This is a review of the Ickle Bubba Stomp Pram that I purchased via ALDI back in March time and I wanted to write a review once we had used it long enough to find out its positives and its faults.
I purchased this as it was a good price for a full travel system including a car seat and it also looked smart and more expensive than it was. It was £199 in ALDI and everywhere else I had looked it was £299 – £400 which is ALOT more than I would spend on a pram. If I remember correctly there was postage too but it wasn’t much.
Obviously with me not being due until August I put it together when it got here but then it was put into storage until it was required so there was NO chance of it getting broken or damaged before I needed it.
On first impressions I was really impressed with this pram and how it looked and felt to push, it was also easy to dismantle and folded down quite nicely albeit not that small. It wasn’t until we went to use it in August we realised the base of the carrycot was broken in half as it is made of MDF. Considering Ezra was 5lb nothing I knew it wasn’t his weight that broke it and I quickly contacted Ickle Bubba with my complaint. I will give kudos to Ickle Bubba they soon sent out a replacement but the fact that it is wooden, is off putting as MDF is not strong and not really resilient enough for the job. I would of expected it to be plastic or built into the carrycot so it couldn’t be broken.
If we are looking at the positives of this pram then I love the fact that the handle is moveable and can be set at different heights depending who is pushing it and I also love the shopping basket underneath as it is roomy and doesn’t drag on the floor when in use. The fact that the carrycot changes into a toddler seat is also a positive but I haven’t used it yet so can’t fully comment on it and if it is any good. The brake is also easy to use and is strong compared to some of my previous buggies.
The wheels are decent and suitable on most terrain however I have noticed that in the 3 months I have been using it that they have got damaged very quickly and haven’t kept their tread very well at all. The fact that you can remove them from the base is very handy though for when we go out in the car and they are mucky or we need the base to be a bit smaller.
The car seat is also incredibly wobbly when its on the base despite using the supplied attachments and following the guide, which leaves me less inclined to use it as it doesn’t feel secure and safe when going over bumpy terrain or up and down curbs. The way you have to remove the car seat from the base is also very fiddly and would be difficult for anyone who doesn’t have good hand strength as the buttons are very hard to push. The car seat as a car seat though is easy to use and we haven’t had an issue with it in the car just when using it with the base.
I have to admit that I did a lot of research into what pram I wanted and when I came across this one and it had a 4.7/5 star rating, I was really impressed especially by the reviews too. However in my opinion it just doesn’t live up to it and I wouldn’t recommend it to my friends or family if they are looking for a travel system, there is just too many little faults which make it awkward to use and it isn’t a pleasure to use because of this.
