Mamas & Papas Acro Lightweight Buggy is a super-smart, featherlight best strollerdesigned with travel in mind. We wanted something to pack away easily when travelling abroad and for short trips in the car.
Like many new parents, we bought a traditional travel system with a carrycot and stroller attachment. This is great for daily use and reliable napping, but less so for lugging on a plane or train.
Tested by mum Lauren Eads with baby Austin, 4 months:
The Acro stroller comes in at 4.7kg, a shade over 10lbs in baby weight, which is a far more relatable measurement to me right now!
It’s intended for babies aged six months and over, but our son is a larger than average baby and fitted fine, and able to sit and hold his head up.
It has an adjustable reclining seat that goes back about as far as the incline on a baby bouncer – it doesn’t lie flat – and can also be adjusted to an upright position.
It also has a detachable bumper bar across the front for attaching toys. Its best feature is that it folds up into a cabin baggage-sized carry bag with a (slightly) padded strap.
This means you can sling it on your shoulder and still have your hands reasonably free, and take it onboard a plane without having to check it into the hold.
The fold-out mechanism is good, with a simple click-release strap and fold-out motion. The handlebar folds out separately and can be adjusted on a pivot to better angle the bar, but it doesn’t extend upward.
This isn’t great if you are particularly tall, but my husband is 6ft 3 and gets on with it fine. There is a small basket underneath, which fits around two small shopping bags, or a very small changing bag.
It’s not intended to carry loads of gear, but for those travelling light. A changing bag could be strapped to the handlebar using buggy clips, but beware that the reclining back pad encroaches on the space it would comfortably hang.
A smaller stroller organiser would be a much better use of the space at the back of the buggy. It’s a little trickier to fold down, but easy once mastered.
The stroller itself has great maneuverability and while lightweight feels sturdy. We tested it out on the bus and it handled the ups and downs no problem.
The seat itself isn’t particularly padded, so I wouldn’t recommend it for long stints, or a lot of sleeping, but my son was perfectly comfortable.
There is also a good size hood that creates a nice little cocoon, making it feel less open to the elements, and a vent at the back with a roll-up cover. Aesthetically it looks great, with the green and purple palm print adding a splash of colour.
Perfect for city breaks, short trips anddays out, this is a great little travel stroller for light use, wonderfully lightweight, smart and compact.
