To purchase a buggy that doesn’t parent face

[Meredithwho]

I am currently 5 months pregnant and am trying to decide between buggy’s. We need something all terrain, as we do a lot of dog walking in the woods, beach walks etc. I also run quite a bit, although I do not know currently if I will want to run with a buggy and baby or keep it as something for me.

Currently stuck between:

Silver Cross Cove or Reef 2
OR
Thule Urban Glide 3

Size is not an issue. Both are actually quite lightweight to push. The advantage to the Thule is that is is running buggy as well as being able to be used as our every day buggy but the big thing that I am not sure about is that it doesn’t parent face once you stop using the car seat or bassinet.

Do I

a) IANBU: just get the Thule as parent facing doesn’t matter anyway, and may as well have one buggy that does everyday and running

or

b) AIBU: get a conventional buggy/travel system that does parent face, and then potentially get a separate running buggy later if I need one?

It's fine - I used the parent facing seat on our bugaboo cameleon about 3 times in total for DC1. Never bothered with parent facing for DC2 and he was always more interested in facing outwards anyway (screamed his head off in a sling till he was big enough to face outwards too).

As a lifetime pusher of buggies and now a wheelchair (small child with profound disabilities) over rough terrain, I would be less concerned about parent/world facing and would go for three wheels over four and something with a handlebar brake. In my experience air filled tyres make a more comfortable ride for the passenger and a more comfortable push for the adult over really rough terrain. It's easy to line the inside of the tyres with kevlar tape to prevent punctures.

Have you looked at the latest Out N About nipper? They have a new attachment called the Nipper Switch, which is a carrycot that converts into a parent facing seat. You cant run with it on, but once you are ready to run (which i think is 6months+ anyway as baby has to have good head control), you switch back to the original seat and the buggy is certified for running. Sorry for putting another option in the mix if you havent already considered it, but seems like it might be one to at least have a look into?

I always faced mine out as soon as they outgrew the carrycot - so much world to see! They say parent facing is good for speech but mine were both early talkers and def don’t feel any lack of bonding!

Absolutely this

Thank you - I have had a quick look at the Out N About but there is something about them I just don’t like! I will have a proper look and try and see one in person though.

I bought one that didnt parent face....and bought another one as soon as she could sit up. I didnt like not seeing her :( Also its useful for when the sun is shining - you just turn them round and it sorts it! I also have the urban glide 3 for running only. So we now have 3 prams lol

Another option could be the Mountain Buggy Terrain, which has a carrycot attachment that converts into a parent facing seat. But honestly I don't think it matters. We didn't dislike our parent facing buggy, but we had to go on an extended trip abroad when DC1 was 8 months and took the running buggy for versatility. By the time we came back a couple of months later, it was so much better (because multi terrain) that we shoved the travel system in the attic and it never came down again. For DC2 we got a compact multi terrain buggy.

Neither of my two were particularly fussed to look at me past about 4 months. They wanted to look at the world go by! I wouldn’t bother with a parent facing one if the others suit your needs better.

I dont think having a child parent facing is a particularly important factor. I had a few different pushchairs because i don't think having one that does everything is necessarily the best choice. I had a big all terrain, 3 wheeler with suspension and soft tyres for off road/beach, a slimline umbrella buggy for going round the shops and folding up with one hand to get on the bus and a couple of other ones over the years. All faced out to the world because its more interesting for them and who wants to travel backwards, really?

They will see plenty of your face. Let them see the world too and keep your life simple.

I had my twins years ago and parent facing was a massive thing but twin buggies just didn’t parent-face. I loved my out and about nipper (it was better than my single buggy for dd1 for ease of pushing and comfy for them). They are well developed teens now and I realise the advice is for parents who ignore their dc.

I guess you wont know until baby is here how you'll feel re parent facing or not. My child is 18 months and still parent faces, for us walks are a time to chat, I show him things and we go through his animal noises and words etc. I do talk to him at home but walks are uninterrupted, we are doing and seeing the same things and its easy to chat to him, to point out dogs and trees. Im not some wanky performative parent, i just really enjoy that time. He can still see plenty while parent facing, especially as now our walks are a mixture of him walking and also going in the pram.

Just to add, we do have a trike too where he faces forward and we have a second forward facing buggy we take on holiday.

If you don't have parent facing PLEASE do not wander about with your phone in one hand and your buggy in the other! My office desk faces the window and we are on a popular walking route from the nearby estates. I see so many parents doing this and completely missing the opportunity to chat to their baby/child as they go for a walk, they're silently glued to their phone and frankly missing the glories of spring! We have sheep, cows, horses rabbits, deer, loads of different birds, lots of trees and bluebells primroses, violets etc in the woods, all stuff that can be conversational topics. You can hear all the different birds, the train in the distance, you can smell the bluebells right now, so very many opportunities to interact with baby, instead they're pushed in silence while the parent pushes eyes glued to the phone.
I do wonder if this is why teachers say kids come to school at 5 with little language....

Maybe those mums spend all day engaging with their children, reading to them, taking them to rhyme time and singing songs and just want a few minutes of peace while their DC is looking out at the world? Maybe (like my eldest) their DC won't nap anywhere except the buggy and they are deliberately not engaing with them so they can get some much needed sleep? Maybe they are on their way to a local park or farm or wood to experience the "glories of spring" which you think are so important. Parents don't need to spend every waking hour jabbering on to their DC just to satisfy some old busybody like you. Your casual observations are massively judgemental and its comments like this that really effect the mental health of parents who are just trying to get through the day.

I don't think the parent facing or not matters that much, but personally i wouldn't like having a running buggy for everyday use.

It's a very personal choice though, and honestly you won't know until you've started using it. So you're probably better off starting with the running buggy, and then if you need you can always buy a 4 wheeler second hand a few weeks/months later.

It's amazing how your unequalled parenting skills enable you to judge people, how they interact with their children and the impact on the kids 5 years later, all based on a 30 seconds snapshot of their life from your window.

Pat on the back, "Best Mum Ever".

I’m a bit confused why this state is being worried about yet, surely the first 5-6 months they are in the bassinet pram so it’s not born and straight into a buggy

Mine were never in parent facing. I actually didn't realise they were meant to be. I had an urban detour buggy and I absolutely loved it.

This was over 20 years ago.

Just go with the one you prefer.

Agree with previous poster who suggested mountain buggy terrain, does everything you need! We’ve used ours for 3 kids on daily dog walks, runs etc and it’s still going strong 💪

I can't imagine a running buggy. Poor DC getting bounced around. Not engagement with either parent or surroundings

Parent facing all the time. They could be in this a few years and therefore lots of opportunity to chat and interact with your DC for both you and anyone else pushing the buggy.

They need to see the world around them. They see your face enough at home.

Yanbu. I never had a parent facing 3 wheeler. I used to talk to them and point things out.
The hour they spent facing the world was more interesting than watching tired mummy trying to remember the shopping list. So many people spoke with them too, it gave them more chances to be social.

Awrite I still miss my Urban Detour 20 years on 😂. 3 wheeler of Kings. I even had the double for one summer.

Would you believe it was a hand-me-down? Then did both of mine. Yeah, 3-wheeler of kings is right enough.

In my opinion the most important consideration is weight. You'll have to lift it on and off curbs and onto buses and so on. The second most important consideration is cost. Some are just bonkers expensive. I think we got our Oyster Zero "system" for something like 390 which I thought was a lot but some pram/buggy systems are like a grand which is just not worth it. Ours could be folded and unfolded with one hand which is really useful (bonus that you can do it with a flourish like the guy in the deckchair meme).