Hamster pannier buggy bags

I’m one of those people who always goes to the shop for a lettuce, and comes back with three bags of groceries. Then I spend the entire walk home trying to maneouvre the pushchair, and stop it flying backwards from the weight of the shopping bags I’ve hung off the handles (yes, yes, I know I’m not supposed to do that...)
Then I arrive back at our flat and kick myself when I remember I’ve still got two flights of stairs to navigate, a growing baby bump, and a tired toddler to carry!!
So when I read about the Hamster pannier bags, I got quite excited. They’re the invention of Mum & Dad team Philip and Lara, who experienced the same problems with their daughter’s buggy, and set out to do something about it. They made their first prototype out of cloth, string and staples, then found a designer to help them develop the product further.
The Hamster was born! The genius about these bags is that they clip on to the side of your buggy frame, so when you fill them up the weight is distributed evenly on each side and actually helps stabilise the buggy downwards, rather than pulling on the back, and causing it to become unbalanced.
When you get home the bags simply unclip, and you carry them inside.
I couldn’t wait to try them out, and I was really impressed. As promised, they eliminated the  need to hang bags off the back handles. They were roomy enough to hold quite a few items - as well as spare nappies, wipes and a few favourite toys. They didn’t get in the way when I folded the buggy down. Of course the weight of the buggy increased, depending on how much I filled the Hamster bags, and the maneouvrability was slightly affected, but much less so than if I’d had bags swinging off the handles.
The Philippe Lara Hamster pannier bags come in blue/grey and green/grey, and cost £29.00 for two (free postage). Order online at: www.philippelara.co.uk