pushchair v stroller v pram v my mental breakdown - what do you recommend?

[nickie2]

I've now spent two nights on the trot dreaming about the pros and cons of various different prams/pushchairs, so I could really do with finding out what you recommend and to just get some mumsnet therapy. Seriously, sometimes I don't even recognise myself anymore..!

I'm thinking of getting the Maclaren Techno XL and putting my newborn in it. It says that it's suitable from birth. The seat goes to 170 degrees so pretty flat but not completely. Is this OK for a wee one? Also, having read every review for it on the interweb, I think that the suspension may not be amazing meaning that it leads to a slightly bumpier ride than some... but as I live in the city and wouldn't be going offroad or cobble trotting particularly, I think this should be OK. But is a stroller really suitable for a newborn? I get mixed messages from catalogues etc. which seem to lump them in with buggies for older kiddies.

Having spoken to a couple of people, they've said that they've given up on their travel systems/ prams/ big pushchairs pretty early and gone for a lighter more versatile model, so in the long run I think this would be the best buggy, but is it OK for the early days?

[nickie2]

oops it's the maclaren techno xlr btw

[misdee]

XLR is fne for a newborn.

it comes with a headhugger doesnt it? and an apron?

i would get a sheepskin liners well to pad it out a bit more.

[PerkinWarbeck]

I live in Central London and we adore our XLR. The suspension is fine, it can fit on buses easily, and folds easily. It 1s so very very nearly flat as not to notice. With very tiny babies, they will be lying just on the upper half of the buggy, so their backs will be flat on the buggy mattress (hard to describe but if you see a newborn in one you will know what I mean!).

If you are concerned though, you could always get a sling as well, and the use the buggy from 3 months.

[PerkinWarbeck]

as misdee says, it does come with headhugger and buggy liner (order cheaply from kiddicare.com and all the extras are included).

[slinkiemalinki]

I've got a maclaren techno - fab from about 5 months but no way would I put a newborn in it. Yes it's flat-ish, but offers no protection at all (eg walking through the park, the baby is low down and facing away from you), and you can't see the baby properly through the hood as you can in a pram. It's all personal but if you don't want a bigger pram I would go for the sling option to start with.

[chandellina]

i have the Maclaren Four Seasons - a gussied up Techno XLR basically.

I love it for my three -week old, and he is very happy in it. We are in London and it's great on buses, etc.

Also have no problem with him not facing me and can see him just fine through the plastic window. My only concern is mean-looking dogs.

We don't have the head hugger - i think it should have come with one actually. it would be nice but isn't crucial.

overall, i highly recommend it. Friends have big prams and they are a hassle as far as i can tell.

[elmoandella]

i had big prams. really wish i had bought my xlr from day 1.

i've been through a silver cross, quinny buzz, quinny zapp,

if you do a lot of travel then and unbrella folding (xlr) is what your after.

if your short of storage space in home then it's umbrella again.

if you stay anywhere that the terain is a bit rough, then you need a pram/buggy with large wheels.

DO NOT get anything with pnuematic tyres.there are ones with big wheels that are solid. e.g silver cross.

if you want one that will double up as a moses basket when your out visiting then you need to get one with a proper pram attachment. silver cross ones come with a seperate base you can leave at in laws house that folds away. they also come with a proper mattress.

but i must admit. i really love the way you face the baby when it's a pram type one.

so in hindsight i'm glad i never got my xlr till now.

to be honest. once the baby gets to a year. your first pram will have had a good kicking. and you will definately end up buying a second pram. by then there will be another new exciting design of umbrella to choose from.

[alittleteapot]

I would def go for the Maclaren Techno XT but also get yourself a sling - probably a wrap to start off with. We bought a travel system but have ended up with the Techno. Slings are all you really need for the first few months tho, imo.

[EyeballsintheSky]

M&P Luna? New one is travel system so will take a carrycot and car seat. Nice and light, not umbrella fold but pretty flat. Looks funky and not too expensive. I have one as well as a Techno (and a big bugger travel system too ) and it's a toss up which I prefer, they're both good.

[elmoandella]

every single person i know who's had a M&P has had problems and had to get them repaired. and there customer services is appaling.

maclarens come with a lifetime warranty now if you register within 40 days of buying.

silver crosses on certain models have known for repairs. but other models will last till kids go to school!!

quinny's are hopeless. both my zapp and buzz fell to pieces. literally bits falling off the buzz. screws falling out, brake fell off.

my jane has been faultless except for pnuematic tyres (quinny had these too) needs pumping up regularly.

more people will be along and hopefully give you some opinions.

[MrsMattie]

FWIW - my opinion...

I got a great big £500 Jane travel system with my first child. For a London girl with a small car boot and lots of pounding the pavements / folding and unfolding / hopping on and off public transport, it was a total flop. Heavy, clunky, stupid lie flat car seat that never felt secure. hated it. We lasted 3 months before we bought a £60 McClaren's stroller - absolutely fab once your baby can sit up (Ds is 3.5 yrs old and has just outgrown it ).

This time round (am now 25 weeks pregnant) I had planed on a McClaren Techno, but they don't face you do they? That really put me off, as in the early days I really liked having my baby face me (this baby will be a winter baby, too, and I especially like the idea of having my baby all cosy and looking up at me while he or she is tiny). Sooooo... we've bought a M&P Pliko Pramette secondhand for the duration of the winter/early months (£80 - bargain!), simply because it has the pram function and I know several people who have absolutely loved them. Will then swap to a trusty McClaren's stroller in the spring.

Phew! You live and learn....

[nickie2]

Thanks everybody. I'm thinking sling and xlr. We live in a pretty small flat and I think that the travel systems seem very big and bulky (and heavy - although I can't tell whether when they give you the weight of the system in the shops they're weighing it with all of its bits and bobs at the same time).

I like the idea of having the baby facing me, but maybe we will both benefit from not gawping into each others' faces all the time!

Which brings me to... sling! Are the cloth ones secure? Everybody seems to have those Baby Bjorns... what would you recommend for newborn?

Sorry for all questions - this is my first and to say all of this stuff is a mystery to me would be an understatement!

[tostaky]

I'm in london and i'm about to buy the techno xlr (or xt? cant remember, the smaller one) and also a sling. I've made this choices based on my friends experience too.

Until what age is it recommended for a baby to lie flat anyway? when can they sit up in a push-chair?

[nickie2]

ooh so snap on the baby transport methods.

i think it's 6 month when it's thought that it's alright for them to sit up

[Tangle]

Cloth slings are very secure, and I'd recommend getting to a SlingMeet close to you to see what takes your fancy - I was a wraps girl while DD was little, but have since moved into MeiTais. Lots of women find ringslings or pouches perfect for newborns. I know people that loved their BabyBjorns, but I found them uncomfortable for me and I had concerns about how they supported DD (both supporting her spine and hanging all her weight off her crotch).

I think its recommended that babies lie flat till 6 months, after which they can sit up in a pushchair. That's a pretty arbitrary cutoff, though - I'm guessing there's some link to how the back muscles develop but haven't done the digging to find out.

[kafka]

do not do a travel system i did this for ds but for dd we had a wheelbarrow joke but ykwim it was fine she was moved around somehow and she survived

the travel system sells to the new mums, I wish i had spent the money on a personal trainer for me instead [grind]

[kafka]

do not do a travel system i did this for ds but for dd we had a wheelbarrow joke but ykwim it was fine she was moved around somehow and she survived

the travel system sells to the new mums, I wish i had spent the money on a personal trainer for me instead [grind]

[kafka]

do not do a travel system i did this for ds but for dd we had a wheelbarrow joke but ykwim it was fine she was moved around somehow and she survived

the travel system sells to the new mums, I wish i had spent the money on a personal trainer for me instead [grind]

[4ismylatestaddition]

Would absolutely go for the Maclaren. I bought a trendy 3 wheeler for my 1st born which was great but very bulky and didn't fold up very well. I have a maclaren techno XT for my current baby who is 12 weeks old and couldn't speak more highly. I recommend it to all my friends. Love it! It is easy to steer, the baby is comfy, and it folds easily so you can fit it into your car.

[Tangle]

Just an aside on umbrella folds... We've got an Audi A3 - not massive but not tiny, and I've yet to find an umbrella fold that fits nicely in the boot (they all have to go across the diagonal so you can't get anything else in at all). Check before you buy!

[nickie2]

really appreciate everyone's help and responses. i never thought I'd see the day where i'd spend so long debating the pros and cons of various types of infant transport. i really am turning into my mother...

[WorzselMummage]

i'll have a Maclaren techno this time i learned my lesson with travel systems last time when i realised it was utter shite and bought a maclaren at 3 months old and used it every day for 2 years.

my travel system is rotting in the shed.

[msdemeanor]

I was shocked by how much I wanted my baby facing me when I had my first, and having winter/autumn babies, how much I wanted to tuck them up in a cosy bed. So I bought cheap prams on Ebay for the first six months or so, then a Maclaren or similar pushchair once they could sit up and wanted to look about the whole time. Worked for me!
If I had lots of money I'd probably buy a newfangled pram which turned into a pushchair provided it was sufficiently lightweight and collapsible.