Silver Cross Wayfarer Review

Silver Cross, the only pram that makes you instantly think of royalty. One of the oldest nursery companies in the world, Silver Cross may not be known by you but your parents will know the name of this quintessentially English brand that has been making the cream of the crop pushchairs since 1877. Throughout their 138 years heritage, they’re known for creating innovative, unique, stylish and trustworthy prams loved by all. Engineer William Wilson was the man behind the first coach-built pram, that has gone on to supply prams for royalty including King George VI, Princess Grace of Monaco and HRH Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip and Prince Charles. Thanks to their outstanding reputation, they’ve been constantly known as the Rolls Royce of the pram world and anyone who’s been an existing or current owner of any of their prams will know what all the fuss is about.

When I found out I was pregnant, I knew absolutely sod all about prams, nothing, nada, nowt. Thankfully my sister who’s mum to a 4 year old gave her views on what she thought about buying a pram and funnily enough her views on some of the industries big brands gave me a heads up to delete from the list of favourites.

Fran said “I wish I spent a good amount of money on a good pram rather than just going with a label without doing any proper research into it.” She went with a pram from Mama’s and Papa’s that was useless. For the £400 she spent on the pram it was nowhere as good as she liked or needed for her daughter. Dismantling the pram was a daily nightmare. Although safe and comfy, the pram didn’t feel that solid but it had a good shopping basket and was car friendly so that worked for when it needed to. The problem was, as soon as my niece was old enough to pull herself up in the pram, the back of the pram wasn’t as adaptable as advertised and within 2 years of buying the pram, Fran bought a baby stroller that worked perfectly from age 2 to 3 & 1/2 years.

Speaking to friends and family members who all had different views on prams, helped a little with my decision as to what I wanted, but then Sam and I chose to move down to Ramsgate and we needed a pram that would fit in with the town, living by the seaside and a non-London city life lifestyle. For this, I needed my mum to step in and give her expert advice and the only brand she knew to be better than all the rest, was Silver Cross. Upon our search to find the perfect pram, we checked out Mothercare in Kew Retail Park, to get an idea of what was on offer and to see if there were any other prams that ranked in the same ball park as Silver Cross. Most of the prams we looked at, I honestly didn’t have a clue what to look out for, but my mother, being the type of person to question everything to get the best deal/price, asked a retail assistant to take every pram off the displays, fiddle with buttons, collapse the frames, you name it, mum wanted it done and then I had to do it, otherwise how else will I learn? Have you ever tried to dismantle a pram when you have your mum and an experienced shop assistant staring at you whilst mum’s to be cruise around the shop and stop and stare at you whilst you huff and puff trying to collapse a chassis you know nothing about? Have you? Have you?! I mean, I’ve always known my way around a wine bottle, pouring the perfect pint or baking the right type of brownies, not collapsing and putting up a pram with a fake baby on my arm. This is one instinct I’m not natural inclined to. But at 30 years of age, standing in a Mothercare with the Richmond elite staring at your bum trying to collapse a pram at 4 months pregnant, it’s really not an attractive sight for anyone. Anyway after much embarrassment, we decided on the Silver Cross for these reasons:

• Reputable brand
• The Rolls Royce of Prams
• Advanced technology

 Although early, Mothercare were doing a great offer with their Silver Cross travel systems where you could buy the Silver Cross Wayfarer for £595 and get the Silver Cross Simplicity Baby Car Seat for free. So thanks to Mum we got that pram a lot earlier than needed but it was a great deal and too hard to miss.


 Since Missy’s arrival, I’ve made it my mission to get out and get plenty of fresh air and do exercise. I’ve always loved walking so to get over the pain and discomfort that comes with delivery and whilst the winter sun has delighted the coast, when I’m up to it I’m out and about pushing her in her buggy. 

The Wayfarer is a great pram although with her in the cot, I feel like I’m pushing her in her very own spaceship. It’s comfortable, strong, trendy and keeps her very protected.

Pro’s

• Suitable from birth to toddler (birth -15kg)
• Smooth handling ensuring a smooth ride for both baby and you 
• Strong chrome chassis 
• Large shopping basket 
• Fashionable looking 
• Comfy 
• Forward and rear facing 
• Bamboo fabric lining 
• Cup holder (for all that wine you won’t be drinking) 
• Easy to fold 

Con’s 

• Shopping basket is only big enough when the car seat or chair is in place- you have to squish things down to put anything in the basket with the carrycot in place 
• The carrycot is a little heavy by itself, with a baby in it it’s hard to pick up so unless you have super strength or your partner nearby, try not to collapse it 
• The sleeve that’s supposed to fit snugly over her carrycot for extra warmth, the zipper broke after 2-3 uses of the carrycot in the pram
• The car seat doesn’t tilt back – she’s on the small side at the moment, so her little body doesn’t make a dent on how she or the seat should be positioned, which makes her look uncomfortable propped up the way that she is. 

She just looks so damn tiny in it. Although only used for a little over a week, it’s the top brand  of pram I’ve seen used in the area with Joie a close second and iCandy a close third. The style and design means that Sam can push it around without feeling like he’s in a beauty pageant. We decided on black even though there is an option of pink or blue (personally they look quite chavvy to me) and the handlebar has a lovely leather grip with the push bar being adjustable for comfort. It’s easy to fold which is a godsend for me, no faffing about and fits in most spaces- forget about Mini Cooper’s though, we tried with my auntie’s car and well, we ended up walking! So look at something else if you have a similar or smaller car. 

Yesterday I met Emma for tea and cake and although Emily was wrapped up after our wander, waiting for the bus brought a new wave of wind and getting home meant a lot of crocodile tears then 5 hours trying to settle her. Annoyingly with the many trips around for her appointments and the lack of space on buses for extra prams around here, we mostly got cabs to get to and from our destinations. The problem with the car seat at this time of year is that the hood doesn’t come down properly,  in actual fact it’s not long enough to shield her little face from the harsh cold air. 

A bonus, without a doubt is that the carrycot an double up as an overnight bed solution. We have a gorgeous swinging crib but the space around her freaks her out, at least with the carrycot and her cosy toes inside it it can double up as her temporary bed until she’s a little bigger. It’s a huge advantage at the moment as comfort to any baby is key and she feels comfiest in this and I can have it right next to my side of the bed. 

So, overall how do I feel about the pram? 

I think it’s great. It may be early days but apart from the car seat’s small hood and the fault with the zip on the cover for the carry co, the pram is everything that I need and could want from a pram. 

Anyone had an different experience to me and would like to share?