Ickle Bubba Atom travel system review

The Ickle Bubba Atom Travel System, is an easy to use, light weight piece of kit that is incredibly versatile. Whether you’re looking for an everyday buggy or pushchair, or something to take on your travels, the 2-in-1 system makes life just that little bit easier, as it adapts from a lie flat pram body into a seated position with forward and parent facing options. If you opt for the all-in-one travel system you’ll also get the Cirrus i-size car seat and Isofix base; another easy to use and lightweight option suitable to use from birth.

Testing the product

Here's how our mum tester Leah got on with the Ickle Bubba Atom Travel System...

I am currently mum to my toddler daughter who keeps me on my toes from morning to night and expecting my second child in just over a month.  So I was looking for a simpler travel system than I had with my last, with the option of every day use – particularly as my newborn gets older and we start to venture out more often and farther afield.

I was testing the product for its simplicity and ease of use, and most importantly it’s effectiveness when travelling with my newborn and toddler. I wanted a system that I could use as an alternative to my old heavy pram and pushchair, but that also gave me more options than my old flimsy travel pushchair.

Testing both the construction of the pushchair and installation of the car seat. I was also able to put the seated option of the pushchair through it’s paces on my toddler as I’m still awaiting the arrival of my second child.

This product is a great travel and everyday option for slightly older babies and younger toddlers.  At a budget friendly price too if you’re looking to use this as your everyday pram/pushchair, but also a mid range price option if you’re specifically looking for something to take away with you.

I started by testing the Cirrus car seat first as this would be the first piece of kit I would need once I’d given birth.  It comes in three pieces:

• Isofix Base: so easy I did not need to read the instructions

• Car seat: light weight and well cushioned

• Canopy/Fitting hood: nice add on, a little fiddly. Only half coverage

Top tip: unfold the support leg first before you put the base in the car!  I didn’t – although it didn’t take me long to take the base out and put it back in again.

One thing I noticed was that the height adjustment was quite minimal, so I’m not sure if I’d be using this all the way up to 15 months. The Strap adjustment was smooth, and is well constructed.  I certainly felt that baby would be safe and secure.

What I didn’t like was that it’s only rear facing, so again not sure how long I’d be using this for and there was no tilt positions on the seat so only one flattish position.

It was however, really easy to release the seat from the base and really easy to remove the whole thing from the car if you need to swap it into another car.

Next onto the Pram/Pushchair.  First impressions were good. Lots of familiar pieces when unpacking the box.  And as with the car seat it was so easy to assemble. The real life pictures in the instruction booklet are so helpful as well as the diagrams.

Once I’d set up the frame, I inserted the car seat adapters first as I always think this is the most important feature especially as you prepare for newborns.

Left and right adapters, as with all other systems. Really easy to remove the car seat with the adapters still attached from the base.

Really tricky to find the button to release the adapters from the car seat though. Instructions were not clear and they are well hidden.

The Frame seems a little wider than others I’ve used before but it’s really easy to manoeuvre and the break is so simple.

Attaching the pram body in lie flat mode was also incredibly easy. My criticisms are that it’s quite flimsy, the base feels a bit hard for a newborn or small baby and I felt I needed to add some extra cushioning inside.

The pram hood I struggled with it to get it to stay up and found this quite annoying.  But removing the harness (for pram mode) was fine. Still as a quick and easy travel pram this is perfect!

Converting the pram body into a seat unit was easy once I figured out the instructions. Would definitely recommend flipping this over then putting it back on the frame. However getting it into the seated position took trial and error. Seat directions: forward or back is great.

The harness is easy to use and in comparison to other travel buggies a lot more robust and comfortable for my toddler.

The tilt positions from upright to lay flat are great! Really easy and smooth especially if you have a sleeping toddler and the hood covers enough of the seat for shade. It’s just tricky getting the hood to stay in position.

However the bumper is great and easy to take on and off as my toddler has never liked it on. There's enough space under the pram for bags, but not too many. I liked the open and fold piece at the back for extra space and protection. Collapsing both ways(forward and parent facing) was a doddle. As was lifting this into my car.

I wouldn’t say it’s a huge space saver in comparison to other travel buggies but it’s certainly a better quality and robust one, and I’ll probably use this more often at home for both my toddler and then newborn once they’re a little bit older.

However I’ll probably go back to my old travel buggy when we go abroad as it fits in the overhead on board an aeroplane. I do love that you don’t need to take anything off it to fold! Even the bumper stays on.

When it comes to accessories, the cup holder is a lovely extra but in reality none of my travel coffee cups quite fit the holder, though the coffee stayed pretty stable whilst walking. I loved the extra bag with changing mat. Even though it’s small, it’s very handy on the go! And it’s really stylish!

Now the apron should be good. I really liked its simplicity, however that was it. It was so tricky to secure to the pram, took me ages to get the zip to align and then as soon as my toddler was in the pram, the zip split down the side. It then took me forever to take off after that. I won’t be using this which is a shame as it looks good and is so handy in the winter.

The rain cover also caused me a bit of stress. After finally figuring out which way round it went (no instructions), I was disappointed at how flimsy it was. Not surprisingly as it’s a travel system and this feels like a bonus. But on a windy day that wind whips straight through the pram. It was better in lie flat than seated and would be fine in a bit of drizzle. Just not on a stormy winters day.

Final verdict

Overall, I would use the whole system (car seat included) to travel abroad and around the UK to save space and have a lightweight, easy to use system.  On a daily basis I’m unlikely to use the Atom in the pram position as it didn’t feel sturdy enough for a newborn.  However, I would definitely use the seated position as it’s much lighter than my old pushchair and manoeuvres just as well over multiple terrains.

On the Cirrus car seat, whilst I would travel with this and use it as a backup option, I didn’t like the single position or the fact it was only rear facing, therefore I felt like it would be limited to just a short amount of time. But I did like how lightweight it was and it certainly felt safe enough:  Great for newborns, probably wouldn’t use past 6 months.

Lorna White is the Products Editor for Mother&Baby. After running the Yours magazine website, specialising in content about caring for kids and grandchildren, Lorna brought her expertise to Mother&Baby in 2020. She has a keen interest in a range of topics from potty training and nutrition to baby names and early development and has a wide range of experienced medical experts and professionals at her fingertips. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her two young sisters, dog walking and enjoying the outdoors with her family.