to fold and put up. The handles are comfy, it looks quite smart and the window on top of the hood is very handy for checking if the baby's finally gone to sleep.... It is obviously not as comfy as a nice big pram with a carry cot but we have used it a fair bit with our little baby (she's 12 weeks now) and she has been perfectly happy in it - you just need a decent cosytoes thing or a sheepskin or whatever. The best thing about it is the draw-string method of reclining the seat - you can adjust it to whatever position you like and it is really easy compared to the fiddly click switches on a Maclaren. The only negatives are that it doesn't come with a raincover as standard and it could do with a little bit of a sun visor thing on the bottom of the hood, but that's all. We'd recommend it.