Kiddy Click'n Move 3 Buggy and Travel System Review

I'm really enjoying seeing how Kiddy's products evolve over time.  The Kiddy Click'n Move 3 is the latest incarnation of their successful buggy and travel system.  You can use the Click'n Move chassis with a buggy seat like we do, with any of the Kiddy infant carrier car seats or with a Kiddy carrycot.

Holly is at an age now where she enjoys looking out at the world from her buggy but, depending on how clingy she is feeling that day, it is nice that she can also face towards me in the Click'n Move 3.  The seat unit is incredibly easy to take on and off or to recline (my old travel system used to always bring me to tears every time I had to adjust it).

When the Click'n Move 3 first arrived, three things immediately struck me:-

1. It is phenomenally light. The aluminium chassis means it is so light compared to any other travel system I've touched.  This means it is easy to manouvre and also means it is easy to get in and out of the car.
2. It is very narrow.  This is the first buggy I've owned which fits through both my internal and external doors with ease.
3. The handlebars have a massive range of heights.  This is brilliant for me because I always always suffer with the height of handlebars.  As a tall woman there aren't many buggies whose handlebars go high enough for me but I think the Click'n Move would be just as good for the more petite parents out there.

Holly seems really comfortable sitting upright in the Click'n Move although there is a good level of recline.  I found the 5-point harness easy to fit and adjust and the straps seem both sturdy and comfy.

My favourite feature of the Click'n Move 3 is the large sun canopy which stretches a long way down over the buggy to provide plenty of protection.  I'm also really impressed with the removable bumper bar.  Not only is it easy to take on and off but it also unzips to reveal a light weight raincover for the lower body; the Click'n Move does come with a raincover but this little extra in the bumper bar is great for unexpected showers or just to provide a little protection for the legs.

Little gripes about the Click'n Move include the fact that it doesn't collapse to a very compact shape.  It is an improvement over my old travel system but I would say that there isn't much room for shopping in my boot once the buggy is in there.  I also found the storage basket underneath the buggy to be hard to reach.  Although it is a good sized space that it zips closed (and is even lockable with a small padlock through the zip) I found that for such a spacious buggy, the storage area seems small and a very long way from the handlebars which aren't ideal for hanging a changing bag from.  I quite often end up pretty much sitting on the floor when I want to put something in or out of the storage area!

The suspension on the Click'n Move is also really impressive, there is a lot of bounce in the buggy as you push it over the pavement or 'off-road' and you know what... it feels good!  All in all, I'm really happy with the Click'n Move 3 pushchair and I think that if you are planning a Kiddy car seat then it would be a perfect travel system solution from birth for use as a pram as well.

You can buy a Kiddy carrycot to fit on the Click'n Move 3 wheels and the Kiddy Evolution Pro infant carrier car seat is specifically designed to integrate with it.  The Click'n Move 3 is available in 4 colours - ours is Stone.

You can follow Kiddy UK on facebook and twitter.

A Flying Visit to Kiddy HQ (and a sneaky peek at the new City n Move stroller)

Last week, as part of our epic family road trip across Europe, the Mellow family dropped in to say Hi to our friends at Kiddy headquarters in Hof, Germany. When I first visited Kiddy HQ last summer I knew I had to take Lara and Mr. B. there too (I didn't know that Holly would be with us as well!) - Hof is a beautiful place with a lake and leisure complex of which I am very jealous and exploring the internals of a big car seat and children/baby product manufacturer is a fascinating experience I wanted to share with them.

We spent the night in a hotel by the side of the lake and, in the afternoon we all took a relaxing stroll around the banks of the lake in the warm sunshine. Lara had great fun on the playground and she even stripped off and went for a dip in the lake with all the local children. I must say it did look very inviting.

 

Lara and Holly were both very well behaved when we took our tour of the new Kiddy offices. Lara had never before seen quite so many car seats in one place (and I doubt she ever will again) - thousands and thousands lined up and ready to be sent out to customers. I think Lara was particularly fascinated to see a new Kiddy pushchair being tested using a dummy weight by being pushed down the corridors of the R&D department - it makes your own pushchair seem that more "real" when you know someone somewhere put in the hard work to make it just right.

While we were at Kiddy HQ they introduced me to the new City 'n' Move stroller which will be hitting UK stores very very soon. This is the first time that I have come face to face or hands-on with a Kiddy pushchair and the first thing I noticed was that it felt just as good quality as I expect of their car seats.

The wide array of features and accessories of the City n Move were demonstrated to me. Lots of things that you would pay extra for elsewhere such as a cup holder or a large thick hood that comes all the way down. Perhaps the thing which stood out for me was the fact that when folded, the City n Move stood up on its own. I wish more pushchairs did this!

I'm looking forward to seeing the City n Move in the UK soon. Note: I am a product ambassador for Kiddy - this doesn't mean that I receive payment for blog posts, but it does mean that I receive products for review occasionally. This was the first time I had seen the City n Move.

My Girls And Their Kiddy Car Seats

It is now only a matter of weeks until the Mellow household embark on an epic driving trip across Europe and Kiddy car seats will be joining us on our travels. Kiddy have sent both Lara and Holly car seats from their new summer releases to put to the test on our travels.

Lara is now 3 years old and is tall for her age but her weight and age mean that she should still be sitting in a Group 1 car seat like the brand new, top-of-the-range Kiddy Phoenixfix Pro. The Phoenixfix is the next step up from the extremely popular Kiddy Energy Pro but with a few new tweaks, not least the optional Isofix fitting which twang out so that you can fit the seat securely to your car's Isofix mounting points.

As with all Kiddy group 1 car seats, the Kiddy Phoenixfix pro features the iconic impact shield; a new and improved design to give added protection around the core of Lara's body in the event of an accident. The seat of the Phoenixfix has a noticeably wider and more padded seat base than Lara's current Group 1,2,3 car seat - this means that for a smaller child or toddler towards the lower age and weight range of a group 1 seat it offers a lot of support and is super-comfy.

The back of the Phoenixfix pro moves easily up and down to provide support for head and neck at the right height for your child. Lara is just at the very edge of growing too tall for the head supports for the Phoenixfix pro (they are resting on her shoulders) - I don't think it will be long before she needs to move into a Group 2,3 seat (we have our Kiddy Cruiserfix Pro waiting in the sidelines for the day we need it!)

The Phoenixfix Pro is available in a limited set of colours - Lara's is a Rumba red.



Holly is now 10 weeks old and is looking very comfy in her Kiddy Nest group 0+ car seat. It is a very very comfy looking seat and she always seems happy in it.

The Kiddy Nest is the brand new infant carrier by Kiddy and it is at the opposite end of the scale to the Phoenixfix pro - a great quality bargain first car seat for your baby. At less than £50 I think the Kiddy Nest is an awesomely good value car seat.

The Nest has no fancy fixtures or fittings (I have become far too accustomed to my current easy-release Isofix infant carrier... sigh) but it has everything you realistically need of a group 0+ car seat. You fit the seat in a rear-facing direction using the car's 3-point seat belt. I find this a bit tricky compared to my current car seat but maybe I'm just out of practice.

The fabrics of the kiddy Nest feel really good quality, especially on the sun-visor hood which provides really good coverage and protection from sun, wind and rain. It is easily removable too which is handy because it does tend to get in the way of the belt when fitting.

I love the fact that the handle can be used at home for putting the seat into a rocking position or into a very stable sleeping position on the floor. I also love the fact that the straps and buckle are very easy to fit and release. But, my absolute favourite thing about the Kiddy Nest is the weight - it is incredibly light for an infant carrier and this makes it far easier for me to rush too and from with Holly in the seat; I've even managed a supermarket shop while carrying her which I wouldn't have dared attempt in my existing infant carrier.

You can keep up-to-date with new products from Kiddy on their UK facebook page. Stay tuned to Parentwheels over the coming weeks for more detailed product reviews of the Kiddy Nest and Kiddy Phoenixfix Pro.

Disclosure: We were sent the two car seats for the purposes of review and will continue to test them before giving our brutally honest feedback on ParentWheels in a few weeks.

 

The Kiddy Cruiserfix Pro Challenge - how fast can you fit a car seat?

Kiddy challenged us to see how fast we could get a team of people to fit their group 2, 3 Isofix car seat, the Kiddy Cruiserfix Pro. Finding a team of willing volunteers over the festive period who were in any state to fit car seats was a challenge in itself so in the video below Mr. B. shows off his skills solo-style.

The challenge in fitting a car seat is to ensure that you do so safely and correctly. Isofix fitting help a lot with this and certainly speeds up the process compared to a seat that is fitted with a belt. Kiddy provide two bright yellow Isofix guides which are intended to make the process even easier but they don't quite fit in our shiny new car because the leather isn't pliable enough yet! Despite this, our first foray into the world of Isofix has been a great success, I'm really pleased with how much it aids the process of fitting a car seat.

The Kiddy Cruiserfix Pro has retractable Isofix connectors so can be used in cars that don't have Isofix mounting points. As a group 2,3 car seat Lara has not yet tried it out but we are using it for friends and family when they are with us. Actually, Lara is not that far off being ready for a group 2 seat even though she is only 2 and a half. Lara is as tall as many 4-year-olds I know and at 16.6kg she is certainly heavy enough to go into the Kiddy Cruiserfix Pro.

You can read my comprehensive review of the Kiddy Cruiserfix Pro on my sister site, Parentwheels. You can follow Kiddy on facebook and on twitter.