Prestige Nimbus by BabyStyle 2022 Review

The Prestige  Nimbus by BabyStyle has been a popular option for parents looking for a pram that merges the traditional with the more modern elements of child transportation. Since its launch in 2019 it has been a popular option for parents wanting to buy all the essentials in a bundle. We have the new relaunched Nimbus Special Edition for review in stunning Charcoal and we were eager to see whether the improvements had kept up with the pushchair trends of 2022.

The Prestige  Nimbus Special Edition comes as a 13 piece bundle available in either Grey or Charcoal - yes you read that correctly, 13 pieces of travel essentials all for £999 (RRP). Included in the bundle are the Prestige Active chassis (more on this later), carrycot with mattress, pushchair seat with raincover, footmuff, hand muff, baby blanket, changing bag with changing mat, parasol, insect net, multi car seat adapters, infant carrier, isofix base and car seat raincover. Phew - that is some list I think that you will agree.

So the question is, is it quantity over quality - we scrutinised closely to make that decision…..

The Nimbus is part of the Prestige collection by BabyStyle and you have the option throughout the range to pick the Active or Classic Chassis - with the Nimbus, the Active comes as standard. It is by far the most popular of the Prestige chassis options.

When you get the chassis out of the box, you have a few steps to get it ready for use. The back axle needs slotting into position, the four wheels slotting on and you have to zip the basket onto the back support bar. It takes literally a couple of minutes and is very simple to do.

The chassis is a very, very dark grey, almost black to the naked eye. Whether you opt for the Grey or the Charcoal package, the chassis is the same and personally I find that it looks stunning with the Charcoal, the darker of the two options. The only pop of colour away from the black is the silver which can be found on the BabyStyle logos on the sides and on the footplate. If you are looking carefully, you can also see the odd silver rivet - the majority are black and it is a shame that not all of the rivets are black as this would finish it off perfectly but it is a big improvement over the original Nimbus chassis.

The wheels on the Prestige  Nimbus Special Edition are chunky and robust, 11” on the back and 9” on the front. They are all air-filled to give baby a comfortable ride. Many brands are moving towards solid tyres as the technology around this has improved so much over the years. However, if you do find that you get a puncture, then we would recommend filling your tyres with slime! If you are crossing rougher terrain, you may want to lock the front wheels which is easily done by twisting the top of the barrel where the wheel joins the chassis - this is super simple to do, even with gloves on. If you do get muddy wheels or just need to remove them to make a smaller fold, this is easily done by pressing the centre of the rear wheels, and the central button on the front wheels.

The Nimbus has all round suspension which is excellent. We found it pushed well over rougher terrain as well as along pavements, whether transporting a newborn in the carrycot or a hefty toddler in the seat unit. The suspension at the rear of the chassis is particularly good and more than you find on the majority of prams and pushchairs on the market. This makes kerb-popping an absolute doddle. The suspension on the Nimbus really is brilliant, we are not quite in bouncy pram territory (look at the Prestige3 on the Classic chassis if this is what you are looking for) but perfect for town and country walks - it will even navigate those muddy farmyards.

The brake is located in the middle of the rear axle and is very easy to use. You use the ball of your foot to pop the brake on and can either use the ball of your foot to rock it off, or your toe to flip it up, to disengage the brake. You will hear a resounding click when you have done either motion.

The basket is much improved from the original Nimbus basket. It is large and spacious but accessibility had always been tricky especially when using the carrycot. However, Babystyle have taken this feedback on board and to the rear of the basket is now a zipper allowing for access from the back  if you find accessing the basket from the top tricky. I love this update! 

The handle of the Babystyle Nimbus Special Edition has a chocolate leatherette finish with tan stitching detail. The curved shape makes it ergonomic to push and with it’s pivot ability you can adjust it to suit you. It is adjustable using the two round buttons at either side from 90cm at its lowest to 113cm at its highest, and with 5 different height settings, you are bound to find a comfortable pushing position. Just below the handle are two integrated hooks designed to clip your matching changing bag on to.

The Prestige Nimbus comes with its own carrycot which you will find in the box along with the seat unit and all the accessories. Unlike the majority of carrycots there is absolutely no assembly necessary, meaning you are ready to go in an instance once you have popped in the mattress and attached the apron.

To attach the carrycot to the chassis, line up the built in adapters on the side of the carrycot and slot these into place at the middle of the chassis. The canopy has a built-in handle which I found the easiest to hold when attaching the carrycot. To remove the carrycot there are two handles on either side which you lift up. Once the sides are released you can use the handle on the hood to carry the carrycot. It is not the simplest of carrycot removals especially as it is so bulky. Some parents may find this tricky so I recommend standing on one side of the carrycot, unclicking the far side of the carrycot and tipping it towards you whilst holding the carry handle and then unclipping the nearside - this makes it easier to lift rather than reaching across and is more ‘back friendly’. If I am being picky, this is a bit of a faff and memory buttons on either side would give a smoother and easier removal.

The carrycot is incredibly spacious and measures a whopping 76cm x 32cm. This means that it will easily last until your little one is ready to move to the seat unit. Safety tested to 9kg (standard for a carrycot), I doubt any child will physically outgrow the Nimbus carrycot. It is a deep carrycot and with its hard base and sides, it is very solid indeed. When you team this with the thick and lined material of the hood and apron, it really does offer amazing protection from the elements for your precious cargo.

Inside the carrycot you will find the mattress. This is hypo-allergenic and offers protection against dust mites (which can cause eczema and asthma). It is made from combustion modified foam and has a removable and washable cover (at 60 degrees). The fact that the cover is washable gets a big thumbs up from me but we would also recommend using a bottom sheet to make life easier.

Now, the carrycot does have a ‘secret’ or two. On the underside of the carrycot is a knob that you can twist to raise or lower the head of the mattress respectively. Perfect if you have a colicky baby or just one with the snuffles. It is also fabulous as your baby reaches a few months old and wants to see the world a little more. Although not upright, this will help. I wish all carrycots had this built in as I see many parents ‘propping’ their baby up with blankets! As little one does grow however, you also have the attachments for reins should the baby now be sat up. The longevity this carrycot offers parents is quite frankly very well thought out.

Onto the hood (or canopy as some people like to call it). As mentioned this is lined and super thick, perfect for those winter months as there will be no wind whistling through. At the front is an additional visor which you can pop out if required, although personally I would just leave it out all the time. Hidden at the back of the hood is a zip concealing a mesh panel to add ventilation if required during the summer months.The excess material pulls neatly around the back of the carrycot resulting in a nice clean finish to the look of the carrycot, even when you add the ventilation. To pop the hood down to allow easy access to baby, all you need to do is use the two buttons located on either side and rotate the hood backwards. This is not tricky but you do need two hands.

The apron of the carrycot is secured using two poppers, one on either side and the deep edging of the apron fits neatly around the foot of the carrycot - it looks very neat when in position. One of the best features of this apron is the weather lip. It secures neatly using magnets on the apron top keeping it neatly in place. However you can unfold it and move it upwards on a particularly blustery day to add further protection for your baby. I would love the ability to secure this as is offered with the new Prestige3.

Included in the bundle is a raincover - the carrycot raincover has black piping around the edge whereas the seat raincover has light grey.  I found the carrycot raincover easy to fit and it covered the majority of the carrycot fabrics - lots of rain covers do not cover the bottom of carrycots and this is a real bugbear of mine. There is a gap at the front to allow for ventilation. The raincover is more than adequate for the price of the bundle and although it looks a little creased, I can live with that.

There is also a bug net for the carrycot - again it does exactly what it is supposed to and keeps the bugs away from your baby. There is a useful zip on one side which allows easy access to your baby. I find bug nets especially useful in the summer months to keep wasps away - nothing worse than a wasp being caught inside a carrycot and the fact that Babystyle include the bug net in the bundle is an additional extra that is much appreciated.

As mentioned above, the Nimbus carrycot does have a secret or two and offers a couple of things that the majority of carrycots do not. We have already mentioned the integrated colic lift (genius). On the base of the carrycot there are two long and curved plastic runners. This is a big bonus as not only does it keep the base of the carrycot clean but also allows you to rock baby to sleep when used on the floor. If you do not want to be able to rock the carrycot there are small plastic feet in each corner that you can pop out to prevent it from moving.

The Prestige Nimbus Special Edition is also approved by Babystyle for occasional overnight sleep, a feature that many parents are now looking for. This gives you ultimate flexibility for the first 6 months and negates the need to purchase a travel cot in many instances. Parents can also use the Nimbus carrycot as a downstairs sleeping option - we just wish they made a carrycot stand to go with it!

Once your little one has outgrown the carrycot they will move onto the seat unit, which is suitable from birth to 22kg. We love the fact that you have the option to use the seat unit as well as the carrycot during the first 6 months, although personally I would use the beautiful carrycot! An upper weight limit of 22kg means that seat should last until your little one walks full time. The seat can be used either world or parent facing offering great flexibility.

To remove the seat there are handles on either side which you need to lift simultaneously - the use of memory buttons would have increased the functionality of this feature but as the handle areas are large, it is not too tricky. The seat can be parent or world facing but you do need to remove the seat completely for folding (more about this later).

The seat itself is spacious with a width of 32cm and height of 50cm - it is very noticeable how high the sides come up on the seat unit offering excellent protection from the elements, especially when teamed with the apron or footmuff (more about these shortly). The materials are the same, hard wearing materials you will find on the carrycot - especially useful considering a toddler will be using the seat unit and they are not known to keep everything clean of course. The seat is not the most padded seat and I feel it could have done with a little more comfort, especially for a younger baby.

There is a five point, adjustable harness which can be manually rethreaded in two shoulder height positions. I did find the harness a little rudimentary - there is no crotch protection, the shoulder comfort pads could do with a little more padding and many harnesses now do not need rethreading to change the height.

The seat has a leatherette covered bumper bar which is gate opening and can be opened from either the left or right side, or be removed completely.

The hood is substantial and has an additional pop out visor to add a little further protection from the weather. When the seat is in the upright position, you do have the option to pull the hood right over your little one. However, if you do wish to recline the seat, you need to put the hood in the upright position before you are able to recline. I find this a little annoying especially when teamed with the fact that the hood makes a substantial clicking noise when you are moving it. If your little one has fallen to sleep there is a real risk that this may wake them.

To recline the seat there is a lever on the rear of the unit and you simply pull this up and the seat reclines offering you four positions - this is easy to locate and use, even with gloves on. I love that the most upright position is really upright and a position that older toddlers like to be in - on the flip side the full recline is excellent and very enclosed from the elements making it an excellent position for a younger baby. If your little one needs further leg support, the calf rest can be lifted or lowered accordingly using the sliders on either side. The footplate is practical in that it is plastic and easily wiped but maybe not the most aesthetically pleasing!

The bundle includes a raincover for the seat unit (in addition to the carrycot raincover) and has light grey piping detail around the edge. Our raincover arrived in the same box as the car seat and was labelled ‘Zippy Raincover - fully fitting rain cover providing full weather protection’. It certainly is a large raincover but then again, the seat is quite bulky so there is a lot to cover. It is certainly a practical raincover rather than a beautiful looking raincover! It slips on easily and with a little adjustment, it is easy to straighten up (I like my raincovers to look neat and tidy). It is elasticated around the bottom to ensure that it fits wherever the recline is on the seat. I did find that it tended to lift up the calf rest which may annoy older toddlers however my experience of older toddlers is that they don't like rain covers anyway! Across the middle is a zip which allows you to decide how much ventilation your little one requires. You can also zip both sides down to completely open the front up but still allowing for legs to be protected - I love this flexibility of this rain cover as you wouldn’t need to take it on and off as you go in shops. There are also ventilation holes at the side - maybe a little too tempting for toddler fingers though. In a nutshell, it’s not the prettiest of rain covers but it will keep your little one dry, which is the main objective.

I absolutely love the look of the Nimbus in carrycot mode but feel the seat lacks a little finesse. It does everything you need it to do but needs a style update to take it to the next level.

Whether you are using the Nimbus Special Edition in carrycot mode or seat mode you do need to remove these before folding. Across the centre of the chassis you will see a strap which you simply pull up and the chassis will fold. There is a lock on one hand side which keeps the chassis folded when moving it in and out of the car or simply storing it at home. The chassis will freestand if you have the wheels in the correct position but it is not easy! Generally I think you will lay it down. If you want to make the fold smaller, simply take off the four wheels. Once folded, none of the wheels nor the floor will be touching the leatherette handle which will keep it clean and damage free all being well.

It’s not the smallest folding pushchair, nor the lightest chassis to lift but it is a larger pram system than most so that is to be expected. To lift the pushchair in and out of your boot, you do need to hold it by the frame rather than the folding strap and it would have been great to have an extension to this so you could pop it over your shoulder.

The easiest way I found to unfold the Nimbus, is to firstly lift it into a vertical position, unlock the side and allow the wheels to roll out whilst lifting the handle. If you can not hold the chassis above the ground, you can rest the handle on your toes whilst you undo the lock and begin the unfolding process.

The Prestige Nimbus Special Edition by BabyStyle can only be bought as a bundle which means that you are getting excellent value for money - everything you need for under £1,000! Let’s take a look at all the additional elements you get in the bundle as these are important to consider when making your purchase and are often an additional and sometimes costly addition to the price of your pram / pushchair alone.

Infant Carrier - this is a fairly basic infant carrier (Group 0+) which is suitable from birth to a maximum of 13kg. It meets the older set of regulations known as R44. We would love to see this upgraded to an i-Size (R129) Infant carrier, just as Babystyle have included in the egg2 and Oyster3 bundles. Although a basic car seat, there are some nice touches. It does include a foot apron to add a little protection from the elements if using the car seat out of the car. There is also a newborn insert. The fabrics of the seat will match your chosen colour of your pushchair.

ISOFIX Base - again great that this is included and the brilliant thing about this base is that it can be fixed into your car using the isofix but if you do not have isofix, this is one of the few bases on the market now that can be fitted with your seat belt too.

Car Seat Adaptors - these are very easy to use and simply pop on either side of your chassis to allow you to attach your infant carrier for those short trips.

Car Seat Raincover - an additional extra that most parents won’t consider before they actually have been caught in a rain shower and their little one gets wet whilst in their car seat. It is the simple things that make parenting easier! The car seat raincover is simple to attach and is good quality.

Parasol - although personally I am not a massive parasol fan, I love the fact that it is included. The parasol is in the same colour as your pushchair (Charcoal or Grey). It is easy to attach to the chassis using a clamp and will flex to position the shade over your little one. The parasol can be used both when you are using the carrycot and also when in seat mode.

Changing Bag - this is in the same colour as the fabrics of your carrycot and seat unit. It neatly hooks on to your chassis using the two round knobs located near where the handle pivots. The changing bag is a decent size and includes a good changing mat - often mats can be very thin or small but this one is better than most! If we were being fussy, we would have liked to see some pockets and an insulated area.

Bug net - Once again, these are usually optional extras so we love that this is included. It fits neatly on the carrycot and is black in colour - there is a useful zip on one side which offers easy access to little one. Apart from keeping the bugs away, it also makes a good cat net to keep your four legged friends from making a bed in the carrycot.

Pushchair Apron - The Prestige Nimbus Special Edition comes with a footmuff (see below) AND an apron - the majority of pushchair brands offer one or the other in a bundle (or quite often neither) so it is great to see both in the Nimbus bundle. The apron tucks under the calf rest and is secured using two substantial poppers located at the bottom of the hod on either side. We love the addition of the apron for those late Spring to early Autumn months when you just don’t need a footmuff. The apron is substantial and in earnest looks great.

Footmuff / Cosytoes - For the more chilly months it is lovely to see that this bundle includes the footmuff (some people call it a cosytoes). It comes in matching fabrics to your pushchair and is lined with the same material you find on the inside of the carrycot, this is quite a light colour (white with light grey stripes) so it may get a little grubby in time (thank goodness it is washable). As footmuffs go this is a pretty good one. It is very well padded and size-wise it should last a while. Some footmuffs are tiny and will only last the first 12 months but I envisage that this will last longer for most children. To fit, you simply hook it over the top of the pushchair seat and thread the harness through the holes - there are three harness holes depending where you need the harness to sit comfortably on little one’s shoulders. The front of the footmuff will toggle around the bumper bar which keeps it neat and tidy - you have to love a neat looking footmuff! There is a zipper on either side and you can take the front off to leave you with liner if you need it. The included footmuff definitely gets the thumbs up from us!

Blanket - I can’t think of any other pushchair manufacturer that offers a blanket as part of their bundle but why not? All babies need blankets and you can never have too many! The blanket is fleecy and grey and is soft to the touch. It is trimmed with a light grey spotty patterned cotton edging. It is nicely presented with a ribbon around it - an extra gift when you purchase the bundle.

Hand Muff - Once again, I love the fact that this is included in the bundle - it is well made and looks stunning during those winter months and of course it is super practical. It neatly attaches to the handle of the Nimbus using poppers. Having used it during the Winter months I can safely say that it really does keep your hands warm. It is a great addition to the bundle and perhaps my favourite ‘non essential’!

There is no arguing that the Nimbus bundle is excellent value for money which looks absolutely stunning in carrycot mode and there are few carrycots on the market which offer as many features as the Nimbus does. If you are looking for a ‘go anywhere’ solution which mixes a more traditional look with contemporary features, then the Babystyle Nimbus Special Edition should certainly be added to your shortlist.