Looking at the red book my toddler will reach the pushchair weight limit of 15 kgs by 18 months. I know lots of toddlers slim down, but looking at his cousins and how his body shape has changed since he started walking (not much…) I wouldn’t bet on it. Whereas I would be happy enough to continue using it at my own risk I was always planning on selling it at some point, so perhaps it would be unethical to sell it after using it past the recommended weight limit?
Something that folds smaller would be nice as we have to keep the pushchair upstairs due to lack of space, which is a pain. We got an umbrella stroller for emergency shopping trips etc, but I wouldn’t like to use it as our main pushchair because it just isn’t as nice to push and isn’t exactly great for forest walks etc.
A problem with most compact pushchairs is that they are forward facing only and there are reports about them being bad for language development, but how bad is it really? We tend to use a sling most of the time anyway and DS definitely wouldn’t let us put him in the pushchair for the day and forget that he exists. So realistically it will be used instead of the sling in bad weather and when I am feeling unwell but have to go somewhere and in addition to the sling and walking on days out etc until he is fine to walk the same distances as an adult.
So would you sell both pushchairs in favour of something which is in between the two in terms of size and sturdiness or just use both until they are knackered? Any ideas for reasonably compact pushchairs suitable for big toddlers, ideally available second hand? I like the look of baby jogger city mini and baby jogger city lite, which are both approved for 50 lbs (I think) in the US. Or are there any lighter pushchairs with a parent facing option? I had a look a while ago, but could only find the Quinny Zapp Xtra, but since the seat isn’t upright in the parent facing position DS wouldn’t be a fan.
Sorry about the essay and thanks for any help! 
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babiesinbalaclavas · 10/12/2015 15:04
I wouldn't be worried about the parent facing thing at 18mo. Not to be dismissive but unless he's spending hours a day in his pushchair I'd say the stimulation of being forward facing is equally beneficial.
DS is 16mo and 13kg and about to grow out of his icandy raspberry (which gives a 25kg weight limit on the website but the buggy itself says 15kg 
) It's moot for me really as I have another baby due in 6 weeks time so am moving to a double anyway.
For you though I'd recommend a trusty McLaren. You can get nicer ones (Techno, Quest?) that are really very sturdy. I have a Triumph which is a bit more basic and it lives in the car boot but if I wasn't expecting the new baby I'd probably start to use it full time now.
With my older DD I ended up chucking the travel system by about 9mo and just using a McLaren and it was great. There was less choice back then (she's 14 now) but despite the vast array of buggies now available I think the McLaren is just the easiest once you get to toddler stage.
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No worries, I like essays 
Would you say the McLarens are in a completely different league to other strollers though? The one we have is a lot less flimsy than the cheapest ones, but still not like a "proper" pushchair. We go to a country park with hills and rocks and roots every now and then and definitely wouldn't bring the umbrella stroller, so would the McLaren be good enough?
Re the weight limits I think it has to do with new EU testing standards, so older pushchairs and pushchairs made outside of the EU tend to have higher weight limits, but within the EU, 15 kg is the new standard, so e.g. a US made pushchair will officially have a weight limit of 15 kg in the UK, even though it has been tested for 25 kg in the US. But in our case it looks like DS will be too tall to fit under the hood by the time he is 2 anyway.
And congratulations!
Dixie, no I suppose you are right about smaller buggies. Even ours isn't as easy to handle as it used to be. I don't mind the size or the weight of ours really, just how it folds. Some pushchairs (like the baby joggers) sort of fold in the middle and are self standing whereas ours is very long and difficult to rest against a wall.
And you are both probably right about forward facing not being so bad. I find lots of parenting advice is very black and white which isn't very helpful as you will probably have to do the "wrong" thing every now and then and end up feeling guilty. E.g. pushchairs, sugar is crack, any TV before 2 will rot their brains, any shoes before walking properly will make their feet fall off etc. I saw a blog post by one of the people behind the parent facing pushchair campaign where she seemed to suggest rear facing car seats are bad even for young babies because of language development which made me 
as surely safety is more important in that context?!
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Thanks
Gosh no I wasn't thinking about mountainous terrain.
Maybe the P&T is the way to go as dixie suggests.
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