mamas and papas prams - help please

[scotsgirl23]

Hi

Hoping for some help/info/suggestions from knowledgeable mumsnetters! I have an 8 week old baby girl, and currently have a m&p pliko pramette. Slight problem - she HATES it! She'll lie quite hapily in her crip or hammock, but she really does not like the pram. Having had a good feel around I'm notsurprised, the padding is rubbish! For a few other reasons I'm thinking about changing prams (quite fancy having the option of rear facing, easier to attach car seat ad the Pliko has to be in buggy mode, possibly a seperate carry cot, and something that folds easier (I find the Pliko really difficult, one handed my a**e!)

Because we have the car seat and isofix base (both of which we love) we'd like to stay with M&P - so, can anyone give any opinions? We quite liked the look of the skate, but it has some not so good reviews. As far as I can tell they changed it this year, but I'm not sure what changed - carrycot possibly? Can anyone help?

We would be considering buying second hand so if the skate has changed considerably iit would be good to know.

Are there any other M&P particularly worth considering? Only strict criteria is it has to work with the primo viaggio car seat, and fit in our boot but I think they all will (new megane, boot is massive compared to our old yaris - another reason we went for the pliko in the first place!)

[5inthebed]

The Sola pram is lovely. I think you've gotto buy adaptersto use the PV seat, but other than that it folds small enough for most cars. The seat lies quite flat as well.

I like the Skate as well, you can get them for less than £100 sometimes on Ebay if you're lucky.

[CarGirl]

You can get a nevatta carrycot to go on the pliko prammette or p3 frame.

You could also use a M&P soft carrycot or silvercross 3D liner inside it which would improve it somewhat.

[CarGirl]

Herbie is much under rated apparantly and heard good things about the urbo.

I guess it depends how much you want to spend!

[CarGirl]

Here's a navetta, they probably don't come up for sale on their own very often, look for pliko and p3 sales to see people who have one before the prammette became wildly successful!

cgi.ebay.co.uk/Mamas-Papas-Navetta-Infant-Carrier-carrycot-/200496915927?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Baby_Bab yTravelPushchairsGL&hash=item2eae8c25d7

[scotsgirl23]

Thanks for that!

Do you know if the Navetta fits all plikos - I don't think mine is quite the same as the current one, it's the grape colour which I think was out this time last year.

Also, the Herbie looks nice - when it has the car seat attached is it just the chassis, the adaptors and the seat? Just wondering if any of it's own fabric stays on, or if it's like the skate where it's just the chassis (so the purle car seat wouldn't matter)

[CarGirl]

Navetta fits all plikos - they use the same clip bits that the car seat does.

No idea about the herbie sorry!

[CarGirl]

I reckon Herbie is like the skate but you choose between pushchair fabrics or carrycot fabrics and yes car seat on just chassis

cgi.ebay.co.uk/Mamas-and-Papas-Herbie-Splishy-Splashy-Unisex-VGC-/230499313810?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Ba byBabyTravelPushchairs_GL&hash=item35aad46892

There are a few on ebay really really cheap!

[CarGirl]

Very similar to the skate I reckon

cgi.ebay.co.uk/V-G-C-MAMAS-AND-PAPAS-ZIKO-HERBIE-Extras-/290453574392?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Baby_BabyTr avelPushchairsGL&hash=item43a061d2f8

[autodidact]

Couldn't you just put a sheepskin or other buggy cosy in the pliko so it's more comfortable? My youngest didn't really like being pushed in her pram till 2.5 months or so. Much preferred her sling before that. Later on she was fine.

[Honeydragon]

What Pliko is it? I have the mypod that dd has grown out of it is all laundered and would be more than happy to sell it to you it is a lovely pale grey and has all the liners, zips etc. They are £100 new, and was going to ebay it. My daughter loved it and slept really well - however they aren't in them that long .

Was going to sell it for £40 ish but as you are a mnetter would be happy to do it for £20 plus postage, as I said they aren't in that long. And its cheaper then getting a pram.

[Honeydragon]

(oh and it has the destructions instructions with it too)

[Honeydragon]

duh just read your later post the mypod is compatible with your plkio mine is the p3.

So yes they are good had a look on ebay to see if they had any in grape for you - they lock onto the pram in one click brilliantly and turn it into a proper pram.

[MrsDimples]

We've got a Skate, last years & we love it. The seat / carrycot - its the same unit, is really well padded. It is a bit fiddly, but that's because there are so many options on it. Baby is 13 months now, so has been in the 'seat' rather than 'carrycot' for 8 months now, we still have it on the highest notch up the chassis, which means everytime we collapse the pram, we have to move that up & down the chassis, but it means baby is closer to us. We always have it parent facing - I'm partially deaf so don't want her to know forward facing & then not want to go parent facing, so we have to take the unit off the chassis every time we collapse it.

We also change the handlebar height & angle all the time, I'm a shortarse & MrD is tall, so another fiddle, but again for our benefit.

I find it a dream to push & steer.
I can easily put it up & down on my own - albeit in two pieces.
I love the fact we can be out with the seat in upright mode & she looks tired, so without taking her out, I can move it round to lying flat.
Whilst there is no 'basket' the net bottom & springy straps can hold loads - I've had a full big blue ikea bag on it with no problems.
We've got the sunshade/insect net which is great in the hot weather.

I've never braved it on public transport - I drive or use a sling on buses/tubes.

We have an Aton car seat, not the PV, but it is a real bonus being able to put the car seat straight onto the chassis.

[scotsgirl23]

Thank you so much for all the comments!

Does anyone know what the difference is between the Navetta and the newer autocruise? It says on the website it's compatible with the switch, but as far as I can see it fits on with the car seat clips and the switch and pliko seem to be almost the same.

[mamatomany]

The navetta and autocruise were slated in the which report if you were thinking of using it in the car.
The Mypod would be a far more compact cheaper solution, i have to say we used our pramette for 2 weeks and also hated it.

[scotsgirl23]

thanks mamatomany. I think, looking at the switch manual, that the autocruise probably does fit, but that's not so hot about the which report as you'd at least want the option if you pay for an in car carrycot, grrrr. I think a carrycot would be quite useful once we get to the stage of her sleeping in the pram as our livingroom is up stairs, so we have to take her out of the pram if we've managed to her her to sleep, which then wakes her up.

We mainly went for the pliko because it fitted the old car, hubby was adamant the car would be big enough for a baby, being 3 door wouldn't be a prob, bla bla bla. 6 weeks after she arrived we bought a new car

Glad I'm not the only one who thinks the pliko ain't so great. We used it with the car seat on it yesterday and the blooming thing got stuck. Took two of us to get it off, which isn't much use really.

oh well, what is it they say about buy cheap buy twice?!

[mamatomany]

Everyone does it scots girl, we finally got rid of the MPV 2 years ago when the "baby" hit 4 yrs, then we had another and DH was adament he was keeping the sporty A3, needless to say the MPV arrived yesterday

[mamatomany]

We've had a couple of the Ultima's on the MPX chassis, they are very good and the carrycot is huge, will last until she's 6 months usually.
I was thinking you still had the small boot but if you've more room that would be my recommendation, you can pick them up on ebay for £100-200 like new, just buy a new mattress for £20 and away you go !

[faddle]

I've got an ultima up for sale at the moment, but its just the pushchair, no carrycot. You could buy the carrycot (put then you have to store it) or you could use it rear facing (it has a proper pramette apron to make it cosy) and put a sheepskin in it. It is compatible with the Primo V car seat, as I have the matching one, but will sell separately if needed. I'd take £100 for just the pushchair as I want it gone!

[scotsgirl23]

Oh I'll have a look at the MPX, thanks. Our new boot is pretty big (we're actually away for the weekend and it swallowed pram, hammock, suitcase, several carrier bags, steriliser, etc etc) so I think it would manage. hmmmmm

Think this may have just turned into a 2 pram shopping trip though - I forgot that my mil will be having little lady for 2 days a week from 4 months old, so will also need to use a pram/buggy. However her boot is smallish - skoda fabia - and she has a maxi cosi car seat. I could just give her the pliko to use, but tbh i struggle with it and she's way smaller than me, I doubt she'd be able to open it.

Lol at the MPV - what is it with men and their cars!

[5inthebed]

If your MIL is having your DD and has a Maxi Cosi you'd b best buying a Zapp so she can use the frame with the car seat adapters.

[CarGirl]

The zapp is really unstable with a car seat on have seen a few incidences where people have ignored the "hang nothing of the handles" instructions and seen the whole thing tip over - on one occasion very young baby wasn't strapped into car seat (he is fine as far as I can tell!)

I meant use the navetta as a carrycot not a car seat and forgot they brought out the mypod to replace it.

I would test out the car seat attaching and removing again if it continues to be that difficult I would take it inot M&P and insist that they sort it out. It isn't good for young babies to be in car seats any longer than is necessary, they say a max of 2 hours as being propped up can give them breathing difficulties.

[scotsgirl23]

Thanks for all your help ladies. We sorted the issue with the car seat, but I took a trip out to the mamas and papas outlet shop and played with a few different models - Ultima, mpx, new skate,luna, herbie, switch etc. Decided to go for a Herbie as I found it really nice to push, was able to walk properly without kicking it (problem with Pliko) and it folded up incredibly easily and actually pretty neat. To be honest there wasn't a huge amount of difference between it and the skate when they were side by side, only the shopping basket and the seat being able to slide up and down on the skate, and the Herbie, with all the bits, was reduced to £250, compared to £500 for the skate combi.

Quite happy scotsgirl now!

Anyone want to buy a grape pliko?!

[CarGirl]

You may come back to the pliko when your dd is older!

[Honeydragon]

oooh yes, they are great little work horses, are plikos. I used to do avon and could carry more in the pram than the car!