I'm a pramaholic and hubby has just suggested a new pram, oh dear.

[alfiemama]

As the title says really, I love prams, at this point I have a Joolz Day which I love but and one big but is that it is very heavy, hubby has very stupidlysensibly told me we should look at lightweight strollers as he feels it is hard work and the pram is left sitting in the boot of the car rather than getting any use.

I think a pushchair with a buggy board would be ideal for me as I have four year old (he can't walk very far due to a heart condition), and I have another son, who is autistic and needs a rest from walking every now and again. However, my son who would use the board most often is quite heavy, so now I am thinking am I'm better keeping the heavy pram? Anybody any eperience with lightweight strollers and boards? Preferably, ones that don't bash your shins.

I have also looked at the joovy caboose. Anyone got any experience with this?

[5GoMadOnAZ650]

I have a bugaboo bee which is lightweight, easy to push one handed and i also have the buggy board for dd3 (3) to hop on if she gets knackered.

[alfiemama]

thanks 5GoMadOnAZ650.
We did look at bugaboos initially but maybe wrong but think ds2 was too heavy, he is over 15kg. Also hubby would cringe at the cost as the Joolz was quite expensive.

[alfiemama]

Sorry think I am getting confused with something else. Thanks I will have a look.

[pramsgalore4]

i have a joovy caboose and have used buggy boards for some years, my little boy also has asd and is now 5 years old the buggy board is struggling to take his weight now and the wheels sometimes get stuck due to his weight, they are difficult to walk with but you do kind of get used to it, dont go for a buggy board with one wheel in the center they are really difficult to walk with the lascal buggy board is the one i have and you learn to walk with not lifting your feet very high so they go under the board as you walk if you get what i mean, i also have a joovy caboose which i imported from the us some years ago before mothercare sold them, so have alot of experinace with it, i have to say i would not be without it but it is a love hate thing, it can be heavy to push around corners but i think all tandems are, i am only 5 foot so the handle is alittle bit high for me, but over the years of using it on and off i have got used to it, i have fitted 3 kids on it one in the front, one sitting in the back and one standing at the time they would have been 4,5,and 1 was very heavy but fine on the straights, i think i find it heavy round corners because of my height, my 6 foot partner loves it, i have to say i would not be without it and is now the pushchair i use most of the time due to my 5 year old weight, for what you want it for i would recommend the joovy as your children are big and dont think a buggy board would be right due to the weight you would be putting on it and the strain to the buggy, at the moment there are joovy cabooses on ebay and they will post them, what ever you get it is going to be heavy, even though i am not in love with my joovy i would now recommend it and have just bought the new version of it so i think that speaks for its self, oh and when you only have 1 child with you they can sit at the back and talk to you it makes no differance to the balance of the pushchair my 2 year old loves this, hope this helps

[aswellasyou]

If you like the idea of a Bugaboo, why not get one second hand. I've just bought a Gecko with all the accessories for £130 so not much more than a decent lightweight stroller.

[pramsgalore4]

did'nt you find the bugaboo board difficult to walk with, i hated it you either had to walk at the side of it or with it in between your feet making you walk really akwardly, and the seat is not on the large side they soon get too tall for it, lovely to push though!!

[alfiemama]

Thanks pramsgalore. The joovy sounds ideal. On Mothercares website it states approx 3 years for the stand section, would you say they are just being careful and covering themselves?

We nearly bought the joovy [hmmm] (typical) but didnt want the baby (at time) to be in car seat all the time but now she is 6 months it is very appealing. I have also seen on Ebay the Mia Moda compagno and sit and stand, have you any experience with these?
Good point about lo sitting in back, never thought about that, would be lovely.

I agree the board doesn't seem like an option

[pramsgalore4]

my five year old is fine in the back he is just over 17 kilos he has plenty of head room, my 6 year old also sits in the back when she gets the chance, i have fitted 2 kids on the back which must of been between 25 and 30 kilos just on the back not including the one in the front and the pushchair is still going strong!!! i am going to use this for as long as i can until it is just too heavy to push ( so a few years left ), the other good thing is the other kids dont call my ds a baby for being in a pushchair because its not a pushchair seat as such!!!!! alot of poeple comment on what a clever pushchair it is. look on you tube baby gizmo dose a really good reveiw on them.

[mousymouse]

I think the 3y means 15kg in weight. although my obaby pushchair says 15kg on the pushchair itself, it says 20 kg in the leaflet.
I guess it has to do with the US liability system.

[alfiemama]

Thanks Pramsgalore and mousymouse.
Hubby thinks they are a lot of money to pay out when we may not use that often, due to it being heavy and a lot of the time its just me and my daughter. I disagree and think it would be worth it for when I have the boys with me.
Is it very heavy to push with just one child in? I wouldn't put a car seat on it as dd is 7 months old.

[5inthebed]

I had the Mia Moda one, and it is a beast next to the Joovy. The Joovy is more compact and not a long. Thinking of getting a Joovy myself.

[alfiemama]

Thanks 5inthebed, how old are your little ones?
The Joovy looked quite compact when I looked at them, they did look quite weird with a car seat attached though. They also look good for shopping bags when your other kiddies are not with you.

[5inthebed]

Well when I had it, DS2 was 3.5 (and also ASD) and I used it for DS3 with the car seat for school run only. Was a tank though, but easy enough to push.

[MonkeysPunk]

Mountain buggy swift is light and compact, and the mountain buggy freerider scooter would make an excellent choice.
The swift takes a whopping 35kg and is more compact for using in town or storing than the urban jungle. The swift is about 9.5kg in weight. So light but strong and durable. The wheels are great in town or off road. The freerider is an excellent option for a kid who doesn't want to feel babyish on a buggyboard. It's a cool scooter that can be used independently or attached to the buggy for a pull along.
The freerider is for up to 15kg, but honestly can take more, its really strong. I'm wondering if the weight limit has to do with testing limits for ride on boards or something?!

[MonkeysPunk]

I had a bee+ but sold it. It wasn't as versatile as the swift for off road use, and I felt it a bit delicate on the bus as folded in the luggage rack I didn't like walking frames and shopping trolleys dumped on it!
The swift feels sturdier.

[pramsgalore4]

the joovy is very light to push with just one in it, makes no differance if they are in the front or the back, i have not tryed any other sit and stand pushchairs, look on ebay you may be lucky enough to get one cheap!!! you will use it for years, i also hang my shopping from the handle bars and load the basket its very sturdy, to get it up the kerbs you just have to put your foot on the platform on the back to help you tip it really easy to do even with heavy child on the back, there is one on ebay at the moment got 9 days left starting at £29 with £12 postage worth a bid, depends where you live but theres others as well.

[Guildfordnanny]

Pushchairs in the UK only need to be tested to 15kg. There are only a handful of manufacturers who bother to pay for testing beyond this. So therefore you often find weight limits in the US are higher for the same pushchair.

[alfiemama]

Thanks 5inabed. I thought your little one had asd, I remember you from the sn board (Hi)

MonkeysPunk (just realised why you have a capital P in your name) . I will check out those prams. The scooter sounds fab.

Thanks Pramsgalore, yes I've spotted that one and a Mia moda one as well. Bet they go quite high though.

Ah guildfordnanny thank you. I often wondered why most prams say 15kg now I know, thanks.

[nicolamumof3]

something with air tyres will be a much much easier push with a board. I loved using my board on my nipper 360 much more than my maclaren.

[5inthebed]

[nicolamumof3]

hi 5in!

[RachelHRD]

I have a Joovy Caboose for my DS (3.7) and DD (1.4) and I love it!! It's lightweight, has loads of room for shopping etc and DS can either sit on the back seat facing me or stand facing front and I can strap him in if he's being a pain! Also a bonus that it's standard buggy width so easy to get around shops and it's fine if I just have DD with me.

Would definitely recommend it and get loads of people asking about it!

[alfiemama]

Thanks noclamumof3, yes I agree air tyres are fab, my Joolzday has then and love this aspect.

Thanks Rachel. I'm still working on hubby lol.