Joolz Day3 Review
The best selling Joolz Day has had a makeover which promises to be ‘smarter, easier and better'. The new and improved Joolz Day3 is here, with better storage. smart cot design, improved ergonomics, quick & easy folding. We can’t get enough of it’s stylish design but what did 2 of our parents testers make of it? Keep reading to find out what they thought of the Joolz Day3
Parent Tester 1- Sarah Lewis
The Joolz Day3 arrived super speedily and neatly packaged in one cardboard box. Joolz pride themselves on their eco friendly credentials, and this extends to their packaging too; they've really thought about how the cardboard could be reused, printing fun crafting templates on the box sides to make with your little one. Other than a very small amount of necessary foam and plastic there's no real waste here, which is a big bonus.
We got stuck into unboxing the pushchair and found it pretty straightforward to assemble – the instructions are presented as a series of easy to follow pictures which is great for less technically minded people like myself!
We opted for the Parrot Blue Day3 from the Earth series - and I'm so glad we did, it was even better in real life. It's a gorgeously rich navy blue contrasted with tan leatherette detailing – a timeless combination that would be great for using again if we are fortunate to expand our family.
Everything about this pushchair screams luxury, and the attention to detail is impeccable too; touches like a breathable mesh section on the cot for warmer weather, the hinged bumper bar, foldout sun hood, adjustable leg rest and the magnetic fastening on the five point harness in the seat unit are prime examples.
In terms of manoeuvrability it is fantastic to push, it glides easily over pavements and rougher ground and turns a perfect circle on the spot - precisely what you want in a pushchair if you're in a tight spot. The wheels are robust, and can be locked for bumpier terrain too. You can't pop them either as they aren't air-filled which is another added bonus. It's not a one hand fold as there are levers on both sides, but my husband and I have both managed to collapse it whilst holding Harry. This might be more difficult with a bigger child, but the likelihood is they would be able to stand themselves anyway by then.
The Day3 is relatively compact when folded and stands upright on its own unsupported, which makes storing it in your home a fiddle. The only downside is that it doesn't have a clip to retain it, meaning that all the parts move when you lift it to go into the car boot. It's manageable but could present a problem in a tighter space or for a smaller individual - for example my husband managed fine whereas I struggled. The positive though is that it unfolds quickly and easily - useful if you're in a rush. Helpfully, all the buttons and levers are coloured pale grey which makes operating the pushchair intuitive and easy, with smooth mechanisms that don't really require any force. In terms of size, it fit easily into both my husband's estate car and my medium sized hatchback (without the parcel shelf) - though as with most other pushchairs you'd likely need to take the wheels off to fit it in a smaller car.
The pushchair doesn't come with a rain cover so you'll need to purchase this separately - they're a little more expensive than the typical clear plastic ones, but like the pushchair you get what you pay for and the cover is well designed to fit perfectly over either the cot or seat unit leaving the basket easily accessible. Speaking of the basket, they call it extra large and it is definitely bigger than the basket on the previous model. For us it's absolutely adequate, but the Joolz Geo2 has a significantly bigger basket if this is something that is important to you.
The thing I really love about the Day3 is it's height. Sitting at 94cm the cot and seat are significantly higher than many other pushchairs on the market, ideal if like me you have a bad back. That's not to say this is a pushchair for tall people - I'm five foot two and find it perfect for me due to the height adjustable handlebar. It's also great for Harry as he can join in with family lunches and dinners in forward-facing mode as it sits at table height, meaning there's no need for a highchair- you can just wheel the pushchair up to the table instead. He was seriously happy to be part of the fun.
Our son has just turned six months old so we tried him in both the cot and the seat unit and he slept soundly in both parts. Whilst he definitely still had some room to move in the spacious cot, he was happier in the seat unit and really loved being able to see his surroundings. Another bonus of the height of the seat is that he and I could maintain eye contact whilst I pushed him, which is really lovely.
For me, this is an almost perfect pushchair that really suited our lifestyle in the Cotswolds, handling well over both pavements and rougher terrain. I highly recommend.
Parent Tester 2- Steph Johnston
The big arrival, packaging and assembly…
When this huge parcel arrived via courier I wondered whether the box itself would fit through the front door. On opening the box and seeing all the well wrapped, minimalistic and modern packaging I thought maybe I should have put an hour or two aside to build this. How wrong I was as after unwrapping the wheels, frame, hood etc I had a quick glance at the instructions and due to the fact it was pretty intuitive as to where things went together, 30 minutes later and it was all built up and I was on facetime to my husband proud as punch at my handiwork.
Build quality…
The first thing you notice when you put the Joolz Day3 together is how well everything slots together, the feel, touch and look of all the materials used prove that you get what you pay for. The main handle which is padded with black leather and stitching you’d expect from a designer handbag. The bassinet looks great, with all the little zips to pull down the edging which allows your baby to see the outside world as they lie down is a great little touch. The buttons and zips feel like they’ll last forever and the brushed silver levers used to lift and lower the frame itself look and feel amazing. I couldn’t ask for more from this when it comes to build quality and materials used.
Out and about…
Apart from the day to day walk to school our first real ‘big day out’ as a family was when we went to register our beautiful girls birth. We have a relatively big car with a large boot and the first thing we noticed was how much space the Joolz Day3 takes up. Once you take off the bassinet from the frame and lay them in the boot it left us with very little room.
That said, the comfort and ride quality is fantastic. Our 10 day old girl loved it so much that she slept non-stop for 3 hours while we walked over the cobbled streets, registered her and went for lunch. The wheels really help with the ride quality and cushion the uneven surface movements and then when you have the hood up on the bassinet it really helps to block out the light and street noise. We also found that the brushed silver clips used for lifting and lowering the frame are ideal for holding the baby bag.
If you’re really lucky enough to catch a day when it’s nice and sunny and you want to let some fresh air and light into the bassinet then the Joolz Day3 has the ability to bring the edges down on the main unit and hood. My husband hogged the majority of the ‘driving’ as he loved how easy the Joolz Day3 was to maneuver when in the shops.
We chose the Nero colour scheme and we couldn’t have been happier with this choice. My husband was really against a large pram as he believed that regardless of price they always look cheap however he is so impressed with how good this looks and he’s without a doubt one of the toughest critics out there.
Could I live without it and what would I change…
We never thought we’d want a large pram due to the amount of space it takes up both in the home and car but after using this for the last 10 days we are without a doubt more than happy. We truly believe that our little girl sleeps so well while out in the bassinet due to how well insulated it is. One small negative however is that you don’t get a rain cover with the Joolz Day3 which is a bit disappointing considering the overall price you pay for this pram.
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