By default, we live in a very desirable area of South-East London. Yes, such an area does exist! I take the girls for a walk to the park most days and as they snooze away, I play the buggy spotting game. The aim is to spot the most expensive buggy on show among the yummy mummy set as they ‘do lunch’ in the café and stroll around waiting for their darling Mr Hedge Fund to return from the city.
Until recently, the Bugaboo in its various forms (bee, cameleon and gecko) was the buggy du jour in a whole range of colour combinations, probably chosen to match the interior of the 4x4. However, I have been spotting the Stokke Xplory in increasing numbers over the last few weeks. Now, this is an interesting buggy. It is a tripod type affair with four wheels and from a distance looks like a gliding Dr Who baddie. The baby looks like it is virtually standing up and the Xplory is finished off with a matching changing bag with the name prominently displayed, natch.
The yummies have clearly had to seek out a more exclusive buggy because the Bugaboo is becoming such a common sight, even among the lower orders. Heck, the nanny might even have one for their snotty nosed sprog, heaven forbid! So the Xplory is the one to have for now. However, like the designer bag there will be another one along next season.
The other thing that makes me chuckle are the buggies that are clearly designed with the adult in mind rather than the baby. I’ve seen buggies with cup holders for the baby’s regular skinny mochachino and i-pod docking stations for the more musically-minded tot. Why have a shopping basket when you can get the cleaner to carry the shopping for you?
I confess to a small amount of buggy envy. Having twins limits the choice of buggy one can have. For most twin parents, there is a straight choice between the Nipper 360 and the Jane Twin Two. We chose the Nipper because it is light, manoeverable, easy to fold and store and it goes through most doors. Oh and the small matter that it is considerably cheaper than the Jane.
Before we found out we were having twins, we were eyeing up the Quinny Buzz with the Maxi-Cosi car seat option. Well, dh was. I wanted to go traditional and get s Silver Cross pram contraption but I suspect that the gadgety appeal of the Quinny would have won me over in the end.
We went to a ‘Preparing for multiples’ evening when I was pregnant and the expectant fathers spent most of the evening asking questions about the power to weight ratio of respective buggies. It seems that most men treat buying a buggy like buying a new car.
As good as the twin buggies are, I think the other makes are missing a trick. A double Bugaboo, Quinny or Stokke would go down a treat in these parts. It could have two cup holders, two i-pod slots and even less storage for unimportant things like changing materials and bottles. Quick! Get me on the waiting list!