- Amazingly realistic Pram. Just like the real thing.
- Removable soft carrycot with carrying handles
- Converts to a Push Chair
- Adjustable seat, backrest and handle height
- Tyres made from tough non-marking plastic
Product Description
BRIO Red Combi Doll’s Pram : Like all BRIO Dolls’ Prams this really does look just like the “real thing”…..BUT, it isn’t for babies. Carry-cot clips on and off easily and carry-cot has soft carry-handles. Handle has a sophisticated adjustment mechanism and seat and back-rest can be adjusted to convert the Pram into a Push-Chair….for the older Doll. The authentic spoked wheels have robust non-marking plastic tyres…. More >>
CHASSIS ~ strong tubular metal, medium grey paint finish. Badly designed plastic grooves each side which are supposed to retain the seat unit, detail to follow. Shallow metal shopping basket welded underneath with detachable fabric mesh walls on two sides, each secured with 4 press studs. These increase load capacity and help keep the carry cot in place if multiple `babies’ require carriage. Suspension links, creating a traditional bouncy ride are metal as apposed to weaker plastic.
SEAT FRAME ~ matching grey metal with adjustable leg and back rest; positions completely flat for pram mode and up to right-angle for pushchair mode. Front or rear facing… problem…The ratchet each side of the back rest is very stiff to move. My 3 year old daughter can just about manage this herself but in doing so completely detaches the seat from the chassis. The factory pins cannot be loosened or replaced. The seat was pushed firmly into the slots each side, unfortunately…
…The plastic groove each side of the chassis to fit the sides of the seat frame, are poorly designed and inadequate for the job. We have resorted to fixing two zip lock tags each side holding the seat onto the chassis, one has already snapped off. Because of this, changing seat direction is not instantly achievable. Having a seat which came off each time the back rest was adjusted, is both frustrating for my daughter and hugely disappointing for us. Brio designers have failed their standard here but worst of all, failed the child user.
SEAT INSERT ~ lightly padded and removable. There is a double layer of fabric at the back of the seat cover; this slips over the curved, back rest frame and the sides fold right over the seat frame arms. These are secured with two press studs each side which are not visible on the outer side. Each outer side has a small pocket with an elasticated top edge, useful for little treasures or pushing the carry cot handles inside when in pram mode…
…Within the leg rest section, main seat area and back rest, there is what feels like plastic of the same size. I haven’t tried yet but the seat insert will be going in my machine on a cool hand wash low spin cycle, as will the carry cot. I can’t see a label to that effect but it looks like they stand a good chance of survival.
HOOD ~ fully adjustable ratchet each side jerky and stiff but this anchor point retains the hood while being adjusted; from completely flat forward through to completely flat backwards. Unfortunately the fabric cannot be removed for laundering, until I get the opportunity to sabotage it that is.
CARRY COT ~ this becomes the pram body when placed onto the horizontal seat. Lightly padded, also used as a sleeping bag. It’s a shame there is raw, visible untidy over-lock stitching along the entire inner base seam, adjoining the sides. Full length zips each side for total access. I’ve attached a metal key keeper ring onto each zip for my daughter’s independence, they were too tiny for her to grip and pull. Good sized foam filled handles in matching fabric.
INTERNAL CARRY COT measurements approx:-
Base LENGTH 20″ 51cm
Base WIDTH 8″ 20cm
Top zipped cover LENGTH 13″ 33cm
Side DEPTH 3 ¼” just over 8cm
INTERNAL SEAT WITH COVER measurements approx:-
LENGTH total 22 1/2″ 57cm
WIDTH 10″ 25.5cm
HEIGHT of back rest 7 ½” 19cm
LENGTH of leg rest 6 1/2″ 16.5cm
DISTANCE seat to underside top edge upright hood approx: – 14 ¼” 36cm.
Tiny Tears has ample space and a much larger doll would be more than happy, as per measurements.
FOLDING MECHANISM ~ each side lower handle, plastic over sliders glide with ease. Both sides need to be pulled back at the same time so difficult for a child to achieve, obviously a plus. Pramette/combi in its entirety, easily folds for storage or transport.
FOLDED MEASUREMENTS approx:-
With wheels
LENGTH 23 1/4″ 59cm
WIDTH 17 ½” 44.5cm
HEIGHT 16 ½” 42cm
Without wheels
LENGTH 21″ 53.5cm
WIDTH 17″ 43cm
HEIGHT 12 ¾” 32.5cm
WHEELS ~ sturdy matching grey plastic rims and spokes. Black firm plastic foam type tyres which don’t mark laminate flooring. Wheels easily removable yet remain in place during play. Black plastic hub caps with sturdy wire loop, push to attach and reattach. WHEEL DIAMETER approx 8 ¾” just under 22cm
HANDLE ~ height adjustable button each side, comfy black foam grip.
Lowest Height 17 ¾” 45cm
Tallest Height just over 31 ¼” 79.5cm
Pushing this pramette/combi, fully laden; two dolls squashed into the pushchair seat, another two inside the carry-cot underneath with shopping is effortless for my daughter. It bounces along like her big pushchair and looks like it too which she likes. Having said that, she much prefers to push an old, scratched 1960′s dolls pushchair! Perhaps because it’s strong enough for her to sit in.
Taking into account the design problems and poor finish mentioned I’m glad I price watched. I would not have been impressed if I’d paid a hefty price. All other aspects of this are sound though; it’s stronger than all the same styled pramette/combi’s we looked at. Once the zip tags are in place it is fully functional. If the seat needed to be forward facing, there would be a slight inconvenience replacing the zip tags. The raw seam is hidden when the cover is zipped up or bedding used. The whole thing is smart looking, light, extremely easy to manoeuvre and a ‘grown up’ design.
Perhaps Amazon basket or eBay watch for a while, as prices vary considerably. I feel this is certainly NOT worth spending a substantial amount of hard earned money on. Patent’s can be a virtue!
Rating: 3 / 5
I got this pram for my little girl last Christmas. She loves it, even takes the kitty for walks in it.