Leclerc Baby Influencer pushchair review

Tested by

Laura, a mum of three from Nottinghamshire, tested the pushchair with her 4-month-old daughter, Isobel, on long walks around a local country park, trips to the shops and short walks around our village. The pushchair was also put through its paces off-road, when going to watch Laura’s eldest daughter play football.

First impressions?

The Leclerc Baby Influencer comes in two separate boxes – one with the carrycot and the second with a travel bag containing the buggy and additional accessories. I really like the fact that the buggy comes in a travel bag, a nice touch that made me feel as though the product had something extra special about it. On first impressions, it has everything you’d expect a travel system to come with and the pieces of the pushchair appear to be made to a high quality.

Is it easy to assemble the Leclerc Baby Influencer pushchair?

Very. The instructions for putting together the stroller – attaching the wheels and security bar – were brilliant. So simple and straightforward to use!

Turning the buggy into a pushchair is also straightforward, but not the first time you do it. There were no instructions on how to attach the carrycot and turn the buggy into a pushchair, but with a bit of searching I discovered how to do it and after that it was quite easy.

How does the Leclerc Baby Influencer compare to other strollers?

I have three children and have used a number of different travel systems since my eldest, who is now nearly 7, was born. With all of those, the different attachments – stroller seat, carrycot, etc – have all been removable. However, that's not the case with the Leclerc Baby Influencer.

It really is first and foremost a lightweight stroller – which it performs really well as – but to turn it into a pushchair you need to lay the back of the buggy seat down, clip in some adapters to the frame and attach the carrycot, with the seat still attached. The process is really simple but the slightly odd – and unexpected design – made putting it pushchair together seem much more complicated than it actually was.

What do you think of the carrycot?

The bassinet needs to be bought separately, costing £269, or you can buy it as part of a bundle with the stroller for £619. It’s big and bulky but I actually really like it. My daughter is not a pushchair fan, in fact, she hates them. I tend to keep her in her car seat (which attaches to my pushchair frame) where possible because she usually just cries when in the carrycot attachment.

However, the carrycot is described by Leclerc as being "softly padded, spacious and very comfortable", and it's exactly that! My daughter didn't grumble once in this, and she even fell asleep in the carrycot on several occasions. She has never fallen asleep in my existing pushchair.

The carrycot can be adjusted to bring baby closer to you, by raising their head slightly. My daughter hates being laid down so this was a huge bonus for us, and she was clearly very content.

MFM parent tester, Hannah, also rated this feature, adding: “The built-in headrest/sit-up option is fantastic for my reflux baby after a feed. I also like how comfy the bassinet is and that it can be used as a standalone crib when travelling.”

My only criticism of the carrycot would be the detachable cover that comes with it – it doesn’t seem to quite fit, and we found it very tricky to do up properly. The front flap is also so big that I couldn't actually see my daughter while she was in the carrycot – I had to fold this down so that we could see each other.

How easy is it to remove and attach the carrycot to the Leclerc Baby Influencer pushchair?

It’s fairly easy. You have to attach adapters to the buggy – one on each side of the frame – before putting the carrycot on top and clicking into place. I found that the carrycot and the adapters aren’t perfectly aligned and you have to click one side into place, then pull the other adapter inwards slightly in order to click the other side on too.

To remove the carrycot, you just press down the button on each adapter – you don’t have to hold them in place, they stay down once pushed – and then lift the carrycot up. I found that the easiest way to do this was to put my arms underneath and push the carrycot up, it seems to work better than pulling it.

Is it easy to fold the Leclerc Baby Influencer?

It’s a really easy, one-handed fold when in stroller mode. The Leclerc Baby Influencer boasts of having a ‘OneTouch auto-fold mechanism’, which is designed to make folding the buggy less of a chore. Before you can fold the buggy down, you have to remove the carrycot and adapters and put the buggy seat back into an upright position. Then, just press the button on the handle and the buggy folds itself down. To put the buggy up, you just pull the handle and up it pops. MFM parent tester Jenny said, “It felt like a magic trick when flipping to unfold – I love it!”

How compact is the Baby Influencer when folded?

The buggy folds down into a really nice, compact L:24xW47xH:56cm, similar to other lightweight, compact-fold strollers like the Microlite ProFold, L:24xW:44xH:51.5cm, and the Didofy Aster, L:25xW:47xH:55cm. Annoyingly though, when folded it doesn’t ‘click’ into place and I found it often opened back up when being moved, especially when I was moving it in a rush.

Is it easy to store and carry?

The Leclerc Baby Influencer is very easy to store – it fits nicely into the boot of my car (a Vauxhall Insignia) and the stroller alone can fit into a car footwell. At just 6.6kg, it’s light – much lighter than any other buggies I’ve used in the past.

The security bar is designed to be used as a handle for the stroller when folded down. However, you can't use the carrycot with the security bar (the adaptors for the carrycot and the bar clip into the same place). The stroller also comes with a travel bag which makes it a great choice for taking on holiday with you.

What is the Leclerc Baby Influencer like to push and steer?

It’s an absolute dream to push and steer! It’s so lightweight, it doesn’t take much effort at all. However, as is the case with most lightweight strollers, it performs much better on smooth ground. I found it to be brilliant in shops and on pavements for example, but less so on rougher ground or pushing it across grass – something MFM parent tester, Hannah, agreed with: “It’s good through small spaces, on flat services and has a good turning circle, but hard to push on gravel or rough ground, and mud builds up in the wheels quickly.”

I found the stroller really easy to manoeuvre up and down kerbs, as it’s so light. It’s perfect for city living.

What’s the chassis like?

I love the design of the frame and the shiny rose gold finish. I have used the pushchair quite a lot – often taking it in and out of the car in a rush – but I haven’t noticed any scratches anywhere, so would say it seems to be quite durable.

Can the Leclerc Influencer be converted to a double pushchair?

It can, you can connect two Leclerc Influencer pushchairs together to create a double buggy using the Leclercbaby Duo/Twin Connectors. You receive 3 connectors which easily attach and detach onto the pushchair. Parent tester Wai Ping, who tested the Leclerc Influencer with the duo connectors with her 20-month-old twins said "it's very easy to set up."

How easy is it to use as a double pushchair?

Even when used as a double, the Leclerc Influencer remains relatively lightweight (especially for a double) and is easy to push and steer, particularly on smoother ground. Parent tester Wai Ping was particularly impressed with how light the pushchairs are, especially as you can easily detach the connectors and carry them separately, saying "the pushchairs being light meant we could easily lift them up a flight of stairs when needed." However, she did note that the gap in the middle of the strollers can cause a few issues: "it was difficult to get through most doors and it was slightly less manoeuvrable compared to a standalone twin buggy."

How do you rate the handle on the Baby Influencer?

It’s thin, has a sleek finish and is comfortable to hold, although there are a couple of downsides.

First, it can’t be adjusted to suit different heights. I’m 5ft 5in and would prefer my pushchair handle to be slightly higher than the Leclerc Baby Influencer can go. MFM parent tester, Hannah, said, “I think anyone over 5ft 6in will find it low. It was low for me, so I had to walk close to the buggy and stepped on the brake several times.”

The second downside goes back to the design of the pushchair. When the carrycot is attached to the stroller, the sun canopy/hood of the stroller is almost resting on the handle and gets in the way.

What do you think of the seat unit?

I think the seat unit design is very stylish, however, I would perhaps like to see more support around the sides of the seat. My daughter can’t use it until she reaches 6 months old in a couple of months, but I am looking forward to trying it out with her. It’s worth noting some of our MFM Awards parent testers commented that the seat felt a little hard, with not much padding, and that the straps were tricky to click together – especially with a wriggly toddler!

What’s the hood like?

The hood of the carrycot does not stay up well at all. I found it falling down every 30 seconds or so which was quite frustrating. However, the extendable hood of the stroller is much more effective and features a sun canopy with 50+ SPF as well as a large, ventilated section

What are the wheels like on the Leclerc Baby Influencer?

The wheels are small ­– smaller than I expected them to be. That said, they look good and add to the overall sleekness of the buggy. They’re also easy to clean. They were absolutely covered in mud after taking the pushchair with us to one of my oldest daughter’s football matches but wiped down really well.

How good are the brakes?

The brakes are easy to use and click on and off very easily. However, the pedal is quite lightweight. I was worried that I could break it if I was slightly heavy-footed.

What’s the storage basket like on the Leclerc Baby Influencer?

As a busy mum of three, I found the basket to be much smaller than I would have liked. There isn’t much space between the basket and the bottom of the buggy seat, and it can only take a maximum of 3kg, but I guess this is to be expected from a lightweight and compact stroller.

I tend to have lots to put in the basket, especially on the school run, but I couldn't fit my changing bag in it. I can do this easily with my current pushchair, along with a lunchbox, water bottle and book bag. We were able to put a portable potty and a child’s backpack into it on one outing, but it was a struggle getting them in and out. For this reason I think the stroller is more suited for occasional use, rather than everyday life.

What’s in the box?

The stroller and accessories came in one box, while the carrycot came in a separate box.

Box 1:

• Buggy
• Bumper bar
• Raincover
• Cupholder
• Travelbag

Box 2:

• Carrycot
• Carrycot adapters

Are there any additional accessories that you can buy?

• Various footmuffs (Deluxe, Polar, Spring or Quick)
• Changing bag
• Organiser pouch
• Mosquito net
• Twin connector
• Car seat adapters
• Wheeled board
• Wind shield

Can the Leclerc Baby Influencer be used with a car sear to create a travel system?

Yes. You can buy car seat adapters for £44.95. A list of compatible car seats is available on the Leclerc website.

What would I have wanted to know before purchasing the Baby Influencer?

I would have wanted to know that the buggy seat isn’t removable, as I really dislike the look of the pushchair with the carrycot attached. It’s quite a strange design and friends of mine commented on it and initially mistook the Baby Influencer for a double pushchair. Personally, I think in carrycot mode it just looks bulky and ugly. MFM parent tester, Hannah, also felt this is where the Leclerc really let itself down, commenting: “As a stroller it would get 10/10, but with the bassinet it loses many of its benefits.”

Who would this pushchair be most useful for?

Parents who live and socialise in more urban areas and perhaps first-time parents, due to the small basket space. It’s also great as a second buggy if you travel a lot – and can afford the additional expense.

Is the Leclerc Baby Influencer worth the money?

The newborn bundle is priced at £649, which in my experience, is a fair price for a mid-range package, although I would expect a car seat and car seat adapters to be included too (which aren't). Pricewise, the stroller's RRP of £399 puts it at the premium end of the market (compared to the Chicco Goody Plus at £199 or the Joie Signature Tourist at £200).

There are elements of this pushchair that I really do love – the design of the buggy, the lightweight feel – but there is too much about the Leclerc Baby Influencer pushchair that doesn’t work for me to justify the cost. I spent less than £300 on my current travel system – a Panorama XT by Babylo – and I feel as though it is much better all-round product, especially for my needs.

How does it compare to similar pushchairs?

Where can I buy the Leclerc Baby Influencer?

Available Winstanley’s Pramworld and Baby Planet

MadeForMums Verdict:

The buggy, on its own, looks sleek and stylish but the design of the pushchair (when the carrycot is attached) really lets the product down. I wish the seat could be removed to improve the overall appearance when in carrycot mode. As a travel system or a day-to-day pushchair, I think there are better options out there, but as a lightweight, compact stroller, it would be really handy for nipping about the city or travelling. I am definitely looking forward to using the buggy (without the carrycot) with my daughter as soon as she is old enough.