Maxi-Cosi Elea

When I received the Maxi Cosi Elea pushchair, I was very excited about opening it up and to start using it!! I had chosen the Total black colour as I felt this went well with accessories and my red changing bag!
The pushchair was so easy and quick to put up. The instructions were very clear and straight forward to use. The raincover, a parasol holder and the shopping basket is all included in the package which is great as some companies will charge you extra for all of those.
Also included is the baby nest, well what can I say about that.....!! It is fantastic!! It is so warm, cosy and useful. You can wrap/unwrap a little baby up in this nest without having to undo the straps. It is so cosy, again you would have to pay extra for something like this.
I love the fact you have two ways of folding this, it can be folded down easily for everyday use. Which isn't the smallest (size of the seat) but can easily fit in a car boot. Then you have the optimal folding which really compacts the pushchair down which is great for travelling or storing.
The shopping basket is a nice size, can easily fit a couple of shopping bags in there.
The sun canopy/hood, is wonderful, you can zip it up so it is smaller or you can unzip it so that it opens up much larger and covers baby well.
The seat until is very padded and looks very comfy, the seat clips and straps are easy to do up and also easy to adjust. The seat has a little adjustable foot plate on it to which is a nice extra. Although the pushchair says it will last until 3.5years but I am a little unsure of this as the seat unit doesn't seam big enough for that, but to be honest by the time your child gets to 3.5yrs they will be walking alot.
Front lockable wheels are very easy to lock and unlock by just a button on the side of the pushchair. Along with opening and closing the pushchair, this is very easy and very quick.
The brakes are easy to put on and off. One side you push with your foot to lock it and the other side to push a button to unlock.
It lays flat which is fantastic and also you are able use the baby nest which makes it a lovely little snuggly nest for newborns. It can be forward or rear facing which is always a big bonus to me.
The pushchair isn't too heavy and I am able to lift it in and out of the car easily. Adjustable handle is great too, my husband is tall so loves being able to change the handle height.
I would love some pockets in the pushchair for when I am nipping out on the school run and just want my phone and keys but this is my only negative!
I think this pushchair is a great little pushchair. I would highly recommend it and for all the 'extras' you get with it too it is great value for money.

When I had Molly, I bought the Maxi-Cosi car seat. I thought it was a brand that could be trusted plus it looked very comfy. Molly loves it, and 9 times out of 10 she is asleep in it - I do get slight baby envy, as I would LOVE to be carried around in a seat, that I could just have a little snooze in. These babies just don't know their born. Actually they don't!


Aaaaanyway. I was pretty chuffed when those dear old Maxi-Cosi people asked if I could review a pushchair. Couple of weeks later, a huge box arrived on my doorstop. The Elea had landed.


I have a bit of a phobia when it comes to new, shiny things that need piecing together, these hands were not made for DIY jobbies. BUT. A BIG BIG BUT......I cannot get over how easy the Elea is to use and and quick to get to grips with.

All it takes is a simple push of a red button.

Literally by holding the handle bar, as soon as the red button is released, giving a slight pull, the base is pulled out into the correct position.

For the first week or so, we used the Maxi-Cosi Pebble car seat with the base as Molly was still small. To use the car seat, there are two adapters which slot into the side of the base. The car seat is then slotted on top. *You can face the car seat towards you or the outside.

The tray underneath has loads of room for storage too!!


More recently, we have been using the pushchair for Molly. She's a nosy little cupcake and loves having a nose at whats going on around her, just like her wonderful mummy!


Again, the pushchair seat is incredibly easy to fit on. Literally slot it onto the base, easy peasy. The adapters are not needed for the pushchair chair.


There is also a safety bar which goes across, which I pop some of her buggy toys on:



And for the winter months, a very cosy 'cosy-toes'.


Molly looks so comfy in her pushchair, and I genuinely think it is a great product. It folds up very easily, and fits into my boot with ease. My other pushchair literally had Range Rover wheels, which I had to take off every time it went back into the boot!

You also have the option of tilting the chair back and forwards depending on if they are awake or snoozing, just a simple lever situated at the back of the chair.

Thumbs up from me and the little one.

I cannot recommend this stroller enough!! I have really put this stroller through the mill we have used it on so many different terrains and taken it on so many trips out I feel I can confidently suggest this product. I am using this with my 9 month old son; he is at the point where he wants to sit up and nosy around. The stroller enables him to sit up while holding on to the little bar across the front (which clips out for easy baby in-out of the pram movement)

There are many excellent key points to this stroller that I would like to mention,

•The stroller runs brilliantly and so smooth; I have used it on cobbled streets to beaches to full on bumpy rocky hills. It has front swivel wheels, lockable with the push of a button. GREAT suspension better than other prams or strollers we have used in the past. The frame is light and the wheels are hardwearing. The stroller has a definite built to last feel about it!
•There is a choice of 4 colours which are intense red, total black, brown earth and steel grey. I chose the intense red which is very bright and the fabric is very plush. It is finished to a high standard and looks top of the range. I wouldn't hesitate using this for a smaller/newborn baby because the fabric has that extra comfort to it compared to other strollers I have seen. I also think it's nice to have that extra comfort without the bulk that normally comes with luxurious fabrics. My little boy really snuggles into the stroller when I fully recline it for him to have a nap and looks so comfy!
•Three height adjustable handlebar- my husband asked me to mention this, he is 6'4 and our previous prams/strollers have never been that comfortable to push. With the Elea he can adjust the bars for him to reach and then change them to suit my 5'4" frame. There is also a nice space between the bar and the wheels so you're not stubbing your toe on the wheels if you are that little bit taller.
•A fab little touch is that the seat can be changed from rearward facing to parent facing (excellent for babies) I really took advantage of this feature when our little one was suffering with his teething and was feeling rather clingy. I had him parent facing so I could talk to him not a feature most buggies / strollers have but in my opinion something that can still be an excellent feature for not only newborns.
•The stroller comes with a baby nest that looks like a lovely well designed snug. It fashionably crosses over the baby . I didn't get to use this with my little one being 9 months old but wish I could have because it looks lovely.
•The greatest thing for me personally is the fold. There are two options the quick fold and optimal fold. Like most things on this stroller everything can be done with the push of a button and this is no exception...;...;so user friendly. I have a small car and fit it in the boot comfortably by taking a wheel off (push of a button) but to be fair most strollers would struggle to fit in my car. The stroller fits perfectly in the quick fold position in my husband's car. You cannot struggle with this stroller its soooo easy. The manual is clear and straight to the point if needed.
•Fab shopping basket underneath- I know this is a daft point but I thought this was excellent there's room under the stroller to keep things handy, shopping etc you don't lose any space and its surprising what you can fit in it.
•It can also be pram if you get the cosi carrycot or the infant car seat to form a travel system.

Overall it's another great product from maxi cosi. The constant thing I find with maxi cosi is the quality and its so user friendly. I personally wish I had this from the start for my son I opted for another well named brand and can't emphasise how disappointed I was with that pram. This stroller has everything from comfort to smooth running to hardwearing right through to down right stylish. The cost is excellent, great value for money I have paid more for a lesser product. You get so many features for your money. I would be happy to use the Elea for my child from birth right through to the toddler days (3.5yrs) you wouldn't need to buy any other product because this does it all!!!.