To want to skip travel systems and go straight for an umbrella stroller?

[DorotheaHomeAlone]

My first baby is due in July and I'm finally trying to finally get my arse in gear and buy some stuff but it's all a bit overwhelming!

I'm generally a low fuss and low maintenance (lazy?) sort and really don't like being weighed down. I also hate wasting money. We live in inner London so I'm envisaging using public transport, wandering to classes and around the park and lunching with friends and family next year (I do know this is an idealistic dream!). I'm also keen to use a sling as much as possible.

With all of this in mind would WIBU to just skip the expensive travel system and go straight for something like a Maclaren XT that is suitable from birth?

Baby wouldn't be able to see me in those early months (unless in sling) is that going to freak me out as a new parent? Nice shop lady told me that a lot of parents buy the pricey bugaboos and then are back a few months layer buying a maclaren because its light and easy to use.

I'd go for something like a bugaboo bee, which infact I am going for.
With DS I had six different buggies for all different reasons, parent facing pram (newborn) really lightweight (quinny) easy fold one arm + fashionable (mclaren) and then really cheap £10 strollers since for holidays and sickness. all prams were second hand then sold on again apart from the first newborn one. All were cheap.

With a bugaboo bee I'll be getting everything I can out of all of those buggies. A bugaboo bee is just under £500 but cheaper on ebay/gumtree. It's lightweight, it's parentfacing/forward facing, you can get comfy newborn inserts to make it pram-like, can wack a car seat on it if running into the shop/school run. Lasts and fits a child up untill 3.

I think it really is the perfect pushchair!! YANBU because normally prams/travel systems are bloody annoying and big and difficult to use. However, when your baby is actually here you will probably want them facing you for the first 3 months at least. With a McLaren you will probably be stopping the buggy to check every few minutes and re-arranging blankets etc!

I've got a travel system and still use the pram for parks as it's smoother (DS2 is 1 and DS1 is 3 and goes in if he's sleeping). I did however use the buggy from 2 months, and swapped DSs between the buggy and sling/ carrier depending on need which worked well going around locally.

When I got the buggy when DS was 8 months, he felt so low and remote from me, and he tended to look bored. I haven't had that with DS2 and I think that's because he has DS1 for company walking beside him.

It's a reasonable suggestion. The Silver Cross Pop is suitable from birth.

Bjcm and a close caboo.

Slings are fab. my 2 year old was napping in the sling just the other day. We had an old hand me down pushchair when he was born. Though he has hardly ever been in a pushchair I did find it could be useful in summer if going to be out for a long time somewhere with no shade so I could pop him in the pushchair with the hood up and a muslin draped over to keep him nice and cool and protected. Most of the time though a sling and a floppy hat is fine.

We have a petite star now which we were given as a hand me down when the previous one broke. decent little thing I quite like it though my preference would be for a parent facing one.

Just see how you go. Maybe go play with some in the shops to see what you like but don't buy. similarly hire a few different slings from a library, some such as the North East sling library do postal hire if you don't have a local one. If one baby is here you feel you do need a pushchair or pram then the magic of the Internet can get you one in 24 hours. That way you know you won't end up wasting money.

I regret getting a full travel system.

Ours had a good size carrycot, but DD was long so outgrew it quickly. Others left their babies in the carrycot for ages to get their money's worth, but their babies couldn't see out and looked a bit squished.

The whole thing was bulky and heavy. I switched to an umbrella fold pretty quickly (£10 from a colleague) and it was so much lighter to push.

I did sling with DS1 and then pushchair/stroller with footmuff/cozytoes from 8 months. Although I don't live in London I don't have a car and walk everywhere/use public transport so still felt that i had to go down this route. I live in a rural, elderly area and worried about the fact that I wouldn't be able to catch a bus due to not enough space due to number of mobility scooters/wheelchairs/ those shopping trolleys on wheels thingies. Lightweight, easy to fold is needed to ensure that you don't annoy other public transport users especially when you may be more reliant on their help in certain areas. ( Going up stairs where there is no lift access etc)

I always thought DS looked comfortable in there and to be honest never felt uncomfortable that he was facing the other way. ( You can get hoods with window views. Plus if you wanted to check on them properly, You just walk around!) With pointing stuff out. Just walk around and show him stuff so he can see your mouth/gestures. It really isn't a huge deal. You aren't going to fundamentally hinder their speech development by them not being able to see you all the time.

Or maybe an option for you is to sling the baby and then choose your pushchair. You might have a better idea of what would suit you both. You really don't have to buy one now before baby is born. There is no law! :)

another bjcm fan here. i have had 5 prams for 2 babies now and it is by far the best one. i now have the single and if i had another baby i would buy the carrycot and car seat adapters. it pushes easily one handed, feels sturdy and well made, has a fab, big shopping basket that my 2 year old managed to lie in the other day! fab, big uva protective hood and the fold is the easiest and quickest of any pram i have ever seen. they also hold there value and re sell well

I have to wrestle my Maclearen XT to fold it, cannot be done with a baby in your arms at the same time. This is when the footmuff is attached, it might be different without. And it wasn't comfortable to push at all, I used it four times and then gave it away.

As a new mum you will probably prefer parent facing, my LO has only just faced forward permanently as we have changed our travel system for a lightweight Armadillo. I'd feel like I was missing out if he was always facing away from me, it's lovely to chat to them and watch their little reactions to the things they notice. Parent facing is important in terms of communication, I'm not suggesting that babies who don't parent face have communication issues, but it is supposed to be better for encouraging communication. It's also lovely, I wouldn't want to miss that experience.

I used an Maclaren from birth for DC1. I liked a lot of things about it but I hated the fact that she was facing away from me. The basket was also fairly useless especially when the seat was fully reclined.

As some other posters have recommended check out the petit star njoy bubble. I recently bought one for DC2 for DC1 I had a travel system and found it such a faff. But I really liked having my baby parent facing and the petit star is (I believe) the only umbrella fold buggy to do both forward and parent facing..it really is so easy to use, pushes really well too and most importantly DS loves it! I picked it up on eBay (new) it came with a foot muff, rain cover and parasol for £150. I just wish I had known about it when I had my first baby as I definitely would not have bothered with an expensive travel system if I did.