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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU to think I can get away without a pram for the first 3 months?

61 replies

SenoritaViva · 23/05/2011 14:46

Last time we had DD we used a very second hand pram which finally died a sad death. We bought a Maclaren for DD which in the end she didn't use much, but it is from 3 months only. Should I get a pram for a newborn or can I get away with a Baby Bjorn for 3 months? We're not balls to the wall broke so could probably fork out if we had to but have to get quite a lot of stuff as we lived abroad until DD was 2.

Am I being overly frugal?

OP posts:

sodiumion · 23/05/2011 14:48

YAprobNBU, I barely left the house til DS was 3m as it was last winter and I dont drive and couldnt take the pram out in the snow. :)

Scholes34 · 23/05/2011 14:50

Try it, and if you feel you really do need one, buy one then.

SybilBeddows · 23/05/2011 14:51

I barely used my buggy with dd when she was a baby because she liked the sling and screamed in the buggy, but then ds1 was the opposite.

it depends a lot on your lifestyle too - if you're walking a long way with shopping a pram is better, if you're hopping on and off buses a lot, a Baby Bjorn is.

SybilBeddows · 23/05/2011 14:51

yeah it's easy enough to get one isn't it?!

Ragwort · 23/05/2011 14:53

I never used a pram - can the newborn lie flat in a Maclaren? Not sure what a Baby Bjorn is.

bigTillyMint · 23/05/2011 14:53

My DD and DS were tiny, so travelled in the sling till they were 6m - great for ages if they are small.

But if you have a stonker, you might not be so keen

fastedwina · 23/05/2011 14:53

I used my pram non-stop at the beginning but depends on you and your lifestyle.

worldgonecrazy · 23/05/2011 14:53

I used a sling for the first three months but found a pram/buggy really useful for carrying everything but baby. It's also great fun to see the disappointed looks on little old ladies' faces when they peer into the pram only to find it empty and DH a few yards behind you with baby in a sling.

BertieBotts · 23/05/2011 14:53

I would get a proper sling rather than a baby bjorn, but aside from that, yes, definitely!

By a "proper sling", I don't mean you have to spend loads of money. You can look at second hand boards in places like Natural Mamas, UKbabywearingswap, or your local sling meet might have someone willing to sell one. Or you could even make your own - I can't sew and know nothing about different kinds of material, but I made my own stretchy wrap sling using instructions from a website (which seems to have disappeared now :() - basically go into any fabric shop and ask to see their jersey cotton, then buy 5 metres of it, and cut into 20"-wide by 5-metre long bands, then you can use this according to the instructions on youtube for stretchy wraps, or the Moby website, etc.

There is also Sa-Be babywear who do cheap wrap slings which are good quality, if you don't want to go down the route of second hand or making yourself.

The reason I wouldn't use the Baby Bjorn exclusively is that it's not good for baby to be carried in that leg position for long stretches of time.

snailoon · 23/05/2011 14:55

I never used a pram and was out all the time. Little babies are light and small and lovely to carry in a pouch. Get a good one (or several), and you will be comfortable, and everyone will comment on how happy your baby is. I travelled a great deal when our three were babies, never with a pram, and never with a crying baby. With a little practice they can breastfeed as you walk along, and no one will even know. Also, you can go into shops, up and down stairs, on busses, etc with no fuss.

Mumswang · 23/05/2011 14:57

my DS screamed and screamed in a pram until he was about 5 or 6 months old and big enough to sit up a bit and look around.

i didn't use mine for the first 6 months, and only occassionally after that. get a moby sling, or similar and you can skip around, up and down steps, through narrow spaces, on and off buses while all the time sniffing and kissing their lovely soft head and hugging them. i LOVED my sling, and credit it entirely with creating my happy, chilled out DS

NorkilyChallenged · 23/05/2011 14:58

I think you'll be fine. DD2 was a biggish baby (9lb) and so she was fine in the Maclaren fully reclined before 3 months. Before that I had her in a Moby sling or in the car seat. To be honest, if you drive oyu'll probably be fine but it does - as previous posters have said - depend on your lifestyle. I didn't walk that much, mainly drove to places with DD1.

Original poster

SenoritaViva · 23/05/2011 14:59

Thanks for the advice. Pregnancy brain clearly not thinking logically, of course I can buy one once it's born.

worldgonecrazy might have to buy a pram just for the old ladies faces

bertiebotts thanks for the advice, I'll investigate other slings.

We live in the country, no buses just me driving and walking round the village.

OP posts:

NorkilyChallenged · 23/05/2011 15:06

With a 2 year old DD you might find you don't go out walking like you did with your 1st baby. I found it quite hard work with the 2 of them, getting their needs/cycles of sleep/eat etc to coincide so didn't go out for long walks much.

We did things like playgroup/soft play/visiting friends, where I drove and then carried DD2 in sling or car seat into wherever we were going. Then I could sit and bf or whatever while DD1 played and there were always other mums around to hold the baby or entertain the toddler, etc.

mrsravelstein · 23/05/2011 15:10

i'm happy to be told otherwise, but most prams these days are the ones where you use a carseat initially so they don't lie flat anyway... in which case does it matter if they're in a not quite flat mclaren? i suppose i would be inclined to pad it out with a cosytoes type thing to keep the baby in place and comfortable... i know you're not supposed to leave them in a carseat for ages (and i didn't, honest) but does it really matter for the odd buggy journey if you're using a sling sometimes too? apologies if this isn't appropriate!

darleneoconnor · 23/05/2011 15:25

Get a double buggy?

Lambzig · 23/05/2011 15:28

YANBU to try it, but my DD was quite small, absolutely hated the fabric slings and weighed too little for the baby bjorn until she was 8 weeks old, so we had to have a pushchair.

bonkers20 · 23/05/2011 15:36

I borrowed a pram and used it alot. It really depends on the baby. I think if they are happy in a pram then it's nice to have one. It's a break for you, you get lots of people saying how lovely it is to see a baby in a real pram (rather than in a carseat with chasis) or a "from birth" pushchair and I think it's good for them to have the room to wriggle.

Having said all that, I could not wait to get him in the MacLaren at 3 or 4 months old as I hated folding the darn thing up to put in the boot of the car.

I did use a sling a lot and despite intending to get a really nice wrap sling never got around to it and found my back got sore quite quickly. I therefore saved sling time for when he was mardy.

Oh and it's somewhere to put all your luggage if you're out and about!

kirrinIsland · 23/05/2011 15:50

I didn't use a pram til about 4 months and it was fine. I just used a Mai tei sling (£20 off Ebay) as they're suitable for newborns if you put them in the "frog legs" position. I was prepared to use my non-lie flat buggy, following the same logic as mrsravelstein but never needed to in the end. I did drive pretty much everywhere though.

notaroundmuch · 23/05/2011 16:08

We've just done this. We have the fully reclining Maclaren which we bought for DD (now 3) but they seem so big to put a newborn in so DS has been in the Baby Bjorn since he was born and he is just coming up to 3 months. I thought we wouldn't get much more out of it but I will prob carry on with it for another couple of months as he isn't overly heavy yet and its good to have hands free to grab a wandering toddler.

Also its great having the buggy around for DD (without adjusting all the straps) as she still gets in it when tired after nursery, and its v. easy to push buggy and carry Baby Bjorn at the same time.

We have got a pram aswell (the Silver Cross sleepover) but only used that for nice walks to the park as its too bulky for town... and had the carrycot in the lounge for the first few weeks for him to sleep in during the day. It is handy, but could survive without it.

As others say, wait until baby arrives. If you really feel you need one then get it, but I'm sure you'll manage.

Oh, and lastly... DS doesn't like sleeping during the day.... except when carried around in the Baby Bjorn and will then sleep for hours... so for that in itself it was decision made for us!

TerrysNo2 · 23/05/2011 16:12

With the internet you can usually get next day delivery on a lot of items so why not try the sling and then if you really need one you can buy one quickly. Maybe have the pram you want identified in advance so you don't have to have that stress.

I used the sling a lot in the beginning but I think I needed the pram as we did a lot of walking and going to coffee shops!

wannaBe · 23/05/2011 16:16

I couldn't use a buggy (buggy plus guide dog equals not good combination) although we did have one for weekends. but I generally carried ds in a sling until he was too big for it then got a back carrier. I never used a buggy myself.

zukiecat · 23/05/2011 16:18

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

isislondon · 11/11/2011 20:21

Ditto with the last poster, a stroller/pram is essential for my twins. I find the mothercare 3 way carrier , with 1 baby , slightly strains my back. So i use a double buggy, with 1 in front & 1 behind

StealthPenguin · 11/11/2011 20:23

If you just want a pram for the first 3 months, then check out charity shops :) After my buggy was thieved from under my nose, I got one from my local Banardo's that's actually better than my old pram and was £385 cheaper too. So it can't hurt!

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