Travel System or Pushchair?

[NellyE]

Hiya,

I'm hoping someone can help me as I'm REALLY confused as to what to do about buying a buggy. (I'm a clueless first-timer, btw).

I was all set to buy a travel system, but have seen several posters say don't bother spending hundreds of pounds on a pram/car seat as you'll take them out of it within a few months and put them in a pushchair instead. I really don't want to end up spending a lot of money on something that we won't use for long. But lots of pushchairs can't be used for newborns, so what do you do for the first few months?

What do people think and what have you done? If I do get a travel system, do I need one with a carry cot if we've got a Moses basket? And which ones are good?

Thanks for any help you can offer...

-------------------

Hello,

We've noticed this thread is quite old and some of the product recommendations are a little out of date. We've spent weeks speaking to parents and testing prams and pushchairs, from lightweight easy folding prams to all terrain buggies, we've seen them all. Here's our round up of the best baby pushchairs on the market right now.

Hope that helps!

MNHQ

[Hevster]

There are really good buggies that you can use for a new born like the Maclaren techno XT, expensive but the best bit of kit we have purchased.
I think it all depends on your personal circumstances and what you do when - most people need a baby car seat but they don't have to be expensive and it's sposed to be considered better for the baby if they don't spend excessive time in them, based on that theory we didn't ever attach the car seat to our travel system (Phil & Teds). However we didn't buy Phil & Ted for travel system reasons we got it as it went accross the horse's field and the beach as well as becomming a double buggy (handy as no 2 is on the way.)
Mothercare have loads out on display to try if that helps.

[lovechoc]

tbh I was put off buying a travel system because I didn't fancy falling into the trap of just leaving a newborn in a carseat when transporting back and forth to the house from the car. We just bought a Silvercross pram and were given a second-hand 0-4yrs car seat from a good friend, so had to carry baby to and from car each time...

I've heard that excess use of infant carriers are not good for spinal development so that put me right off using them with DS1.

[Stinkermink]

I had a travel system and used it loads. Depends on what you want to do with it really. I bought a Maxi Taxi (quinny) 5 years ago and am still using it for DD (baby no 2) who is 2 years old.
It has carry cot - so used that and didn't buy moses basket.
Car seat - self explanatory
and the ability to be a forward facing pushchair.

It is a 3 wheeler so easy to steer one handed and comfortable to push. I do have a maclaren buggy, and if I walk any distance with it I feel like I have tennis elbow, the vibrations are too much. But if all the walking you do is around town and the shops then it's ideal because it's narrow. Our 3 wheeler has been up mountains in Wales and also folded down for aircraft travel on holiday.
If you have a big enough car boot, when your baby is small you can take the carry cot and the frame and put them into the carry cot for jaunts around town. The advantage of the carry cot is that if you go for a hike to the shops and they are asleep when you get home (walking) you can leave them comfortably asleep and less sweaty than in a car seat. I am a 5 hour flight from the UK so trips home always meant a fair bit of time in the car seat and I believe that Jane do a lie flat car seat. But 5 years ago Which did an unfavourable report on it's safety so I didn't go for that option, but it may be better now.
Spend as much as you can afford, and don't go for economy if you do a lot of walking is my advice.

[mum2oneloudbaby]

i was put off a travel system for the same reasons as lovechoc.

we got a bebecar with carrycot and pram not everybodies cup of tea because they are quite large but the pram bit is suitable from birth so you don't have to have the carrycot. we got it as a deal and it was great for dd to sleep in until she was 6 months.

The pram bit can face back towards you or forwards to the world plus i liked the fact that the seat unit is quite high so baby now toddler is not staring at people's kneecaps.

Agree with stinkermink suspension a must and think about how you will use it.

She's still in it now at 2.5 (when we use a pram) so it was a good buy for us.

p.s. carrycot also great for sleeping little one in a caravan.

[mummytosquidgies]

Definitely agree it depends on what your circumstances are.

For DS1 we had the Jané slalom pro with the carrycot like this which was fantastic for us, as we didn't have a car at the time and walked a lot, wanted the baby to lie flat, and live in the countryside, so needed the suspension the 3 wheeler has.

We're using that one again this time, but have also been given a travel system by my cousin, as we have a car now. But as I hate seeing babies squidged up in car seats when in town etc, and don't want to fall into the trap of leaving the baby in the carseat as it clicks on to the bottom, we will probably end up not using the pushchair bit very much, only for short trips. For longer walks we'll definitely use the Jané one.

I always found DS looked so comfy in the carrycot when we were walking, and then we could take it off the wheels when we got home to take in to the house, so that was a big plus for us. I think I would still have got it if we have a moses basket, but we never did.

Hope you manage to come to a decision, it's a minefield all these prams and pushchairs I think!

[sparkleshine]

We have the silver cross sleepover travel system. We use the carseat on the chasis for when nipping to the shops. The actual sleepover pram bit u can use as a carrycot/moses basket for use downstairs which we did.
It coverts to a pushcahir, either forward facing or facing towards u.
It is expensive and its a little bulky and fills up the boot of your car.

Weve now had to buy a cheaper buggy for holidays

To be honest it depends what u need yourself.
Do u drive a lot or walk a lot?
Think of the size of wheels and what sort of land u need it for, eg everyday or long hill walks
Look at the chasis and how easy it folds down/put up and how compact it folds.
What extras do u/can u get? Such as matching change bag/footmuff/parasol etc

It should say if its suitable from birth coz they lie flat then sit up at different intervals depending on the age of child

[supergreenuk]

I can only tell you what our choice was and you can decide based on your need. I went for a travel system. She used the pram for a couple of weeks and then we only put her in the car seat on the frame. She is now 5 months and we have now bought a 3 wheel buggy as it is much easier for taking the dog for a walk. We now only use the car seat for the car. We have never used the buggy part of the travel system. When DD is no longer in the car seat we will sell the system. Do I regret buying the system??? No because it suited us at the time.

[Clary]

If I did it again from scratch I would be very tempted to use a sling (there are loads of fab ones now) for the first 5-6 mo and then get an umbrella-fold Maclaren.

Sling costs oooh £50 max. Maclaren £100?

Cheap and lovely solution. We had a pram which cost £250 and still looked immaculate after 3 DC! Also they are huge and get in the way in the hall/car boot.

I do see tho, that my idea doesn't allow Gran to go out pushign the pram. Maybe buy a 2nd hand pram for that purpose?

[Stickhasgrownup]

I'd say a travel system.
With dd it was handy when picking ds up from nursery as I didn't need to disturb her between the car and the nursery.
Also they are handy if you are going to someones house who doesn't have baby bits (you may not want to put your baby down for whatever reason) and you can just carry a carseat around the house with you and have hands free for lunch!
I also had a carry cot in my travel system with I used on walks etc.
My 2 did not get flat heads or any problems from using a car seat in a travel system, but I guess it depends to what extreme its used.
I'm now having dc3 and will use a car seat in travel system when suits. Will also have a sling. But sometimes (when shopping) its usefull to have a buggy to carry the load!

[lovechoc]

I agree loopy the two don't have to match. Our car seat (0-4yrs) is not related to the silvercross sleepover pram in any way, so we carried baby into the house from the car.

It would be too easy to fall into the trap of leaving a baby in an infant carrier just because you don't want to disturb their sleep.

DS hasn't come to any harm and he got moved from carseat to house without waking up, he didn't know any better and it's certainly not done him any harm.

[illuminasam]

We bought the jane Capazo carrycot which goes in the car. We use it as a travel cot as well and a bed for some naps in the house. I like it as the baby can go from house to car to shops without waking up. Also we do a lot of long car journeys and do not have to worry about spine development issues as the baby is flat.

We also bought a Jane Solo Reeverse pushchair which the carrycot fits on to. Haven't used the pushchair bit yet.

Once he grows out of the carrycot, we'll get a normal car seat.

[illuminasam]

oh, also have a sling and used it a lot when he was small.

[illuminasam]

oh, also have a sling and used it a lot when he was small.

[MrsC2010]

We have a second hand travel system from Mamas & Papas that my parents randomly bought, it is quite big for our tastes but has a good carry cot that will be useful etc. We'll use this for as long as we can put up with it, and then get something smaller like a Maclaren.

This system doesn't accept a car seat, but we weighed this up and decided that in our circumstances we wouldn't really use this facility anyway. As such, it wouldn't be worth shelling out for a whole new travel system just for the once or twice we might use the car seat on it. Our reasoning being that the babies aren't meant to be in the car seat for long anyway, and most people tend to say they use them mainly in supermarkets etc. We don't go to the supermarket (online shopping) and if we did I would put the car seat in the trolley.

I also have bought a couple of wrap type slings for use as well.

[SmilerJane]

Hiya NellyE

Its your choice completely and what ur circumstances are.. we dont have a car yet have just bout one 2nd hand (but new) from a friend and i am very happy with it..

This is my 3rd DC and my 3yo DD still has the travel system i got when she was born! has lasted 3yrs n have never needed another puchchair.. its cream in brilliant condition and was thinking of selling it but i love it so much i cant bring myself to do it yet lol... Baby Jorgias new one is hers so no jealousy can come between my 2 princesses I think travel systems are brilliant..

Neither of my DC have EVER had any heath issues at all with being the car seat.. i have an attachment to ours car seat bit which lifts up the babys bottom so they are more flat when newborn and still secure.

I have never used a carry cot just moses basket at home n if i am out then i have car seat to put baby in if i need my hands free and if u stay at a friends a long time you can lye them flat in the pushchair bit if needed..

Also if u get buses they are great because sometimes you cant fit another pchair on the bus yet can collapse pchair n baby still safe in a seat which can be placed on the chair next to you... i will also be gettin a sling as i love the idea of carrying my baby and will be easier to BF when the time comes Taxis are easier too.. the amount of time i was refused a taxi as Kezia wasnt in a car seat (the times i took her out in the pchair bit alone n got too much shopping lol)

It all depends on what u do and how much you have to spend..
good luck on ur decision

[MumNWLondon]

depends on YOUR circumstances - do you go in the car a lot, how big is your car, how big is your house, do you plan to do a lot of walking if so around town or on uneven ground?

we bought a jane carrera and matrix - perfect compromise for me as its a pushchair/pram and travel system all in one.

[withorwithoutyou]

We bought a cheapish travel system and a cheap maclaren and used them both loads.

We got the mamas and papas pramette thing with the car seat included for £300.

Got a Maclaren Quest on sale in boots for £65 and used it loads.

I did like having a pram for the newborn stage, and occasionally clipped the car seat on which was useful.

I use the maclaren loads day to day but still prefer the pramette as a pushchair to take my toddler on days out round farms and things when I want something a bit more sturdy and comfortable.