Absolutely Mama reviewer Danica Brodie puts the Ickle Bubba Altima Travel System to the test…

With our baby due this year, my husband and I were excited to go pushchair shopping. As first time parents it was hard to know where to start. There are so many options on the market now, but we knew we were looking for something that was stylish, practical, and would be easy to steer in the outdoors as well as in town. Enter the Ickle Bubba Altima Travel System. From the super easy one-hand fold, to the luxe detailing, here’s everything we’ve loved about it…

Our honest new parent review of the Ickle Bubba Altima Travel System

Pushchair colour ways and style

My first impressions when unboxing the Altima were that I loved the classic black colourway. The Altima also comes in ‘Sage Green’ which is a lovely fresh (and unisex!) option, but we went for the black as we knew this would be the most practical for us (and not show any marks!). The black colourway is elevated with stylish detailing. We loved the rose gold hardware, which makes the Altima look expensive and luxe.

Assembly and what’s included

The Altima comes as a 12-piece travel system, which is the one we tested. The travel system bundle includes absolutely everything you need to get out-and-about with your baby. It comes with a carrycot that can be used from birth, pushchair seat, Stratus Car Seat, with ISOFIX base, and accessories including a stylish matching changing backpack (with changing mat), rain cover, cup holder, apron, cosy footmuff, seat liner, and car seat adapters. We found it fairly simple to put together. We only struggled a little bit initially to attach the car seat to the stroller chassis, but it’s easy once you know how it works.

Steering and handling

We’ve been really impressed with how lightweight and easy to steer the Altima is. It’s easy to lift on curb-sides due to its large wheels, making it a good option whether you live in the city, or you need a pram that can handle more uneven terrain.

Comfort for you and baby

With plush fabrics and cushioning, the Altima is really comfy and cosy for little ones. We loved that the carrycot was raised up to the perfect height for keeping an eye on baby whilst you are walking (especially compared to other prams we looked at. The handlebar adjusts easily, so my husband and I could take turns pushing. The carrycot hood has good ventilation, which will be great for our little one going into the summer months. The hood can also zip up to create a sun visor – which I thought was a fab extra. The pushchair seat looks really comfortable and it comes with a reversible seat liner to keep little ones cosy all year round. We loved that it comes with a leatherette bumper bar for safety and can easily be used in parent-facing or world-facing mode. The seat unit has three recline positions, and two leg rest positions, so the Altima is a good choice if you’re looking for a travel system that will grow with your little one.

One-hand fold and storage

The Altima has a really simple one-hand fold, that even first time parents will be able to get the hang of easily. I foresee this being really useful once my husband goes back to work and I’m out and about with baby on my own. The chassis folds down to a great size and fits in the car boot easily. We’ve also tested it with the pushchair seat attached, and were impressed with how easily it folds in world and parent-facing mode with the seat attached. The Altima has a roomy basket, which is perfect for stowing shopping bags and all your mama essentials.

Stratus Car Seat and isofix base

Being able to purchase the Altima as part of a bundle with the Stratus Car Seat and ISOFIX base was a huge plus for us. As first-time parents, knowing that your car seat will definitely fit your pushchair makes life a lot easier! We plan to use the car seat with the stroller chassis for short trips out and about, and it will be useful if our little one falls asleep in the car. The Stratus Car Seat and ISOFIX Base meet the i-Size international safety standard ECE-R129, which we found really reassuring. It also complies with the ISOFIX international standard for car seat installation, and we found it really straight-forward to install in our car. The Stratus has side impact protection, pop-out impact panels and a supportive newborn liner, so baby is both safe and cosy.

Final thoughts

We’re really pleased with the Ickle Bubba Altima Travel System. This do-it-all pram will take us from newborn all the way into toddlerhood. It’s easy to steer, and really does come with absolutely everything, making life as a new parent so much easier.

icklebubba.com

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