We don’t normally collect modern strollers at The Pram Museum, but admit to a real attraction to the more interesting contemporary models. To us, “More interesting” means “cool engineering”. So when The Right Start finally went under last month, we bought a lonely Quinny Zapp that had been left stranded in a near-empty store.
It’s a lovely machine. The fold is pure genius, and it’s so small when folded that getting it in and out of even my over-stuffed subcompact car trunk is incredibly easy. You can hardly find it in the SUV. I love the baby-preying-mantis look of the fold, and the marvelous way it fits into the (included) carry bag.
Yes, it steers like a dream. Only one hand free? No problem! You wouldn’t want to take this baby over cobblestones — the wheels are hard, and there’s no suspension to speak of — but for quick trips on planes, trains and automobiles, you couldn’t do much better than this for your over-six-month-old. (Younger babies could ride in a car seat, using the included adapters, but your Curator hates the US American habit of hauling babies around in plastic shells all day long, so I’m not endorsing that here. So there.)
Expect a bit of a learning curve first few times you do the fold. It works perfectly, but patience while you learn it will pay off — it’s not an intuitive fold, and nearly everyone will need to practice initially, especially if you’re used to conventional folds. The fourth time around, I was a pro, and now it’s second nature.
The seat is very tall, and much wider than it looks. The basket isn’t truly accessible, but just fine for small stuff (which won’t fall out, due to high walls) and for sweaters and jackets. A canopy (with side windows for baby), rain shield, and the carry bag are all included, along with the car seat adapters (for the Maxi-Cosi).
Ours came with a rattle in one wheel. A quick email exchange with Quinny/Dorel was all it took to get the wheel replaced, and it arrived within days. In fact, that was the most amazing demonstration of positive customer support that I’ve seen in years — very impressive. No argument, no fuss, no bother at all. Wow!
Baby Gizmo has a great review and demo on YouTube.
‘Tis the Season: Worst Gift Ever
Pram Watch is on hiatus until January, but this one’s too relevant to wait. Know a kid you’d like to knock off? This is for you!
That’s a “textbook holder” for your iPhone. Or iPod. Or whatever is more important than the kid you’re pushing.
The headline says it all:
Nothing says “holiday” like the gift of neglect. Or death. Remember this story from last July? A loving grandmother was crushed by an SUV as she was pushing her grandson along a sidewalk. She apparently managed to essentially throw the baby’s stroller out of the way of the vehicle, which saved the baby’s life, but not hers.
The driver, who had himself just dropped-off a child at a relative’s house, remained on the scene, called for help, passed drugs and alcohol tests, and was not charged. Follow-up stories focused on the forgiveness the family showed to the driver — a forgiveness which may have been informed, in part, by their acknowledgement that the victim regularly pushed her grandchildren with earplugs on, listening to media, and was apparently doing so at the time of the accident.
Distraction kills, people. While I believe that the world would be a more perfect place if there were no vehicles larger than a Mini Cooper, it’s unrealistic to believe that 1) a truck driver can see everything beneath him/her on a sidewalk and 2) a pedestrian can expect to be seen.
Could this accident have been prevented if Grandma had the full use of her ears? If she had been trouble-shooting every potential obstacle along the way? Maybe. If you’re looking ahead, it’s actually pretty hard to miss a huge SUV backing out of a driveway. If you’re boogieing to an inner beat, not so much.
As for the SUV, well, check this out, particularly the description of the sizes of the potential blind spots, about halfway down the article. The same CNN article (from 2005) claims, in part, that
That’s a lot of kids, folks. If you’ve got manslaughter on your mind, outright homicide, or even just winging a kid, go for the media cradle. It’s the perfect gift. That neighbor with the Escalade will never be the same, but hey, that’s just collateral damage.
Thanks, Eph (via engadget)