In some medical circumstances it is possible you may be exempt, although pregnancy is normally an exception in itself. It is up to your Doctor to authorise exemption. Click here for information on exemptions.

Get the “Buckle Up For Baby And You” leaflet here.

The Law Surrounding Children In Cars

In essence, all children under 135cm tall or under the age of 12 in front or rear seats must wear the correct child restraint for their weight with a few exceptions. This also applies to overseas visitors and their cars while travelling in this country. If this is a hire car, then seats should be booked in advance with the rental company.

Exceptions are limited and differ slightly depending on whether the child is over or under three years of age.

1. In a licensed hire car or taxi if the correct restraint is unavailable they may only travel in the rear seat; if over three they should wear the adult belt and if under three, they can be unrestrained as the adult belt would work at all.

2. In a genuine emergency, and over a short distance, a child over three years may travel in the rear using an adult seat belt. This does NOT apply to children under three, regular trips or those planned in advance.

3. When there is only room to fit two child restraints on the rear seat, and, if the front seat is already occupied, a child over three may use an adult belt (lap only or full). If the front seat is empty, they must use this and the correct child restraint for their age.

4. If the vehicle has no rear seat belts as is common with older vehicles, a child over three may travel unrestrained.

Download a copy of the “Seat Belts And Child Restraints” leaflet as it also provides current UK laws on child seat belts and who is responsible for ensuring a child is secured in a vehicle.

The Quinny Zapp pushchair, is suitable from 6 months to 4 years old or upto 18kg/40lbs. This pushchair is a forward facing  5-point harness model that has lockable linked braked swivel wheels.

Comes with a raincover and a removable cover that is handwashable. The handle height is 106.5 cm and the easy fold lightweight aluminium alloy frame makes the Quinny Zapp pushchair weigh in at only 8.8kg. Folded, the size is 69 x 29 x 30cm.

Sleek and attractive design, the Quinny Zapp pushchair is ideal for travelling on planes, trains and car. Complies with BS 7409.

Independent customer review follows, click the link for Quinny Zapp Pushchair and see the original and more reviews!

Quinny Zapp

“I bought one of these the other day as our second Quinny Zapp. Not because the other one had broken (it’s going strong after eight months of heavy use) but because I’m selling our big pushchair and replacing it with one of these.

The Quinny Zapp has served us incredibly well. We used it as a travel system when my son was tiny, and then as a pushchair when he grew out of his Maxi-Cosi car seat. If you have one of these, there really is no need to buy a big pushchair: my mother insisted, bought us one, and we used it twice because it was easier to use the Quinny.

So, the good points:
It folds up to be tiny: I believe Quinny are marketing the Zapp as the world’s smallest-folding pushchair. It fits in the boot of a Fiat Seicento with ample room to spare; with the big pushchair I had to fold the seat down and had room for nothing else.

It’s light and comfortable to push, and can be pushed one-handed. The turning circle is tiny, so no more reversing out of a lift. The handles are just the right height for me, and I’m average height. It folds up easily, although it does take a couple of practices before you get the hang of it.

Not only is it comfortable for me, but it’s comfortable for my son, too. We don’t battle to get him into the pushchair, but he’ll quite happily sit in it and watch the world go by. The shoulder straps are nicely padded, and he sleeps well in it.

A Maxi-Cosi Pebble or CabrioFix infant car seat just clicks down into the adapters, which meant that we could get a newborn baby out of the car and around town without waking him up.

Storage space-wise, Quinny have FINALLY added a shopping basket as an optional extra. You can’t fit too much into it, but it’s better than the previous model. It also beats trying to carry a baby in a sling and all your shopping.

Lastly, the style: People see this buggy and comment on how stylish it is, and ask where I got it from. It’s particularly impressive with the car seat on, but still very smart in both the old and the new colour combinations.

There are also a few little niggles that I’ve adjusted to:
You can’t hang anything heavy on the handlebars. This matters less with the addition of the shopping basket, and I get around it by taking the bare minimum of baby stuff with me in a Skip Hop Pronto Change Mat Black.

The seat doesn’t recline. This hasn’t been a problem for us: my son is happy to sleep upright and still looks comfortable. However, if you want a pushchair that reclines, this isn’t for you.

Getting the car seat on and off and folding the pushchair both require practise. If you’re going to use one of these as a travel system from birth, it’s a good idea to get to grips with it before the baby is born. ”

So, in conclusion: it’s a great pushchair and a great travel system. You really don’t need anything more than this and a Maxi-Cosi car seat, and it was worth every penny for the fantastic quality and design.

Both the car seat and the Quinny Dreami carrycot will simply click on and off the pushchair structure so baby doesn’t need to be disturbed making the system very practicable.

Do you need a complete travel system? Maybe, maybe not. Rather depends on your lifestyle. If you don’t drive you may appreciate getting the Quinny Dreami carrycot, particularly if you live in an upstairs flat and don’t want to take the pushchair upstairs all the time! If you drive all the time and only walk from the car to the shop then the Maxi Cosi car seat may be useful so you don’t have to wake baby.

Personally, I believe a lightweight travel system is really useful as it will last baby safely from birth to around four, not one-year-old like some cheap systems. The Quinny Zapp pushchair (not compatible with the Dreami carrycot) as well as the Buzz and Speedi are lightweight bases with automatic folding and are very popular pushchairs.

Quinny Buzz 3

The Quinny Buzz is suitable from birth and takes only minimal effort to fold and unfold automatically. Really comfortable seat has three reclining positions in forward-facing mode and two rear facing.

Turn your Quinny Buzz into a travel system by adding the Quinny Dreami Carrycot and the Maxi-Cosi CabrioFix car seat (these are sold separately).

The seat will grow with the child and the Quinny Buzz is very manoeuvrable with a lockable front wheel that rotates 360 degrees. Height adjustable handle bar, foot and back rest. Included are a sun canopy, clip-on change bag, raincover and necessary adapters to attach the Quinny Dreami carrycot in Storm, Strawberry, Raccoon, Greystone, Iron or Breen.

• Unfolded: 87 x 33 x 100 to 108 cm
• Folded: 87.5 x 60 x 31.5 cm
• Weight: 14.4 kg (Buzz 3) 15.7 kg (Buzz 4)

Your will find versions 3 and 4 of the Buzz currently available and looking at the reviews, you will see that the Buzz 4 is the most popular. For your convenience, there is a complete review posted below this text (good and bad!). To see the original just click on the the Buzz 4 picture.

Quinny Buzz 4

All in all, the intelligent design of the Quinny Buzz offers a degree of comfort and user-friendliness not found in any other product of its kind. The Quinny Buzz gives you a feeling of total freedom and if you invest in the Quinny Dreami carrycot and the Maxi-Cosi or Pebble car seat you will have a complete travel system to last you for as long as you need it.

Unedited review follows……

By     T. Stainer (UK)

Have being using our Quinny Buzz 4 for 18 months now.

To address some concerns in previous reviews:

Front wheel(s)

Some reviewers seem a little confused and I wonder if they actually have the three wheeled Quinny, an earlier model, as they refer to the front “wheel”. The Quinny Buzz three-wheeled version does have stability problems and can suffer front wheel pivot issues – which appear to have been addressed with the Quinny 4. It’s much more stable and the two front wheels can easily be locked in one position for rough terrain, or unlocked to swivel, giving very good maneuverability.

Any pram can suffer issues with its wheels and mechanisms if not cleaned properly and dirt and dust is allowed to build up in moving parts – this is true of any mechanical device…so whatever you buy, make sure you brush it off regularly!

Collapse/expand mechanism and clip

The Quinny Buzz has a pneumatic system which automatically expands it from flat when you tug on the handle. It’s a bit gimmicky, especially as you need two hands free to push the safety clip back to allow it to work, so you don’t get much advantage from other methods of folding. The clip, in my experience, does work 99 per cent of the time although I have had the pram expand unexpectedly in the car boot once or twice. It’s possible the design has been changed on our pram from a previous reviewers, but in my opinion you’d really have to try hard to break it.

The mechanism itself and the buttons you need to press to collapse again require two hands (sometimes it feels like three, as you also have to apply downwards pressure as you push one button in and another one forward). Again, in our experience, once you’ve done it two or three times, it’s second nature and we’ve never had a problem with it.

The mechanism, as mentioned by another reviewer, does occasionally start to collapse in use – but this is not as dramatic as it sounds. In my experience, too much weight on the handle – either mum or dad pushing down to hard, leaning on it, or hanging too many other bags on it, will result in a slight click and a small movement in the pram frame. However the gas-ram which drives the expansion mechanism is capable of holding the pram up even without the final lock and all you need to do is marginally lift the handle until it locks again. I’m convinced the pram would never collapse any more than a few millimeters and the child is certainly never at any risk.

Seat unit

Again, in our experience, the removal and reattachment of the seat unit, plus adjusting the angle of the seat is extremely simple once you’ve done it once or twice – I’m not sure why others have found it problematic. I’d agree that the angles, especially in the rear-facing configuration are limited – but our child soon bored of looking at mum and dad and now insists on facing forward anyway, so he can look at much more interesting things in the world ahead!

The pram will collapse with the seat in place, but only if it is facing forward and in one particular angle setting – which is a small limitation.

The seat cover is removal and washable (only by hand however) and the Quinny comes with two different size covers – one for infants and one for older toddlers.

Size/wheels

This is a “system” pram, which allows you to slot on a seat unit, carrycot or car seat. As such it is much bigger than more compact “umbrella” strollers. However, in comparison to other similar systems, it doesn’t seem much wider or more difficult to navigate round shops, through doorways etc. it certainly fits through all the doors in our 1930s house.

Its air filled wheels are bigger than some prams and therefore while sometimes catch on more things – but it’s the pay off for having the comfortable ride and all-terain ability of the pram.

And like other system prams it’s not the lightest or smallest pram when collapsed (although the “2D” collapse system and the fact the seat can come off completely means it does tend to take up less volume than other prams and the volume it does take up is “flatter” and can be split into several locations – for example our pram will slide behind the passenger seat of a VW golf sized vehicle, while the seat itself can sit on top of other luggage in the boot). It’s certainly not designed to be portable while folded in the way an umbrella stroller is.

Buyers need to remember their needs – we needed a robust pram that could cope with a fair amount of “off-road” on parkland walks, up at the allotment and in nearby woods. The large air-filled wheels are ideal for this sort of use, but like any air-filled wheel, can get punctured (we have only suffered one puncture since we’ve had it). It’s just as easy to repair as a bike puncture and Quinny provide a pump with the pram.

If you’ve likely to only use a pram on pavements, or use public transport a lot, this definitely isn’t the pram for you.

Storage

Yep, this lets the Quinny down, although there are solutions (although at a cost). It ships with the “buzz box” which clips onto the back of the pram. This is quite well designed, with easy access and a built in rain cover. It is close to the ground however and can get splashed easily. It’s also limited in space, and will only hold a nappy bag, or the waterproof covers for the pram – not both.

You can buy, for around £20, the buzz basket, which hangs between the struts of the pram and gives you some extra space for toys, covers, shopping etc. Again space is limited and the sides of the basket are not that high, so you can’t pile a huge amount in.

You can hang bags with shoulder straps over the handle of the pram, but there are no supplied hooks for shopping bags, and if you overload the handle you suffer two problems a) the pram can overbalance backwards and b) the folding mechanism can start to collapse.

Other issue not mentioned you might like to consider

There are no built in waterproof covers. You have to buy these at additional cost, or make sure the package you get has them. Because they are not built in, it means you also have to find somewhere to store them when not in use. The advantages of this however is that on a dry day, you can leave the covers at home and not lug them around. They are easily replaceable when junior tears them, meaning you avoid the “gaffer tape” repair look of many prams and you can get separate covers for each of the different attachments (car seat, carrycot) meaning every cover fits perfectly, rather than a one size fits none approach.

So why buy?

All of this might seem like the Quinn is plagued with problems, but I don’t believe this is the case – and certainly all pram systems have similar criticisms. If there was one pram system that worked for everyone, I suspect there would be a lot less of them on the market!

The Quinny is very expensive, which is why I suspect more people end up unhappy with it – for that price you expect it to work straight out the box and do everything you need.

Any pram purchase is a compromise between differing needs. For our needs the Quinny was perfect and we’ve never regretted buying it. As I’ve alluded to, if your needs differ, buying the Quinny could be a huge mistake.

For us the big plus points were:

Rugged, “off-road” capabilities – we rarely use public transport so no need for an ultra-light, compact design and do a fair amount of walking off pavements, on unmade forest trails etc.

Suitability for a tall dad (I’m 6ft 4in), the Quinny is one of a few prams which has a long-enough and adjustable enough handle to give me the “kick space” which means I’m not having to walk with short strides to avoid kicking the back of the pram.

Compatibility with the best car seats and carry cot attachments, not stuck with a Mama’s and Papa’s or a Silvercross car seat because it’s the only one which fits it, for example.

With use of attachements, was suitable from birth, until three or four years old – rather than option of buying two or three different solutions over the same period.

Flexibility of having the little man facing us, or facing away, plus a lie flat angle for sleep.

Relatively easy collapse and expansion system, relatively flat profile when collapsed.

Firstly, they must have an attractive look and feel. As much as possible, buy a crib that is barebones as possible. This makes it easier for you to assemble. It will also help you a lot when you have to dismantle and move the crib to a new location.

Your baby crib must be very flexible and multi-functional. The market is filled with cribs that you can convert to other uses. The most common convertible cribs allow you to fold them and turn them into day beds, toddler beds, or full-sized beds. This is important so that you need to only get one crib to perform these functions as your baby gets old.

The crib should also handle different levels of load. This means that it should support your child from his infancy to his toddler years. Here are some of the key features that you should look out for: extendable guard rails, flexible backboard, and four-level spring beds.

Experienced mothers have a preference on cribs depending on how the guard rail drops.

Cribs can be very different in this approach, since it can be a safety issue for parents. The most common mechanism is the knee push You just need to push down on the rail to open the crib. Other designs include the Foot Bar, Double Trigger, and Drop Gate.

Baby crib designs should comply with safety standards of your country. Although all cribs in the market have technically passed safety standards, there are a few high-profile products that may have been overlooked. Avoid baby cribs that have not been confirmed to pass safety standards.

The market offers a lot of baby cribs that you can choose from. However you should consider the Da Vinci emily convertible crib oak because it is the best.

Thankfully, when the cover gets messy (depends on your child and what you give them as to how long this takes!) you can remove the cover easily for washing.

Maxi-Cosi Cabriofix

• First remove the belt pads.
• Open the rim at the sun canopy as far as possible.
• Remove the cover from the 8 hooks.
• Remove the cover then from under the hooks and quick adjuster button.
• Pull the buckle tongue sections and adjustment strap through the openings.

Wash according to instructions and refit the cover as follows.

• Just carry out the above instructions in reverse order.
• Make sure that the lower section of the cover flaps over the upper section.
• When closing the rim, make sure the sun canopy is stored properly in the rim.
• Fasten the adjustment strap under the shell again.

Electric Blue Dreami

I have come across a few common questions concerning the Quinny Dreami Carrycot and related items. As and when I see more I will add them to the list along with their brief answers or where necessary, where to find that informatiion. Hope it helps!

1. Do you need adapters for the Quinny Dreami Carrycot?

Answer -  If you have a compatible pushchair then no, all the adapters you need will be with the system, you do not need to buy anything else.

2. What prams can u use the Quinny Dreami with?

Answer – Only the Buzz and the Speedi pushchairs I’m afraid. As you will see from other posts on this site, the Buzz and Speedi form a complete travel system with the Quinny Dreami Carrycot and the Maxi Cosi Cabriofix car seat.

3. What is the different between Quinny Dreami and Maxi Cosi?

Answer – The Quinny Dreami is the pram/carrycot component and the Maxi Cosi the car seat. Both go together with the Buzz and Speedi pushchairs to form a travel system.

4. Do I need the Dreami carrycot?

5. Should I get the carrycot when buying Quinny Buzz 4 pushchair?

Answer to both – Rather depends on your intended use I would say. Obviously the carrycot is best in the first three months as baby can lie completely flat. However, if you lifestyle is in and out of a car rather than taking baby for long walks, there is nothing wrong with just using the Maxi Cosi car seat as it has multiple positions. Personally though, if you intend to take baby for a daily walk for some fresh air (that will do you good as well!), I’d still take the Quinny Dreami as well. If it’s your first baby it’ll keep for the next or you can sell it on as the Buzz and Speedi pushchairs are quite popular.

6. Can babies sleep at night in the Dreami Buzz?

Answer – Not in the Buzz pushchair, but OK in the Quinny Dreami Carrycot for the first few months. Baby should lie flat where possible. Once they can turn, they should really be in a cot with a good safe baby mattress.

You will find that all terrain pushchairs will have a longer wheel base and much larger wheels than a “normal” pushchair. You will of course find some that recline or that have the ability to add on a carrycot, however, baby should not be taken on too rough rides until they are at least three/four months old.

Do not assume that all three-wheelers are all terrain pushchairs. Because three-wheelers have become fashionable there are a lot more of them around but a good rule-of-thumb is whether they have large pneumatic tyres. Check the usage the manufacturer suggests to be sure.

Make sure there is a 5-point safety harness and that you have a rain cover, sun cover and travel bag. You may also like to get a foot muff and perhaps a car seat if appropriate. A wrist strap is a particularly useful addition in case you forget to put the brakes on, you inadvertently let go or they fail (the latter is unlikely but possible).

Do you really need an all terrain pushchair? If you are just getting one because they are cool but will only use it on pavements, don’t bother. They are larger to manoeuvre in and out of shops, bulkier to get in the chair and you may find you have to take the wheels off. Although the larger the wheels are the more comfortable the ride, it does make it more difficult to get in your car. You must remember to take the pump with you everywhere and a puncture repair kit.

Out n About Nipper

In summary, all terrain pushchairs offer a good option to those who wish to continue or start exercising with their baby across all surfaces. They are not ideal for town use if you are in and out of a car as they are quite bulky although easy to fold.

The best and possibly best bargains in the UK for all terrain pushchairs can be found HERE and look for the “Out n About” range.

The Chicco Baby Steps Activity Walker helps baby to stand up and take their first steps! Music encourages your baby to walk by playing as the wheels turn. The Activity Walker is also a fun activity centre featuring lights and sounds , and even games for stationary activity to engage the senses. Taking baby steps with the walker is a wonderful way of helping your child to walk, while developing hand-eye co-ordination and motor skills.

Best used on carpet for real ‘beginners’ as the wheels may slip on a hard floor, even in locked position. The best thing however are the ‘brakes’ on the wheels. They have just enough friction to control the speed, and slow or prevent falls. With some walkers, if the child leans back or forward or back too much, the walker may either slide away or topple over.

The Chicco is an affordable and safe walker which offers all the whistles and bells your child will like. Unfortunately this walker does not fold down, but if the reviews are anything to go by that would be a waste of time anyway! Would make a great present from 9 months old or for a first birthday or Christmas. This Chicco musical activity walker is sturdy and will provide the toddler and baby plenty of stimulating activities.

Activity walkers have 2 excellent functions. Lock the wheels and your child can just play with the activity centre from sitting and enjoy all the noises and clicks, as they become ready to start to walk, they’ll simply pull themselves up. When babies learn to stroll, the activity walker becomes a walker to stable steps as well as encourages energetic play.

You need to at all times guarantee that children utilising an activity walker are effectively supervised. Parents or caregivers have to be there to make sure that babies are not injured while utilizing an baby activity walker. You should as always, check the instructions and manufacturers guidelines for use, don’t just throw them in the bin!

Speedi 3

Quinny is one of the best lifestyle brands available in Europe for baby and child products. Quinny products are the product of  innovative pecision engineering and superb styling and colours, while maintaining the highest possible quality and safety standards.

The  Speedi SX has a lightweight but strong aluminium frame, a highly manoeuvrable front wheel that will turn to 360 degrees and may be locked. It folds easily and has an adjustable shopping basket. Join it up with the Maxi-Cosi Cabriofix car seat and the Quinny Dreami carrycot (pram base) and you’ll have a complete travel system. All the adapters are there so you’ll be ready to go.

The Dreami and the Maxi-Cosi are also compatible with the Speedi 3 and the Buzz 3,  Buzz 4.

Approved to EN 1888 and BS 7409 standards, IMHO the Quinny Speedi SX is a good buy.