Page 11 | To wish I’d bought an expensive pram?

HeelsHandbagPerfumeCoffee · 13/03/2021 18:56

I had a pricy system with all accessories it retained a good resale when I sold on eBay
So yes it was a good investment

beyondtheshoe · 13/03/2021 18:57

the problem is that many parents only ever drive everywhere, and can't be bothered with swapping from car seats to pram.

You see most (not all) drivers use the car seat, not the pram. At least you could when shopping centres were opened and you could use the parents/baby parking space!

namechangetheworld · 13/03/2021 19:08

We have an almost six year old Cybex Priam and it's still in fantastic condition. It's survived two children having everyday walks down very bumpy country lanes and is still going strong. We were initially looking at travel systems for £400ish but my DM kindly offered to buy us amuch nicer one as she thought it would last longer. She was right. A cheaper one would have fallen to pieces after a few years. Hopefully we'll be able to get a little bit of money back when we're done with it to buy her a massive bunch of flowers!

Fuzzyspringroll · 13/03/2021 19:09

I think ours was about £700 when we bought it new. It included a lie-flat car seat as well, which was important to me. We used to travel (by car) abroad a lot and I wanted the option of having DS in the car seat for longer periods. It was a great travel system and I really liked it.
As he got bigger, I also got a second-hand Phil and Ted's for about £60, which I also loved. We took it with us on holiday and I wasn't precious about it. I like both our pushchairs and they are waiting to be used again. One is in the garage and the other with my sister.

Amithemental1 · 13/03/2021 20:17

I had the same. In the end I shopped about for a 2nd hand since i had the time and waited to get the expensive pram really cheap. You have to remember that the expensive ones are not cars that will last for years and years they have a time limit, as in your baby grows. Then you are stuck with a £1200 pram you can never get the money back on. Would you buy a 2nd hand pram for £800. No. Let someone else get lumbered with the mistake and you snap it up at rock bottom price

Bobbi73 · 13/03/2021 20:21

I bought a second hand bugaboo cameleon. It cost £150 in good condition. Car seat on to frame etc. Maybe you could shop around for a better one and sell yours?

winniestone37 · 13/03/2021 23:42

I got one very good piece of advice when I had a baby, get everything second hand except the price because you use it A LOT and everyone sees it. I did that and never regretted it!!

malificent7 · 13/03/2021 23:54

You have pram envy...the bame of every new mother's life. In a few years you won't even need one.
I get it....i had a skoda when other mums got a porshe!

Mamanyt · 14/03/2021 00:40

Not even going to vote on this one. You are not unreasonable at all to want convenience. HOWEVER...if DC is going to be an only, or is going to be the last child, there are far, far better uses for the money that one of those fancy prams cost. They outgrow them so very quickly. Call me cheap, but...I have to get value for what I spend. Just as I never bought designer clothes for my boys when they were little...they would outgrow in 4 months. Wasted money.

CKMc2b · 14/03/2021 03:53

They are only tiny for such a short time. I made do with a convertible car seat (0 - 4) that still fits my 4.5 year old, I'll probably have to buy a new one in 6 - 12 months. And we had a regular pram where the frame folded down and the seat clipped into the frame and a bassinet that clipped into the frame so they could lie flat for the first 6 months that was handy. I bought this second hand for $470AUD. Try buying the car seat adapter if you can and if the pram is stiff try some silicon bicycle lubricant that should fix the moving parts. I know what you mean about being jealous of those travel systems but honestly they were fairly pricey and Bubba can't lie flat in the infant seat, whereas we left our son to sleep flat in his bassinet that clipped off on the floor of a friend's house for a couple of hours while we caught up which was great!

Dizzybet74 · 14/03/2021 17:13

I'd say it's about getting the right second hand item..I was given a travel system by my sil which was handy but actually it wasn't great, and I ended up buying a cheap buggy for the car. I preferred taking the baby out of the car seat rather than moving it. When dc2 came along I bought a second hand micralite which was the best thing ever.

Darren67 · 14/03/2021 20:17

I bought a second hand pram for second son and tbh I still regret it now sand he’s 23! But there are lots of lovely ones now and yes they are very expensive new ones

emeraldcity2000 · 14/03/2021 20:31

I think it's the pram not if it's new or second hand. I had a pretty expensive travel system first time around (quinny mood, c£900). I now have a second hand bugaboo (which fits at standard maxi cosi car seat) and I love it! It's smaller, easier to use and cleaned up like new....

Darkstarrheart · 15/03/2021 01:39

@pramenvy20

What pram is it?

SABDELLAHI · 15/03/2021 06:37

@pramenvy20

Before I had my baby I looked at the price of prams and thought how silly it was to spend that amount, and I bought a second hand one.

I regret it now so much. I saw a woman yesterday just park, get the frame from the boot and attach her car seat to it without disturbing her baby. No fuss or faff!

Mine is fine so I’ll probably vote that I am BU because I am ... but I wish I’d bought a really lovely pram!

Hi,

What brand is the pram you wanted called ?

weightedblanketlove · 15/03/2021 13:55

I think a pram is worth investing some research into. I was given a cheap pram second hand which was fine for a while but the brake mechanism broke and I ended up buying one 6 months into motherhood. That 6 months was good to help me find what I really needed in a pram.

My list of essentials:

Car seat compatible
Can steer with one hand easily
Converts to double buggy
Decent sun shade and rain cover
Decent sized basket underneath.
Robust
Fits in my ( fairly small ) car boot

I ended up buying an ex display uppa baby vista which was brilliant and has been thrashed for 6 years. It's about to retire and has served us well. There are loads of prams you can pick up second hand. They don't need to be new.

BertieBotts · 15/03/2021 19:15

I had a list of criteria like that as well and it really helped narrow things down. I then had a shortlist and kept an eye out for all the models second hand.

The problem is it's not always easy to know what features are something that's useful vs gimmicky before you have a real baby to use it on. In some ways having any old cheapy one for the first 6 months is a really good way to get a feel for what features are important!

Luckyelephant1 · 15/03/2021 19:32

@weightedblanketlove

I think a pram is worth investing some research into. I was given a cheap pram second hand which was fine for a while but the brake mechanism broke and I ended up buying one 6 months into motherhood. That 6 months was good to help me find what I really needed in a pram.

My list of essentials:

Car seat compatible
Can steer with one hand easily
Converts to double buggy
Decent sun shade and rain cover
Decent sized basket underneath.
Robust
Fits in my ( fairly small ) car boot

I ended up buying an ex display uppa baby vista which was brilliant and has been thrashed for 6 years. It's about to retire and has served us well. There are loads of prams you can pick up second hand. They don't need to be new.

Uppababy vista is top of my list atm but I want to see it in person when shops open. Concerned about how heavy it is and whether it will fit in my small boot! Did you have to maneuvere it quite a bit or take wheels off etc to get it into your car?

weightedblanketlove · 15/03/2021 21:12

@Luckyelephant1

I have a vw polo which it fits in easily. The back wheels come off to fit it in but it's takes less than 30 seconds to fold it down and pop the wheels off. I agree I would want to see it in person thought and actually try it out.

DingDongThongs · 21/03/2021 08:50

Op in no time your child will be walking and your pram envy will be over x

eliniatko · 06/04/2021 20:52

I am very much for second hand strollers, as they are ecologiical as well as economical. On the other hand, they can be bad surprised as something damaged, queaky, faded fabrics and so on. This is a risk everybody takes when buying a preloved model, and you need to check twice if you're ok with what you're buying, since there's no warranty.

The price of the pram does matter a lot, imo - I've put the why's in this little article I wrote... On the other hand, one can fnd nice price-performance ratio in affordable strollers, but it all depends on what one is expecting... I wqs very happy with a very expensive pram (Seed Papilio) as well as with much less expensive models bought second hand (like a M&P Urbo), but also bought a faulty Britax Go (and did manage to return it for my money back to the lady I bought it from, but that was sheer luck, it usually doesn't work)...

YANBU from my point of view - mainly because you need experience to be able to decide clearly what is good for you.

LongIslandIcedT · 06/04/2021 20:55

I bought the cheapest Graco travel system. It was too big and clunky, I wish I'd spent more on a more practical pushchair.

Maverick66 · 07/04/2021 16:34

I would sell yours and look at a Doona system .

Trixie78 · 07/04/2021 16:42

You did the right thing. I bought great one, £2000 but stopped using it at 2 years as too heavy. Never again, cheap secondhand all the way.