Inglesina Classica: My Experience...

Why I bought this product:
I waited to purchase this product until we had the finances to support such a big ticket item. When I was pregnant with my fourth child, we were finally ready for this purchase.

Where we found this product:
The Inglesina brand is a luxury brand not readily found anywhere. It is sold mostly at the luxury baby stores, such as http://www.babyandmeboutique.com and http://www.landsend.com (I was surprised that Landsend is now carrying this item!). I purchased mine from an Inglesina Dealer that I found on Nextag. After shelling out nearly a thousand dollars I was disappointed to find out that I would need to wait up to six weeks to receive the stroller; I hoped that the baby did not come early. The dealer stated that these were "made as they are ordered" from Italy, so I decided to be patient and wait.

The Description:
White on the bottom, navy blue felt material on top, this is THE stroller that you see in all the older movies. A symbol of luxury, of the best-of-the-best. The top of the stroller is a sun shield, and can be folded back to expose the entire inside of the pram, or folded into position and will cover nearly half of the pram. The steel accent bars on the sides hold the shield in place. A tiny white lace trimmed curtain, complete with drawbacks installs into the shield, so you can use the drawbacks to see the baby, or leave them drawn for additional sun protection. Inside of the pram there is a thin, removable mattress and a lined interior. The interior can be adjusted so that the baby can be placed in a slightly elevated position, or a semi sitting position. The Inglesina also comes with a full apron, which snaps on both sides of the outside of the pram and matches the stroller. This is great for wind or sun protection, and can be easily removed if you don't want to use it. There is a chrome basket at the bottom, which is roomy and plentiful but due to the open construction of it, there is not a whole lot of protection for the items that are placed in it. The chrome bar that is used to push the pram has a rubberized coating for comfortable gripping. Oversized white spoke wheels complete the classic look; the rear wheels are slightly larger than the front. Ceramic Inglesina logos are located on each side of the pram. Comes with matching diaper bag and adjustable matching toddler seat replacement.

The Inglesina Classica Pram arrives!
The pram arrived by UPS one day, a week ahead of schedule. I watched anxiously while my husband opened up the box and removed the parts as I begged him to be careful. The assembly was fairly simple, but I was surprised that there was still a large box that we hadn't opened yet. We were pleased to see that it actually contained a separate "toddler" seat to put on the carriage, to replace the regular pram when the baby was old enough. I had him install it just so I could see how it looked, and it did look pretty classy. He put the regular pram back on, and we put it in the baby's room until it was time for use.

The baby arrives!
The day after I brought my son home from the hospital, I couldn't wait to take a walk with him in the pram, and show him (and the stroller) off to the neighbors. It was hot (August in Arizona) and I took him out in a tee shirt and diaper, with a light blanket just in case. I laid him in the pram, still asleep and was surprised at how little padding there was. It resembled more of a bassinett than a stroller, and I was surprised at how tiny he looked in there. I rolled the pram outside of the front door, and my first walk with the Inglesina began.

My first stroll with the Inglesina Classica:
The baby woke up almost instantly as I walked out the door, and so I tried to get moving quickly so that he would hopefully fall back asleep enough for me to get at least a little bit of a walk in. After walking about a block, he made it abundantly clear that it was feeding time, and not strolling time, so I obliged him and turned around to head back home. I noticed several things that disappointed me during my short walk. One, there was no shock absorbency at all; it was a very bumpy ride, even on our smooth pavement. Two, you cannot steer this pram without popping it up on its rear tires and pivoting it. That was very disappointing. So, this means that walking down the road, I had to pivot every few steps when the road curved to make sure I didn't run into any shrubs. Lastly, I REALLY didn't want to admit this, especially to my husband, but it didn't feel like it was very durable; almost a bit rickety. While it looks absolutely gorgeous, it doesn't drive that way!

Fast forward six months:
Regretfully, I took my second stroll with this pram six months later. I elevated the back to a semi-sitting position, and put my precious son in, who was very curious. It was only a moment before he yanked down the petite velcro curtains and ate them. I took them away, and he tried to stand up. It was at this moment that I realized that this pram didn't have any type of safety harness in it. I helped my son sit down, which he did not appreciate. He kept trying to get up, and I kept trying to keep him down, while pushing a stroller with one hand and trying to control it around the curves while neighbors watched. I tried to smile, but was getting frustrated. Needless to say, I gave him the curtains to chew on so that he would stay put until he got back home.

How do I like it now?
My son is now three years old, and I haven't taken the Inglesina out for a walk since. It has sat in his room, and has been no more than a very expensive room decoration, that involuntarily houses stuffed animals from time to time. It is very difficult to manueuver, not very steady, cannot be folded compactly for car travel, has no safety straps (although the toddler seat does) and my son hates it. And so do I.

My Thoughts:
You live, you learn. I wanted this pram so badly I actually cried when I was unable to locate one, initially. (Maybe that was just the pregnancy talking, who knows...?) I felt so proud when I finally owned it and placed my little one in it for the very first time. But you know what? Now, it's almost like having won a Ferrarri, but not wanting to drive. Unfortunately, this was an investment that was not worth it for us. And I don't think my husband will ever let me live this one down.