Halo....is it me you're looking for??

Cool Silver Cross Halo Mummy!

Don't I sit up nicely Mummy?



Silver Cross Halo

Sleek, Modern yet Retro...

Again, lucky me, lucky me! I've been given the Silver Cross Halo pushchair by the lovely people at Silver Cross and Amy Johnston at Wolfstar to test and review. Such fun getting presents for no good reason! Similar to the Silver Cross Doodle, I dove into the Halo box when I received it and was amazed at how quickly and easily I was able to get the pushchair assembled. There was no need for tools or even, really, the instruction manuals (again, one with words, one with pictures). I only needed a quick reference for attaching the canopy, popped on the front wheels and added the optional seat liner and I was set. I've decided to review the individual features with a Pro/Con method...here we go!

PROS:

• Looks- The Halo is very sleek and stylish. It looks cool and a bit flash as well as the Halo frame is a brushed steel finish. The canopy adds a touch of Silver Cross nostalgia. It reminded me of the traditional pram canopies. This will suit all the Yummy Mummies out there looking for a modern, light-weight pushchair for busy days.
• Initial Set-Up- As stated above, the assembly of the Halo was very simple and straightforward and within 5 minutes of taking it out of the box it was good to go. The instructions manuals, should you need them, are very user friendly with both a WORDS manual and PICTURE manual for all of you visual learners, myself included!
• Canopy- The canopy secures into place with a latch on either side which makes it feel more sturdy than some other pushchair canopies. There is a brilliant tinted, plastic "window" which hangs off the front of the canopy to provide more than adequate face protection from the sun.
• Seat- The seat seems very comfortable (wish I could feel for myself but I'm not wee enough!) and has a bit of give to it- almost like shock absorbers! My Little Miss sits up nice and straight and has the pleasure of being able to see out to either side. In our current lightweight 3-wheeler pushchair, she's in more of a "sling" which makes seeing out a bit limited. My favourite feature of the seat is the extendable leg rest. Simply lift under the leg part of the seat and pull out a u-shaped bar which very adequately supports the legs making the ride very comfortable. Little Miss' legs are no longer hanging from the knee! She looks like she's lounging in an easy chair in the Halo!
• Smooth ride- The ride seems very smooth and easy. We went around a park and market town and found the ride very seamless. The pushchair itself, despite being classified as a LIGHTWEIGHT pushchair, feels very stable and solid. Some lightweight pushchairs feel as if they could blow away in a stiff breeze- not the Halo!
• Recline feature- The Halo can be reclined to virtually flat and as stated above, has a nice give or shock absorbing quality. The reclining was very smooth and gentle which is vital when trying to keep a sleeping child asleep. It was also very easy to raise the seat back when my daughter was awake. Her current pushchair sees me struggling mightily to raise her to the full upright position when she's in it. Not so with the Halo. The canopy comes down at the back when the seat is reclined which offers excellent protection from the elements and keeps your child cocooned nicely when you need them to be.
  

CONS:

• Folding Mechansim- The mechanism is a bit awkward as you have to push in a button on the right latch and lift both the left and right latches to fold the Halo down. I struggled the first few times but after it's been done several times it becomes easier. It just requires a bit of coordination. There is also a carry handle under the seat in order to lift and transport the folded Halo- I did find this handle a bit too small. It is difficult to fit your hand in comfortably and I think a man would struggle even more.
• Canopy- While the canopy is brilliant, there is no viewing window to see your child! In order to see your child when the canopy is down you have to peek around the side to see them. Not the worst thing in the world but I would prefer to peep at them from above.
• Handle- The handle seemed a bit hard and was a bit high for me personally (I am 5'3"). This higher handle made going up and down kerbs a bit tricky as I didn't have the same leverage as with my current pushchair. The handle could use a bit of padding as I do a lot of long walks and my hands would bear the brunt of it, I fear.
• Lack of Storage- There is no storage basket, per se, but there are criss-crossing "bungee" cords that attach to a shelf under the seat. I was able to attach my changing back to the frame and set it on the shelf under the seat which worked very well.

On the whole, I found the Silver Cross Halo to be a very stylish, sleek and smooth pushchair. I think most Mummies would be very pleased to add this item to their arsenal. Thank you to Silver Cross and Amy Johnston for the opportunity to review both the Silver Cross Halo and Doodle. They are welcome additions to our family. Little Miss says "Thanks...I love 'em!"

Silver Cross Halo teaser...

Little Miss and Mummy with the Silver Cross Halo

Little Miss and Mummy going for a walk around the garden

Love the new pushchair Mummy!

Later this week...my review of the Silver Cross Halo pushchair. Please read below to learn more about it!

Silver Cross has just launched two new and innovative products, the Halo pushchair and the Doodle high chair and play table. Halo is a revolutionary product that is sleek and safe. Not only is it lightweight and fashionable, but it’s so compact it fits into the boot of a Mini! The Halo is available now at Mothercare (exclusively in Dandilion design), Toys R Us (exclusively in black denim fabric) and independent retailers across the UK (available in 4 colours.)

Halo
Key information
Lightweight, folding pushchair and travel system ideal from birth to toddler.
Exceptional protection and flexibility.
Super compact and will fit in the boot of a mini.
Converts to a complete travel system with the Ventura car seat.
The Halo comes complete with a seat liner, footmuff, rain cover and cargo net.

Phil Taylor, head designer at Silver Cross, said: “The Halo is our newest, most innovative, lightweight, folding pushchair and travel system ideal for babies from birth to toddler. The Halo looks different because it is different – the unique elliptical frame (the ‘halo’ around the child) delivers exceptional protection and simple flexibility.
“This product is perfect if you want a great looking, durable and compact buggy – and in addition, it will be the only buggy you need to buy. It is just as suited to new born babies as it is to toddlers and older children.
“The Halo is so compact, when folded it will fit in the boot of a mini!”

Accessories

Halo bag

Halo rocker

Halo car seat
Colours available

Fusion, Green tea, Ice
PriceHalo buggy retails at £275

Halo rocker is £100

Halo bag is £35

Halo car seat is £115

Blogging Carnival

Greetings All!

In my ever growing efforts to get this blog viewed, I am being featured (along with a lot of other bloggers) in a Blogging Carnival through British Mummy Bloggers. You can find the posts at:

http://rosiescribble.typepad.com/rosie-scribble/

You'll have to scroll down a ways to find me as I'm number 21 in the list but there are some really brilliant posts by other Mummy Bloggers that I'm sure you'll find fascinating. Do try to follow their sites because they write some great stuff. Thanks for reading and following! Next post to come from me... My review of the Silver Cross Halo pushchair! Come back soon!

Hey Doodle Doodle...Part One

I've been given an amazing opportunity! I joined a FABULOUS blogging group called British Mummy Bloggers and through one of the groups I have been given a chance to review 2 Silver Cross Products. Silver Cross was founded by William Wilson in 1877. Silver Cross first began designing transport for babies back in 1877. It all began when former postman William Wilson combined his ideas for an innovative spring suspension systemwith a handy reversible hood, and invented the modern pram. It was truly revolutionary, and was duly patented followed by over 30 more design patents filed in his prolific lifetime.
Royal approval in the 1900s ensured a special place for Silver Cross in the nation’s heart. Since the very first Silver Cross pram, every new idea, every smart design, every improvement in manufacturing, every single change has been a response to the changing needs of parents, babies and children. Those of you who aren't living in the UK...think about the stereotypical British Nanny pushing a pram through the park, it was probably a Silver Cross. They have become very popular in the US amongst celebrities. They are gorgeous things! But Silver Cross has come into the 21st century as well with some brilliant products such as the DOODLE- a sleek, modern-yet-retro high chair that most children will be happy to eat their meals in. When I received the Doodle, I tore into the box (with minor difficulty as there was some industrial strength glue keeping it shut!). There were five separate parts- the table, seat, tray, legs and basket/cupholders. The manual had very clever instructions- one which had just PICTURES and one which had WRITTEN instructions. I chose PICTURES...I like pictures! The assembly was very straightforward and the entire thing was put together in about 10 minutes without tools. The Doodle is very sleek in appearance and will fit very well in a modern kitchen/home. The Doodle comes in 3 colours- apple, stone and lilac; we got lilac. I was very impressed with the tray as it has a magnetic removable feeding tray. When broken down, the high chair converts into a table and chair for your DOODLER and has a removable basket in the middle of the table and 4 crayon cups which fit into the high chair leg notches. I feel that the table has an additional feature- a handy, safe and sturdy coffee table for the adults when the kids are in bed! I wouldn't worry about my Little Miss running around the lounge with the Doodle table in place either as it's round and the material would be very forgiving to small body parts if bumped into. So, we assembled the Doodle in all of 10 minutes and later installed the Doodle in the kitchen to be used by Little Miss in the morning. I was pleasantly surprised that the Doodle actually took up less space than our current high chair (a Chicco).

When our newly-1-year-old Little Miss was given the opportunity to road test the Doodle, she was immediately drawn to the magnetic tray. Within 10 seconds, however, Little Miss had removed said magnetic feeding tray and dropped it on the ground. She's certainly clever but I was a bit surprised that she managed to sort out the magnets so quickly. We later learned that the magnets also attract metal silverware! Little Miss has just started using a fork and lo and behold, the fork stuck right to the tray when placed over one of the magnets. Interesting way to keep the silverware off the floor, for sure! The tray is a bit tricky to adjust when using one hand (which as Mummies we often are) due to the flipper paddles which need to be depressed to open and close the tray. One criticism of the tray- the magnetic feeding tray is very slick which makes a great launching pad for cups or bits of food. Little Miss has talent in this area. It would be good to have a cupholder as well for this reason. The seat seems very comfortable and is extremely easy to wipe clean. The smoothness of the design also makes cleaning a breeze...no nooks and crannies for Cheerios, bananas and yogurt to crawl into. The straps are simple to adjust and leave a lot of growing room. I found Little Miss sat up very nicely in the chair and seemed much more secure in the seat than in her current high chair. She seems very happy in the Doodle in it's high chair form. We look forward to trying as a Doodle Art Table. Due to our busy week and weekend of First Birthday parties, Little Miss has to take it easy. We'll Doodle next week. We were very happy to welcome this product into our home as we call our Little Miss Doodle or Doodles for her nickname. How coindidental! I would recommend this product to anyone particularly because it will grow with your child and would be a good investment piece. It's functional, good-looking and durable- all things that are a must with a growing family. We'll be Doodling for some time to come. Please review the information below for more specifics about the Doodle courtesy of Silver Cross. Check out Silver Cross at www.silvercross.co.uk . Thanks for reading...let me know what you think of the Doodle!

Silver Cross has just launched two new and innovative products, the Halo pushchair and the Doodle high chair and play table. The Doodle is a dual product, beginning life as a funky and fashionable high chair, but then evolving into a play table and chair for when your child is older. This innovative and unique product is available from Toys R Us (exclusively in Aqua) and independent retailers across the UK (available in 3 colours.)

Doodle Key information
Doodle is a handy high chair for meal times, but once you break it down, it also provides a low chair complete with table for playtimes.
It can be used with the tray attached when in high chair mode or detached when using the table.
Comes with fully adjustable and removable feeding trays that are dishwasher safe, a five-point safety harness, toy basket, crayon cups and removable, easy-clean seat pads.

Phil Taylor, head designer at Silver Cross, said: “The best inventions begin with a Doodle. Now, our own Doodle has become a truly unique and inventive nursery product. The high chair has all the necessary features for busy parents – it’s easily adaptable and easy to clean and store.
“However, the thing that sets the Doodle apart from other high chairs, is the fact that within seconds it converts to a table and chair with crayon cups and a toy storage basket, creating the perfect place for your budding artists to get creative!”

PriceDoodle high chair retails at £150