EB review team
December 7, 2010

Zoom Tandem Stroller in Beige/Dark Brown

Finding out we were expecting twins was a happy surprise for me and my husband. After the shock had subsided, we started looking at the long list of things we would need to buy, with a pram one of the most important, and costliest items. We really wanted to try a tandem pram, where one baby sits in front of the other, rather than the wide side-by-sides, but there aren’t many on the market. So we were thrilled when Essential Baby asked us to review the ABC Zoom tandem pram.

First impressions are yes, it’s long. But I put it next to my friend’s Baby Jogger City Select and it’s only slightly longer. I like that the twins won’t be able to kick each other when they are bigger, unlike some of the other tandems available.

It was easy enough to put together straight out of the box, but it became apparent my husband had missed his calling as an engineer when he put the hoods of the seats on backwards. Everything slots together easily, with big push buttons to pull the pieces apart for easy adjustment or fold down and storage. They were a little tight to start with, but after assembling and disassembling a few times, they loosened up.

The pram comes ready to go with two seats, and our model had two carry cots suitable for newborns. They are super easy to attach, and are perfect to just unclip and carry sleeping babies inside.

While the pram looks big, it’s amazingly compact once folded. Like some other tandems, the seats need to be removed, and the frame folds up smaller than many single prams. We can easily fit the pram and both seats into the boot of a Volkswagen Golf. The carry cots however, are quite large, and we can only fit one cot and the pram in the boot, while the other needs to sit on the back seat. A larger car would easily fit both carry cots.

Another great feature is how many positions the seats can be moved into – 32 different seating combinations! For families with an older child and a newborn, the pram can be customised with a seat and a carry cot. As our twins get older, we can turn the seats so they can face each other, they can both face out, or they can face the person pushing. The standard seats can be reclined flat for newborns, and raised up to a sitting position as the child gets older. The pram also fits “group 0+” car capsules, including the Maxi Cosi, making it perfect to go from car to outside without disturbing sleepers.

And there is plenty of under-seat storage room for groceries, nappies, toys and all the other paraphenalia a day out incurs. Our pram came with two rain covers which were perfect for the “summer” weather Sydney has been experiencing. Clear plastic at the front, they completely cover and protect the seats, but still let your baby or toddler look out at the world.

As for pushability, with two small babies, it’s super easy. The front wheels can be either locked or left loose to swivel for easy maneuverability. We also borrowed a couple of older children and I am happy to report the pram was still easy to push. The recommended maximum weight is 30kg, so it will take two small people for quite a long time. The handle extends easily with the push of a button and is more than adequate for my 6ft plus husband to push comfortably. I also liked that I wasn’t kicking the undercarriage as I walked like I did with some other prams.

There are cons, of course. The most obvious being that this is a pram designed to carry two. You can use it with only one seat attached, but it looks odd, and isn’t very practical. You can’t take it on escalators like single prams (not that you can take side-by-sides on escalators either) and in small tight spaces like inner Sydney cafes, it does take up a fair bit of room.

But despite its length, the pram is nice and narrow, doesn’t crowd out other people in the supermarket aisle and it’s designer styling certainly gets lots of looks and comments! Ours came in black, but in Australia, it also comes in beige/brown and a limited edition, head-turning shade of tangerine.

If you are in the market for a double pram and the side-by-sides are a little wide for your liking, the ABC Zoom is your ride. It looks fab, pushes like a dream and is practical, clever and unique!

The bottom line:

Pram including two seats – RRP $1595

Carry Cot – RRP $345 each

4-Seasons Rain Cover – RRP $99.95 each

Carry Cot Adaptor for Second Cot – RRP $49.95

For more information and to find stockists visit Western Bloc.

Excerpts:

“The first thing that I really love about Weil Baby is the bold letters on the packaging that scream “BPA free“. In March last year, while blogging for The Courier-Mail, I wrote about BPA being banned in the US over fears it was toxic to infants.”

“The second thing I love is the funky colours. No boring clear with white trim here. Cool fluoro colours and funky lids.”

“The real test, of course, is functionality. No good if it looks great, but leaks all over the place.” “The bottle worked a treat too. No leakages.” “I also liked the sturdy, heavy duty feel to it.”

“There were no leaks and the cup disassembles easily to go into the dishwasher. These days I won’t go near any product that doesn’t go in the dishwasher or the washing machine.”

“All in all, great products, great brand.”

“Another selling point for the socially aware consumer mummy is that creator “Andrew Weil MD donates all of his after-tax profits from royalties of sales of Weil Baby products directly to the Weil Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to supporting integrative medicine through training, education and research”.”

Read the complete article on MooreForMums

Also Check out Moore For Mums to get the latest insights on parenting and cool products from one of Australia’s top Blogger: Felicity Moore

Available from Thursday 20th May at your Favourite boutique. Weil Baby is offering a fresher, safer and greener alternative with it’s 100% BPA and Toxin Free range.

Excerpts:

“There’s an even more compelling reason to consider replacing some of the plasticware in your home – the evidence of the negative effects on your family’s health from BPA toxins in many plastic bottles and cups.”

“Not only are the bottles BPA-free, they are heat and shatter-resistant, dishwasher safe and they look great too.”

Click here to see the article on Babyology

Babyology gives you daily information on unique and fabulous children’s products from around the globe. www.babyology.com.au

Extracted from the USA FDA’s January 2010 update on BPA

BPA is an industrial chemical used to make a hard, clear plastic known as polycarbonate, which has been used in many consumer products, including reusable water bottles and baby bottles. BPA is also found in epoxy resins, which act as a protective lining on the inside of metal-based food and beverage cans. These uses of BPA are subject to pre market approval by FDA as indirect food additives or food contact substances. The original approvals were issued under FDA’s food additive regulations and date from the 1960s.

Studies employing standardised toxicity tests used globally for regulatory decision making thus far have supported the safety of current low levels of human exposure to BPA. However, results of recent studies using novel approaches and different endpoints describe BPA effects in laboratory animals at very low doses corresponding to some estimated human exposures. Many of these new studies evaluated developmental or behavioural effects that are not typically assessed in standardised tests.

The National Toxicology Program Centre for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction, part of the National Institutes of Health, completed a review of BPA in September 2008. The National Toxicology Program uses five different terms to describe its level of concern about the different effects of chemicals:  negligible concern, minimal concern, some concern, concern, and serious concern.

In its report on BPA, the National Toxicology Program expressed “some concern for effects on the brain, behaviour, and prostate gland in foetuses, infants, and children at current human expo­sures to bisphenol A.” The Program also expressed “minimal concern for effects on the mammary gland and an earlier age for puberty for females in foetuses, infants, and children at current human exposures to bisphenol A” and “negligible concern” for other outcomes.

To download the full report click here

Worried about BPA in Baby Bottles? – Try Weil Baby: 100% BPA and Toxin free. Weil Baby™ Trusted First for Health.

Happy Birthday Mr Shuffles !

Pathi Harn, Taronga Zoo’s ‘miracle’ Asian Elephant Calf turns two months old on Monday 10th  May.

Congrats Pathi! and congrats to the Taronga Zoo for choosing the giimmö night light “Blue the Elephant” as Pathi’s favourite night light.

Giimmö Blue the Elephant is now available at the Taronga Zoo’s boutique and online.

Check out our new ads for Studio Bambini.

Weil Baby:

giimmö night lights:

Zuny and BusybeeFriends:

When I first gave Miss 16-months a bottle of milk in the new Weil Baby Bottle, she held it in her hand and stared at it for a very long time.

I was concerned that given it was not her usual brand, she was refusing to make the switch.

While she held it, with her little fingers curled around the flared base, I thought it looked comfortable.

The shape fitted her hand and although it was the bigger 250ml sized bottle, she held it easily with one hand while she decided what to do next.

After obviously deeming the bottle worthy of further testing (maybe she was initially in awe of the sleek design), she put the teat to her lips. Five minutes later, the bottle was finished and we have a satisfied customer.

The Weil Baby Bottle gets the nod of approval from the end user, but what are my thoughts?

It’s a nice design. It looks good and I would be happy to pull this bottle from the bag in front of the playgroup ladies.

Functionally, it’s a great bottle. The lid fits tightly and there were no leaks.

Where this one differs to other bottles I’ve used, is that Weil Baby products are BPA and Toxin Free.

I love that this bottle is safe. The packaging is apparently biodegradable, which is nice to know.

sign up to Connect2Mums to see the complete article

Visit www.weilbaby.com for more information on this terrific product and the other items in this range, and keep an eye on future C2M competitions for your chance to win a pack of bottles for yourself.

I was delighted recently to test a “system” of baby bottles, new to the Australian market

The Weil Baby All-In-One Bottle Set. This is a great gift idea for the new mum as the set comes with both large and small bottles (4) as well as three teat flows, to suit newborns all the way up to 12+ months.

As an added bonus, two washing brushes are included, completing the set.

The key selling points are the BPA free quality of its bottles as well as its focus on the “greener” side of production – claiming a smaller carbon footprint in manufacturing, and recyclable packaging and product.

Above all however, the stylish and high tech look and feel of the bottles really makes this set stand out.

The slim line, clear, platinum hatted bottles stand out from the rest.

Pros: Nice clear markings for measurement, standard wide neck teats, and above all….stylish! Definitely one to take for a little mothers group envy.

Not so Pros: Slippery little suckers when wet (literally). Once wet, separating the lid components can be a bit of a challenge.

Overall, a stylish new entry to the bottle market, a great BPA free alternative.

read the full article on Essential Baby  here

more information on Weil Baby here

Check out the giimmo hedgehog night light in this month’s edition of Homestyle Magazine (NZ)

Thanks for all the great people that came to see us at Kids in Style in Sydney.

Here are a few photos for people who couldn’t be there.

giimmo – Velo Jr

Weil Baby Training Cup

Weil Baby products

Busybeefriends backpacks including the new upcoming Pig design and Panda design (not in the picture)

No3No4 sock doll – Monkey

Zuny bookends including our huge Abby the Elephant.

the wall of giimmos

Abby the (huge) elephant

Ida the (huge) giraffe

No3 No4 Zebra design