Zia - off to see the World
Anyone who knows Shyloh will tell you that she's not the easiest of babies, and believe me, that's putting it mildly! So when I was asked to test the new Zia+. I must admit I was slightly dubious to do so. Nothing to do with the pushchair itself, on the contrary it's very attractive, it was more the fact that my wonderful daughter likes to scream blue bloody murder whenever she's put in her usual pushchair (if you don'd believe me, ask anyone in my local supermarket). So I wasn't exactly chomping at the bit, but thought I've got nothing to lose so off I went...
I might go as far as saying that the Zia is a godsend. Yes, you heard right. As I lowered Shyloh gently into the pushchair for the first time, praying that she wouldn't start wailing, she began pulling faces that said, 'mummy, what on earth are you doing, you know I don't like my pushchair!'. But she didn't cry! In fact, she seemed quite content! I must admit, I was shocked to begin with, but then quickly realised why. She could actually see where she was going! All this time I'd been laying her down in her travel system (which Thom has loving dubbed 'The Tank'), but with the Zia we could sit her up - and the great thing is, there wasn't only the option of laying flat (so suitable from birth) or bolt upright, but you can set the incline to whatever you fancy, which was perfect as she's still a little young to be fully upright. So that was one box ticked straight away. We continued out on our trip...
Both Thom and I both mentioned how light it felt (but I must say not tacky feeling, which you get with a lot of lightweight pushchairs), and subsequently, how easy it was to manoeuvre. After using our travel system for so long, the Zia was a welcomed relief - we could use this to pop out to the shops easily, and would have no problems using public transport when we needed to; its incredibly easy to collapse, even with a baby in tow. He also loved the fact that he could change the height of the handles, with me being 5ft 5 and Thom being 6ft 1 1/2 (he always likes to remind me of the extra half inch!), the Zia was perfect for us both.
I also comes with a basket under the seat, which I will admit wasn't the biggest, but its amazing what you can fit in there. The only thing I would say was once I put my changing bag on the handles, it made it hard to access the basket, but I didn't see this as a major problem, and Thom remarked that this would actually be a bonus if I put my purse in the basket (I think this was a subtle hint to stop me spending money!). I got a bright pink footmuff for the Zia, which both me and Shyloh loved - it isn't the thickest I've ever seen, but I actually see this as a benefit as you could use it in the spring without baby overheating, and in colder weather you can just add a blanket. Even Thom thought it was cute (although I'm not meant to tell you he thought that, or used the word 'cute', so ignore that bit!).
We've used the Zia a lot now, mainly because its just so handy. The first time we got it home after a walk about, Thom came back into the house proclaiming, 'where's the pushchair gone?!'. He was shocked when I lead him to the pantry and pointed it out, tucked away under the shelves. It folds away and is amazingly compact. Another thing we were impressed about was the price, we did quite a bit of research on this as my mother now wants an additional pushchair for when she has Shyloh and all the forums say the Zia is the one to go for (so it's not just us who think it!) - best value for money, performance, etc. So basically, we're dead chuffed, Shyloh no longer screams like she's being murdered and Grandma has found something else to buy 'for the baby'! All in all, one very happy family!
If you'd like to add any comments about your experiences with your new Zia, please do so, we'd love to hear from you! Just post your comments on my FB wall!