To ask about travel systems vs compact stroller…

I have a travel system and it's great. DD is 6 1/2 months and I recently changed the carrycot over to the seat. I like walking around with DD but if you mainly drive everywhere then I don't think you'll get much use out of the carrycot.

You can probably find prams free never mind buying second hand!

Yo-yo with newborn system is great, we had it when we lived in London and it was perfect. Then we moved more rurally and got a second hand Out n About 360 so we could run with DS1 to nursery and it could cope with the forest paths. With DS2 we initially used the Out n About from birth, but he has a lung condition and it turned out my anxiety couldn't cope with him not being parent facing, so I picked up a Bugaboo parent facing one on the local Facebook recycling page.

I can count on fingers of one hand how many times we used the carrycot of our travel system because baby hated it and wouldn't stay in beyond the first couple of weeks of his life. He'd just cry until you got him out, even if you put him in asleep he'd wake within moments of touching the mattress (tbh he was the same with sleeping in his cot etc). So he pretty much lived strapped in to me in a sling for the first 9 months or so.

He's ok-ish with being in a pushchair now at 18m old but still only for short periods of time.

It also took a huge amount of space in the boot (we had a seat Leon at the time so not tiny) and you couldn't fit much else with it.

We bought a light stroller when he turned 1 to take on an abroad holiday and I never looked back. Wish we never bothered with a (very expensive) travel system and went for something compact and lightweight (and cheaper!) straightaway. We definitely haven't got our moneys worth out of the travel system.

(He hated the very expensive infant carrier car seat too. We replaced it with an ERF seat and he was much happier. Again, wish we never bothered!)

We had the UppaBaby Vista v2 bought new but are now selling it as it just didn't work for us. FAR too bulky to store in the house and getting it out of the boot of the car every time we needed it was a pain in the arse as it's quite heavy. We used it for about a year then switched to a lightweight travel buggy (IckleBubba Globe) which became the primary buggy until our son stopped needing it around 2.5. It fit so perfectly in the cupboard under the stairs.

Baby two is on the way now and this time I've invested in a second hand YoYo2 with newborn pack as the Globe isn't suitable for newborns.

So yes, my recommendation would be a travel buggy over a pram system, especially if you're short on space.

We've got a Jane Trider. The bassinet is also a lie flat car seat (and it is flat) - Matrix Light 2. We've had it for DS and will be using it again for the next one. Additionally, mostly for taking on planes because I didn't want my pushchair to be chucked about, we've also got a 20 year old Phil and Teds Sport.

Another vote for Joolz Aer. We got the carry cot and car seat adapters so I used it as a travel system from Day 1.

We keep the stroller in our car all the time as it’s so compact. It’s just come back from a long haul holiday and she’s now 18mo so we are getting our money’s worth from it!

Agree! Joolz aer is fab. If you go to John lewis, they only sell yoyo so they push it. Go to mamas and papas and see joolz aer and yoyo side by side. Joolz aer so much better, wheels don't get stuck on folding, one-handed fold, suitable from newborn, don't need loads of add-ons etc. I did have the stronger carrycot for 3rd child as was winter baby doing schoolruns in all weather, but it wouldn't be needed for spring/summer baby. There's online videos comparing joolz aer and yoyo. Watch before buying. Both can have car seats attached if you want. But honestly, 3 kids and because being in car seat too long isn't good for head shape and airways, I haven't used the car seat on wheels huge numbers of times.

You still need to stick to the guidance on time in the car seat. They don’t lie fully flat. The ones I’ve seen lie more flat when they’re out of the car.

The lie flat car seats seem like a really good idea too - no more timing and worrying about how long your LO is in the car seat.

I would just make sure your car seat is Isofix.

Hopefully they all are now.

It's so much handier then belting car seats/bases in.

And probably safer too.

People are always desperately trying to get rid of travel systems .... There are loads of not old, not bad condition ones for sale, in my area anyway, in Barnardo's, FB marketplace etc.

You can't give them away

I would not get a car seat from the same brand as the pram company. Get a safe car seat separately

Major car seat manufacturers make their seats compatible with pram/travel system manufacturers, for obvious reasons.

Eg Cybex was compatible with mamas and papas (among others) when I had travel systems.

Look at Britax systems. They are soooo much cheaper than Bugaboos etc and so much better in my opinion. V light. One click travel system. Harder to find in the UK now Toys R Us has gone.

I personally wouldn't bother with a bulky travel system and just buy a separate infant carrier. I also recommend buying a nice second hand pram, as trust me you will be switching to something smaller and more convenient once baby can sit up! I'm pregnant with baby number 3 and have bought a lovely condition pram (with bassinet) for just £30, bargain! But I get what you mean, its a minefield when it comes to prams!

I got a silver cross pioneer travel system on sale when mothercare was closing, I agree with you on the price!!!! but we got it cheap enough- I wasn’t fussed on picking a particular colour for the pram or anything like that. It’s served me well with two babies. Travel systems are bulkier but I don’t think you can beat the basket space, and the babies look so comfy.
having said that, we’ve recently invested in an Ergobaby metro plus deluxe and it’s a nice nippy little pram, suitable from newborn and can go as hand luggage etc. however it just doesn’t have the storage a travel system has- I still find myself using the pioneer a lot!

Another vote for the Yoyo with a Newborn pack - absolutely brilliant. Folds like a dream, so compact and lightweight and it's going to see you through until 4 years old.

You can get the newborn packs much cheaper basically new on Vinted etc. I had the Ocarro pram for my first and travel systems in general are so bulky and expensive. They don't hold their value so you won't sell it on for much, which is why you can get them fairly cheap second hand.

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

Just to add if you can get to a shop that displays then go and have a look. I went in for the yoyo but much preferred the aer.

We got a joolz aer 9/10 months in. Wish we just got that from the start. It's absolutely brilliant and you can get the newborn attachment for it. I can't recommend the aer enough.

If you do the odd country park etc with muddy/difficult paths you could just use a sling/carrier.

I’m disabled so we bought a light weight buggy that could lie flat as I just couldn’t lift the travel systems. Most mums I know have switched to these within the first year as they found the travel systems cumbersome. We paid £99 for ours as it was ex-display and it’s served us well. I think, unless you know your lifestyle suits a travel system or you are planning for multiple children and want the options a system like that offers with add ons, there is just no need to spend such extravagant amounts.

We've got the Yoyo with the newborn pack at the moment and really liking it. We had a huge travel system with our first and really struggled with storing it when not in use. I've found the Yoyo to be really nippy and easy to use and and it's so compact when it's folded up.

We had the YoYo with the newborn pack, not the bassinet although that is an option, personally I prefer the newborn pack as it folds in one and baby is strapped in which I much preferred for tube/bus travel. We’re 6.5 years in and the only thing I can fault is the buggy board! The YoYo can be used a travel system, if you want, all that means is plonking the car seat on the frame but they’re not supposed to spend that long in a car seat so it’s not the be all and end all.

Are you planning on having more than 1? We have an Uppababy vista but we knew we’d want a 2nd pretty quickly and would be using it as a double (and we’ve ended up having a third). You can get it as a bundle with a car seat for a reasonable price from Winstanleys It’s been fantastic, a real workhorse- and we live in a 2 bedroom flat and my car is a Fiesta! Their customer service is great too, our chassis just broke after 4 years of constant use and they sent us a free replacement, no hassle at all.

I don't really understand travel systems - is it a stroller plus bassinet plus car seat and a whole load of other bits?

I would not get a car seat from the same brand as the pram company. Get a safe car seat separately - check out a car seat safety group on Facebook for advice on that. Pretty patterns or the overall design etc are not what should dictate a choice of car seat.

For the stroller, get a Yo-yo and newborn attachment (also look into buying the attachment secondhand), or similar. It's super compact, drives well and you can take it on flights. I've had other buggies and this one was the best for us. It fits into the car footwell so doesn't even take up boot space, and is very easy to fold and unfold.