With two years between our children, one of the biggest concerns is transporting them around. At barely two, we didn’t feel confident that the toddler would be able to walk every time we were out. And as much as we love baby wearing, it isn’t always practical when you’re out for an extended period of time. At the time we invested in a double buggy (second hand, it’s the way forward!) but as the toddler’s grown up, I’ve found myself increasingly pushing a half empty, bulky pushchair… typical! I’ve been keen to return to a single buggy but unsure how to contain the toddler or move him when he’s tired so we tried out a Lascal Maxi Plus Buggy Board. Fancy seeing what we thought when we took it for a day out at the beach?
What’s A Buggy Board?
A buggy board is a small board with wheels that attaches to the rear of your pushchair. It’s removable and usually can be flipped up out of the way when it’s not in use. A buggy board allows another child to travel between the back of the pushchair and the parents arms, often in a standing position. Designed to fit on to single or double buggies, there are a number of different buggyboards out there. Each to suit different pushchairs; either brand specific ones or more universal ones. Lascal are one of the market leaders for universal buggy boards and manufacture three main types of board; the Mini, the Maxi and the Maxi Plus.
Not sure which buggy board you need? Click here to help you decide with our in-depth comparison.
What’s The Difference Between The Lascal Mini, Maxi and Maxi Plus Buggy Boards?
Whilst the concept is the same, the main difference between the Lascal Mini and Maxi buggy boards is the size. The Mini is designed for smaller lightweight pushchairs such as umbrella strollers and offers a slightly smaller footprint. The Maxi is designed for larger sturdier pushchairs and is slightly larger with bigger wheels to help deal with bumpy surfaces. The Maxi Plus board is the next step on from this, a buggy board with a seat or saddle, the Maxi Plus allows your little one to sit down during transport if they want to. Easily removable, the saddle flips down out of the way when not in use. Pretty ingenious, right? It’s anti-slip, fitted with side protection and reflectors and is easier to walk behind because it’s a little higher from the ground as well.
How Do I Attach The Connectors?
Our Maxi buggy board came with two connectors to attach it to our pushchair. Stick the small bit of anti-slip tape on to the rear uprights of your buggy and loop round the ratchet like straps. Tighten into place leaving you with two small holders sticking out. These are universal between the different types of Lascal models, so if like us, you own multiple pushchairs and different boards, you can always swap between them with ease. Lascal do recommend that you trim the straps of the buggy board once in place. As we want the option to move ours between pushchairs over time we opted to leave ours at their full length. So far, it’s not caused any issues so don’t feel like you have to trim them! If you prefer to keep your connectors on the buggy but want to switch the board between pushchairs you can find additional connectors online.
How Do I Fit The Buggy Board?
Next up is fitting the board itself which is ridiculously easy. Pop the wheels in to the base of the board and loosen the connectors either side of the board itself. You get the option to adjust these in terms of width apart and then angle. We adjusted width first to align them with the connectors on the buggy and clipped them in to place. Hold the buggyboard so that it’s parallel to the ground (you don’t want your little one tilted forward or backward!) and tighten up the angle adjusters on each side. There you have it, your buggy board is ready to use!
To lift the board out of the way there’s a strap that you clip on or off. We’ve tied ours around the base of the basket as we find that’s a great place for it to stay. Simply clip the board to it when you want it held out of the way.
To add the seat to your board, remove the small cover in the middle of the board, unflip the seat and pop it into place. It’s got a reassuring click and pop out button once in tightly so there’s no worrying about whether they’ll wobble off or not. To put the seat up and down, pull on the red knob at the back of the metal strut and it releases the seat allowing you to fold it up or down. It really is incredibly easy to use and fast to set up, even if I’ve not made it sound that way!
Is It Worth Getting A Buggy Board With A Seat?
As much as we liked our Mini buggy board from Lascal, the Maxi Plus with it’s seat has been a huge success. Our toddler struggled to get comfortable with standing on the board and would often get uneasy when in motion if we went over bumps. Eventually it resulted in him sitting in the basket of the pushchair and using the board as a footrest!! We were all a little concerned that he wouldn’t enjoy sitting on the buggy board given our previous issues with the smaller version but he quickly hopped into place and seems to find it a comfortable way of travelling. It’s better for giving him a place to rest when his legs are tired and feels more secure than him just balanced there. So for our family, a buggy board with a seat is definitely a worthwhile investment!
What Did We Think Of The Maxi Plus Board?
As you may have guessed from my comments above, we love our Maxi Plus buggyboard. It was easy to fit, simple to use and a huge hit with the main man of the household. It’s nice to be able to ditch the double buggy when we go out and know that we’ve still got an option for that inevitable moment when the toddler gets tired.
Previously we owned a Lascal Mini buggyboard and the Maxi is a far better fit for our lifestyle and pushchair. We paired ours with the iCandy Peach 3 and it works wonderfully. The slightly higher ride height of the Maxi Plus means that there’s more clearance underneath the board and we don’t end up accidentally kicking it mid stride – something which happened frequently with the Mini.
Anything Else?
The seat works well and feels sturdy and comfortable. Two small handles at the front and the back of the saddle mean that the toddler is supported whilst on there and unlikely to fall backward or forward. It also means it’s harder for him to dive off the board and into traffic or get separated from us in crowded places. The fact that it can be removed makes it an easy option for when they get a little bigger or on days where you don’t want to carry it around. We also remove ours when the board is flipped up out of the way, so that it tucks in to the buggy more closely.
The buggy board handles pavements and short grass well but isn’t really designed for very uneven surfaces. It’s noisy if we use it on bumpy lanes but thats not really where it’s intended for. Out and about in towns or built up areas, it works well and seems to offer a smooth ride. Certainly we’ve had no complaints!
Would We Recommend It?
The Lascal Maxi Buggy Board retails for £119, this includes everything; the board, connectors, adaptors to help it fit pushchairs which require longer side arm reach and the optional saddle. Is it worth the money? At just over £100 it’s not a cheap option but it’s certainly cheaper than purchasing a double or having to buy an additional seat if your pushchair adapts. For the flexibility of being able to use with any pushchair I’d say it’s worth the investment, especially when your oldest child is in that tricky in between stage for getting around.
As for the saddle/seat option, that’s a big hit. It’s an exciting addition which makes him comfortable and safe and removes the battle to get him in place; in fact, we often end up carrying other people’s kids on it because they ‘want a ride’! It’s a simple solution done really well and feels like it’ll last a long time, we are converts to the Lascal Maxi Plus Buggy Board!
To purchase a Lascal Maxi Plus Buggy Board from Amazon, click here.
Not sure which buggy board you need? Click here to help you decide with our in-depth comparison.
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