Mothercare Orb Pram Review

Any mum or mum-to-be knows how overwhelming it is shopping for a pram for the first time. When you've never had a baby, how do you know what to look for? All I knew was that I wanted one that I could fit my car seat to for short journeys and one that wasn't too difficult or heavy to get in the car boot. Pram prices vary massively and at a time when I already had a huge list of things to buy, I didn't want to overspend but at the same time, I didn't want to buy something sub-standard. 

Luckily, my friend had a baby the year before me and had always raved about how much she loved her Mothercare orb pram. I loved the style, it was affordable and had good reviews on line so a few months before Oliver arrived, I ordered the Mothercare Orb pram in 'Liquorice'. It was on offer at the time and reduced from £429 to £299 which was less than half of the cost of others I'd looked at. (This deal is currently on at the moment too - so go check it out!)

The pram comes in two parts - the wheels and the carry cot/pushchair attachment. For the price you pay, you also get the cosy toes liner and the rain cover. The only additional extra we had to buy were the adapters to allow us to attach the car seat to the wheels - these were just £29 and I suppose, since not everyone has a car, it makes sense to sell them separate.

The main part of the pram can be used as a carry cot from birth, allowing the baby to lie flat on his/her back as per the current guidelines. When the baby can sit up and hold their head steadily, this can be easily converted into a pushchair style seat simply by pulling a few fastenings at the back. 

We recently converted the carry cot into the buggy, so Oliver can now sit up and see what's going on around him. This is a bit earlier than recommended, but we had gotten to the stage that every walk was with a crying baby in the carry cot who just wanted to see what's going on. He's much happier now that he can see where he is and he's totally fascinated by everything around him.

One feature that makes this pram stand out is that you can switch from forward to rear facing while the baby is still in the pram. A twist and lift of the handle and it'll flip over to the opposite side of the chair allowing the baby to be rear or front facing. This is a great feature if Oliver's getting bored of looking at me on our walks, I can just twist him round and the new view keeps him interested.

The pram is lightweight, easy to push and navigate over the bumpy paths and pavements. If I'm putting it in the car, it's a case of pushing two buttons to detach the top, and another button to collapse the wheels - simple. Once the pram has been converted into a buggy, it can be used up until the child is around 2 years old depending on their weight and height. I'd say two years worth of pram use for just £300 is incredibly good value.  

This is a pram I'd highly recommend to any expectant parents looking for a high quality pram at a reasonable price. If you want to have a closer look, check out the Mothercare youtube video which gives a detailed tour and demo of the pram - I found it really useful when I was making the decision. 

Have any of you tried this pram?