Cast your vote and help me choose a secondhand pram...

[LuluLozenge]

Hello, have sod-all money but need a pram.

However, I know absolutely nothing! For those who know more, can I please pick your brains and ask you to choose out of these prams (which are local to my MIL, who has kindly agreed to pick up).

Thank you!

Option one

Option two

Option three

[Milkybrew]

If I had to have one I'd go with option 3. No experience of it myself but friends have had them and been happy with them. What are your actual requirements? If you list them someone may have suggestions as to what would suit you better. Pram buying is a bit of a minefield isn't it?!

[StrawberryMewMew]

I like the number 2. :)

[nannyl]

my cousins (still little-ish only 5) have 1
my friend has 2
I have used 3 while nannying.

(have pushed them all but not used all on a day to day basis)

do you want it as a PRAM (ie for little baby asleep laying down) not so much as push chair? If so option 2 IMO

if you want a pram pushchair TBH i didnt especially like any of them, and id vote by option 2, and when baby is a bit bigger stick it back on ebay and buy something else completely different.

But there are lots to consider... where will you use it / store it / fit in car boot / lug up and down stairs etc etc. and do you want it to be a travel system, or not?

they are all OK.... not that great and IMO there are many other pushchairs that personally I much prefer to use / push.

Im sure some people will come along and say they have used one or more and love them . I personally dont!

[tiokiko]

I would go to a shop to try out prams first, find a few that you like then look on eBay. Prams can vary a lot in how they handle, height of the handles etc and this affects how they feel to push.

Also make sure that it will fit in your car or any car that you might need to use?

We made a mistake with the first pram we bought - I gave it a push around the shop and it seemed OK but it wasn't until we took DD out for the first time and used it properly that I realised I kept kicking the wheels and found it really awkward to push round shops/corners.

[LuluLozenge]

Thanks for the fast responses.

Was hoping whatever I bought would be sufficient until toddler-age.

Do not have a car, but am in London so may well be taking it on public transport.

I do have a Mothercare pushchair that someone gave me, it's a bit knackered but could use that at six months if I just go for the pram option.

[Milkybrew]

Speaking from experience, for use in London and on public transport I would say the cybex Callisto is definately worth a look. I recently got one for a great price on eBay. It lays flat from birth, or you can purchase the optional carrycot for the first few months. I've found it brilliant when travelling on the tube, it's very manouverable and baby sleeps soundly in it, so it must be comfy. The seat is nice and high so certainly will last thru to toddler age. Also as it's not heavy most sellers are happy to post them if collection is an issue.

[LuluLozenge]

I can't see any on eBay Milky but thanks for the suggestion! I need a pram asap as I am due soon...

[ALovelyBunchOfCoconuts]

IME, do not get option 3. We had the 3D. It is very heavy, useless for public transport, and the shopping basket is practically inaccessible. The brake doesn't catch on properly and would always slip off causing my baby to roll down the bus. It is hard to steer and we put up with it until DD was 1 then put her in something different.

But that's just my opinion

[Milkybrew]

Try just cybex as your search. There are a few, I can't do a link as I'm on my phone! There are a couple buy it nows. No carrycots at the mo though which is a shame but the actually pushchair is suitable from birth anyway.

[LearningFast]

Hi,

We have recently bought our first pram / pushchair combo from ebay, and did as Tiokiko suggested, going into a local independent baby store first which had lots of different ones to try. It was really helpful seeing what made the different ones easy or difficult to use. For instance, my DH is 11" taller than me, with much longer legs, so we really needed one which had an adjustable handle and where he didn't end up catching his feet on the underside with every stride.

Through that visit we decided that we really wanted a lay flat pram, which you could take the carry cot section off and swap for a pushchair seat when the baby is a few months older. We narrowed it down to 2 that we really liked (based on things like the weight of the carrycot, how easy it is to fold, whether it fitted into our hallway etc) plus another 2 or 3 we'd be happy with, and then there were a few we decided we really didn't want. We also looked took out a trial subscription to Which, to get some reviews from other people who have used them - this was helpful but probably not really necessary.

It only took a couple of weeks to find an older model of one of the ones we really liked on ebay and we bought it for £150, in excellent condition. I also kept a close eye on the second hand ads on Netmums Local - worth a look.

[LuluLozenge]

Coconuts - that's really useful and will definitely eliminate number 3.

Milky - there are a few cybexes but they're a bit pricey for me, unfortunately. But thank you for your suggestions anyway.

Looking at number 2 now - can use it at the pram stage and then I can switch to the other pushchair I have when baby's a bit bigger.

Thanks all xx