I am crap

Our pram (or travel system), is a very nifty piece of technology. The chassis is a basic pushchair. It has optional car seat and carry cot attachments. So it should, in theory, manage all the Boy's needs until he is 3.

Except - and this is a big problem - I can't fold the bloody thing.

There are two levers, almost level with the handle on each side of the pram, that you're meant to pull back and it neatly folds down.

The saleswoman demonstrated it to us before we bought it and it looked dead easy. I even had a go in the showroom and it worked fine then - it's very simple. And it is to everyone else, still. My husband can do it. My parents can work it fine. Even a friend with no experience of babies pulled the switches back with no effort at all, giving me a strange look for struggling with it.

It's really embarrassing. I stand outside our flat, pulling back with all the strength I have in my hands, getting all red in the face and cursing whoever designed it. It's like pushing at a door when you're on the "pull" side - there's no give. This goes on until I lose patience. Then I have to summon my husband or whoever else is around for help.Which is a bit inconvenient, given that we live a couple of storeys up and the chassis stays in the car boot.

I'm too scared to drive anywhere and take the Boy out in the buggy by myself, in case I can't put the fucking pram back in the boot at the end of the trip. I always pack the carrier - given the Boy is getting heavier by the second, I don't know how long I'll manage to carry him in it for.

It's definitely, definitely me. It's something to do with the angle that I'm pulling the levers back. But I can't work out what, exactly it, is. With my husband's somewhat exasperated help, I can pull one side back or the other (not, irritatingly, the same side every time). I've tried jiggling about with it, I've tried lots of different grips. I've tried it with the brake on and off. Stubbornly, it remains upright while I sweat and swear and my hands ache and I get annoyed at myself for being pathetic.
 
I will figure it out. One day. Maybe by the time the Boy is walking.