However, as we mentioned earlier, you can still get your hands on some Petite Star products and buggies and even spares that are floating around on the internet.
With all secondhand products there's guidelines you should check before buying.
I’ve tried to find fault with the Petite Star ZiaX but it’s not easy. Stylish, lightweight and so easy to fold and unfold that even my much loved but rather easily confounded mum could confidently manage it, it ticked virtually all my boxes.
Petite Star is a UK-based company that has been around for more than 50 years. It originally designed and manufactured own label products for the big-name high street retailers, but in 2007 it also successfully launched a range of own-brand products.
The ZiaX is a lightweight, forward-facing 3-wheeler that is superb to manoeuvre and incredibly easy to fold and unfold. Building from a great starting point, the ZiaX is basically the award-winning Zia but with some further and sensible improvements. The original Zia was a Practical Parenting Awards finalist 2011, Prima Baby Consumer Editor’s Choice 2010, Prima Baby Best Value and Gold Hot Product from Baby London.
The ZiaX has a well-designed wider and deeper hood than the Zia, with a new reflective strip around it, plus a wider footplate, which is rather nice for bigger children. It also now has adjustable soft grip handles, which is appreciated and put to very good use by 5-foot 2-inch me and my 6-foot 4-inch husband.
Petite Star has had fun with the colours and design. It still comes in the Purple Berry and Jet Black that were best sellers for the Zia but now has three new designs – Starburst (a black and ivory design), Pink Fizz and Sky Blue, both of which have a dotty hood lining with co-ordinating shoulder pads.
Very satisfyingly for the price, the buggy comes with a good-sized removable hood plus a robust, easily fitted raincover. It doesn’t have much padding but seems comfortable enough. It also has a decent sized shopping basket underneath the seat, although this position isn’t ideal.
For those who want a bit more, there are additional accessories available, including a cosy footmuff (which you can leave in place when folding the stroller), a transit bag, parasol, and mix-and-match reversible cotton liners (in case you feel like a change of style).
What we love
This buggy is truly stylish – I love its look. But more importantly, the ZiaX’s steering mechanism is light and the buggy is easily manoeuvred with one hand - wonderful. The ZiaX has a good front swivel wheel, ideal for flat surfaces, but this is also lockable and the ZiaX works surprisingly well on our gravel driveway - something many can’t cope with.
Equally important is the ease of folding and unfolding. There’s no need to wish you were an octopus and this is a real joy for those of us who need to frequently need to fold the buggy away.
The ZiaX has one easy-to-use rear brake, which seems fine, and a 5-point safety harness for strapping your child in. The harness is released with only one button, making it easy to use. Some determined toddlers may possibly work this out but the push required is too firm for my toddler Daniel to manage, so I feel it is secure.
There’s a rear bar between the handles, which locks the unfolded pushchair in place, and this plus the handles were fine for hanging the odd shopping bag. I had a couple of pretty heavy bags hanging at one point and my toddler jumped out unexpectedly but it didn’t tip over!
What to watch out for
Once your child is in the buggy, the shopping basket is pretty inaccessible, particularly if the seat is reclined.
There’s no top ‘lip’ to the backrest so when reclined, unless hood is in place (which it probably usually would be), it felt a little vulnerable and unprotected, especially for taller children. Also the footrest stays in position when backrest reclines so the whole buggy doesn’t flatten.
I feel the catch for securing the folded buggy is a bit flimsy.
And one last thing, personally I’d be wary of the Starburst colourway’s ivory hood and shoulder pads – ours certainly didn’t stay ivory for long!
Who is the Petite Star ZiaX buggy best for?
Parents and carers (short or tall) who value style but also quality and space in their car and home.
The ZiaX is a lovely light buggy that gets many admiring (and envious) comments. It’s great fun and so easy compared to wide, heavy buggies that need an engineering degree to fold and unfold. This Petite Star offering is good value and a superb choice.
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