To be confused by which buggy to choose for London living?

[SoonMummy]

I am so confused by the array of choices out there and don't even get the terminology - buggy, stroller, pram, etc etc!

Basically I live in London and expect to be using the tube mostly and sometimes buses. I intend to use a sling on the whole, but want to have a buggy (or whatever they are called) as a backup option for the newborn and also for if s/he doesn't like slings.

What is THE best buggy for using the tube and getting round London? e.g. light, small, no hassle, easy to manage, pick up, take down escalators etc?

@SoonMummy although if you also have a car a friend of mine has the Doona car seat stroller and it is genius! You literally fold the wheels out of the bottom of the car seat, pull up the handle and bang, you have a stroller!

I would recommend you get your buggy second hand. We did (Buggaboo) and still barely used it as the sling was more comfortable and baby slept better in it. In total I bought three slings I used daily ring sling From newborn, soft carrier and then a toddler carrier up till he was 5 for really long walks. I think if you use them enough all babies like the sling. All babies like being carried after all, so just try to find a sling that holds them as you naturally would. (We didn’t use an outward facing sling).

Just found it way more convenient but does take a bit of practice. Also no need to worry about step free access and much better option in a crowded or emergency situation.

In hindsight I wish we’d waited to buy the buggy until I saw how we got on with the sling as I did use it but mostly cause it was taking space in my hallway making me feel guilty, until we passed to a friend and then sold it. Could have saved ourselves quite a bit of money and if you are intending to mostly use the sling perhaps start with that and keep an eye out for a second hand buggy on selling sites So you can get one if you do decide you need one.

I meant I was glad I went second hand because even then Buggies are expensive. But I realise not everyone wants to do that. I’m extremely glad we didn’t shell out for a brand new buggy which would have just been an expensive hallway blocker.

Yoyo is v portable and light and easy BUT it's a slightly slumped back seating position once they are between 1 &2, it's not parent facing which I have found annoying at times, also it doesn't cope well at all with mud or bumpy terrain, its really only suitable for pavements and shopping centres.

I have the bugaboo bee; it’s fantastic and so adaptable, but I would not describe it as “light”.

Eg what @knockeduplockeddown describes would be much more cumbersome with the Bugaboo.

[quote knockeduplockeddown]@SoonMummy although if you also have a car a friend of mine has the Doona car seat stroller and it is genius! You literally fold the wheels out of the bottom of the car seat, pull up the handle and bang, you have a stroller![/quote]
A friend has this, when I baby sit his daughter its fantastic. Its reallg easy to use, another bonus is when we get home I can just turn it back into just a seat to carry her upstairs, I don’t have a pushchair frame I have to go back down to collect.

We had a Bugaboo Bee for both of our Zone 2 London babies. I thought I would be popping round London a lot and although I did a bit and it was fine, I mostly just did endless laps of the park and lots of walking in general so I was glad I didn't go for something too flimsy with no suspension. They spend much longer using it as big heavy toddlers, too,

Have a look at silver Cross Jet. It looks similar to Yoyo, folds in the same way, fits in an overhead compartment, but have one significant advantage-it goes completely flat so suitable for a newborn/older baby who needs some sleep

My DC are older now, but we used a sling exclusively when they were small and then an umbrella-fold McLaren. Make sure you can fold it one-handed. We didn’t have a car and it was important to be able to travel on tubes, buses etc.

The main problem I found with the sling was shopping. It was hard to bend down and I struggled to carry much as well as the sling on. I also liked having a pram so I could put the baby down e.g. for a doctors appointment. But plenty just use sling in the early days.

The yoyo still folds with the newborn pack, although I didn't tend to fold it on the tube.

Absolutely the yoyo zen

I had a bee and loved it, feels solid and safe, lies flat for a new born, v light and small. You soon get into the step free tube routes - end up walking a bit further to find lifts etc - which I usually did - though sometimes lifting buggy up the stairs does happen - and with a bee you can just carry the whole thing

Oh, and get a back back changing bag

I have the yoyo and it's great in many ways but the tiny basket is very limiting especially if you're out for the day on public transport, it's nice to be able to stash things underneath.

I also wouldn't use it for a newborn myself, I used a sling instead which worked really well for me.

In retrospect, I think the bugaboo bee is the best choice for London - small but more robust and bigger basket than the yoyo