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Does it exist? Parent-facing three-wheeler, suitable from birth.

41 replies

lastonetoleaveturnoutthelights · 15/01/2013 22:58

Please help; I urgently need to buy a three-wheeler cross-country type pushchair for 3 months old DD, that has a reversible seat, parent-facing. Can anyone recommend one, I've been looking and looking and can't see the woods for the trees... (probably due to new baby sleep deprivation).

I need it urgently as I'll be back in the UK for a two week holiday and need to buy a pushchair while I'm there. Added bonuses would be that it is light-ish and small fold, comfy, can take a buggy-board, and suitable for pushing around fields and woods, in snow and on mountain tracks, as well as playgrounds, shopping centres and town. I can spend up to about £500 as have been given money by lovely relatives. Any advice gratefully received!

(My last pram/pushchair was the Silver Cross Sleepover on Linear Chassis ... a classic design and v. comfy for babies to sleep in, but it almost broke my back lifting its 18kg in and out of the car boot, and the wheels came off on bumpy country walks).

OP posts:
Pommes · 15/01/2013 23:08

The Quinny Buzz may be worth a look...

Tiggywunkle · 15/01/2013 23:12

Ok, ideas....but I dont know prices without spending ages looking them up - so thats your job!!

A TFK Joggster Twist with Multi X seat to parent face.
A Mountain Buggy with a Face to Face seat - you need to check which ones take this and be aware its only got a short life span on it.
iCandy Peach Jogger (needs a carrycot or newborn wedge)
iCandy Apple Jogger (needs a carrycot or newborn wedge)

And if you can lose the need for 3 wheels - there's the Baby Jogger Versa GT and also the Easywalker June and Bugaboo Cameleon or Donkey as well although both of the latter two are really out of budget but you could get a Cam or Donkey second hand. All of these need a carrycot or wedge.

HypatiaTheProcrastinator · 15/01/2013 23:16

Do you want this to be parent facing long term or would a carrycot do? If a carrycot is fine then you have your pick of loads of Mountain Buggy, Baby Jogger and Easywalker pushchairs that could work well. MB now do a parent facing mini seat thing you can use from 6 months but only up to 9kg and is in a fixed position. I think it's a bit gimmicky and not very practical but I thought I'd mention it anyway. Otherwise your options narrow down massively. Koelstras are supposed to be great quality and they have a few 3 wheeler models with reversible seats but they aren't widely available in the UK. I can't think of anything else that's actually an offroad pushchair with a reversible seat.

HypatiaTheProcrastinator · 15/01/2013 23:18

TFK, of course! That's a good option. It does depend how offroad you're planning, I was assuming pretty rough terrain.

BumgrapesofWrath · 15/01/2013 23:19

Britax B-smart

HypatiaTheProcrastinator · 15/01/2013 23:24

Also Jané Slalom R or Nipabout with air tyres.

Tiggywunkle · 15/01/2013 23:27

Nipabout - very good once Hypatia

HypatiaTheProcrastinator · 15/01/2013 23:29

Grin Taking full credit for my sister's suggestions! Wink

Ihateparties · 15/01/2013 23:30

Not a 3 wheeler but I have a very beautiful 4 air tyre lie flat seat terrain ready Brio Smile sitting next to me with a buggyboard on...

ItsMyLastOne · 15/01/2013 23:40

Definitely Jane Slalom Reverse if you want parent facing not just in a carrycot. It has a lie flat reversible seat, 3 air tyres, takes the surfer buggy board, and if it's anything like our Jane Powertrack was it'll be beautiful to push.

There's one on offer for £290 at kiddisave, otherwise they're about £375-400 new. You can get them second hand too.

ItsMyLastOne · 15/01/2013 23:41

The nipabout would be great, but they're discontinued so you need to find one. The air tyres are near impossible to get hold of too. They're lovely though, incredibly like a bugaboo frog, but a three wheel version.

HelenLynn · 16/01/2013 00:13

I second the three-wheeler Quinny Buzz idea. Mine is fine to handle on all the kinds of terrain you list, is smoother and easier to push than any other pushchair I've tried out, and seems comfier and better for napping in than others too. The seat has two parent-facing and three forward-facing recline positions; I think most babies would want the added uprightness that you only get with the seat forward-facing by, say, nine months. Before I bought it I found some reviewers saying there wasn't enough room for shopping etc, but I haven't found it a problem even though we don't have a car so I use it for all our shopping. Not sure about buggy boards. I don't find it too heavy; you can check the actual weight at places that sell it. Doesn't fold very small but when travelling with a couple of friends and their babies we haven't had problems getting it and another buggy in their normal-sized car boots. When I bought it I'd got fed up of trawling reviews and had decided just to get whatever reasonably reviewed pushchair I could find secondhand near to where we live, and I've since come to the conclusion that I lucked out when I ended up with it.

Moominsarescary · 16/01/2013 00:18

I had a britax b smart

CommanderShepard · 16/01/2013 00:20

I too have a Britax B-Smart 3 and it does exactly what you want.

ItsMyLastOne · 16/01/2013 00:20

I felt the complete opposite about my Buzz. I found it too big, too heavy, the basket was rubbish, the push wasn't great, it's definitely not an all terrain pushchair. I've had about 20 pushchairs and it was one of the worst for me, but I know a lot of people are happy with them.

I think you need to decide what the most important couple of features are. If you mainly need it to handle all terrain, then you need a proper off roader with good wheels and suspension. If you want is an everyday pushchair, but want it to go off road just for a few outings during the holiday, then focus more on other features. Everything will feel light compared to your silver cross so at least you don't need to worry quite so much about weight!

lastonetoleaveturnoutthelights · 16/01/2013 08:10

Wow, I've just logged on after dropping DD1 at nursery and it's great to see so much advice already, thanks all you pushchair tsars!

I'm going to do some googling of all your suggestions now, but so far I think the Jane Slalom Reverse, the Britax B-Smart 3, the Quinny Buzz sound promising, and I've not heard of TFK so I'll check out their Joggster Twist with Multi X.

I do want the pushchair to be parent-facing for the duration of its life, so until DD2 outgrows it at about 3 years... I really liked having DD1 facing me in the Silver Cross Sleepover pushchair, and it's probably a bit silly of me, but working full-time and having to go back to work sooner than I'd like after DD2, I want to be able to look at her as much as possible while pushing her around on the weekends!

I live in Switzerland in the countryside, and do daily dog walks around the fields, so that's the sort of terrain I need the pushchair to do - tracks through woods and round fields, and occasionally going on gentle mountain walks. But it also has to do the supermarket, shopping centre, buses, car boots, playgrounds and cobbled streets in town! I know, I know, such a perfect pushchair just doesn't exist...

(I do have a battered well-loved Maclaren for flying, fortunately - at 5kg it's great for travel).

OP posts:
lastonetoleaveturnoutthelights · 16/01/2013 08:28

Ooh I like the Britax B-Smart 3; it looks perfect. What's the catch?

The Quinny Buzz looks nice but are the front wheels - which are quite small, smaller than my Silver Cross wheels - strong enough to get over rough ground repeatedly for 3 years plus? Also does it take a buggy board? It'sMyLastOne, have you heard anyone else make similar complaints about the Buzz? After 20 pushchairs you must be a good point of comparison Smile!

The Jane Slalom R also looks good (I like it in blue and green) and quite technical - eg. the disc brakes? DH likes the sound of that, I've no clue how useful those things really are.

The TFK Joggster Twist is completely new to me; I've never heard of the makers - are they well-rated? It's the most expensive, and is heavier than the others (13.5kg) and says it only takes children up to 13kg, which is lighter than the others too. Does that mean it's less robust on the whole? It does seem to come with a carrycot, although I already have the bed-on-wheels that is my Silver Cross pram...

By the way, in case my comment about rear-facing read slightly weird, I do use it both ways once the DC like to look where they are going, it's just nice to have the choice!

OP posts:
Moominsarescary · 16/01/2013 09:30

I've not had any problems with the BSmart, you can buy a carrycot for it but the seat is from birth anyway. Also it doesn't have wheels that can get punctures like some pushchairs.

Ihateparties · 16/01/2013 09:49

The b smart is not a terrain pushchair imho.

SassyDee · 16/01/2013 12:19

I've just come across this offer on facebook for a company that I use and thought you may want a look. I am so close to buying it myself (just need to wait for the hubby to look and see what he thinks! But I imagine I'll buy it anyway! lol) It's from Online4baby.com but the offer is through the Bounty website - they have a flash sale section which I am addicted to perusing :) It's for the i'coo Pii 3 - It's ace! I want the grape one. It comes with so much stuff and so many options for the seat and a carry cot. The suspensions and wheels look perfect for those long walk with the dogs. If you look at the link to their site it has a video about it and all the dimensions and weight etc - www.online4baby.com/icoo-pii-3-in-1-pram-pushchair-grape

It comes with tons of stuff -
I'coo Pii Pushchair
I'coo Pii Pushchair Raincover
I'coo Hard Carrycot Cocoon with mosquito net
I'coo Hard Carrycot Cocoon Raincover
Integrated Speakers with MP3 connectivity
I'coo Pii Fleece Lined Footmuff
I'coo Pii Bootcover
I'coo Pii Seat Pad

To get the special offer - £349 instead of the usual £849! You need to go through Bounty flash sale section. Use this link to get there - www.bounty.com/bountyoffers/flash-sale-160113-pushchairwithcarrycot

Hope you mange to whittle down your choices, it can be so confusing with amount of option on the market :) Have a great holiday x

majjsu · 16/01/2013 12:31

Hi

I had the Britax B Smart, thought it was fab as it did everything I wanted, travelling on buses, planes, trains, shopping, the beach, woods and fields. Think it is great, the only area where it had a small weakness was going over bumpy gravel tracks. I do have to say I had no quibbles with this pram/buggy. My LO has now outgrown it.

HelenLynn · 16/01/2013 14:43

Hmm, if the rough tracks are an every day thing you might want something with a bigger front wheel. I don't know that robustness would be the issue but getting stuck in ruts and against stones might be. I have noticed that I'm having to wheelie out of potholes more often when I have toddler + shopping underneath these days.

I'coo Pii

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CommanderShepard · 16/01/2013 15:19

I've just been over a field with my B-Smart...

justforinfo · 16/01/2013 18:01

Maxi cosi Mura ;)

ItsMyLastOne · 16/01/2013 19:47

Arrrggghhh, I just wrote a huge post and lost it!

Anyway, I hear lots of people say the same about the Buzz. It 's very rare you hear a pramo say they love (or even like) the Buzz. The same goes for the B Smart. I have a friend with one and she hates it with a passion. So much so that no one likes to bring it up in conversation! Grin
Also, neither the Buzz or B Smart are designed as all terrain pushchairs. Although there may be plenty of parents who are happy to use them for that, there's just better, and it's usually the case that they haven't tried a proper all terrain pushchair and so don't have anything to compare it to.

TFK have a very good reputation, they're just not well known. The Joggster Twist is suitable up to 15kg. When you see statistics online, check several websites, preferably the company's own website, as statistics are so often wrong. Also, in the UK pushchairs only need to be tested to be suitable up to 15kg, but many have a higher weight limit in other countries where it's cheaper to go through the safety tests.

The Slalom Reverse's disc brake just means it has a hand brake (very much like a bike brake) which is useful for going over hills.

Oh and 20 pushchairs is nothing, I'm an amateur compared to some of these women. parties tiggy Wink

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