1 pushchair from birth till done?

[Pete10uk]

Evening all, were expecting first baby in October and just starting to investigate all the bits and bobs we need.

Is it a feasible request to get a single system to cover baby's entire pushchair requirement?

If so what should we be looking at based on recommendations?

Cheers

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

Hello,

We've noticed this thread is quite old and some of the products mentioned on this thread aren't available any more. 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

[Alisvolatpropiis]

Probably a travel system type thing.

I've got the silver cross pioneer which comes with a carry cot attachment for newborns and seat for 6+ months (though my baby is smaller than average and didn't fit that part until she was about 8/9 months old). Can also clip the car seat on the chassis.

I really like it, easy to use, much lighter than it looks. However, if you're going to be using public transport regularly you might find it cumbersome, it isn't the smallest of travel systems out there.

[FoxesSitOnBoxes]

Absolutely! They are so expensive it wasn't an option not to make ours last. We've got a Joolz Day and it's great but you really just need to go and try some out, see how they feel to push and take apart etc. It's the one bit of kit (I think) that it's worth getting right.
Ours has seen us through 2 children and is still going strong. Have a think about what it is you are going to need to do with it- off road? On and off public transport? Etc And then go and have a look at some. Definitely worth spending some time over

[FATEdestiny]

Our Graco travel system has seen me through four children and 111/2 years of parenting - and is still going strong.

The only downside is that it's big when folded so takes up a good amount of boot space in the car. I've had to buy a simple umbrella fold pushchair for use on holiday, because the Graco is too big to pack for holidays.

[Hufflepuffin]

I think it depends what you need! The difficult thing seems to be if you need a buggy that works off road AND on buses/in town. I think a baby jogger city mini gt (with a carrycot) would be a good bet, but I wanted parent facing. If off road isn't a problem then the babyzen yoyo is very popular, but also has no parent facing after 6 months.

I went into pram buying knowing that I likely wouldn't only have one pushchair, so we spent £220 on a big, lovely to push, parent facing off-reader and then a bit later a couple of hundred on a compact buggy for the bus / when the car is packed with stuff. Still spent less combined than if I'd bought a brand new bugaboo etc. I don't think having two pushchairs is the end of the world, but then I loooove baby gadgets! X

[AllPowerfulLizardPerson]

What are your requirements?

Public transport? Fit into a car boot? Mainly walking and plenty of room for it to live in the hall?

[madamginger]

I had a maclaren XT techno which is birth to 15kg. It did 3 babies and still going strong after 8 years

[Haggisfish]

I got a britax three wheeler as it could have seats facing either way. Got isofix car seat that went straight from car to wheels. Seen us through two children and still useable! I took it in woods and mud too-fine. Wouldn't be great for buses etc though.

[AuntieStella]

I had the (then) top of the range MacLaren.

It was great - even their big ones are the same width as the narrowest Bugaboos, and width is the dimension that makes the biggest difference if you use public transport. Easy to fold (if you're chucking it in a car boot). Reclines to near as dammit flat.

I had a sling as well. And the MacLaren can also take a buggy board (just thinking ahead for you, for options should the day come when you have another - because you can expect a McLaren to see you through two or three DC at least, all the way from new to preschool)

[pottymummy]

Honestly I would never have managed with 1. That's because of our particular needs though as others have said. When little (my youngest is 6 now so I'm sure there are way better things on the market), I used the car seat to transport - and a quinny zapp base to pop the car seat onto when in town. It was brilliant. Tiny thing. Never actually used the quinny as a buggy in itself.
I used a hauck infinity (cheapo version of bugaboo) as main pram as it was awesome for walks. However kind of mammoth sized to lug around in car.
Then when too old for car-seat-into-quinny-base I used various quick folds (such as maclaren quest) which were small enough to shove in the car. (I had various versions of the quick folds such as mothercares and silver cross pop but none of them quite right)
I also ended up with a phil and teds when I had #2.
I know that wasn't much help. I thought I could manage with a 'one size fits all' before my first was born too which is why I bought the hauck. However once he arrived, I realised it wasn't as practical as I thought it would be.

[Wanderingwondering]

We bought a full travel system for dc1 and hated it and hardly used it as she hated the carry cot and the pushchair was too big. It was vaguely useful to attach the car seat to it.
Bought a MacLaren xt when she was six months and never looked back.
Used the MacLaren from birth with dc2 as it lay flat. Didn't really miss the car seat attachment and dc2 just got used to transferring from car seat to buggy.
Also used a sling much more second time.
The only downside was that it wasn't parent facing but tbh I think that young babies tend to sleep in the pram anyway and by the time they are ready for 'interacting' they quite enjoy seeing what's going on around them anyway.
Mine weren't the type to sit passively for long anyway so I don't think they missed out on much vital interaction due to facing away from me!

[FraggleMountain]

It depends a bit on what you want from your buggy. Our bugaboo chameleon lasted from newborn (with car seat adaptors) to when DS started walking by himself everywhere (ca4.5). You just change the bassinet to a seat. It is great if you like walking a lot, light and manoeuvrable but sturdy. It works really well on bumpy paths, beaches etc. It is also easy to travel with, flying etc. It you are mostly planning on going by car then there are other brands that fold more quickly, and in one peace (the bugaboo comes apart in two). And the bugaboos are v expensive (I got a second hand one)

[ShelaghTurner]

Baby Jogger CMGT or Bugaboo Bee. The Bee in particular takes a car seat, can lie flat and parent face till the child is as old as the hills! It's small and nippy and can be got second hand if necessary for a not too bad price.

[dizzytomato]

I have had one Bugaboo that I got 13 years ago, it was a bomb but it has lasted for 4 children. It is very very light, fits well on buses and goes from birth to 2 1/2 - 3.

But if I had to do it again today I would get this A rear facing umbrella fold buggy, all you will ever need.

If there is an umbrella folding buggy that f

[dizzytomato]

Was going to write if there is an umbrella buggy that goes rear facing get that. Then decided to search and see. Forgot to fully delete the first response doh!

[StrictlyMumDancing]

I second the maclaren xt too. Has done us for two kids birth to three years and the same for 4 other kids before we were handed it. Though I'd only say now it's going rather than going strong!

[Maybebabybee]

I love, love, love our babyzen. Everyone comments on how diddy it is but I don't know how people manage to get around with anything else, they all look such hulking great contraptions next to the baby zen.

[RiverTam]

We used out Bugaboo bee from birth to about aged 4. Very good in every way apart from rather small under basket thingy. But we made that work.

[FoofFighter]

I have had oodles of prams, and the only one I could honestly have seen lasting the whole way through was the Bugaboo Bee.

[Zaurak]

It's really difficult to find just one that does everything. We had a winter baby in Sweden so ended up with a huge emmaljunga which is amazing for long walks at -20 but is an absolute shit to fold and massive. So it never gets folded, lives in the hall and that's our pushchair got going for walks from the house. For car and buses we have a smaller narrower one.

I'd ask myself:
What terrain ? Urban or country?
Storage? Do you have space for a big pram?
Folding - you really need a lightweight easy fold if you're on public transport. Very few alleged one hand fold ones can actually be folded/unfolded with one hand!
Stairs? Will you be bumping up and down stairs a lot?
Rear facing option?

The best thing I've seen recently is the new babyjogger premier- if I was buying again now I'd go for that.

[Fourormore]

I bought a Bugaboo Cameleon in 2006 and I'm just about to start using it for the fourth time for my last ever baby. I have a buggy board for it but have never needed anything else.

[Iguessyourestuckwithme]

I am a nanny and I would highly reccomend the Baby Jogger CMGT

• It is great for city life but also the countryside
  
• 3 wheeler
  
• squeezes through small spaces
  
• easy to steer, manoeuvre 1 handed [or while clutching a coffee]
  
• easy to fold down 1 handed while clutching a baby/toddler
  
• attaches to a maxi cosi car seat so can be rear facing or can be used without
  
• seen dc1 from birth through to at least age 3 with a buggy board while younger sibling rides
  
• roomy seats - dc1's friend is a stocky almost 3 year old and he manages to sit in and snooze comfortably
  
• plenty of space under the pushchair and also able to hang bags off the handle bar

[Artandco]

Of course. You basically want a pram that can be used from birth without a carrycot. They usually last until no longer needed, and fold smaller than ones that need carrycot. Car seats on prams arent recommended anymore due to oxygen levels in baby using them.

[Lou2711]

I got the Mamas and Papas armadillo, which they can go in from birth as it lies flat (I do have the carrycot too). I'm yet to fully test it though as my LO is due in August

[PrincessHairyMclary]

I liked the Quinny Zapp xtra, (you can attach a car seat for tiny babies) but what I loved about it was that it could lie baby/toddler completely flat to sleep, it can be parent facing, has a deep bucket seat which is much higher than on umbrella folding buggies which means if you have a very tall child they can't drag their feet on the ground and also aren't near car exhausts etc.

However, the only two downfalls were that it folds to tiny dimensions but in two pieces - great if you have a car, not so great if you are getting on and off buses. Also I had to get 3 sets of replacement wheels as the rubber kept wearing off (Quinny were great and did send two sets out for free but the third set cost me £75) but please keep in mind that as I don't drive I was easily walking 10miles + a day so wear and tear like that is to be expected.

[DuvetDayEveryday]

We had a Phil and Ted Sport. Used the carry cot attachment from birth and it saw us right right through. I was a childminder so needed the doubles kit.