I think if you were to ask parents what they look for in a pram most would say they want something sturdy yet lightweight that folds up small. That was exactly what I wanted when Amelia started nursery; there was no way I could leave my Bugaboo outside the nursery doors as it’s too big and expensive so I needed a small fold up pram to do the nursery run each day.
The pram I chose was the Silver Cross Zest in black and I’ve used it almost everyday since we bought it last July. I use it mainly for the nursery run but I also use it when I’m just popping to the shops and don’t want to lug the massive Bugaboo around.
There were some key features that made this pushchair stand out from the rest when we were looking for one and these are the things that ultimately made our decision to choose the Zest:
- It has a weight limit of 25kg whereas all the others we looked at were to a max of 15kg.
- It folds up in an umbrella fold and it’s small enough to store at home without being the way.
- It has a large hood with a mesh panel so you can see inside.
- The seat lies completely flat for naps which also technically makes it suitable from birth, not that I’m sure you would want to use it for a baby so small.
- It has a very secure five point harness strap.
If I’m totally honest, it was the weight range that made me choose this pushchair, I don’t really understand kgs but I know that the difference between the Zest and almost all of it’s competitors was enough to mean you’d get a lot longer use out of it. By all accounts, your child probably isn’t going to need a pram by the time they reach 25kg but it’s about having the option I suppose.
As with anything, when you start to use it you find out what it’s all really about and I’m afraid there are quite a few things I don’t like about the Zest:
- The dodgy brake/latch system – the foot brakes and fold up mechanism are all on one system and somewhere somehow they have become damaged. This means that the brake will click on as and when it likes, normally when I’m in the middle of crossing a busy road or the fold up latch will pop up and the pushchair will become flimsy and ready to fold whilst Amelia is sat in it.
- The basket is so small that it can’t even store the rain cover for the pushchair because the cover is too large.
- If by some small miracle you did manage to fold the rain cover into a small enough size to fit in the basket, you would have to take it out to be able to fold the Zest as it won’t lock in the fold position when there is anything in the basket.
Those are my negatives and the first one is a big deal for me, it drives me insane and makes the Zest not very safe since the brakes will come on whenever they like and I have on more than one occasion had to just drag the thing out of the road with oncoming traffic.
I would have taken it back to the store if I could find the damn receipt which I can’t but I also bought it from Toys R Us so I suppose that ship has sailed anyway but it is a real problem and considering I am using it to walk 3 mins each way to nursery and back it’s not like it’s being over used or asked to over perform.
For this reason, I wouldn’t recommend the Silver Cross Zest to anyone looking for a lightweight pushchair. If I could return it I would, I’m not sure what I would swap it for but something more sturdy with a basket that could actually be useful. I think when purchasing the Zest I was convinced I needed something with longevity which the 25kg weight limit gave me, shame the built quality would never allow it to last that long.
Do you have a lightweight stroller? What did you choose?
Rachel xx
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