I trialled the Mountain Buggy +one. It is a buggy built for one or two children. When configured for two kids, one sits behind the other. The other options are a baby lying flat and a toddler in the front.
The set-up
I found it really easy to put together. I had not seen it before, but have put together loads of buggys and felt it was a no brainer.
The things I liked about setting it up were that it has a built in drink holder on the side. The buggy also includes a cocoon for your baby to snugly fit in. I would have liked to have seen some kind of little pocket for my keys and phone (maybe that’s an add on in the future???).
I’m liking
The ease of use. Mountain buggys are always great but the suspension on this was amazing. I pushed it over boggy grass, rocky beds and on everyday footpaths (with the odd tree root in my way) and never had an issue. It turns easily and you can almost push just with a finger! (Which I tried). With both of my children in the buggy, it was slightly difficult to manoeuvre but they weigh 11kg and 17kg so find me a pram that would do half as good a job as this does.
The way both kids sit is great. They can both have a good view of the path you’re walking and neither obscures the other’s view. When my toddler got sick of being in the pram (as we all know they can), I used the back part of it to store my shopping and found I could load heaps in there. Unlike other similar buggys, the 2nd seat has full sides so acts like a great shopping trolley (just not great on the credit card as I spent way more since I could carry it). It also has quite a high grip on the handle; both my hubby and I are tall and find some buggys give us back ache. This however, was a great height. To collapse it was super easy and same again for setting up.
Any improvements?
One thing that stood out for me was the size of it once collapsed; it filled my whole boot (my current model of Phil and Teds Vibe which is a similar pram only half fills it).
Also I despise foot breaks, although this is one of the better ones I have seen but still found while walking I kicked it and set it off.
It is worth checking out the YouTube guide for set up as I did not and placed the metal bar behind the first seat when two kids were using this pram. It is intended for use only in baby and toddler mode and my son jammed his fingers in it, so please don’t use with two children in. (Maybe Mountain Buggy could label the bar so that people don’t have to go online to find out?).
When it’s configured for two children, the front seat has some movement. I tried to tighten as much as possible but found it still could move.
Finally, once put up, the sunshade for both children had a blank panel which makes it hard for the child in the back to look out; it would have been better if this was a clear fabric or mesh.
Extra for experts
The finish of this buggy wasn’t as smooth as other buggys we have tried and we felt some of the bolts were a bit rough.
The conclusion:
This has been a well thought-out design.
This is a great pram for any family planning on having more then one child and within a three year age gap of the other. It would also suit those who have one child (or greater spacing) but look after additional children. It would suit someone who enjoys the outdoors but equally is well-suited to urban use.
I’d have to say, all in all, if I were pregnant with either a first or second child, I would buy this over any of the current comparable prams.
I was very sad to give it back and the idea of it being ‘lost in transit’ crossed my thoughts!
I also have found that the team at Mountain Buggy have an excellent service centre- not say you will have any issues with this one but I have every confidence that any issues would be hassle free to sort.
Product Information from the manufacturer
The +one is a new inline system that bears all the hallmarks of Mountain Buggy’s bulletproof DNA.
Features
- Fits one or two toddlers or babies
- Extra large follow the sun canopy
- Rear wheel suspension
- Adjustable seat harness
- 2-mode front wheel
- Carrycot, travel system and cocoon compatible
