Search best buggy:

Mamas & Papas Armadillo Pushchair Review

I really felt I had to write this review of the Mamas & Papas Armadillo pushchair after reading Best Buggys’ review on here before buying it.

I was put off as I always agree with Best Buggy’s opinions. The iCandy Peach 2, BJCSs etc. Having owned over 50 pushchairs I like to try new ones out so I took a risk & bought the Mamas & Papas Armadillo anyway.

I really can’t fault it. To me it is nearly the perfect pushchair. I must have been lucky and got one where the shoulder straps stay together so no faffing around with the harness thankfully. I really like the harness in fact. It is nice & chunky with nice shoulder & buckle pads & I don’t find it difficult to click in or out.

The seat is not reclined at all when you put it fully upright. You have to make sure the back of the hood material is out of the way then it goes a lot further upright. To put the seat up easily from laying flat you have to release the lever as you are pulling the straps up. The hood is amazing it completely shades my 19 month old from the sun. I love the viewing window at the top of the hood which is something I always wish my Peach 2 could have had. I love the handle bar even though it’s at a fixed height , I am 5ft 4 and its perfect for me and my fiance who is 5ft 10. Also I have no difficulty removing or placing him in/out of the pushchair when the seat is reclined the hood doesn’t get in the way. The seat is so roomy it’s very easy to get him out.

The Armadillos seat is very spacious, my son takes long naps in his pushchair with the bonus of his Mamas & Papas memory foam liner I picked up cheap on eBay & thanks to the long seat he can stretch his legs out fully with them still resting on the calf support. He doesn’t slouch in it either but this may be because I use the liner which is quite thick.

As baskets go the Armadillos one is deceptively spacious. The first day I used it was on my eldest sons sports day. I thought I wouldn’t be able to fit much in it but I was wrong. I managed to get in a large picnic blanket, my large changing bag (full),2 bottles of water, 3 lunches, a normal size football, spare clsohes for my eldest & the rain cover was at the bottom. The sides of the basket are elastic making it easy to access although the best way to put things in is at the front under the calf rest.

One of the main advantages of owning the Armadillo for me over my peach 2 & probably most other pushchairs I have owned is the ease of pushing it. The iCandy Peach is a dream to push and I love that too but the Armadillo is a lot lighter in weight and I have to push on a lot of cambered pavements on the school run & up lots of steep hills! With the Peach 2 I always used two hands on uneven pavements, not only because it is near a main road but because the peach is so much heavier and my wrist would hurt after a while trying to keep it straight. With the Armadillo I barely noticed I was on the cambered pavements as it’s o light and has very good suspension. I was still able to hold my 3.5 yr olds hand & push it in a straight line. I love the wrist strap too so i felt safe pushing it near my busy road. I can also say the Armadillo is far easier to push one handed than the Baby Jogger City Mini 4 wheel version, Babystyle Oyster & my Graco Evo Mini which I just sold due to the hood not shading baby at all as it sits too high on the frame and the lack of suspension on all those three models. Which feel very rigid to push in comparison.

Lastly the fold on the Armadillo is amazing, so quick & simple to do one handed & as it all folds into itself the fabrics stay clean and away from the floor. I love the fact the seat doesn’t have to be removed when folding which is another thing that I wish my peach 2 could do as that was a big negative for me, my lovely silver mint seat at the bottom is a bit grubby as I had to put it on the floor while I put the chassis on the boot!

I still own my Peach & it looks so shiny & stylish which makes me want to get it out of the cupboard and use it again but then I look at the Armadillo & tell myself how much easier it is to use, lighter, folds in one, basket holds more, the hood is larger & shades more its also narrower so I can fit through my sons school doors without having to open the second door like I had to do with my Peach to get through.

So as you can tell from my review I really love this pushchair. I thought when I got it I would use it as a spare or just for out holiday as having read the review I expected the worst & told myself it would be rubbish! But I was genuinely amazed! My family can’t quite believe that I am so happy with a pushchair finally as I always seem to find faults with any pushchair I have bought which then gives me an excuse to buy a different one. I can’t actually think of any negatives what so ever! And that is quite annoying as being a pramaholic I am always on the look out for a new one that i think will meet my needs better but I’m yet to think of one that would beat the Armadillo!

Best Buggy Reply:
Thank you very much for this fabulous review.
Since we wrote our Armadillo review, we have been to the Mamas & Papas factory and have spoken to their designers. We know that the Armadillo has been improved – notably the harness locks together as 3 pieces if desired, and the seat now sits more upright. It sounds like you probably have the newer, improved version of the Armadillo.
We currently have a Mamas & Papas Armadillo City in for review, and it is faring very well in our tests. The harness on the Armadillo City locks together to make a 3 piece harness too, and the seat is upright.

Share This

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.