2nd time round what travel system to buy?

[FluffyKent]

My now 3 year old has grown out of/won't use his buggy for a while now and while it cost me £500 first time round, I am inclined to buy a new one. I have a mamas & papas plinkette pramette system I felt the baby part was fine (laying down) but toddler part, the seat was quite hard etc & where the straps were there were metal buckles (near bottoms of back/bum) that rubbed etc also I found it was not sturdy enough and just wondered what ones most people are using at the moment/good recommendations/ deals? I don't really want to be paying another £500 mind! Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

[Olive1987]

I'm in the same boat and am interested in the city mini gt at the moment. Hoping ds might like a ride on a buggy board on the back of it.
The uppa baby vista gets a lot of good reviews but it is more than £500 I think for the travel system.

[tomanyanimals]

Look at what you will be using it for lots of walking round town or off out in the country I have gone for a three wheeler as I got fed up of the pram getting stuck last time just going to put some stop leak in the tyres so they can't pop. Also does it need to be light to lift in and out the car etc. really narrows down choices when you write down what you want out of it I ended up with one choice of pram which was a mother are one which I didn't expect.

[minipie]

I'd go with something good quality second hand.

Would it be useful for your 3 year old to be able to sit in a second seat sometimes? if so then you could look at something like a mountain buggy+one, uppababy vista, oyster max - all these are good as singles but also can add a second seat for toddler if he still needs to sit/be strapped in on occasion.

If not - there are loads of options - what are your criteria? Eg will you fold it a lot (to go in car or keep in house), do you go on buses, do you need to be able to bump it up steps, do you go off road a lot, do you need to fit through narrow doorways, are you small or tall, do you need a large basket to do food shops etc.

[cheesecakemom]

I'm using the same as it is in great condition - just getting a skate board and attachment to make it double for those times when I'm alone and the 3 yr old wants to do a runner!

[stargirl1701]

We kept our Stokke Xplory and added a sibling board for DD1. I also sometimes put DD1 in the Stokke and DD2 in the sling.

[zanuda]

Mine was long time walking when he was 3. I was worried when we were expected 2d one and thought we would buy ... you know, this hatch thing, forgot the proper name. But when the baby was born we didn't even need that one. There were several occasions when he got asleep unusual time. But I was lucky the baby was awake and I just was swapping them. On the other hand, I have a friend whose was so tired all 1st ear of school that she was falling asleep all the time. My friend was thinking she's lazy and got rid of the stroller. And on several occasions I was giving her my pushchair and my 2 & 5 year's and ware walking :) (they were walking anyway, I had pushchair for emergencies & to carry all the necessities you always need when you're with children).

So the point is all the kids are different. You might end up needing travel system for just a little bit longer or for another 3 years. It's hard to give advise on that...

[CruCru]

I have a Phil and Ted but it's not that great for a newborn (that stage doesn't last long). If DS is tired he can sit in the bottom, the rest of the time, bags and coats live in there.

[AndHarry]

Baby Jogger City Mini or, my personal favourite, the Babyzen Yoyo 0+

[FluffyKent]

Many thanks for all of yr replies!
Tbh it's mainly my other half moaning that we shd get another buggy despite me using it most of the time. I have moved from a flat to a house since I had my 3yr old so tbh I prob only need it when I go to the shops/baby groups that are walking distances etc (a lot easier than stairs in my block of flats & a huge hill that I hd to constantly go up & down to get to the shops!) My 3yr old school is nearby also so prob can use the baby carrier (which I never used first time round). I don't drive so only time buggy will be going in car is when visiting family etc. I do like the look of the 3 wheel buggys mind, had a look at the city jogger range as recommended above they look fab, wished I had purchased that first time round but the plinko pramette one I hv I do like that the lay down part as that is actually inside the zip up part of the seat so no buying a separate part which most of these buggys you have to buy also (costing you more). Perhaps when no.2 is bigger I should just buy a lighter buggy as found when my 3yr old was bigger the whole travel system was quite heavy but at the time I wanted it to last as long as possible. Unsure if I can get a buggy board for that range will have to have a look but agree with comments above to keep yr 3 yr old nearby whilst walking with no.2. It's been a while since my 3 yr old has been in a buggy & he refuses to go in it now so might b an incentive not to run off like he does now! Another thing is when u buy a m&P range the car seats r only compatible with their buggys so just thinking is it worth me buying another buggy when I can use that money for something else especially now I need girls bits this time round!

[BauerTime]

I think if I have another I will use my existing travel system for the baby whilst they are in the first car seat and the laying down part which never got used by DS as he was a reflux baby and never really laid flat, but invest in a decent stroller for when they outgrow the car seat. Ive never been happy with the seat bit of my travel system. the seat is hard and is covered in slippery material which makes DS slouch. Plus the shoulder straps seem to be really low and so have to come up and over his shoulders which I also think pushes him down into a slouch. Its a Hauck Apollo and was only £300 for the lot including car seat so I don't really feel the need to make sure I fully utilise it for several babies.

We bought a Chicco Liteway Stroller that we mostly use now but the wheels on that seem to have a life of their own!

[MrsWombat]

Maybe keep your pram for the first few months when baby ideally needs to lie flat, (assuming you are happy with pram mode) then buy a pushchair more suitable for a toddler. This is what we are doing. Using our silver cross in pram mode, and then buying a baby jogger city mini.

[NowtyByNature]

I have the uppababy it is great, but it is BIG and heavy. It was fine with one bairn and brilliant before we had a car. It only just fits in the boot. The basket is huge so it was also great for shopping trips. I am hoping to use it with a buggy board for my three year old. We got two good years out of the uppa before getting a lighter cheaper stroller.