Silver Cross Reflex Parent Review

Hi my name is Chantelle, I am a stay at home mum and I live in Kent with my husband, Justin and our four daughters, Elise, Freya, Gracie and Layla. Whilst Justin works away in London, the girls and I spend our time creating, baking and reading. When I'm not busy being tired out, I mean entertained by my kids, you will find me either blogging, tweeting or reading. With Layla nearing the end of her pushchair needing days, I am very much looking forward to testing out the Silver Cross Reflex and sharing my thoughts with all of you.

Quick Summary: After 6 months of using the Silver Cross Reflex I have to say I love it just as much as when I first received it. The size and ability to transform to rearward facing makes it suitable for both babies and toddlers.

Whats good?

• Ideal for babies and toddlers
• Fantastic accessories include

Whats not so good?

• Handles more suited for taller people
• Harness can be fiddly to do up

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First Impressions

My week started off with an exciting text from Silver Cross to let me know that my pushchair would be delivered the next day. I received a further text the following morning giving me an hour time slot for when the Reflex would arrive, to say I was excited would be an understatement.

When it arrived I was actually surprised at how tall the box was and how heavy it felt.

The box contained : the chassis, reversible seat liner, bumper bar, harness pads, raincover, car seat adaptors, hood and front wheels.

Layla was just as excited as me, as I was unpacking the box she kept saying “buggy”.

The reflex was extremely easy to put together. First job, clicking on the front wheels. Then to unfold the pushchair. There is a clip either side which needs unlatching and then unfolding is like any other umbrella folding stroller, simple. The hood attaches by sliding clips over the allocated brackets and doing up a popper either side of the frame. A completely stress free process that took around 5 minutes. I did read the instructions but I’m pretty sure I could have done it without them.

I took it out for a quick spin on the playschool run and I think it was love at first push, it is lightweight, the swivel wheels made for easy steering and best of all, Layla was happy!!

As first impressions go, I don’t think it could have gone any better, the Silver Cross Reflex looks vibrant and modern and there is more to it than meets the eye. I cannot wait to try all of its many features including the LED lights, the extending hood, the one hand silent recline and the adjustable handles. Let the testing begin.

May the 14th 2014

And we’re off, first official outing with the Silver Cross Reflex. I needed a couple of bits for dinner so we took a stroll round to Morrisons. The pushchair moved round the aisles with ease, the wheels didn’t get stuck on the floor at all and with the seat in an upright position, I could easily access the basket to pop my shopping bag in. Success.

May the 15th 2014

Ok so anyone that knows me will know that I have a slight pushchair addiction and this may have been passed on to my children. My 4 year old Gracie caught sight of the new buggy in the house this morning and was desperate to try it out. I was quite surprised to find that she sat in it quite comfortably, I would say she is probably more the size of a 3 year old but good to know that the pushchair will last as Layla gets older!!.

May the 20th 2014

Today was nannie’s turn to test out the new wheels. My mum is a teeny tiny 4ft 11 and she found the handles a little bit too high for her, she struggled slightly when it came to pushing the Reflex up hill. Would be nice if the handles could be turned in slightly to make them a bit lower down.

May the 23rd 2014

Aaaaa so we’ve had a lot of rain today, I mean heavy downpours!!!! However this did give me an excuse to try out the rain cover. It poppers onto the hood and elasticates around the bottom of the pushchair, extremely easy to put on and I love the material at the bottom rather than it being all plastic. The only annoying part is that it doesn’t cover all of the hood which meant it got soaked but it did dry out rather quickly so not all doom and gloom.

May the 29th 2014

Today we took a trip to Chessington World of Adventures and as much as Layla wanted to be running about with her sisters, the Reflex did come in handy when she was tired. Being able to lay it back fully when she fell asleep ment that she napped peacefully whilst the girls went on some of the rides.

May the 30th 2014

Justin hasn’t had much opportunity to use the pushchair yet because of being at work but as you can see from the photo with the adjustable handles, he was able to push the Reflex easily, no need to slouch down at all. This pushchair is definitely a good one for taller people.

June the 5th 2014

One great thing about the Reflex is that it lays flat. And because of the silent recline I was able to lay Layla down when she fell asleep without disturbing her. She was obviously comfy because she stayed asleep for almost 2 hours!!

June the 11th 2014

Well unfortunately we have been stuck indoors for a few days because my 4 year old has caught chicken pox. My lovely mum came down today so that Laya and I could get out of the house for a couple of hours, so I popped her in the Reflex and off we went. The bumper bar came in handy as I was able to hang toys and books on it, this kept Layla entertained whilst I window shopped.

June the 22nd 2014

I’ve been away most of this week so my mum has been in charge of the children. My mum actually suffers from arthritis especially in her hands, so holding on to things can sometimes be a struggle. She has been pleasantly surprised at how comfortable the handles even though they were a bit high up for her. The material on the handles definitely has a non slip feel to them.

June the 26th 2014

Unfortunately the Reflex has been left unused again this week, Layla has been struck down with chicken pox and we have been unable to leave the house. Hoping to be able to dust off the stroller on Monday and get it back out on the paths!!!

July the 2nd 2014

It has been nice and sunny this week and this means that the extendable hood has come in to play. One thing that I love about the hood is that even when it is fully extended fact, I can always keep an eye on layla because of the mesh insert.

July the 3rd 2014

Whilst Layla was asleep in the pushchair today, I thought it would be a good time to get pictures and show you exactly what the hood looks like when fully extended.

As you can see, it offers great coverage and because of the mesh panels, it is fully breathable.

Much better than using a parasol!!

July the 14th 2014

I have to say I love how easy the rain cover is to put on the Reflex, especially when you get caught in an unexpected rain shower!! Reflex 1 – Rain 0

July the 18th 2014

I keep another stroller in the car boot and I completely forgot we had the buggy tug attached to it.

Well I remembered today so we attached the buggy tug to the Reflex, this made it a lot easier for Gracie to hold on and of course left both of my hands free to push the pushchair.

July the 23rd 2014

Today was beautifully sunny so we decided to go to the beach. We took my mum as well and this meant having all 7 seats up in the Zafira, this meant not a lot of boot space. However because of the Reflex’s umbrella fold, it remains quite slim when folded and we were just about able to get it in the boot, hooray 🙂

July the 25th 2014

Impromptu trip to Blue Water. The Reflex was so easy to push around all the busy shops and the basket is actually quite deceiving in size as we managed to put 3 bags of shopping in there, including some lovely new Converse trainers for me!!

August the 3rd 2014

One thing I really love about the Reflex is how upright the seat can go. Layla is quite happy to sit in there because she can fully see what is going on around her. Just today we were all sat watching the fountain in the middle of town and in our other pushchair, Layla would have been crying to get out and you can see from the photo, there were no tears today.

August the 6th 2014

Decided to walk up to my mum’s today and I have to admit I found it a bit of a struggle. We had to walk up two steep hills to get to my mum’s and where the handles can’t be adjusted to go any lower, I found my arms were aching by the end of our journey. However on the flipside I think it would have been a lot harder if the stroller was heavier, it did show just how lightweight the Reflex is.

August the 14th 2014

Well today I added another child to my brood, my 6 year old had a friend round to play and sleepover. The basket on the reflex was big enough to fit all of her friends bits and pieces, including the food for their midnight snack!!

August the 17th 2014

I’ve noticed that the Reflex has developed a squeak, not quite sure where it is coming from yet but I have to say I was getting quite annoyed by the sound when pushing the stroller today!!

August the 23rd 2014

Bank holiday weekend and it’s typical British weather, rain!! So pleased that I had left the rain cover in the basket. This is the first rain cover that Layla will tolerate having on a pushchair, I think because she can still fully see what’s going on around her.

August the 31st 2014

So this week we have been busy moving into my mum’s house, this has meant that the poor Reflex has been somewhat neglected but it did get to go on a nice trip up to Dover Castle today. The castle wasn’t the ideal place to take the stroller because there are a lot of stairs but Justin managed to carry it up many of them proving just how light the stroller is, considering there was a 2 year old toddler in there too.

September the 4th 2014

Today whilst the eldest two were at school my mum and I took the youngest two and my cousin to the park. We just about managed to get the Reflex in the boot of my mum’s car, it could have done with being a tad shorter when folded. Whilst up the park my 3 year old nephew decided to have a nap in the pushchair, ok he had to curl up a bit to get comfy but it was surprising just how much room there was in the seat.

September the 8th 2014

Layla gets herself into some weird and wonderful positions in the Reflex. Her favourite has to be the legs of the side though. Doesn’t matter how many times I move them back, she slides them right back over again.

September the 12th 2014

With Gracie only doing part time at school at the moment, I decided to treat her and Layla to lunch at Morrisons. Typically Layla fell asleep before we got there. The size of the Reflex meant that it slotted in nicely next to the table that we sat at, meaning I could still keep and eye on her nicely without getting in the way of other people.

September the 22nd 2014

One problem I’ve had with the Reflex is getting it up stairs. My normal method is to go backwards and bump the pushchair up, however the brakes on the Reflex get in the way and make this task slightly difficult and unfortunately this has meant the brakes have got worn down slightly.

October the 1st 2014

I have to say the Reflex has become a lifesaver when it comes to getting Layla to nap. It seems to be a guaranteed way to get her to go to sleep. I think the only problem I’ve found is that she ends up slouching in the seat.

October the 8th 2014

I have been grateful for the raincover on the reflex this week, with the torrential rain we’ve suddenly been having, although Layla has been reluctant to have it on the stroller, once on because she has full view of everything she has stopped fussing almost immediately.

October the 10th 2014

Layla has been trying her hardest to escape the pushchair these past couple of days but I’m pleased to say that she is unable to undo the harness, it is securely fastened!!

October the 18th 2014

Ok I admit it, I let Layla eat in the buggy and I immediately regretted it when she managed to spill some juice over the fabric. But fear not, the covers are machine washable and came up sparkly clean after a spin in the washing machine, no fading to colour either.

October the 22nd 2014

One thing that I love about the Reflex is the size of the basket. With Layla recently potty trained I needed to get a travel potty. I opted for the My Carry Potty and I was pleasantly surprised that it fit in the basket of the stroller easily with room to spare.

October the 31st 2014

Sadly I have nothing to report for this week. Someone not naming names, husband *cough*, forgot to put the pushchair in the boot when we went away!!

November the 2nd 2014

November has arrived and it has bought the cold weather with it. This was good in a way as it has given me a chance to test out the footmuff on the stroller. Easy to fit, poppering onto the sides and I like that it has magnetic clasps on the front to stop it from slipping off the bumper bar.

November the 5th 2014

Caught in a thunder storm. Thankfully the raincover fits snuggly over the top of the footmuff so Layla stay snug as a bug and dry at the same time.

November the 15th 2014

Even with the footmuff and the raincover still attached to the stroller, it still folds down and locks closed. This makes it a lot easier to transport about in the winter months.

November the 20th 2014

I’ve been waiting a long time to test the light feature out on the reflex. There is a light either side of the frame that has three modes, solid or flashing sequences. It came in really handy the other day it was not only dark but raining too and it allowed for both pedestrians and drivers to see the buggy coming. I have a feeling these lights will be used a lot as it gets darker quicker in the afternoons.

Final Summary

After 6 months of using the Silver Cross Reflex I have to say I love it just as much as when I first received it. The size and ability to transform to rearward facing makes it suitable for both babies and toddlers. Its included accessories and clever features make it stand out from other strollers. Easy to use raincover. Lights make it suitable for all year round use, even in the dark and poor weather. The silent recline is perfect for when your child decides to nap and the footmuff is big enough to accomodate even the tallest of toddlers.

My complaints; I wish the handles were more adjustable for us shorter people. The brake got in the way when walking sometimes and when bumping up stairs. Lastly the harness came in two parts on each side and it had a habit of popping open when trying to clip it into the centre part but I will say that once done up, the harness was very secure.

Overall a stylish and well designed stroller that certainly stands out from others on the market.