WIBU to insist on this pram?

[aliensprig]

I really, really want a Bugaboo Fox. In the reviews it ticks all the boxes for me: sturdy, lightweight, all-terrain, great storage and obviously pretty damn gorgeous!!

BUT DH doesn't think we should spend a grand on something we'll only use for about three years and wants us to get something second hand. He doesn't understand that there are literally billions of types out there, and some of the cheaper brands are cheap for a reason!

Also he won't ever be pushing the damn thing - I don't drive, and will be doing A LOT of walking with it. We live in a hilly town with some rural areas, so just buying something at random from the Argos catalogue isn't going to cut it. It needs to be light, easily folded, have good storage and be able to tackle mud, uneven ground, hills and busy streets.

WIBU to just buy the Fox regardless? We're not rich by any means, but we're not poor either, we can afford it. Plus I expect my parents will want to cover half the cost. Or should I compromise and get something cheaper like the baby jogger city mini? I don't like that it's forward facing only, but it's another all-terrain and my husband is more likely to agree on that one...

*two

Both of mine refused the pram once they started walking- 1st birthday. We bought a cheap buggy to use until they were 18 months, which they screamed about getting into to. Then from 18 months they walked everywhere. Don’t assume it will be 3 years use, like I did- big mistake! So the £450 & £600 prams we bought each time (this was 15 & 19 years ago) were a waste of money.

I have 2 grandsons between 2&3 and they have both outgrown their original prams so you may well be looking at getting another one in a couple of years which makes the bugaboo around £10 a week to run.

Does the bugaboo actually fold neatly? I was r the impression they are quite bulky when folded and you can’t fold with the seat on.

I always think they look quite flimsy and low down too.
Get it second hand if your heart is set on that one! I love our Out n About 360, brilliant off and on road.

alpaca you do have to take the seat off to fold it so you have the frame and a massive seat to fit in your car! that's one of the reasons I got rid of my cameleon

Op has not been back - have we all been hoodwinked by bugaboo’s market research dept?

Honestly get the one you want. I have had 3 DC and had a pram I loved with DC1, and with DC3. I walk everywhere and they were used for years (even though I also used a sling for short hops). I didn't like the DC1 pram anymore when I had DC2 and also needed a 2 baby pram and DH made me buy a cheaper one I hated - and I ended up selling it on very soon after, it was cumbersome and awful and so when DC3 came along I got the one I wanted. (I needed to get a new one as there was a long gap and we had sold everything on). It was a bugaboo and has now been passed on to family and is still going strong 7 years later.

If you need to do a lot of folding then the Chameleon is not for you.

It works best if you do lots of walking and I loved it because it was so comfy for babies to sleep in.

The Bee folds down. Not sure about the Fox.

buying second hand could save you a fair bit.
we really wanted the stokke xplory but could not afford a brand new one. buy second hand saved us loads and when we have finished with it i will sell it on again.

There's a compromise between 1k designer pram and second hand.
Find a compromise.
Or stamp your feet like a pregnant princess til you get what you want.
Whatever works for you.

I loved it because it was so comfy for babies to sleep in

I disagree with this, because its a bucket type seat when you recline it their legs are still raised rather than them being flat, doesn't look comfy at all to me!

@Alpacathebag the bugaboo Fox does indeed fold with the seat still attached, and is actually a very compact fold.

I disagree with this, because its a bucket type seat when you recline it their legs are still raised rather than them being flat, doesn't look comfy at all to me!

Worked for mine, they slept for hours in it.

If you truly are going 'off road''' with a pram, those small turning wheels at the front won't do it, you need something with four big fixed wheels. We're rural, had the four big wheels (think it was mamas and papas travel system), and had another set of wheels for the car/town as washing them constantly was too much faff.

£1,000!
For a pram!

I had a sturdy pram ( big wheels and good suspension) when mine were little. Used it for 3 years in total followed by a second hand double buggy and then a single buggy. Sold all three after finishing with them as they all had a decent amount of wear left in them.

Total cost of all three was about £500 with £100 back when sold second hand.

No way would I have spent £1000 on a pram especially if I couldn't really afford it. You do know how expensive babies are? Save it for something you really need.

You can't guarantee it will last you three years my son was way too tall to last in any of the posh brands! We ended up with a silver cross reflex buggy by a year old.

I say go for it. I’m on dc4 and have had far too many prams over the last 15 years. I’ve only been driving for a few years but still walk the majority of the time, so our prams take some real abuse. I had the original Frog 15 years ago and loved it. Dc4 is my dh’s first dc and he is very very tall so we made a decision on pram based on that and went for the Uppababy Vista. We then moved house right at the end of pregnancy and it won’t fit out of our new front door! So it’s been living in dhs boot, and I got a Cameleon for everyday use (both were bought secondhand and cost about £150 each so not huge outlays). But the Cameleons basket is rubbish, especially with the carrycot on, and the Vista is absolutely enormous to try and fit in our local shops. So I sold them both and bought a secondhand Fox for £400. Dh had to drive an hour away to collect it but it’s been so worth it as it combines the best bits of the other two imo. All of this makes me sound like a loon I know, but when you use it everyday I think it’s important that it does what you really need it to do. I’d just switched the Cameleon to the seat unit from the Carrycot before we sold it and the decider was that I couldn’t see dd at all with the seat reclined as the hood was at just the wrong angle. The Fox is higher up so I don’t have this problem. Would I spend a grand on it? Honestly, I probably would if I had to. It’s a dream to push, and I have a bad back and hips so although I had some lovely slings all ready to use with dd, it wasn’t possible for me to do so. I still can’t carry her now at 4 months old as I had such bad spd in pregnancy that’s left me with lasting pain.

There are loads of groups on Facebook dedicated to bugaboo and you can pick the fox up second had for half the price. All in good condition.

I've always been a bugaboo pram and I've had all brands over the years.

Bugaboo fan not pram* 😂

I'd never ever spend that much in such a short term item, that is going to be used by a baby/toddler so will never hold its value well unless you don't use it much yourself! I'd consider looking at the oyster2 and oyster max if that's the "look" you want. Extremely similar visually, great features, and a brilliant all rounder, for a fraction of the cost. We've been using our oyster2 daily for 2.5 years and it's been fantastic, taken it abroad multiple times. Our favourite features are that we have the oyster buggy board attached which is great for eldest, and for stacking luggage cases onto 😂, nice big useful basket, really practical for long days out as can fit all our bags, picnic basket etc in it/on buggy board, large extending hood, built in sunshade and lots of different reclining positions, while still looking lovely, yet being lightweight and compact enough to have not had to switch to a stroller at any point as I hate them! Also, my 5 year old still tries to hitch a ride in the seat if little one decides to walk, and it copes perfectly with the extra weight! Our previous pram was a cosatto giggle, and eldest outgrew before 2 years, so feel we're definitely getting our monies worth out of the oyster. I think you'll regret spending that much on a pram, as like you say, you are intending to use it frequently, so it WILL suffer with stains, scratches, scuffs, mud etc, and it would be soul destroying to watch it happen, but that is the reality of having a well used buggy. And you don't want to become neurotic and spend your life trying to keep it clean and avoid mud... you'll go insane. If you spent half of what you're intending then you can use the money you've saved on some annual memberships or lovely family days out you can all benefit from.

YANBU
The pram is probably the only baby's item I bought that I used literally every single day for 2 years. Get one that you like and that meets all your needs. Compromise elsewhere if need be.

Sorry all - only just having break at work.

Thanks for the responses, both positive/negative these are all incredibly helpful. I think on balance I will go back to researching and make a list - also will look into the mountain buggy as several pp mentioned it. Definitely not a pram snob - willing to consider models with similar specs for sure.

To answer a few questions above:
No kissing gates but plenty of fields and bumpy roads
We're not tall - I'm 5'4", DH a few inches taller
I don't drive currently due to health reasons but its on the agenda for the future (fingers crossed)
Ideally I'd like to have another child after this one (with a couple of years in between) but I expect I can't say this for sure until we see how we get on with one...!

Certainly won't go behind DH's back money wise but it does frustrate me that he doesn't have more of an active role in researching it - which I know is definitely unreasonable of me considering his job is quite stressful.

Going to try and put a lid on my brand new Bugaboo enthusiasm for now and check the secondhand sites

I used the pram I had (given by a friend) precisely twice. I discovered pretty quickly that I much preferred to carry my, small, babies in a sling/baby carrier type thing. I'm very glad I didn't spend a penny on a pram in advance. I bought one of those foldable cheap buggies once they got to six months and were heavier/could sit.

I live somewhere with stupid hills and crappy pavements. Seriously - get a Nipper... I could push the double version of it with a hefty toddler and chunk of a baby up hill one handed - the things are amazing.

The thing is - you can try them all out on a smooth shop floor and they handle nicely - but when you then translate to a full changing bag, bits of shopping and a growing baby - the handling goes to shit and I sold my original choice of pram on as it was killing me getting it up the bloody hills here.

I also had a Baby Jogger mini at one point as well (when the eldest was fully out of pushchairs) and that thing is not to be sneered at - you can feel so bloody smug with the way it folds just picking it up and it going flat while other people are performing all sorts of contortions trying to get their pushchair folded down. Do not underestimate the wonderful smug feeling of a nice fold mechanism!