Review: Chicco Urban travel system

I am a Chicco Tested for Happiness blogger and for the past month we have been trialling the new Chicco Urban travel system. We had lots of niggles with our previous pram so we were super excited to receive the Urban and put it to the test.

The Urban stroller separates into two pieces: a reversible seat which can be easily transformed into a bassinet and a collapsible wheel base. You can choose from a selection of colour packs to personalise your pram which is handy if you chose a gender specific colour and want a new look without changing the whole pram. We were sent the beige colour pack which is a lovely neutral colour and looks very smart.

The stroller handles really well with front swivel wheels and decent suspension. It isn't as bouncy as our old pram and feels more solid, which I like. It is quite narrow so great for shops and on busy pavements. We live close to the countryside and when we tested the Urban on rougher terrain the solid, no puncture tyres were a godsend and it still handled well. The handle has 4 adjustment positions making it high enough for 6ft 4'' Husband to use without backache. There is also a really large basket underneath which holds a fair amount of stuff. On our day in the country it held two waterproof jackets, Little E's wellie boots, an umbrella, 2 large bottles of water, a blanket, a big bag of crisps and the car keys. There was still room to spare! In bassinet mode it isn't very accessible due to the base being in the way but in stroller mode it is much easier to get items in and out.

Out and about with the Urban

One of my favourite features of the pram is how deep and cosy Little I is in bassinet mode. She is well out of the way of the wind and weather and she sleeps like a dream in it. The padded liner makes it soft and snuggly. If it is sunny the flap on the cover can be unpoppered and propped up to block the sun from her face. She can stay in this mode until around 6mths or when she can sit up unaided. Converting to stroller mode is simple, you just engage the clips underneath and the bassinet folds into a seat with the back adjustable by tilting the angle of the whole frame or letting down the back support. In bassinet mode baby must be facing you but in stroller mode you can choose to have them facing you or facing forwards.

Snuggled down in the bassinet (left) With the sun flap up and our buggy board attached (right)

Collapsing the Urban is pretty simple but it does require both hands. You unclip the seat unit from the base then engage two buttons whilst flicking the release catch. After a few attempts it becomes second nature. The handle folds down and the frame concertinas shrinking down to the size of a medium suitcase. You can then carry it one handed using the integrated handle. It is reasonably heavy but I was able to lift it into my boot 8wks after my C section with no problem so it is manageable. I now have a medium size car with decent boot space but I can tell this would fit in smaller cars like my old Clio with the parcel shelf removed.

The base collapsed

We were also sent the Chicco Auto Fix Fast car seat and adaptor to make the stroller a fully functioning travel system.

When I'm popping out of the car for a quick errand I like to be able to attach the car seat to the stroller wheels to save getting Little I out of the carseat. The Urban can't be used with other brand car seats which is a shame but the adaptor allows you to pop their car seat onto the frame very easily.

Car seat on stroller wheels using adaptor frame

The car seat is a good design with a good safety rating. Little I looks very comfortable with the fab Ergo system head support which helps guard against flat heads and shoulder pads which are fixed in place making sure you position baby's shoulders correctly. It comes with a base which you strap into the car permanently using the seatbelt not isofix (an isofix version is available) making it faster to correctly secure the seat each time. But one thing we have really struggled with is positioning the seat in the cars. Because our seats are quite angled we have struggled to get the car seat flat and as a result Little I has been tipped forward causing her head to flop forwards as we travel. We need a wedge support to level the seat out. We haven't needed to do this with our previous car seats.

Cosy in the car seat

We will definitely be using the Urban over our old stroller and would recommend it to others who are looking for an easy to use, versatile pram which will fit in smaller car boots.

The Chicco Urban stroller costs £349.99 and the colour pack is an additional £49.99. The Auto Fix Fast car seat costs £119.99 and the stroller adaptor is £24.99. I have seen some bundle deals online greatly reducing this cost. You can buy online from Amazon via the link below

This stroller was sent to us for review as part of the Chicco Tested for Happiness blogger network.
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Linking up with #triedtested at goingonanadventure.co.uk and #pocolo at vevivos.com