Parent-facing buggies for holidays

If you have a toddler, then chances are you’re still using the travel system pushchair that you bought before your little one was born. If you’re anything like me then you unwrapped the pushchair and looked at the upright seat thinking how big it looked compared to the relative cosiness of the bassinet. Well, somehow, two years on, Lucas is certifiably massive, going rigid like a board when I’m trying to put him in it. He’s getting worryingly close to working out the mechanics of the release buckle, and he enjoys using the sun visor as some sort of high-speed retraction device. Where did that time go?

The travel systems are great – not least because they tend to have a parent-facing option so your child can see you while you’re walking. I find this really helpful because we sign to each other a lot when we’re out and about, and it’s also helpful to keep an eye on Lucas’s hearing devices to make sure they’re not being tossed overboard.

The downside though is that they're huge. Sometimes it feels like you’re trying to fit a small armoured vehicle into the boot of your car. Trying to collapse it down quickly on the bus with a wriggly toddler in your arms is impossible.

When we go on holiday, we also need to fit our Labrador in the boot, so we decided to get a lightweight parent-facing buggy for holidays. We were, however, surprised at the lack of options available. After a lot of research, we shortlisted three buggies.

What I’ve learnt is that it’s complicated to engineer a super compact buggy that’s also robust and reversible. You either have to pay through the nose for that engineering or compromise on one or more elements. It’s a shame that it’s so hard to find a small, cost effective buggy that allows us to easily sign to our child, but there are at least a few to consider.

The following is a summary of the reviews I’ve read. I’ve not personally tried all of these, so it’s not a proper review.

Bugaboo Ant

This has now been discontinued but is still on sale in a lot of places. It’s on the pricey side at about £350 (and still pricey second hand as it’s no longer made), but it’s the smallest reversible on the market when it’s collapsed (23cm x 38cm x 55cm – suitable for hand luggage on most airlines).

It’s one of the lightest at 7.2kg but also has a very small seat which makes it less suitable for a larger toddler. The seat can be removed and turned around to give a parent-facing view.

Cybex Eezy S Twist 2

This one collapses down to a very small size (68cm x 48cm x 30cm) and weighs 8.7kg. The seat spins all the way around using a lever underneath, and it’s very easy to collapse and put up with one hand.

It’s on the expensive side at around £400, so we bought a second-hand old model on Facebook for £90.

The design is pretty wobbly and doesn’t cope very well with potholes on the pavements. It’s also a very shallow seat so not great for a tall toddler like Lucas, especially when parent facing as his feet dangle uncomfortably without the footrest. If you can go for the latest version, then I would because the seat comfort is supposed to be much better.

Joie Mirus

Also discontinued but still available on the market, this is much more cost effective at around £150 (though you could probably pick one up second hand for £50).

It’s nice and light at 7.5kg but doesn’t collapse down as small as the others – measuring 100cm x 31cm x 46cm. This works differently to the Cybex because instead of the seat spinning, the handle flips over the top of the chair. Nice and easy to do, but it does apparently make the steering a little tricky as the wheels are effectively being pushed backwards.

Other parent-facing buggies

There are other compact models under 10kg on the market which didn’t make our personal shortlist due to either weight or cost, but I’ve listed them in the table below where I’ve done a little summary.

There is a great YouTube video reviewing a lot of these called the Reversible Seat Stroller Guide (The Stroller Workshop YouTube channel).

How to compare buggies