Safety 1st Wanderer Pram Review and Giveaway

To be completely honest, I've never actually gone shopping for a pram. I did spend years lusting after a Bugaboo though. While I was battling infertility I noticed pretty much every baby that came through work and a good percentage of them were in Bugaboo's. Being exposed to them so often it automatically became my dream pram without ever actually researching any other prams. Of course I never thought I'd get one being that they're so expensive. I fully intended on shopping around for a pram once I got pregnant. It turned out though that when the time came my grandma offered to buy me a pram. I told her I wanted a Bugaboo (as a joke) and to my complete surprise she agreed to buy me one. Yea I nearly fainted. It was probably a blessing though because I had no idea where to start with any other prams. I had no idea what features I wanted, or needed, I just knew that I didn't want a 3 wheel pram. 

In June I was invited to attend a bloggers breakfast hosted by Dorel as part of the Pregnancy Baby and Children's Expo. I was super excited to be able to attend this year as I couldn't go last year because I was 36 weeks pregnant, suffering really badly from PSD and couldn't walk properly. Dorel manufacture a wide range of children's products, you probably have some of their products in your home without knowing. Their key brands include Mothers Choice, Safety 1st, Maxi-Cosi and Quinny. After breakfast we got to see all of the latest Dorel products in action. It really opened my eyes to all the other great products available that I'd never considered before. When the opportunity came up to review products I jumped at the chance (because who doesn't want to try before they buy right?).

I initially wanted to review the Stellar pram, but it won't be available for a few months so I was offered the Wanderer. I hesitated at first, due to my dislike of 3 wheel prams, but then decided to give it a go. Over the past few weeks bub and I have been putting it through its paces and here's what I think.

My aversion to 3 wheel prams came from a media report outlining the risks of them when they first came out a few years ago. It was long before I thought about having kids, but for some reason it stuck with me. Because of that I automatically discounted 3 wheel prams completely, without ever researching them. Now that I've actually used one I don't know what I was worried about. There are so many things I love about this pram and I haven't had any safety concerns at all.

For some reason this pram makes me feel like I should be jogging around a lake somewhere. It just looks so sporty and actually motivates me to exercise, believe it or not. I've dubbed it my walking pram because since I got it I've gone walking so much more. Which is great for #operationlosebabyweight (which should've started a long time ago). I now walk down to the local shops all the time instead of popping in on my way home from somewhere. Its about a forty minute round trip up and down a hill and the pram handles beautifully. It moves like it has power steering and the suspension means it makes short work of both the (poorly) paved footpaths and dirt sections of our walk. I love that there's only one foot brake, it makes it so much easier than having one on each wheel. There's also a huge amount of storage space so I can load it up for the walk home.

Underneath there is a huge storage basket. I have to specially order bubs formula from the chemist down the road and it comes in 10 tins at a time and they all fit perfectly in the open basket section. I've never been able to walk and get her formula before as I can't fit all the tins in my other pram. Best bit is there's still the zipped storage basket free to hold anything I pick up from the bakery or fruit shop as well. I still take my nappy bag with me (more out of habit), but all the contents could easily fit into the zipped section. There's another zipped pocket on the back of the sun canopy too which I put my phone and keys in for easy access.

Another feature that I really like is the reversible seat. For some reason I thought all 3 wheel prams only had front facing seats, because that's all I'd ever seen. I was so happy when I saw that I could rear face her in the Wanderer. To be honest before I tried this pram I'd never forward faced her. I loved being able to see her the whole time (yes I know separation anxiety much). I bit the bullet and turned her around and she loves it. Obviously looking at the cars, plants and houses as we walk is a lot more interesting than looking at boring old mum. The good thing for me though is that this pram has a sneaky way I can spy keep an eye on her while she's front facing.

Hello hidden viewing window. The sun canopy on this pram is awesome to begin with, but it also extends down even further by unzipping the viewing window. Its great for the walk home because the sun is always directly in her face by then. In addition to allowing me to see her, it also allows for good ventilation while the canopy is down so low so she doesn't get hot. The pram also comes with a rain cover included although we haven't had to use it yet.

I love that the pram comes with a front bumper bar. It gives me extra peace of mind knowing that there's a bar there should I accidentally not clip the straps in properly. It also gives me a place to hang a wrap over her if its a bit chilly (without blocking her view). Pram toys can also be attached easily to entertain her when we're out for long periods of time. If you don't like having a bar across the front its easy to remove by unclipping it at the side. 

I'm seriously amazed by how easily the Wanderer folds down. Literally all I have to do is recline the seat and then pull the two red discs on the side and voilà the pram collapses on itself. The front wheel can be removed if needed to get the pram into a car boot, but I don't need to remove it. The pram also has an added safety latch on the side that automatically clicks into place when its folded down. I can fit the pram in my hatchback quite easily with a fair bit of boot room around it. It's just shy of being able to lay flat because of the thickness of the wheels, but lays flat in our sedan. My other pram folds into two separate pieces and takes up a lot more room in the boot so the fact that this one is quicker and easier to put away and leaves more boot space is a real winner.

There are so many other features I love about this pram including the adjustable handle and the fact that it comes with a seat liner and foot muff included instead of having to buy them as accessories. There are only two things I'm missing with this pram that I wish I had and that's a cup holder (for me) and an attachable tray (for feeding while out). The cup holder is just me being precious because I've got one on the other pram and I've grown quite accustomed to drinking hot chocolate while I'm exercising at the shops. I've seen the attachable food trays on friends prams and they look like an ingenious idea.

For the price ($499) and the numerous list of features this pram has I'd say its more than value for money. If I had to go shopping for a pram right now I'd definitely buy it as opposed to other brands (even my beloved Bugaboo). It isn't missing many features that my original pram has and there's a massive $980 difference in the price. See what I mean, definite value for money! If you're currently on the market for a pram or are looking to upgrade you should definitely go to the shops and have a sticky at the Wanderer. 

UPDATE: The Wanderer was originally $499 and has since been reduced to a RRP of $399.

Disclosure - I was gifted a Wanderer by Dorel after attending the PBC Expo bloggers breakfast. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post and all opinions expressed are based on my experience with the pram.