What pushchair fits in a Fiat 500??

[Sezrah]

Hi,
This is my first post, so bare with me!

Our baby is due in May and am thinking pushchairs/buggies at the moment. I have a fiat 500 and I have no idea what type/make of buggy will fit in the boot. Space is limited and I fear not being able to get a buggy and shopping in the car.

Before I decide to sell my beloved car for a bigger model, is anyone out there managing with a buggy, baby and shopping in a Fiat 500?
Any info is most appreciated
Sx

oh, I have no idea, but think that you are unlikely to find a decent pram that you can fit into a Fiat 500. They are really tiny.

You can get very lightweight pushchairs that you could put a baby car seat onto, but they are not really suitable for having the baby in for longer periods of time.

My friend has a fiat 500 with a Quinny Zapp - I think there is a newer model that comes with a reclining seat

Fiat 500s have relatively big boots - I managed to get a friend's cameleon in mine (the wheels came off) but there was no room for shopping except for the back seat / passenger seat. I'm sure I could have got my Bee in the boot. Take your car to Mothercare and ask to have a play....

Have a look at this thread, but don't be put off. You will be able to find something to fit!

What will you need your pushchair to do? That should help narrow it down to the best ones for you.

I loved my Fiat 500 but even without kids I struggled. The chair folding to get into the back was ridiculous so I think you may have more difficulty with the babyseat....
Miss that car tho... to the nice lady in liverpool that bought it off me - hope you are looking after her properly

I could fit a maclaren techno xt in the boot of my Smart car.

I had/have a mini (new shape) and was in same situation as you a few yrs back. I love my car and didnt want to change it!

I've not seen a F500 boot but the mini one is tiny. I think you will have options...

I got a bugaboo bee (old shape) that fits well in boot but there is no space for shopping so that goes on back seat next to my daughter or on passenger seat. Downside is that you cant fit a carry cot type pram in.

I found it ok but can be hard when you have shopping and its raining as everything has to be unpacked before baby!

Ive managed now until she is now nearly 3 like this and now she can get in and out herself its easier... but thiking about DC2 - might need a bigger car!

Good luck!

On maclarens, they are generally long. I know they dont fit in minis (new, classic shape)

I have a Fiat 500 that everyone said I'd need to get rid of when I had DD, and 16 months on we're still making it work. It can be done!

We have a Quinny Buzz - we put the frame in the boot (and you can fit shopping in around it) and the seat on the passenger seat or on the floor in the back. If you have the maxicosi car seat that clicks onto the frame then it reduces the amount of time you have to take the pushchair seat anyway. The wheels come off the base really easily so it's fine to fit into the boot (and sounds like more of a faff than it is). And this summer we bought a cheap McClaren buggy for day trips which fits fine.

The only times I really wish I had a bigger car is when I'm getting the car seat in and out, as it requires a bit of brute force to get it past the front seats. It's considerably easier for me to just take DD out, which is a pain if she's asleep. DH can get it through without waking her though.

According to the car safety centre you can even fit a rear-facing Group 1 car seat in, which is what we're going to attempt in the new year.

(Sezrah's Husband)

Thanks for your help ladies. Mixed bag of results but it looks like "Elmo" the 500 might be staying in the family for a while longer yet at least.

My last resort was to put the newborn in the boot and give the pushchair pride of place on the rear seat or in a small trailer towed behind but I am not sure that's legal...!

p.s
Does anyone have a partner that might want to buy a Honda Civic Type R, I think I might have to sell it now that "Elmo" is staying put. :-)

My 500 "luigi" worked even with 2 kids for a while...but we were on a lease agreement thing and upgraded to a bigger car when that came to an end.
I still miss him.

We had a quinny zapp the frame fits a maxicosi cabrio which also has a good seat in itself - left lots of room for shopping.
But I also managed to fit a Maclaren volo when DS1 got a bit older (it's a lightweight one which doesn't fold flat so not suitable for newborns) - but better for being out and about for longer periods imo.

ANd hey tricky37, girls can drive type Rs too y'know !

Best of luck with the impending arrival, OP.

Hi Sezrah

Thanks for starting this post, I was just about to do the same! I'm due in April and also have a beloved 500.

I was keen on a bugaboo bee and a nice John Lewis lady assured me they fit as she'd fitted one in a 500 the day earlier

Hello Sezrah,

Our friends have a 500 and have bought a Babyzen from our local store Groovystyle Baby in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire which fits without having to take off the wheels as they fold inwards. I could not believe it when I saw it. The carrycot folds very small as well but I can't remember if the carrycot goes in the boot as well or if they put it in the car.

Take a look here .

The Seed Pli folds in the zame way with the wheels tucked undetneath. It looks good to me and you can get skis for it! :o

Oooohhh I love our Babyzen!!! It's so cool and OH likes going out in the dark and flashing the local shop assistants with the light!!! He's the talk of the town!!!! But if the Babyzen fits, then all sorts should fit because the Babyzen is a fairly big chunk! Does a Baby Jogger City Mini or Britax B-Agile not fit? Would a Chameleon or Baby Jogger City Select fit? The latter is a tad wide. But these two are the only two substantial pushchairs that fitted under my convertible roof because they were so slim. I don't know the shape of your boot but it's worth going to a good independent shop or three and having a play. A Bugaboo new for example in my car, wouldn't fit with it's curved bars but the Cham did. Only one car seat fitted in the rear and it was that which instantly limited my choice of pushchair.

Just to add I had a Zapp Xtra pretty much from birth and it was great. Until the day it tipped as we were packing it in the car in snow and ice and the tiny seat seat adaptors rolled away. Long story but if you want to use the car seat on a Zapp frame then I recommend buying two second hand chassis at under £50 each from EBay ( they will be nice and loose and not stiff like new ones), then strip the fabric off both. Use one for the car seat, and buy the Zapp Xtra seat for the other! The seat adaptors are incredibly easy to lose if you keep swapping from one mode to the other and at £60 to replace it's not worth risking! I was without a pushchair for six weeks too whilst Dorel faffes around sending me the replacement adaptors.

Hi All,

Thanks for the info. I will go to the shops and try out the options. I do like the look of the Quinny Zapp Xtra, will let you know my progress.

Definitley more likely that I can keep my 'Elmo'. Hooray!

I agree with twinkle about the zapp chassis. I have one which is about 10 months old and is our grandparent buggy. It's so stiff. I had a second hand one before which was so easy to fold/unfold but the new one is awful. I get fed up having get down on the floor and put great force into unfolding it! I'm thinking of getting a city mini instead.

I nearly bought a seed pli a while ago and we loved it when we tried it in the shop We only really decided against it as it was just a bit expensive. Although it turned out mil gave us £200 towards what we bought so we could have afforded it after all! I do kind of wish we'd just done it! You can also get maxi cosi adapters for it.

On a separate note, definitely get a base for your car seat, it will make life so much easier, I promise!

And another tip about stiff chassises (what is the plural of that?!)
Cycling mate had some silicon lubricant which worked wonders on adaptors
Hope this helps

Myself and DP sold our beautiful Fiat 500 while i was pregnant due to the lack of space. We still miss Betsy the 500 to this day and wish we could have found a smaller pram.

The plural is 'chassis'

Update: We found a special edition black Quinny Zapp Xtra at a great price (£150) so we've bought it. Also got a Maxi Cosi Cabrio fix, raincover and Family fix (ISOFIX) base at the same time..about 15 weeks left until the arrival now.

That should last us about 6 months and the wife is chuffed to bits.

Thanks everyone for your comments.....Rich

Thats good that you have decided and got a good deal.

Can I recommend three things to you. First of all put the Zapp up in your hall and every time you pass it, fold and open it again. Get the chassis loosening up or at least work out how to lubricate it if its stiff in a few weeks time :)

Secondly, as I said about consider buying a separate chassis for the car seat. If you loose the seat adaptors (not the car seat ones) they cost something extortionate like £30 to replace, and took us 6 weeks to get (and we had to buy a new pushchair meanwhile). Its cheaper to buy a second hand chassis for the car seat than to pay out for losing a set of these - and believe me they are very easy to loose or misplace. Think about how you will store them. I was great at keeping them safe but DH was hopeless and left them everywhere! I made a drawstring bag but they still fell out and rolled away in the dark :( Failing that, I am sure I saw some cheap sets on Ebay for a few pounds - I would snap them up just in case!

Finally, think about getting some kind of cosy toes for the Xtra seat. It is very flat and exposed and a newborn looks very vulnerable in the seat. Its the only pushchair I have felt the need to wrap my baby up in something!! I bought a Bugaboo cocoon but most cosy toes or baby cosy toes should work.

I swapped my Fiat 500 for a Volvo XC90. Now, I could probably fit the whole Fiat 500 in the boot of my Volvo. I had a Quinny Zapp for my toddler when I got pregnant with number 2 and life with two children and a tiny car seemed impossible.

Now that they are 5 and nearly 3, I wish I'd kept the Fiat as the Volvo is much too big for our needs. I rarely use a buggy these days. It won't be long before you won't need a massive buggy in any case.

Seed pli fits. Search ebay.