Sydney Shop Girl

Teeth. Of Course I Got An Aldi Stroller.

Well, that was a bit dramatic.
My teeth and I.  Still going strong after seeing the dentist the other day.
Sweater – Target, necklace – Lovisa.
About the dentist, I mean.  I get to keep all my teeth!  And they’re all sparkly and clean now thanks to my lovely dentist who was ever so calm despite the fact that I had my shoulders up to my ears as he tried to look into my mouth.  Even with the dark safety glasses on and soothing riverside panoramas on continuous loop on the flat screen above the dentist’s chair, having someone at such close quarters to your tooth with a sharp, buzzing drill and jets of air isn’t the most relaxing way to spend an afternoon.
www. pagedaily.com
It turns out that the symptoms I had were real and were actually due to the toothpaste I’ve been liberally applying to my teeth in the hope of a super white smile.  Apparently, the bleach in whitening toothpastes make teeth extremely sensitive to temperature.  I’ve been advised to lay off the Optic White and switch to either normal toothpaste or a formulation for sensitive teeth.
With my dental anxieties resolved, let’s see what else I’ve been up to.

Sweater – Mix apparel, beads – Red Phoenix Emporium.
Monochrome’s been big in my work wardrobe.
And my actual wardrobe is 7 pairs of jeans, 2 skirts and 2 dresses emptier.  Unfortunately, my collection of jeans still stretches over much of the bedroom floor.

Instagram and the winter sun gave me highlights as I sat on the veranda yesterday.  I’m a bit tempted to see if the hairdresser could give them to me for keeps.

Assembled Hauck Shopper in stroller mode.

And in my capacity as a sometime mummy blogger, I have a pram review.  You might remember I put a call out a few month back for pram suggestions now that Toddler SSG has outgrown the Bugaboo and is at that stage in his life where he’ll probably only tolerate a pram for another year or so.

Thank you for all your suggestions but I put off buying the new pram for so long that I got a bit desperate this week.  Then Aldi put out their Hauck Shopper pram as a special buy for $99 on Wednesday.  And the rest, as they say, is history.

Hauck is a German brand and they produce prams for a wide range of price points.  From my research, the Shopper series is widely available in the UK through stores like Tesco and Asda.  It appears to be very popular because of its very competitive pricing, quality at that price and the fact that the UK version is a stroller and car seat set which also comes with a rain cover (the Hauck Shop N Drive Travel System).  I’m linking to the Tesco customer review page for those who may be interested.  The set is also available through Amazon UK.  I’m not sure if it’s available anywhere else in Australia besides Aldi.

The pram weighs about 7kg and is suitable for newborns up to toddlers around 15kg in weight.  A little setting up is required but no special equipment is needed.

From the Hauck Shopper manual.  Not really sure what this diagram is trying to tell me.

The instruction manual is typically diagram heavy with minimal wording.  Which makes it all open to wide interpretation (and frustration).  The Aldi pram only version came with the hood and seat already attached so a fair proportion of the manual wasn’t relevant to me – thank goodness.

But what about the pram?

First impressions

  • has a solid feel to it despite its relatively light weight
  • looks pretty sleek with sturdy canvas and good cushioning in the seat
  • the stroller is a one piece affair and folds in half for storage
Back of the Hauck Shopper – note the bar style foot break and adjustable back rest.  The shopping basket under the seat even has a back hatch for even easier access.
  • my favourite thing about the pram from a practical point of view is that the break is bar across the back wheels rather than a trigger on the handle or a tricky foot pedal
  • the shopping basket, as befitting a stroller called Shopper, is roomy and easy to access.
The latch to fold down the stroller is just above the Hauck logo.

I thought it would be interesting to do a side by side comparison with the stroller I’ve been getting by with., the famous Target $25 umbrella stroller.  I’ve had mine for three months and it’s still going strong.  It’s light, easy to use and stows away in the boot easily but it does tip over at the drop of a hat.  It also feels ‘low’ when I push it and there’s no shopping basket.  Toddler SSG was also getting a bit squashed in the seat which is the reason I was in a hurry to upgrade.

Side by side – Hauck Shopper ($99) and the Target umbrella stroller ($25).

The Target stroller is noticeably narrower than the Hauck and less cushioned.  The wheels also don’t have the same suspension.

From the side, the Target one isn’t actually much shorter than the Hauck.  Must be the steering and handles that make it harder work to drive.

I’m a bit lazy and this is as far down as I folded the Hauck stroller.

It definitely takes up more room in the boot than the Target but what you lose in the boot you gain at the shops.  Which is where I took my stroller for its maiden voyage and for the purposes of this review.  When you’re called Shopper where else can you go but to the Macquarie Centre at peak pram hour (mid morning on a Thursday)?

The foot break made life so much easier from the moment we entered the centre.  Steering wise, I found the Hauck noticeably lighter to handle and easier to turn than my Target cheapo.  Couldn’t feel much difference to the Bugaboo, if I’m to be brutally honest….

Toddler SSG had plenty of room in his seat and was also secure as the stroller has a 5 point harness.  The front bar detaches but Toddler SSG is so used to them from his previous pram that I kept it on.

The all important stroller cup holder on the Hauck performing like a champ on the ground at Macquarie.
Where this stroller comes out way ahead of my Bugaboo is in the all important cup holder department.  The Hauck Shopper has a snap on organizer bar that fits in front of the handle.  It has room for two cups and a central area for a phone or wallet (or both if you’re me).  Because of its position across the handle rather than attached to the side like holders have to be on Bugaboos, I could wheel the stroller around without losing my skinny mocha to the ground or more dangerously, to Toddler SSG’s head.

With my coffee safe, I could focus my attention on this bit of news on a store awning in the ritzy arcade end of the centre.  We’re getting another Sephora, Sydney.  Maybe this will mean that local mail order won’t be far away.

It was such pleasant walking and strollering that I had the energy to track down the best sushi in the food court.  In my humble opinion, that accolade goes to Totoro in the main food court.  Well worth paying a little more for fresh and filling generous sushi rolls.

This is how the shopping basket looked at lunch time.  I’m quite impressed that I managed to fit my nappy bag / handbag, a bottle of water, a kilo of psyllium, a kilo of raw sugar and 2 blocks of Aldi limited edition Moser Roth white chocolate.

The net bag on the back of the stroller was from Aldi too.  Handy for putting Toddler SSG’s drink bottle and snacks inside for easy access.  This was part of the latest special buy campaign that features $9.99 Bonds wondersuits that sold out like you wouldn’t believe.  This was the second Aldi I had to go to in search of the pram bag.  Yes, thought you’d be fascinated to know that too.

Conclusion

  • I’m really happy with the Hauck Shopper as a stroller for a toddler that I’m probably only going to need for a year or so.
  • I think $99 is a fair price to pay for the quality, build and features.
  • It’s not a blingy, ‘member of the yummy mummy tribe’ kind of stroller but when you get to the toddler stage of mothering, you’ve kind of had your day in the designer pram sun already.  You’ve seen how things get trashed in the course of daily life survival and have also learned from experience that many less spendy things do the job with much less buyer’s remorse than certain other things.
  • With the dollars I’ve saved in buying this stroller, I’m treating myself to a new bag which I will then hang on the back of the Hauck from Aldi in the manner of a yummy mummy so I guess there’s no escape or signs of leopards changing their spots….
  • My only gripe is that the safety strap wasn’t securely stitched in like some of the pricier strollers on the market.  It wasn’t clear from the manual how you were supposed to attach it to the stroller so I just looped it through the handle.

Have you owned an Aldi stroller yourself?  How did you find yours?

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