Mamas & Papas Ora Review

“I wanted to leave a review after now having owned both...”

Written on: 11/07/2010

I wanted to leave a review after now having owned both the Mamas and Papas Ora and the Luna.



I bought the Luna when my son was 5 months old. I fell in love with the cress colour and the design. But never ended up taking it out of the front door! I put the changing bag on the back with only a few things inside, and the lot tipped back with my son in it! So away went the Luna.



I saw the Ora on a carboot for £35 with raincover and parasol, when my son was 9 months old. My son was slouching and looking really uncomfortable in the stroller we had at the time (a zia), and despite the experience with the luna, I though, for £35, I might as well, and if I didnt get on with it, I could find a buyer.



Anyway, first thing I noticed was that the pram does not tip easily like the Luna. Now I dont know if the bumper bar on the Ora redistributes the weight or something, but it simply doesnt tip. The pushchair is sturdy, and very well made.



The drawstring style recline actually sits really upright, which my son loved, and reclines really flat for naps. And he adores the fact that he can hold onto the bumper bar.

The hood is ample, the adjustable footrest is easy to function, and the handle is a decent height (I am 6 months pregnant with sciatica so struggle with low handlebar heights).



The shopping basket is an OK size, but it is all about positioning your shopping well, kind of like tetris! I have managed fine with it so far. Not the biggest, not the smallest, but have to say it is very easily accessed, even when in full recline.



The seat it spacious, plenty of growing room.

The pushchair, while quite heavy for a pushchair marketed as a stroller, is really light to push. The wheels are smooth, it handles and turns well, and the swivel locks are sturdy and secure.

Main problem I have found so far is that because the chassis is quite low to the ground, we sometimes have trouble getting it up and down high kerbs-we get stuck! But there is a knack to it. Is also quite difficult to get on and off trains due to the low chassis, but there is normally someone to help up on and off! No problems on buses though.



The pushchair folds flat, literally in half. It doesnt fold small, so I would check your boot first.

It is also quite heavy to lift, so would not reccomend if you had to carry up and down stairs-BUT this is usually the price you have to pay for a sturdy pushchair.

One con-I did notice that the chassis creaks around the handlebar when pushing sometimes, and from what I can see, this is a common issue with this model, but I have yet to discover a solution.



Ok, well finally, to this controversial 'freedom harness'. When i had the Luna, I thought it was terrible, however I did not look into how to correctly fit the harness.



Now I know that to correctly adjust the harness, the plastic piece that slides up and down the back straps needs to be positioned in betweened the shoulder blades. And it is fab-my son loves the freedom he has to rubberneck things and sit forward in the seat.

Please do not be put off by the harness, it is fab, especially for an older child who likes to be nosy!



So to summarise, if you want a stroller that is a bit more comfortable and sturdier than your typical one, seriously consider this pushchair. Do not be deterred by the terrible feedback the Luna received, the Ora is most definitely an improvement, all the faults with the Luna have been solved wuth the Luna.