While on maternity leave recently, on one of the many days that stretched endlessly into night, I mustered up the considerable enthusiasm required to take my two youngest children to playgroup. There, I met a woman I clicked with instantly.
Perhaps it shouldn’t have come as such a surprise, but as someone who seems to have missed the necessary parenting DNA to find playgroup enjoyable in any capacity (really – is it just me?), it was a welcomed shock to my system.
As we watched our sons tumble down slides and deposit half-eaten fruits into the palms of our hands, we went deep in a way that seems exclusive to mothers. In the two-hour timeframe, we spoke about how unbearably challenging two year olds were, where the best fenced park was, how the mental load was suffocating, how our pelvic floors were holding up, who was going to win The Bachelor, when we were going back to work, how life-changing Three Women was, what was for dinner, how we were going to fill the next eight hours.
As the playgroup packed up and I realised I hadn’t even asked this woman’s name (but I did know her obstetrician’s), she sent me off with the mother’s equivalent of a fist pump. “You’ve got this,” she said.
And while I’m not generally one to toot my own horn, I knew she was right. I did have this. So did she. So did every parent at that playgroup. With the right support, we all have this.
As someone who will readily admit to being reliant upon certain creature comforts, for me, this support extends beyond my family and friends and into the products I use every day.
I’d become unhinged if my washing machine broke, I’m a mess when the spinning wheel of death appears on my computer, and my Nespresso machine receives more attention than my children do if it’s before 6am.
When it comes to parenting, the brand that has supported my family far and above any other has been Bugaboo. I recall being pregnant with my eldest son, and becoming acutely aware of just how covetable that sketched circle logo was to have on my pram. In the five and a half years that have passed, I still feel the same way. Bugaboo has been my side – helping me to feel like I’ve “got this” – for years. On the streets of New York City with two young children and a Bugaboo Bee. Shushing a baby while rocking a Bugaboo Donkey back and forth with my foot while on a conference call. Pounding the streets of Sydney’s inner west when my son decided the only place he’d sleep was in a moving Bugaboo Cameleon (really – who could blame him?).
In fact, as I type this, the Bugaboo Donkey is as much of a permanent fixture in my home as any of our furniture. But as my middle child is getting a little too old and restless to be contained in a pram, I’ve been delighted to see the introduction of the Bugaboo Lynx.
As I spend my days running (literally running) after my older boys, I need Henry to be safe in a pram that has all the qualities I love about Bugaboo, but is light enough for me to keep up with Charlie and Isaac. Which is exactly what the Bugaboo Lynx delivers.
Created with ultra-light aerospace aluminium, the Bugaboo Lynx is the lightest full-sized pram on the market, weighing in at just 9.4kg. But don’t let that fool you – it’s also strong enough to hold a child from birth, up to 23kg. The bassinet (which is pictured here with Henry and comes standard with the pram) transitions to a seat, with a 3-position recline that allows your baby to face you or out to the world.
There’s no question that Bugaboo revolutionised the pram market with their unmistakable style, unmatchable quality and unparalleled comfort, but in my opinion, the Bugaboo Lynx takes it to another level with its practicality.
It’s easily manoeuvrable with one hand (trust me on this; my kids are big) and is so slim-lined that it can navigate through inner-city sidewalks and tight-squeezed weekend markets with ease (the under-seat basket that carries up to 10kg worth of Crunch and Sip options helps). It also manages to fit seamlessly into the boot of the car alongside a family’s worth of groceries and various Saturday sport paraphernalia.
It also goes without saying that the Bugaboo Lynx offers all the brand’s usual bells and whistles. There is an easily adjustable 5-point harness that ensures children are safe and comfortable, whatever their age, and an adjustable handle to suit your own height. There is also Bugaboo’s signature extendable sun canopy to protect little ones from the elements, and puncture-proof wheels for a bump-free ride on all terrains.
Having now owned almost every possible Bugaboo - and having felt supported every step of the way - the Bugaboo Lynx is the pram that has made me feel most free.
With three young children, a career and endless responsibilities, feeling like I’ve “got this” is no small feat. But with Henry strapped in and a child on either side, I just might think I have.
The Bugaboo Lynx is available online and at all good baby stores from AUD $1,499.
