To ask about travel systems vs compact stroller…

[taratatata]

I’m newly pregnant and researching, researching, researching.

I don’t know what we need in terms of pushchair/travel system.

We live in a fairly suburban area, think, lots of retail parks, a few country parks dotted about.

Most of my time currently is spent ‘popping’ to places. The shops. My parents’. My car is small but not tiny. I think most travel systems would fit in the boot but not leave space for a lot else. We also have a small house. I think I would use a carrier a lot of the time.

I am so shocked to see most travel systems are over £1000 or close to. I just don’t know if that money is better off saved for maternity leave. Although travel systems are marketed for use up to preschool when I look around and amongst friends it seems after about a year, sometimes before, parents shift to a compact buggy like the Yoyo, Bugaboo butterfly or a cheaper model.

Should I buy a second hand pram for the first few months and a brand new Bugaboo butterfly for use from 6 months? It seems the compact stroller would last them until they didn’t need to be in one anymore.

Any help gratefully appreciated, from a very clueless FTM to be!

Just to add we intend on buying a brand new, high-safety-tested infant carrier so not bothered about attaching it to the pram - also heard this isn’t safe anyway due to the positioning of babe. :) it’s more the pram we are wondering about, as we feel like we will need a pram with a carrycot at least at first.

Should I buy a second hand pram for the first few months and a brand new Bugaboo butterfly for use from 6 months?

Yes. I really wish I had done this. We needed a proper pram with suspension as to get anywhere we had to go through the country park that abutted our house. We went for a bugaboo fox. Amazing pram, but I so wish we had got it second hand, even though we used it an awful lot and never really progressed to a stroller. If you live in a suburban environment and see a lot of yo-yos and butterflies then 100% don’t buy a new travel system.

If you were bold you could wait until baby is here. We’ve barely used the pram at all before about 5 months as they have so much preferred being carried. You might not need a travel system at all if you go straight from carrier to stroller.

We got a lie flat from birth stroller that you could attach a car seat to. Cybex Beezy. We’ve also taken it on a plane in the overhead locker no problem. We live rurally and had a small car and we’ve only ever had a problem with gravel and sand. We go to agricultural shows so we do use it over fields/grass (it’s not the smoothest but it’s fine). Most people I know with a travel system have got rid after 6 months as they’re so bulky.

Thank you. I do see a mix, tbh, that’s why I’m stuck. I just know if something is large, bulky, in the way and very very expensive I’ll soon become annoyed with it and want something more compact. We haven’t really got anywhere to store a huge pram but I do think we will need one with a carrycot at least for a while.

This is great to know, thank you

It’s just so hard to know what to buy and what is just marketing!

I'd recomend getting a 2nd hand travel system, but a new mattress for the carry cot. Then but a compact pram for 6m onwards. I love the uppababy vista. I'd say go check out travel systems in a shop like john lewis, then look for the one you like online.
Things I'd look for:

Handle bar adjustable.
Large basket.
Good sun protection from hood.
Suitable for older children (uppababy fit my 4yo in, I don't think prams like cossato would).

We had a big pram/ travel system for my 1st DS (oyster 3). Which we’ve used daily for 2.5 years.
Prams like that have nice big wheels so they’re good for walking places. However it’s very heavy and bulky to get in and out of the car.

Expecting my 2nd DS soon and I’ve just bought a secondhand yoyo. We’re keeping the big pram too for walks but I’ll use the yoyo for taking in the car and going to the shops etc. I’ve got a car seat that can go on it and it’s also got the newborn pack. It has tiny wheels though and the handles don’t extend so I would only use it for short trips around a shopping centre etc, not for a brisk walk.

My friend used a yoyo from birth as a travel system I think. You can definitely get it with a bassinet. We used a mountain buggy swift with newborn cocoon (and sometimes car seat adaptors) - also very compact, but better on gravel and footpaths. So it doesn't have to be an either or with compact vs does everything.

We had just a yo-yo with the newborn pack. My baby loved being in a sling so we actually hardly used a pram at all for a long time. The same yo-yo is still going strong with a 3yo.

We've never needed a bulky travel system and have had a few different compact strollers. We are more city-centre based though, and barely use a car but take public transport most days. The big prams would have been useless for us, as most tube stations have stairs or escalators to get down and tiny lifts, and a lot of shops are small with narrow aisles, so they just get in the way or you're left begging for help all the time which is a bit humiliating. We've walked for miles with compact buggies and it's been fine - and done day trips to NT properties/country parks, cobbly towns and beaches too. Baby has never complained and has never known any different!

What about a bugaboo dragonfly. It can be used from birth and the bassinet folds down without detaching. It also has the option for parent facing which can be hugely beneficial when they are younger. My little one is 11m and still doest’t like to be facing outwards.

If you want something compact get a YoYo with the newborn pack. I had an UppaBaby Cruz and then got a YoYo when DC1 was 6 months old as we do a lot of travelling. Both were incredibly well used but if you only want one get the YoYo. Has done DC2 up to aged 4 when travelling (super helpful for a jet lagged child….)

The yoyo has a carrycot attachment that you can buy for newborns you wouldnt necessarily even need to buy a second hand pram then a new stroller. One new yoyo + carrycot would see you straight through. (I dont actually have one but friends did and it was fine from birth).

I would highly recommend a joolz aer. It is incredibly compact, really light and really easy to put up and down with 1 hand.

Should I buy a second hand pram for the first few months and a brand new Bugaboo butterfly for use from 6 months?

this is what I did…
but I got a nuna 2nd hand and a new Leclerc influencer (not butterfly) which is AMAZING.
my friend who has a butterfly actually prefers my Leclerc.

what I WISH I had done was buy a brand new Leclerc and get the Leclerc basinette attachment 2nd hand
which is what I have done for baby 2.
the basinette fixture is £200 I got one on eBay for £30… it’s in perfect condition.

I don't really understand travel systems - is it a stroller plus bassinet plus car seat and a whole load of other bits?

I would not get a car seat from the same brand as the pram company. Get a safe car seat separately - check out a car seat safety group on Facebook for advice on that. Pretty patterns or the overall design etc are not what should dictate a choice of car seat.

For the stroller, get a Yo-yo and newborn attachment (also look into buying the attachment secondhand), or similar. It's super compact, drives well and you can take it on flights. I've had other buggies and this one was the best for us. It fits into the car footwell so doesn't even take up boot space, and is very easy to fold and unfold.

Are you planning on having more than 1? We have an Uppababy vista but we knew we’d want a 2nd pretty quickly and would be using it as a double (and we’ve ended up having a third). You can get it as a bundle with a car seat for a reasonable price from Winstanleys It’s been fantastic, a real workhorse- and we live in a 2 bedroom flat and my car is a Fiesta! Their customer service is great too, our chassis just broke after 4 years of constant use and they sent us a free replacement, no hassle at all.

We had the YoYo with the newborn pack, not the bassinet although that is an option, personally I prefer the newborn pack as it folds in one and baby is strapped in which I much preferred for tube/bus travel. We’re 6.5 years in and the only thing I can fault is the buggy board! The YoYo can be used a travel system, if you want, all that means is plonking the car seat on the frame but they’re not supposed to spend that long in a car seat so it’s not the be all and end all.

We've got the Yoyo with the newborn pack at the moment and really liking it. We had a huge travel system with our first and really struggled with storing it when not in use. I've found the Yoyo to be really nippy and easy to use and and it's so compact when it's folded up.

I’m disabled so we bought a light weight buggy that could lie flat as I just couldn’t lift the travel systems. Most mums I know have switched to these within the first year as they found the travel systems cumbersome. We paid £99 for ours as it was ex-display and it’s served us well. I think, unless you know your lifestyle suits a travel system or you are planning for multiple children and want the options a system like that offers with add ons, there is just no need to spend such extravagant amounts.

We got a joolz aer 9/10 months in. Wish we just got that from the start. It's absolutely brilliant and you can get the newborn attachment for it. I can't recommend the aer enough.

If you do the odd country park etc with muddy/difficult paths you could just use a sling/carrier.

Just to add if you can get to a shop that displays then go and have a look. I went in for the yoyo but much preferred the aer.

Another vote for the Yoyo with a Newborn pack - absolutely brilliant. Folds like a dream, so compact and lightweight and it's going to see you through until 4 years old.

You can get the newborn packs much cheaper basically new on Vinted etc. I had the Ocarro pram for my first and travel systems in general are so bulky and expensive. They don't hold their value so you won't sell it on for much, which is why you can get them fairly cheap second hand.

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

I got a silver cross pioneer travel system on sale when mothercare was closing, I agree with you on the price!!!! but we got it cheap enough- I wasn’t fussed on picking a particular colour for the pram or anything like that. It’s served me well with two babies. Travel systems are bulkier but I don’t think you can beat the basket space, and the babies look so comfy.
having said that, we’ve recently invested in an Ergobaby metro plus deluxe and it’s a nice nippy little pram, suitable from newborn and can go as hand luggage etc. however it just doesn’t have the storage a travel system has- I still find myself using the pioneer a lot!