Mamas & Papas, the brainchild of husband and wife team David and Luisa Scacchetti, is at the top of its game in the pushchair market. With a raft of awards behind them and no less than 26 models of pram and pushchair to choose from, their aim is to create beautiful products for babies.
The Sola (£295) hit the shops in 2010. It can be used from birth as a forward facing or parent facing pushchair. A separate carrycot (£129), which is suitable for overnight sleeping, can be attached to the chassis. Using adaptors (£25), the Cybex Aton car seat (£140) can be added to form the travel system. While the buggy, car seat and adapators add up to £460, Mamas & Papas is currently selling the buggy and car seat together for £385 - add in those £25 adaptors and you're looking at £410 for the package.
Front and rear wheel suspension, a 5-point safety harness, easy to remove swivel-round bumper bar and lockable swivel front wheels are to be expected from Mamas & Papas. But the features that set the Sola apart are the adjustable footrest and the adjustable backrest that reclines to flat with just one hand.
The height-adjustable handle pushes forward or back, rather than up or down, which is the neat. A mesh, shopping-basket hangs underneath the chassis and the removable hood features a viewing window.
The Mamas & Papas Cybex Aton car seat is light (3.5kg), rearward facing, suitable from birth to 13kg and features a removable insert for smaller babies, integrated sun canopy and 3-point harness. With shock absorbing shell and rollover protection, this car seat has won five awards outside the UK. It attaches to the Sola chassis with removable adaptors.
What we love
The tag line for the Mamas & Papas Sola is, ‘Flexible, Functional and Fun’. The reclining backrest, easy fold mechanism and height adjustable handle certainly make it flexible. It functions well; it’s a dream to push and very easy to handle. And as for fun? That’s up to how you use it!
It seems that every niggle that every other buggy may have has been considered in the design of the Mamas & Papas Sola. Taking off the seat unit is simple (not one swear word was uttered), reversing the seat to parent facing is simple and folding the buggy down is simple.
The bumper bar swivels. Yay! The handle folds down so that you can reach forward to take your baby out, without breaking your back.
Using it with the Cybex Aton car seat is also a dream.
Minnie, 10 months at the time of testing, went in and out of the Sola and then the Cybex Aton car seat with absolutely no fuss. In fact, it is so easy to use that you’re left wondering if you’re in a parallel universe where buggies don’t cause stress.
What to watch out for
It’s really hard to find anything wrong with the Mamas & Papas Sola. Of all the buggies I’ve used this has to be the easiest-to-use, no faff pushchair. At a push I’d say that the shopping basket is a little awkward to access and could be bigger. And that at full pace mummy march I did kick the brake once or twice.
Some people loved the purple ‘Orchid’ colourway on the model I tested (a colour that's being discontinued in 2012), and others hated it. But while there were just two shades to choose from at the time of launch, 2012 sees the Red, Denim, Green, Plum and Black designs hit shelves.
The Sola buggy is billed as being suitable from birth but you’ll probably want to have the carrycot, sold separately for £129, to use it with a newborn bab. The footmuff/liner is also extra, costing £66. In short, it can all add up, depending on what you need.
Who is the Mamas & Papas Sola travel system best for?
Parents who are always in a hurry after a simple, elegant buggy that won’t let them down.
The Mamas & Papas Sola travel system is a contemporary pushchair that’s easy to use on its own, or as part of a travel system. There are some minor niggles but it handles like a dream and the functional design sets it apart from other systems in this price range.
First reviewed 04/02/2010. Updated 02/03/2012.
